HOLNAM GIVES GO-AHEAD TO NEW SO. CAROLINA PLANT Holnam Inc.'s board of directors recently approved plans to build a new manufacturing plant at its present location in Holly Hill, S.C. The existing plant produces 1.1 million mtpy, and the new facility would increase that to more than 2 million mtpy. Holnam had announced in August 1999 that the company was resuming a feasibility study to assess constructing the new facility (see Cement Americas, October 1999, p. 3).

BLUE CIRCLE, LAFARGE TALKING MERGER...MAYBE According to a Nov. 24, 1999 item in The Wall Street Journal, UK-based Blue Circle's stock rose 9% to 365.25 pence due to news that it had entered into merger negotiations with France's Lafarge, which is rumored to have a UKPound3 billion (US$4.88 billion) bid. Blue Circle denied reports of such talks.

CEMENT TOTALS--SEPTEMBER 1999 Portland and blended cement shipments in the United States and Puerto Rico totaled slightly more than 10 million mt in September 1999, 2% more than the revised shipment data for September 1998. Cumulative shipments through September were 79.7 million mt, a 6% increase compared to the same period in 1998. Clinker production totaled 6.6 million mt in September, essentially the same as production data for September 1998. Cumulative clinker production through September 1999 was 56.8 million mt, a 2% increase compared to the same period in 1998. Masonry cement shipments of 383,269 mt in September were 14% more than revised data for September 1998. Cumulative masonry cement shipments were 3.3 million mt, an 11% increase from 1998.