Economic Issues Delay Construction of Cement and Concrete-Products Plants

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The economic downturn has slowed the development of several plants that manufacture cement and concrete products and has impacted capital spending this year in the industry. This is especially true for manufacturers with end products used in the residential construction industry, which has experienced lows in new construction starts. Cement and concrete producers are wary of committing to big-dollar expansions or new plants while the market for their products is slow.

Privately held Unilock Limited (Toronto, Ontario) has deferred construction of a $20 million concrete-products plant in West Jefferson, Ohio, because of economic reasons. As first reported by Industrial Info in January 2006, the company initially planned to begin construction in 2006, but the market for the company's concrete-interlocking pavers and retaining walls has dropped; therefore, Unilock decided to postpone construction until the market improves. Now it's looking like the plant won't begin construction until spring 2010. Unilock picked a 35-acre site in the West Jefferson Commerce Park to build the first of three plants that planned to occupy the site. At $20 million each, the total investment could reach $60 million if all three plants are constructed.

Numerous capital projects have been delayed or canceled at cement-manufacturing plants throughout North America.

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is a marketing information service specializing in industrial process, energy and financial related markets with products and services ranging from industry news, analytics, forecasting, plant and project databases, as well as multimedia services.