The Americas

According to a new MAC report, the year ahead will be challenging for the Canadian mining industry, despite a positive long-term outlook for metals and minerals.

Ed Sullivan told attendees at the 2015 World of Concrete that low oil prices would benefit economic growth this year, but that the same positive effects wouldn’t yet be felt in the construction industry.

Data from the Brazilian construction industry association states that 91% of all cement commercialised in Brazil in 2013 has some additive to supplement the clinker content.

Foreign exchange fluctuations and lower revenues from housing solutions projects in Colombia contributed to a 1% y/y decline in net sales.

Eagle Materials Inc. has reported record quarterly revenues of US$292 million for the quarter ending 31 December 2014, with cement operating earnings up 44%.

According to ‘Construction Chemicals’, a new report by The Freedonia Group, Inc., demand for construction chemicals used in onsite applications in the US is expected to rise by an estimated 8.2% a year.

The new 2016 proposed budget plan from President Obama includes US$238 billion on infrastructure spending.

Headwaters Inc. has reported its results for 1Q15, showing 26% growth in building products revenue and 14% growth in construction materials revenue.

Construction spending for December 2014 is estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of US$982.1 billion. This is 0.4% higher than the revised November 2014 estimate and 2.2% higher than the December 2013 estimate.

SimpliVity’s hyperconverged infrastructure allows KHD to keep its IT resources onsite, while benefiting from cloud-like economics.

The US Geological Society has published Mineral Commodity Summaries 2015, which shows the estimated value of mineral raw materials produced in the US rose 4.6% in 2014.

Domestic dispatches of grey cement improved by 10.3% y/y in Colombia in 2014, with production volumes up 10.2% y/y.

The acquisition of Veyance Technologies will boost the group’s international position in rubber and plastics technologies, including conveyor belts.

According to the AFCP, Argentina’s Portland cement producers dispatched 905 306 t of cement in December 2014, including exports.

Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the US and Puerto Rico in November 2014 were 6.5 million t, essentially unchanged from the level in November 2013.