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6 • ROCK products • August 2016 www.rockproducts.com I N D U S T RY N E W S IN THE KNOW More Than 18,000 Attend England's Hillhead Show Visitors turned out in droves for Hill- head 2016, which took place over three days at Tarmac's Hillhead Quarry, near Buxton, Derbyshire, England. Despite a wet middle day, 18,655 unique visitors attended this year's event – represent- ing a 7.1 percent increase in attendance over the previous show held in 2014. Rock Products' Sales Director Sean Carr attended the event. "It was a good show, with a number of U.S. companies represented," Carr said. "It was also a good opportunity to meet up with companies from Ireland and other U.K- based manufacturers, as well as those from Europe." This year's event saw more work- ing demonstrations than ever before, according to show organizers, "creating some of the busiest live action ever seen at Hillhead, including no fewer than 14 excavators in new-look quarry face area at one point during the show." Hillhead 2016 also recorded the show's largest ever number of exhibitors (476) who occupied the biggest area of exhi- bition space to date. According to the organizers, the newly extended area of the show grounds worked extremely well and is already booked full for 2018, while the extended registration pavilion also proved very successful, prompting plans for a further significant increase in size in 2018. Further details and dates for Hillhead 2018 will be announced in the near future. FAST FACT The company generat- ed revenues of $297.5 million, up 4 percent. Eagle Materials Earns Record Quarterly Revenue Eagle Materials Inc. reported financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 ended June 30, 2016. The com- pany is reporting: • Record revenues of $297.5 million, up 4 percent. • Earnings before interest and income taxes of $71.2 million, up 18 percent. • Net Earnings of $45.3 million, up 20 percent. • Net earnings per diluted share of $0.93, up 24 percent. Eagle's construction products and building materials businesses per- formed well during the quarter. Concrete and Aggregates reported revenues for the first quarter of $34.5 million, an increase of 22 percent. First quarter operating earnings were $3.7 million for the first quarter, a 91 percent improvement from the same quarter a year ago, reflecting improved concrete and aggregates pricing and sales volumes. Cement revenues for the first quarter, including joint venture and interseg- ment revenues, totaled $144.8 million, which was 13 percent higher than the same quarter last year. The average net sales price for this quarter was $100.63 per ton, 2 percent higher than the same quarter last year. Wholly-owned average net sales prices improved 6 percent from the same quar- ter last year. The average net cement sales price at its joint venture with Texas Lehigh Cement Co. declined year-over- year reflecting the shift from oil well cement to construction-grade cement over the past year; however, profitabil- ity remained strong at the joint venture. Total Cement sales volumes for the quarter were 1.3 million tons, 4 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago. Operating earnings from Cement for the first quarter were a record $31.6 million and 23 percent greater than the same quarter a year ago. The earnings improvement was driven primar- ily by improved average net cement sales prices and cement sales volumes and $3.1 million of earnings from the Skyway Cement facility acquired in July of 2015. FAST FACT Hillhead 2016 also recorded the show's largest ever number of exhibitors (476).