The publicly traded aggregates companies reported results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2024. Here are some of the highlights: Vulcan Materials reported that fourth quarter Aggregates segment gross profit increased 15% to $486 million ($9.02 per ton). Aggregates shipments decreased 3%, reflecting underlying demand as well as the benefit of favorable weather in most markets throughout the quarter. Martin…
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Keep Federal Infrastructure Spending Federal
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – the federal mechanism for funding the building and rebuilding of our roads and bridges – is now heading into its fourth year of funding. IIJA will provide $62 billion in funding for Fiscal Year 2025, an increase of $18.8 billion in formula programs compared to Fiscal Year 2021, the last fiscal year…
Read MoreFatality Assessment
Well, that didn’t take long. Just a few days into the new year, on Jan. 3, the industry suffered its first fatality, this one at Borger Pit in Hutchinson, Texas. MSHA classified the incident as “Falling, Rolling or Sliding Rock or Material of Any Kind.” In 2024, MSHA reported 28 fatalities, 18 of those at non-metallic materials sites, but only…
Read MoreLooking Back, Looking Ahead
This is Rock Products’ Outlook/Forecast Issue, and as is par for the course, we take a look back and take a look ahead. Our “state-of-the-industry” feature does a solid job of that, touching on economics, politics and more. In addition, our latest pricing feature looks back to 2024 to glean some important market insights, while the latest installment of The…
Read MoreSEMCO Publishing Acquires Minería Pan-Americana
Well, here we grow again. SEMCO Publishing, parent company of Rock Products, has acquired Minería Pan-Americana from Route One Publishing. Minería Pan-Americana is the leading Spanish-language magazine, news service and digital resource platform serving the Latin American mining sector. This acquisition strengthens SEMCO Publishing’s portfolio of mining publications, which includes North American Mining magazine, The Asia Miner and Miner’s News…
Read MoreSEMCO’s AggNexus Digital Innovation Conference: A New Frontier
SEMCO Publishing, parent company of Rock Products, sponsored the first AggNexus Digital Innovation Conference Sept. 9-10 at the University of Texas, Austin. The event engaged representatives of technology-savvy multinational or independent cement, aggregate, concrete and asphalt producers plus allied software developers or service providers. SEMCO Publishing publications Rock Products, Cement Products and Concrete Products; and Route One Publishing Ltd.’s Aggregates…
Read MoreWelcome to the Aggregates Almanac, 2024 Edition
Welcome to the 2024 edition of the “Aggregates Almanac: The Ultimate Information Resource for Quarry Operators.” Published now for the eighth year in a row, feedback from our readers indicates that this publication is widely used and valued; and retained as a go-to information source. Our updated and improved North American Buyers’ Guide gives producers all of the information they…
Read MoreEverybody Talks About The Weather
American essayist and novelist Charles Dudley Warner is known for making the famous remark, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” Mark Twain liked it so much he stole it and everyone now attributes it to him. No matter who said it, the remark is spot on. But what can we do about it? We better…
Read MoreEPA Just Hit an Industry Home Run
When it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suffice it to say, that the industry has had its fair number of conflicts with the agency over regulations and enforcement. So it is a banner day when we can say that EPA did something good for the industry. On July 16, EPA announced the selection of 38 “Reducing Embodied Greenhouse…
Read MoreTime to Beat the Heat
As I write this, it is hot outside. I’m talking 95 degrees. Looking at the national weather map, more than 76 million people are under some level of heat alert right now. About 150 million people are expected to experience temperatures above 90 degrees F. The Southwest portion of the country is a literal oven. Writing and editing from the…
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