Cement News tagged under: USA
PCA: as oil prices fall, cost of asphalt is on the rise18 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsDespite falling oil prices, the cost of paving with asphalt continues to rise across the US. A recent analysis from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) shows that asphalt prices have reached record highs during the last six months. Oil prices declined 44 per cent in the second half of 2014, and during the same period asphalt prices increased 1.5 per cent. A decline in asphalt prices has yet to materialise given six months of data since the beginning of the oil price decline, the normal la... |
Vulcan Materials adds two new members to its board17 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsVulcan Materials has named Southern Co CEO Thomas A Fanning and former US Secretary of Labor Elaine L Chao to its board of directors. Fanning has been president, CEO and chairman of Southern Co (the parent of Birmingham's Alabama Power Co) since 2010. He also serves as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and as chairman of the Electric Subsector Coordinating Council. Chao served as the US Secretary of Labor over the 2001-09 period. She has also served as CEO of United Way of Ameri... |
Ash Grove Cement names new VP and CFO12 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsDavid Meyer joins Ash Grove Cement Co as vice president and chief financial officer Ash Grove Cement Company announced David G Meyer is joining the company as its vice president and chief financial officer in the company’s headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. In his new role, Mr Meyer will direct accounting, treasury, internal audit, tax and information technology functions. “Dave brings 17 years of corporate finance leadership in strategic planning and capital marke... |
Buzzi Unicem sees improvements in the USA and Czech Republic11 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsBuzzi Unicem's turnover eased by 0.1 per cent last year to €2506m, but ignoring the exchange rate effect there would have been a 3.4 per cent improvement. Net debt at the end of December was 3.1 per cent below the level seen a year earlier at €1063m. Group cement deliveries in 2014 increased by 1.8 per cent to 25.1Mt and ready-mixed concrete deliveries improved by 1.4 per cent to 12Mm³. Domestic reduction in line with overall market Buzzi Unicem's Italian turnover declined by a furt... |
Australia: Boral swings to profit11 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsBoral Ltd today reported a 23 per cent increase in profit after tax (before significant items) to $112m in the six months to the end of December 2014. After significant items, net profit was $104.5m, compared to a loss of $26.3m in the first half of the 2014 financial year. But turnover for the six months to the end of December declined by 20.5 per cent to AUD22285m (€1561m), largely reflecting the transfer of the plasterboard business to joint venture status. EBITDA was off by 5.5 per ce... |
Vulcan’s EBITDA grows by 28 per cent06 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsVulcan Materials' turnover increased by 8.1 per cent in 2014 to US$2994.2m and the EBITDA rose by 28.1 per cent to US$99.7m. After a net interest charge 20.2 per cent higher at US$242.7m, there was pre-tax profit of US$298.8m compared with a US$3.7m loss in 2013 and at the net level there was a jump from a US$24.3m profit to US$204.9m. Capital expenditure, which had jumped from US$93.4m to US$275.4m in 2013, declined by 18.3 per cent in 2014 to US$224.9m and is forecast to be in the regio... |
PCA: oil prices could lead to strong near-term US economic growth05 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsLow oil prices are beneficial to US economic growth and are expected to add 20 to 30 basis points to real GDP growth rates during 2015-2016, Edward J Sullivan announced during remarks at the 2015 World of Concrete. However, Mr Sullivan cautioned that this good news for the nation¹s economy does not necessarily travel with the same speed to the construction industry. "Unfortunately, the transmission process from oil price declines to construction activity contains timing lags," said Mr Sul... |
Vicat increases cement shipments by 13.7%04 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsVicat's turnover improved by six per cent in 2014 to €2423m, which translates into an underlying increase of eight per cent on a like-for-like basis. Turnover in cement advanced by 13.7 per cent to €1261m, or €1483m before deducting inter-group transfers. Aggregates and concrete sales declined by 1.8 per cent to €860m, while other activities saw turnover edging ahead by 0.3 per cent to €301m. Cement accounted for 53.7 per cent of turnover, up from the 50.6 per cent shown in the previ... |
Eagle Materials net profit rises by 37.8%04 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsIncluding its share of the jointly-owned Texas Lehigh Cement, the turnover of Eagle Materials for the first nine months to 31 December, rose by 19.1 per cent to US$941.2m. The trading profit before corporate overheads increased by 33.7 per cent to US$246.9m, of which cement contributed 39.1 per cent. The trading profit improved by 32.5 per cent to US$220.3m. After a net interest charge 15.3 per cent lower at US$12.1, the pre-tax profit advanced by 37 per cent to US$208.2m and the net prof... |
PCA applauds Obama for included infrastructure spend in proposed budget04 February 2015, Published under Cement NewsThe 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... |