Heidelberg Materials chairman reflects on 2022

Heidelberg Materials, formerly HeidelbergCement, says its aggregate volume was up slightly in North America in the third quarter, although global deliveries of aggregates fell 3.4 percent.

Companywide, Heidelberg Materials says its revenue increased 13 percent in the third quarter.

“The third quarter was a strong one for Heidelberg Materials,” says Dominik von Achten, chairman of the managing board at Heidelberg Materials. “With group-wide energy-saving measures, cost discipline and price adjustments, we weathered further increases in energy and raw material prices and maintained our result from current operations at the level of the previous year’s third quarter.

“The environment remains challenging,” von Achten adds. “Due to high global inflation and the continuation of highly volatile price developments in the energy sector, we anticipate a slight weakening of demand in the coming months – especially in residential construction. However, the third quarter has shown that we are well prepared for this.”

Heidelberg Materials also continues to focus on carbon-capture initiatives. For example, the company says 95 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions at the Lehigh Hanson cement plant in Mitchell, Indiana, will be captured and stored in a nearby reservoir following a modernization. Lehigh Hanson is a Heidelberg Materials subsidiary.

“When it comes to sustainability, we are paving the way in our industry,” von Achten says. “As early as 2024, we will be the first company in our sector to offer carbon-neutral cement and concrete.”

Additionally, Lehigh Hanson recently took over JEV Recycling, a recycling company in the Seattle area.