Cement Americas provides comprehensive coverage of the North and South American cement markets from raw material extraction to delivery and tranportation to end user.
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NEWS AMERICAS January 2013 Production At press time, USGS released preliminary January 2013 production numbers. They emphasize that the data are the preliminary results of the current monthly cement survey. They expect to publish the full monthly report in the coming weeks. "The preliminary data are subject to change and, thus, we urge readers to consult the full monthly report when it becomes available to catch any such revisions, including to time-series data," USGS said. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico for January 2012 are being reported as slightly more than 4.8 million metric tons (Mt). That is about the same as December 2012 production, but a slight increase over the 4.6 Mt reported in January 2012. Holcim Ecuador Reaches Volunteering Milestone Holcim Ecuador reports that its entire staff took part in its volunteer program, which focused on sustainable development and included initiatives such as reforestation, community cleanup and entrepreneur programs, as well as training on environment and safety planning. Cementos Argos 2012 Profits Up Growth in cement and concrete sales helped Colombia cement producer Cementos Argos increase its 2012 profits by 5.9 percent to $218 million, the company announced in a financial statement released earlier this year. Overall revenue was up by 23 percent to $2.44 billion in 2012 compared to 2011. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) rose by 29 percent to $440 million. Cementos Argos increased its cement sales by 6 percent to 10.8 Mt in 2012. The company's Colombian division's cement sales were up by 2 percent to 5.1 Mt; U.S. division, up by 13 percent to 1.6 Mt; and Caribbean division, up by 21 percent to 2.8 Mt. 12 The volunteer work was carried out in Esmeraldas, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Santo Domingo, Guayas, Manabí, Azuay, El Oro and Loja provinces. Holcim's Corporate Social Responsibility team, plant managers and around 1,150 volunteers worked together alongside local communities to achieve their goals. The initiative directly impacted 8,500 people and 380,000 indirectly. Approximately 7,000 trees were planted nationwide; 22 schools were involved; and 7,000 children, youth and teachers were provided with safer places. In line with Holcim Ecuador's "Zero Harm" policy, a risk analysis was carried out for the volunteer activities and the necessary personal protection equipment was provided for those taking part, so that the 2012 program was completed without any accidents. SMRP Member Presents at IEEEIAS/PCA Conference The Society for Maintenance and Relia- bility Professionals (SMRP) will be presenting at this month's IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference, April 14-18, in Orlando. SMRP member Bob DiStefano, CMRP and CEO of Management Resources Group, Inc., plans to tap into the worker's prospective on how to train, recruit and retain qualified workers. "The IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference provides a great opportunity for cement manufacturing industry professionals to come together for shared learning and networking," said DiStefano. "I am excited for the opportunity to educate companies and managers on the retiring industry maintenance workers and qualifying a level of knowledge for replacements." The slate of speakers within the "preparing for the training bubble" panel also features other industry leaders, including Terry Ausman and Angela Tutino. These speakers will touch on finding and fitting the right people with the right job, along with individualized accelerated development. Drawing participants from dozens of countries, IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference touches on technical paper presentations, tutorials, poster sessions and vendor exhibits (see our IEEE-IAS/PCA preview on page 20). CEMENT AMERICAS • Spring 2013 • www.cementamericas.com