Displaying items by tag: US
US: Lehigh Hanson plans to stop cement production at its integrated Permanente plant near Cupertino in California. The subsidiary of Germany-based Heidelberg Materials plans to use the site as a distribution centre and to continue some quarry work, according to the Mercury News newspaper. The cement plant was originally opened in 1939 but it stopped clinker production in 2020.
Titan America's Pennsuco quarry wins Sentinels of Safety award
16 November 2022US: The National Mining Association has named Titan America's Pennsuco, Florida, quarry as winner of its Sentinels of Safety 2022 large quarry safety award. The quarry operated for 432,000 man hours without a single lost time incident during 2021.
Titan America's senior vice president Walter Reed said "The team at our Pennsuco Quarry demonstrates yet again that a fully embraced and entrenched safety culture will inevitably form the foundation for a long-term successful, sustainable, and extremely productive operation."
The 2022 award is the Pennsuco's second consecutive and eighth overall Sentinels of Safety win.
Cemex USA Knoxville cement plant worker dies in coal pile collapse
14 November 2022US: A coal pile collapse at Cemex USA's Knoxville, Tennessee, cement plant killed one worker at the plant earlier in November 2022. Local press has reported that Thomas Mitchell, aged 21, died at the scene.
Cemex says that it is cooperating with an on-going investigation into the disaster.
Buzzi Unicem reports weaker demand for cement and concrete in third quarter of 2022
10 November 2022Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s net sales rose by 18% year-on-year to Euro3.00bn in the first nine months of 2022 from Euro2.54bn in the same period in 2021. Its cement sales volumes fell by 6% to 21.9Mt from 23.4Mt. Its ready-mixed concrete sales volumes dropped by 3% to 8.80Mm3 from 9.05Mm3. The group reported a general slowdown in demand during the third quarter of 2022, particularly in Italy, Eastern Europe and Ukraine. This trend was weaker in the US and sales volumes improved in Central Europe. Buzzi Unicem added that it increased its prices in all regions in the third quarter.
Highest ever sales for Cementos Argos
10 November 2022Colombia: Cementos Argos has reported record sales and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in the first nine months of 2022. Sales for the period reached US$1.73bn, with EBITDA reaching US$306m. In terms of shipments, Cementos Argos delivered 12.3Mt of cement, 2% less than in the first nine months of 2021. It delivered 5.8Mm3/yr of concrete, a year-on-year rise of 9%.
Juan Esteban Calle, president of the company, said "We are excited to deliver positive results to our shareholders that show that the strategies we are implementing, in terms of deleveraging, efficiency, network integration logistics and price recovery, are bearing fruit. Amid strong inflationary pressures in all markets, we were able to expand profitability and margins versus last year."
During the third quarter of 2022 the company saw revenues of US$414m in the US market, an increase of 23% compared to the third quarter of 2021. Its EBITDA in the US for the quarter increased by 26% to US$77m. It said that 'solid' demand helped it to increase cement sales volumes by 6% to 1.6Mt, while concrete sales rose by 4% to 1.1Mm3.
In its native Colombia, revenues reached US$143m, a year-on-year increase of 11%, with EBITDA at US$32.1m. During the three-month period, cement shipments remained stable, while the concrete business has continued its sustained recovery, supported by infrastructure and formal housing projects. The company highlighted that exports from Cartagena grew by 37% to reach 319,000t, the highest quarterly figure in the company's history.
In the Caribbean and Central America revenues rose by 8% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2022 to reach US$136m, with EBITDA stable year-on-year at US£31m. However, cement shipments decreased by 13% to 1.0Mt. Cementos Argos said that this was partly due to serious social disruption in Haiti, as well as a change of government in Honduras and scheduled maintenance in the Dominican Republic. However, the company saw a 59% increase in concrete shipments to 77,000m3.
Strong third quarter drives Titan Group’s sales
10 November 2022Greece: Titan Group says that strong sales in the third quarter of 2022 has driven its performance so far in 2022. Its sales rose by 32% year-on-year to Euro1.66bn in the first nine months of 2022 from Euro1.26bn in the same period in 2021. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBIDTA) grew by 7% to Euro235m from Euro220m. It attributed its sales growth to higher sales volumes and higher prices more than sufficiently offsetting growing energy and transport costs. Strong performance was reported in the US and construction market was described as recovering in Greece. Elsewhere, high energy costs were said to be reducing demand in Southeast Europe, market problems in Turkey continued but the group raised its prices and increased exports, saes volumes increased in Egypt and a decline was noted in Brazil.
Roanoke breaks ground on Chesapeake Terminal expansion
09 November 2022US: Roanoke Cement, part of Titan America, has held a ground-breaking ceremony for an expansion at its Chesapeake Terminal near Norfolk in Virginia. Council members, other state and local officials and Roanoke Cement team members gathered to launch the project, to build a new US$40m storage dome. In response to increasing demand for low carbon cement, the storage dome at the terminal will provide an additional 70,000t of capacity, tripling the site’s existing storage volume. The Chesapeake Terminal will see expanded truck and rail capacity as well, and the improved terminal will enable the import and distribution of other raw materials needed to produce concrete.
"This important capital improvement is another investment in anticipation of increased construction material demand for infrastructure development and other projects," said Kevin Baird, president of Titan America's Mid-Atlantic Business Unit, which includes Roanoke Cement. "Expanded storage and marine terminal upgrades permit us to make low carbon cement available for construction needs all over the region."
The company expects the expanded facility to be completed by the end of 2023, in time for the region’s 2024 construction season.
Italy: Cementir Holding sold 8.2Mt of cement and clinker during the first nine months of 2022, down by 1.7% year-on-year from nine-month 2021 levels. China, Denmark, Egypt and Türkiye all contributed to the decline. Group nine-month revenues were Euro1.26bn, up by 25% year-on-year. Third-quarter 2022 revenues rose most sharply, by 45%, in Türkiye, followed by the US (38%), the Nordic and Baltic region (20%) and Belgium (17%). During the third quarter of the year, operating costs increased by 36% to Euro365m from Euro268m. Raw materials, fuels and transport costs all contributed to the rise.
In the first nine months of 2022, the group recorded earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of Euro238m, up by 11% from Euro215m during the first nine months of 2021.
GCC announces three new senior leadership appointments
02 November 2022Mexico: GCC has made new appointments to the roles of project director, chief financial and planning officer and general counsel, effective immediately. Luis Carlos Arias will now serve as project director to the company's Odessa, US, cement plant expansion. Arias previously served as the group's chief financial officer. Maik Strecker steps into the role of chief financial and planning officer. Strecker joined GCC as chief planning officer in 2020. He has two decades' previous experience in roles spanning mergers and acquisitions, business development, product line management, operations and sales and marketing. Lastly, Cesar Conde will serve as GCC's general counsel. Conde has worked for the group since 2006.
GCC's CEO Enrique Escalante said "I am confident these executives bring proved strategic and execution leadership to the Company, and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead."
US: Martin Marietta Materials recorded revenues of US$4.68bn throughout the first nine months of 2022, up by 20% year-on-year from US$3.92bn. Cement sales contributed US$455m, 9.7% of total revenues, up by 27% from US$358m. Cost of revenues rose by 4% for the group, to US$3.62bn from US$2.92bn. Nonetheless, Martin Marietta Materials successfully recorded nine-month net earnings growth of 25% year-on-year, to US$638m from US$546m.
Chair and CEO Ward Nye said that double-digit price growth drove the company's record profitability. He said "Importantly, we expect a return to expanding margins in the fourth quarter of 2022, as the compounding effect of multiple pricing actions throughout the year offsets continued inflationary pressure and a slowdown in single-family residential construction. Martin Marietta's strategic coast-to-coast footprint is well positioned for long-term growth, driven by favourable population migration trends, housing shortages in our markets and a long-term federal highway bill complemented by healthy Department of Transportation budgets in the company's key states. Near-term, we expect affordability-driven headwinds in the single-family residential end market will be offset by a significant acceleration in public infrastructure investment and continued strength in large-scale energy, domestic manufacturing and multi-family residential projects."