Report breaks down potential beneficiaries of ‘Trump Wall’

All that wall talk by Donald Trump moved a research firm to produce a report about the construction materials such a wall would require. Photo: iStock.com/mphillips007

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has talked about building an extensive wall on the U.S.-Mexico border throughout his 2016 campaign.

Such a project would be an enormous undertaking, but it would theoretically provide opportunities for construction materials providers along the border. So says investment research firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., which recently produced a report detailing the potential construction materials suppliers who could benefit from the so-called “Trump Wall.”

According to Bloomberg, which offers a breakdown of the report, Cemex SAB, the largest cement maker in the Americas, would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Trump’s plan. CalPortland Co., Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua SAB, Martin Marietta Materials Inc. and Vulcan Materials Co. would also likely benefit from the project, which would demand construction materials from the border region.

“As ludicrous as The Trump Wall project sounds, to us at least, it represents a huge opportunity for those companies involved in its construction,” writes Phil Roseberg, along with other Bernstein analysts, in the report. “Despite arguments concerning which government will pay for construction, the large quantities of materials required may necessitate procurement from both sides of the border.”

In addition to the wall, Bernstein analysts write that new roads leading to the wall would need to be built so construction materials could easily be delivered.

“It is not economically feasible to transport heavy building materials over large distances,” write the Bernstein analysts. “As such, it is the companies with production facilities closest to the border that stand to gain the most as suppliers to The Trump Wall project.”

The firm adds that the planning and land acquisition required for the project would take one to two years, with another two years required for construction.