Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff
U.S. portland cement production accounted for 2.3 percent of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) emissions in EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program 2015 data. Modern kilns increasingly running on natural gas and other coal alternatives, coupled with limited offsetting import factors, appear to position the domestic cement industry favorably in a business often tagged as the source of 5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Read MoreSource: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.
Based on data from its recently released Precast Industry Benchmarking Report and leading forecasters, NPCA projects U.S. producers’ shipments increasing this year to $16.8 billion from $15.9 billion in 2013, the 6 percent gain modest against higher overall construction growth in 2014.
Read MoreSources: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.; CP staff
After several years of stagnation, the precast concrete industry is turning the corner in recovery from the Great Recession, with NPCA’s 2013 Benchmarking Report indicating 2 percent higher volume in 2012 over the prior year—coupled with a near-doubling of profit margins, from 2.5 percent to 4.9 percent.
Read MoreSources: Freedonia Group, Cleveland; CP staff
With the tailwind of a home building rebound from low 2012 base levels, U.S. demand for landscaping products is projected to grow 6.9 percent per year through 2017, to $6.5 billion—a welcome projection for producers and suppliers who have seen a slow recovery from the 2007-2009 recession.
Read MoreThe cloud of proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulations governing the handling and disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR), including construction-grade fly ash, prompted an American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) report to forecast potential economic impacts on the subtraction of ASTM C 618 product from the transportation infrastructure supply chain.
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