Content about Concrete

A new forecast from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) nearly doubles the expected increase in cement consumption for the year, attributing the boost to both changes in construction activity and the projected amount of cement used in future projects. Favorable weather conditions during the first half of 2012 was also a key contributor.

PCA revised its spring forecast upward, anticipating a 6.9% increase in 2012 from 2011 levels, followed by a 5.8% jump in 2013 and a double-digit increase of 10.9% increase in 2014.

After a failed attempt at a merger, Martin Marietta Materials has launched a hostile $4.8 billion offer for its rival Vulcan Materials Co., according to the Wall Street Journal. The deal combines the two largest suppliers of construction aggregates -- one of the chief ingredients of concrete -- in the nation.

Sluggish demand for cement from housing construction dented the supply-demand matrix of the cement industry in the last several years, according to a report from Research and Markets. Now it's time to recover.

Michael W. Harlan, president and CEO of U.S. Concrete, will step down in 2011 after leading the company for the past four years, according to a March 29 announcement.