Taking inventory

It’s that time of year when we take a look at where we are, and prepare for the year ahead. In the December issue of Pit & Quarry, which will be available in the coming days, we do that in two ways: our annual State of the Industry report and the transcript from our industry roundtable and conference. In State of the Industry, we deliver construction forecasts from McGraw-Hill Construction and FMI. We also examine the outlooks given by Vulcan Materials and Martin Marietta Materials as part of their latest quarterly reports. For the aggregates industry, it seems the worst of the economic woes are behind us, but the road ahead looks to be only a gradual climb. A reauthorization of the highway bill would help, and prospects for that appear to be upbeat, as both the House and Senate have proposals on the table.

The year ahead also offers the hope of two potentially successful trade shows for the industry – AGG1 and MINExpo. Exhibit sales for the March AGG1 Aggregates Forum & Expo in Charlotte, N.C., are robust, and given the health of the mining industry, we can expect big things from MINExpo next September in Las Vegas.

Roundtable & Conference

This fall in Oak Brook, Ill., we gathered more than 30 industry professionals to discuss issues affecting the industry. Joining us were aggregate producers, equipment manufacturer reps, consultants and more, and we addressed issues ranging from the economy and the Mine Safety & Health Administration, to frac sand and the highway bill.

It’s always a learning experience for me to listen in on the give and take between industry representatives from all parts of the country. When we get this kind of large turnout, we divide the roundtable into two manageable sessions. You can read an abbreviated transcript from one of the sessions in our December issue. In our January issue, we’ll publish the transcript from the other session.

Also in the December issue, a focus on portable plants, with a story about a Canadian company interlinking its new portable plants to enhance throughput and productivity.