Cement News tagged under: PCA

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PCA applauds Obama for included infrastructure spend in proposed budget

04 February 2015, Published under Cement News

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) applauds President Barack Obama for including substantial funding for the nation's 'crumbling' infrastructure in his 2016 proposed budget plan. In a statement released yesterday the Association said it has long supported a nationwide plan that would address highways and transportation structures, which are vital to the daily lives of the American public. Key to taking on this large construction project is utilising resilient construction techniques that...

Johnston named PCA Government Affairs Vice President

28 January 2015, Published under Cement News

PCA named A Todd Johnston as vice president for government affairs, effective 19 January 2015. Based in the association's Washington office, he will represent PCA and its members with the federal government. Johnston comes to PCA with a strong record of experience and accomplishments in state government, industry, and in Congress, the association highlights. Most recently, he served as staff director for the Subcommittees on Environment and Energy under the US House Committee on Science, S...

PCA: positive gains in US residential housing expected

21 January 2015, Published under Cement News

Residential housing starts will be on the increase in 2015 according to the Portland Cement Association (PCA) with positive gains expected to continue next year. In his annual residential housing forecast during the 2015 International Builders Show, Edward J Sullivan, PCA Chief Economist and Group VP announced that housing starts will increase 20 per cent to 1.2 million units in 2015. This is up from roughly 950,000 units in 2014, and strong gains are also expected for 2016. Multifamily un...

Johnston named PCA Government Affairs Vice President

14 January 2015, Published under Cement News

Portland Cement Association named A Todd Johnston as vice president for government affairs, effective 19 January 2015. Based in the association's Washington office, he will represent PCA and its members with the federal government. Johnston comes to PCA with a strong record of experience and accomplishments in state government, industry, and in Congress, the association highlights.  Most recently, he served as staff director for the Subcommittees on Environment and Energy under the US Hous...

US: increase in average kiln sizes

03 December 2014, Published under Cement News

US kiln sizes increased over the 2010-13 period, according to the PCA’s 2013 Plant Information Summary. The latest summary highlights that the average kiln now is equipped with an annual capacity of 698,000t, up from 673,000t in 2010. The report shows that the US cement industry operates operates 106 cement plants (99 clinker-producing and seven grinding facilities). This includes just under 100Mta of clinker capacity and 126Mta of finish grinding capability.

PCA foresees continued US cement industry growth

25 November 2014, Published under Cement News

Cement consumption in the United States continues to grow in line with expectations, PCA chief economist and group vice president, Ed Sullivan, told the PCA Boad of Directors meeting last week. The PCA says its cement volume forecast remains essentially unchanged since the autumn forecast of 2013. The United States’ cement market is expected to grow 8.2 per cent in 2014, followed by similar rates of growth in 2015 and 2016, said the PCA. However, minor adjustments have been made regardi...

PCA appoints Toscas president and CEO

19 November 2014, Published under Cement News

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has named James G Toscas president and chief executive officer, effective 15 December 2014. For the past 11 years, Toscas served as president and CEO of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, and from 1998 to 2002, he was executive vice president and CEO at the American Concrete Institute (ACI). As a founder of the Concrete and Masonry-Related Associations, Toscas improved the collaboration of all industry allies and provided a forum for the establ...

PCA: economic indicators trend upward

08 October 2014, Published under Cement News

Strong US second-quarter GDP figures, which have been revised upward, further realign economic growth with many indicators that suggest continued, steady improvement, recent PCA commentary states. Overall, strong job growth and easing of lending standards suggest further acceleration, according to the association. However, construction recovery has been slowed according to the level and degree of the obstacles in specific states and regions, it states. The state rankings are based on econom...

PCA: ASTM International releases new product category rules for several cements

25 September 2014, Published under Cement News

ASTM International has released the final product category rules (PCR) for Portland, blended hydraulic, masonry, mortar and plastic stucco cements. The PCA notes that the development of PCR for the cement industry elevates the visibility and adoption of cement's sustainable benefits. "Product category rules are the basis for environmental product declarations (EPDs), which provide quantified environmental data using predetermined parameters," the association states. EPDs allow purchasers ...

PCA: new capacity projections unchanged

23 September 2014, Published under Cement News

Previously announced plans of more than 6Mta of new capacity during 2016-18 remain unchanged, according to the Portland Cement Association’s (PCA’s) latest capacity report. There have been no plant shutdowns since April 2012. However, the re-opening of plants closed during the economic downturn has yet to materialise, the association has said. PCA’s latest projections for cement consumption suggest sustained growth though the forecast horizon. "Given a domestic capacity scenario still char...