The North American cement situation: trends in investment and diversification

The cement industries of the US, Canada, and Mexico are compared in the context of the North American Free Trade Agreement, with primary focus on the US cement industry. Commentary and analysis on the Canadian and Mexican cement industry conditions are made where relevant to the US situation. With regard to investment it is noted that productivity, rather than capacity, has become the central priority in the US. Product line expansion and vertical integration have been key elements in diversification. It is observed that the US industry´s present investment and diversification choices tend to stay more closely defined and based upon core enterprises of manufacturing and marketing a construction material than in the past