TOP NEWS
Granite
Granite Construction announced the acquisition of Lehman-Roberts Co. and Memphis Stone & Gravel Co., longstanding asphalt paving and asphalt and aggregates producers and suppliers.
Silvi Materials
Shipping sand products to Brooklyn, N.Y., and the five boroughs of Manhattan is a challenge. But Silvi Materials now has a new high-quality, cost-effective solution, launching barges from a new port located about two miles from the sand plant on the Maurice River.
SRM Materials
SRM Materials announced the acquisition of Tri-County Stone Co. in Morrison, Tenn., and Cheboygan Cement Products in Cheboygan, Mich. SRM Materials President Ryan Hollingshead stated, “We are excited to bring the Tri-County team on board at SRM Materials.”
USGS STATS
An estimated 712 million metric tons of total construction aggregates was sold or used in the United States in the third quarter of 2022, a decrease of 3% compared with that in the third quarter of 2021, according to Jason Christopher Willett, commodity specialist, National Minerals Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
- The AVP Pulse Index for December – brought to you by Rock Products and Allen-Villere Partners – increased 0.6% month over month. The Index is up 3.8% year over year.
- Total construction starts fell 15% in November, dropping to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $927 billion, according to Dodge Construction Network.
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, construction spending during October 2023 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,027.1 billion, 0.6% (±1.0%) above the revised September estimate of $2,014.7 billion.
MSHA WATCH
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule from its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to help protect miners from accidents, injuries and fatalities related to surface mobile equipment. The rule requires mine operators to have written safety programs for surface mobile equipment – excluding belt conveyors – at surface mines and underground mines’ surface areas. The programs must include input from miners and their representatives, and identify hazards and risks.
ENERGY
WTI CRUDE OIL FUTURES
12/19/2023: $73.44/barrel, up $4.83 from week earlier; down $1.75 from year earlier.
NATURAL GAS
12/19/2023: $2.492/MMBtu, up $0.181 from week earlier; down $3.359 from year earlier.
RETAIL DIESEL
12/18/2023: $3.894/gal., down $ 0.093 from week earlier; down $ 0.702 from year earlier.
ELECTRICITY
9/20/23: Average price to industrial customers 8.53 cents/kilowatt hour; down from 9.068 cents/kilowatt hour from year earlier.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
WOMEN IN AGGREGATES
Women in Aggregates is a new group dedicated to supporting women working in the aggregates industry. The Mission Statement of the group is: “To create a supportive space for women that fosters leadership growth, networking opportunities and advocacy of the aggregate industry.” Membership in Women in Aggregates is open to any woman working in, or working in support of, the aggregates industry, including producers, manufacturers and distributors; and marketing, advertising or public relations professionals. Interested parties can go to www.womeninaggregates.com to join the mailing list and to stay apprised of future developments, meetings, events and other communications from the group. There is also a LinkedIn discussion page, at www.linkedin.com/groups/12717856/.