Rock Products

MAR 2018

Rock Products is the aggregates industry's leading source for market analysis and technology solutions, delivering critical content focusing on aggregates-processing equipment; operational efficiencies; management best practices; comprehensive market

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30 • ROCK products • March 2018 www.rockproducts.com Benchmark 2018 the survey (25 percent). Sales executives, geologists, safety directors and others also participated in the survey. What types of operations are reflected by this year's survey respondents? Opera- tions cranking out up to 500,000 tpy (40 percent) were highly represented, up from 38 percent last year. Plants pro- ducing more than 2.5 million tpy (28 percent) came next. Plants producing 500,000 to 1 million tpy (21 percent) followed and plants producing 1.5 to 2.5 million tpy (11 percent) brought up the rear. The number of survey participants from producers of both crushed stone, and sand and gravel decreased this year (38 percent) from last year (44 percent), but producers of crushed stone alone rose (23 percent). Producers of specialty min- erals and frac sand made up more than 15 percent of respondents. Geographic location was dominated by the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, with addi- tional strong response coming from the Southwest. Big Issues When it comes to the key issues facing aggregates producers, the big "number-one" identified by survey par- ticipants this year represents a return to the past. Making a jump back into the top spot was the transportation economy, surpassing the national economy, which topped the list last year. That issue was front and center during the great reces- sion, but has now dropped to 6 th place on the list. Environmental regulations, always a top concern, was number two on this year's list, followed by permitting and trans- portation funding. Labor also merited respondent concern, creeping up the list, which is no surprise given recent reports of construction industry labor shortages. Here are the top 15 main concerns of aggregates producers who took our survey. 1. Construction economy, 47.56 percent. Both crushed stone and sand and gravel, 37.80% Crushed stone only, 23.17% Sand and Gravel only, 10.98% Specialty minerals, 12.20% Frac Sand, 3.66% Recycled products, 9.76% No Answer, 2.44% What is your primary product? Permitting, 51.22% NIMBY Groups, 23.17% Access to Materials, 32.93% Limited quality of materials, 25.61% Other, 9.76% What limits your company's access to reserves? What is your company's capital expenditure budget for 2017? Less than $500,000, 28.05% $500,000 - $1 million, 20.73% $1 - $5 million, 24.39% $5 - $10 million, 23.17% No Answer, 3.66%

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