Displaying items by tag: US
ASGCO launches Grizzly Screw-Splice splicing and fastening system
07 December 2021US: ASGCO has launched its Grizzly Screw-Splice, a conveyor belt splicing and fastening system. The splice is available in various rubber compounds with a tensile strength of up to 1650PIW. The supplier says that the product is stronger, wears less and has a lower-profile silhouette than traditional metal fasteners for conveyor belts. It features self-tapping and self-drilling screws that uphold the toughness of the conveyor belt by passing through the belt carcass instead of creating holes.
Cemex USA sells headquarters
29 November 2021US: Cemex USA has sold its headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida for US$13.4m. The South Florida Business Journal newspaper has reported that the company will vacate the property in early 2022. It will relocate to a nearby smaller office. Cemex USA has occupied its current headquarters since 1983. According to sources quoted by the newspaper, it no longer requires the 20,000m2 space due to increased rates of remote working by staff.
Vicat agrees Euro250m financial agreement
24 November 2021France/US: Vicat Group has signed a Euro250m financing agreement taking the form of a private placement with US investors. The first tranche of the agreement covers Euro100m, with a maturity of 10 years, at a fixed rate of 1.27%. The second tranche is for Euro150m, with a maturity of 15 years, at a fixed rate of 1.57%. The group says it will use the funding to strengthen the liquidity of its balance sheet, extend the overall maturity of its debt and reduce its average debt ratio.
US: The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has fined Lehigh Cement’s Mason City plant in Iowa US$198,000 for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. The agency alleges that the company exceeded Clean Air Act emissions limits, failed to submit required reports to the state and failed to conduct required testing of equipment. The EPA also determined that air pollution from the facility may affect nearby overburdened communities. Under the terms of the settlement with the EPA, Lehigh Cement is required to conduct additional air emissions testing to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the Clean Air Act.
Vicat presents its climate strategy
22 November 2021France: Vicat has reiterated its CO2 emissions reduction target of 55% between 1990 and 2030 and reaffirmed its 2050 carbon neutrality commitment. The company says that its will invest Euro800m in transitioning to lower-CO2 cement production between 2021 and 2030 in order to meet the 2030 target. It said that eight US and European cement plants with ‘limited decarbonisation standards’ currently generate 67% of its earnings before interest, taxation depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA).
Ravena residents complain about dust spill
22 November 2021US: Inhabitants of Ravena, New York, have reported a ‘gritty, sticky, dusty’ residue in areas of the town to mayor Bill Misuraca. The residents described the apparent dust spill as ‘more stubborn to remove’ than on previous occasions.
LafargeHolcim US, which operates the Ravena cement plant in the town, contacted the mayor about the issue, stating “We take all concerns and complains about the plant very seriously and aim to operate in a manner that causes zero harm to employees, contractors, customers, and most of all, local residents, in keeping with our core values.” It added "The plant will be working with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to collect data on the type and source of these materials."
LafargeHolcim US and Geocycle receive first delivery of coal ash under 6Mt recycling contract with CenterPoint Energy
17 November 2021US: LafargeHolcimUS and its subsidiary Geocycle have successfully completed a barge shipment of 2000t of reclaimed bottom ash and fly ash from a pond at CenterPoint Energy’s AB Brown coal-fired power plant at Evansville in Indiana. The delivery is the first under a new 6Mt multi-year coal ash recycling contract with the energy provider.
LafargeHolcim US will use the coal ash to replace clay and sand in cement production at its Ste. Genevieve cement plant in Missouri. The producer says that this will help to reduce the plant's consumption of raw materials. LafargeHolcim US and Geocycle have invested US$80m in infrastructure to extract, process, transport, store and recycle ash from the power plant. Geocycle has managed the on-going joint recycling initiative between LafargeHolcim and CenterPoint Energy since 2009.
LafargeHolcim US's chief executive officer Toufic Tabbara said “This milestone is a tangible example of how industry participants together can develop creative and efficient solutions that contribute to the circular economy. Together, LafargeHolcim, Geocycle and CenterPoint Energy will avoid landfilling for power plants and reduce the consumption of non-renewable raw materials. This is a clear win-win for people and our planet.”
US: Martin Engineering has completed its annual October donation programme to breast cancer charity Susan G Komen in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The supplier donated US$50 per truck vibrator and $100 per 70l air cannon sold in the period. Hot pink replaced the products’ traditional orange décor.
Vibration business development manager Susie Orlandi said “As a family-owned company of four generations with over 900 employees making up our extended family, Martin Engineering is acutely familiar with the impact breast cancer has on individuals, families, friends, colleagues and communities. This disease affects such a large number of people that just about all of us have been touched by it in some way.”She added “We’re excited to get this programme back on track after the coronavirus year in 2020.”
Titan America’s Pennsuco plant to achieve 100% Portland limestone cement production as early as 2023
12 November 2021US: Titan America says that 100% of its Pennsuco cement plant in Medley, Florida’s, cement production will be lower-carbon Portland limestone cement (PLC) by ‘as early as 2023.’ The cement, called Type IL, has 15% reduced CO2 emissions compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), according to the company.
Mid-Atlantic regional president Kevin Baird said “We are serving large customers in E-Commerce, cloud services and infrastructure. These customers are committed to sustainable development and are demanding solutions for green construction. Low carbon cement, such as our Type IL, is one of the ways we are meeting the needs of our customers for these projects.”
Titan Cement increases sales and profit as earnings drop in first nine months of 2021
11 November 2021Greece: Titan Cement has recorded sales of Euro1.26bn in the first nine months of 2021, up by 5% year-on-year from Euro1.2bn in the first nine months of 2020. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 4.3% to Euro220m from Euro229m, while its net profit rose by 41% to Euro81.9m from Euro58m.
During the third quarter of 2021, Titan Cement’s US low-carbon cement sales reached 50% of its total US cement sales. It also continued with hydrogen enrichment pilot studies in its cement kilns in Bulgaria and Greece.