GLG News by Council Members Knowledgeable on Brick Industry

  Why are the construction materials giants focusing so much attention on Florida? Acquisitions, greenfield cement plants and capacity expansions are being announced with surprising frequency over the past year in Florida (Cemex/Rinker, Vulcan/Florida Rock, Oldcastle/American, Hanson./Civil...

The slowdown that began in cement and related construction materials in mid 2006 will extend into 2007 and perhaps beyond, led mainly by the housing slowdown. There are marked regional disparities in the impact of the slowdown, with northern and coastal markets generally weakest and southern and...

If one wasn’t sure how the decline in housing is impacting the construction materials sector, take a look at the trend in cement consumption. There was a notable negative shift that occurred in mid 2006 (earlier in some markets like Northern California), which is likely to continue through 2007. The...

If one wasn’t sure how the decline in housing is impacting the construction materials sector, take a look at the trend in cement consumption. There was a notable negative shift that occurred in mid 2006 (earlier in some markets like Northern California), which is likely to continue throughout 2007....

 The recent announcement that Vulcan Materials has agreed to buy Florida Rock Industries marks the second mega construction materials deal announced in the last six months. In October 2006, Cemex launched a hostile takeover attempt of Rinker Materials valued at $12.8 Billion and on February 19,...

The latest data on construction spending for November confirms the contrasting stories between residential and non-residential construction. The theme of the November report is likely to be reflected throughout 2007-weak single family housing and stronger multifamily and non-residental construction

Worldwide demand growth for cement is, not surprisingly being led by developing countries (Asia, Middle East, South America and Eastern Europe). The cement industry has become increasingly global and the big players are international and pursuing growth around the globe. The market effects of this globalization...

While the decline in housing is making all of the headlines, it does not appear that the building and construction industry as a whole is falling through the floor. It is a fact that homebuilding is contracting, but other sectors are picking up some of the slack, namely office, retail and industria...

Eagle Materials, a regional US construction materials player may be a microcosm of the industry as a whole, as it pursues an aggressive expansion plan heading into an industry downturn. Perhaps this will lead to additional industry consolidation as valuations become more modest and remaining independents...

The housing slump is negatively impacting cement demand in the US in 2006 and 2007.More importantly, the slowdown in cement consumption will almost certainly lead to a more difficult competitive environment for the industry in the next year or two, even after enjoying widespread prosperity the past...