Astec executives were front and center during the press event, including (from left) Damian Power, Jaco van der Merwe, Michael Norris, Stephen Whyte and Malachy Gribben.

McLanahan Corp. also held a press event at Hillhead to provide company updates. Among the company representatives on hand were (from left) Neil Mullan, Donal McNicholl, Mark Sanders and Craig O’Hare. McNicholl offered P&Q exclusive insights on McLanahan’s new ProPOD vibrating screen drive technology. Watch our interview with him at pitandquarry.com/propod.

Anaconda Equipment and RubbleCrusher also participated in McLanahan’s press event, detailing their latest crushing and screening developments. Pictured from left are Anaconda’s Alistair Forsyth, Mark McCullagh, Barry McCullagh and RubbleCrusher’s Liam Holland.

Additionally, Superior Industries exhibited at Hillhead, with (from left) John Garrison, Mark Crooks and Michael Dunne representing the company.

Kleemann also highlighted some of its latest equipment at the show, including five crushing and screening plants. At the company’s booth, P&Q caught up with (from left) Tobias Boeckle, Christian Düsseldorf, Frank Lebender and Dieter Schnell.

Also during the show, SBM Mineral Processing’s Norbert Dieplinger offered P&Q a rundown of the Jawmax 450 and Remax 400 crushing plants. Get the details at pitandquarry.com/sbmhillhead.

Eriez featured its latest material handling technology at Hillhead, including the BHC high-capacity electromagnetic vibratory feeder. Representing the company in the UK were (from left) Craig Boland, Gareth McCreesh, Lewis Railton, James White and Clay O’Dana.

Edge Innovate’s Steven Conway offered an overview of the S16 mobile scalping screen during the show. Watch P&Q’s exclusive interview with him at pitandquarry.com/s16. For P&Q’s full Hillhead coverage – including photo galleries and video interviews – visit pitandquarry.com/tag/hillhead.

The Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA), meanwhile, drew more than 600 attendees to its 72nd Annual Meeting at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. This year’s event, themed “Building the Community,” set records for attendance, exhibitors, funds raised and more. Among the association leaders present at the meeting were president and CEO Andrew Pinkerton (pictured at left) and Matt Arnold, who serves the association as chairman. Arnold is also vice president of operations at Knife River Corp. For more on TACA and the state of the Texas market, see here.

Related: Quarry Faces: July 2026

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Aggregate revenues were down slightly in the second quarter at Arcosa, which released its latest earnings report Aug. 5.

Revenues in the category slipped 1.2 percent to $191.5 million. Arcosa says organic aggregate volumes declined in the mid-single digits primarily because of increased rainfall in Texas.

The company’s freight-adjusted average sales price of aggregates, however, increased 1 percent. Arcosa says recent acquisitions diluted pricing.

Additionally, Arcosa’s adjusted cash gross profit margin in aggregates expanded 190 basis points to 48.1 percent, while adjusted cash gross profit per ton increased 5 percent. Adjusted cash gross profit per ton benefitted from a 3 percent reduction in unit costs despite higher energy costs.

Companywide, Arcosa’s second-quarter revenues grew 2 percent to $658.7 million. Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was up 5 percent to $145.9 million.

“Our second-quarter results reflect solid operational execution by our teams, driving 5 percent adjusted EBITDA growth and 60 basis points of margin expansion,” says Antonio Carrillo, president and CEO of Arcosa. “Robust double-digit adjusted EBITDA expansion in utility structures more than offset planned lower volumes in wind towers and heavy rainfall that impacted our construction materials businesses, particularly across our Texas operations.

“Our aggregates business continued to improve unit profitability, which grew 5 percent, through disciplined cost management despite disruptive weather and higher energy costs year over year,” Carrillo adds.

Also in the second quarter, CRH announced plans to acquire Arcosa in a deal valued at about $8.5 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027.

“We continue to work toward completing this value-creating combination while staying focused on delivering on our business priorities for the benefit of our customers and stockholders,” Carrillo says.

Related: Martin Marietta, CRH reshape the industry with blockbuster deals

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This year’s event, themed “Building the Community,” set records for attendance (600-plus), exhibitors (26), funds raised (more than $200,000) and more. Featured at the meeting were economic and legislative updates, leadership development, industry recognition programs, charitable initiatives and networking opportunities to support the continued growth of Texas’s construction materials industry.

“Every road, school, hospital, home and business begins with the materials our members produce,” says Andrew Pinkerton, president and CEO of TACA. “As Texas continues to grow, our industry remains committed to providing the essential building materials that support strong communities, create jobs and improve quality of life for Texans. The TACA Annual Meeting is a reminder that what we build goes far beyond infrastructure. Our member companies help build the communities where families live, work and thrive – not just today, but for generations to come.”

The meeting opened with a community service project led by TACA’s Emerging Leaders Academy participants. More than 100 volunteers assembled 2,000 backpacks for students in need, benefiting charitable organizations serving communities in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

The general session featured updates on association initiatives, legislative and regulatory developments and presentations from nationally recognized speakers addressing the economic, technological and leadership challenges shaping the future of the industry.

Featured economist Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, discussed economic trends affecting the construction materials sector, including inflation, tariffs and workforce challenges. Despite ongoing uncertainties, Basu forecasts continued growth for Texas, citing the state’s strong economic fundamentals and population expansion.

“Let’s empower the doers,” Basu says. “That’s one of the reasons the Texas economy remains such a powerful engine of growth. Texas is a doer state.”

Success in the Lone Star State

The growth TACA has experienced of late and the excitement throughout the association are a microcosm of what’s been going on across Texas the last several years.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas added the most residents of any state between 2024 and 2025, growing by more than 391,000 to a total of 31.7 million residents. Additionally, Harris County – home to Houston and the third-most populous county in the U.S. – is the fastest-growing county by population, adding 48,695 residents from 2024 to 2025.

“‘The Texas Miracle’ is alive and well with the population growth we’re seeing,” Pinkerton says. “Most of our metropolitan statistical areas rank very highly in several metrics from construction employment to GDP. We’re No. 1 in aggregate production and sales, No. 1 in ready-mix production and No. 1 in cement consumption. It’s all flowing behind that population growth.”

Matt Arnold, vice president of operations at Knife River Corp. and chairman of TACA, echoes Pinkerton’s assessment, noting that Texas has been and will likely remain busy. Right now, data centers are a crucial driver of growth and performance throughout the state.

“It seems like there’s always something going on in Texas,” Arnold says. “This year, it’s data centers. What’s the next thing that’s coming to the state that’s going to make it great? It seems like we always have something going on to help keep us the fastest-growing economy in the U.S.”

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Companywide revenue totaled $3.49 billion, up 8.6 percent compared to the second quarter of 2025. Amrize also reports a 5.8 percent increase in adjusted EBITDA to $986 million.

Within the company’s building materials business, revenue was up 8.2 percent to $2.45 billion, and adjusted EBITDA totaled $793 million, up 5.2 percent year over year. Additionally, Amrize reports increases in aggregate tons sold (up 6.5 percent to 34.3 million tons) and freight-adjusted aggregate price per ton (up 3.8 percent to $14.96).

Jan Jenisch, chairman and CEO of Amrize, says the company’s second-quarter performance was driven by increased mega-project demand from data centers, energy, advanced manufacturing plants and infrastructure modernization. Capex and M&A continue to be a focus for Amrize as well, with the company investing $241 million in capex in the quarter and recently acquiring aggregates businesses in Texas.

“Looking to the back half of the year, we expect continued strong pricing for cement and aggregates,” Jensich says. “Our ASPIRE program is building momentum and on track to deliver savings through the year. We expect strong demand and pricing to increase full-year revenue, while oil price-driven cost inflation will be a headwind to earnings.

“We remain well positioned to capitalize on growing demand while strengthening operational efficiency to deliver long-term, profitable growth,” he adds. “I thank our over 19,000 empowered Amrize teammates for a strong quarter as we deliver for our customers as the partner of choice.”

Related: Aggregate shipments, pricing help lift Knife River in Q2

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ModaLine is part of a new series of containerized sand-washing solutions designed for plug-and-play operation. According to CDE, ModaLine can help materials processors get their operations up and running faster thanks to a design that reduces on-site build time. Featuring a dual-pass cyclone with an integrated Infinity dewatering screen, a sand blending chute, a high-capacity sump, a single-point connection for process water, an on-board control panel and the flexibility to add stockpile conveyors, ModaLine includes a range of CDE’s sand-washing technologies. The first models in the line offer feed capacities of
up to 250 and 450 metric tph, respectively.

Learn more: cdegroup.com

Washer presents alternative to simply piling up crusher dust

The Alliance low-water washer (pictured at left) turns crusher dust into in-spec manufactured sand right at the crusher circuit. The washer accepts dry feed straight from a crusher, mixes it with just enough water to remove minus-200-mesh fines and dewaters the final product to as little as 8 percent moisture. Because the Alliance runs on a fraction of the water required by traditional systems, Superior Industries says there’s no need for large ponds or additional conveyors. Producers save on fuel, labor and water infrastructure while gaining a new, saleable product from material that otherwise would have been discarded.

Learn more: superior-ind.com

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The prediction is included in ACA’s summer economic forecast. According to ACA, ongoing uncertainty about the Iran War’s timeline is largely to blame for continued inflation and high interest rates.

Higher costs will continue to weigh on construction projects, but they are not expected to cause another negative year in 2027, ACA says. As uncertainty eases next year, the Federal Reserve is likely to make one rate cut, prompted by inflationary data moving in the right direction. Although the cut is not expected to significantly affect the construction season, it should mark the start of a recovery in cement volumes.

ACA forecasts slight growth of 0.4 percent in 2027, led by a nascent rebound in single-family construction. In 2028, a more substantial gain of 2.6 percent is expected as all three construction sectors will contribute to growth.

Data centers, which have grown considerably over the last 12 months, now account for 55 percent of office construction spending. In 2025, data centers made up 40 percent of the subsector’s spending. Because of this growth, ACA has upwardly adjusted its outlook for data center construction, expecting 625,000 to 725,000 metric tons of cement to be used for data center expansion annually between 2026 and 2028.

“Despite high inflation and elevated interest rates, consumer spending and the labor market continue to show resilience,” says Brian Schmidt, senior director of economic policy and analytics at ACA. “What’s in question is whether a fragile economy can stay the course. The stock market has been positive overall for top-earning households this year, but there are many downside risks to consider, such as rising delinquencies and defaults among the lower end of the income spectrum.”

Related: ACA appoints new president, CEO

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As part of the deal, Heidelberg Materials will retain its minority stake in Command Alkon.

With the investment from Francisco Partners and the continued partnership of Heidelberg Materials, Command Alkon says it will be able to expand its agentic AI-driven and autonomous plant operation capabilities, continue its global scaling and further develop its payment offerings.

“We’re incredibly proud of the innovation we’ve delivered and the trust our customers have placed in us over five decades, and this partnership strengthens our ability to innovate with speed, invest strategically and continue advancing the mission-critical technology our customers rely on every day,” says Martin Willoughby, CEO of Command Alkon. “Our mission remains unchanged: we exist to help our customers succeed. Together with Heidelberg Materials and Thoma Bravo, we’ve spent the past six years accelerating our innovation and transformation – successfully initiating the industry’s transition to the cloud, expanding our AI capabilities and delivering exceptional growth.

“We’re excited to continue building on that foundation with Francisco Partners, who share our long-term vision for helping heavy building materials companies optimize their businesses,” Willoughby adds. “We’re equally pleased that Heidelberg Materials will continue as a minority investor, bringing valuable industry perspective as we continue serving customers across every market we support.”

Francisco Partners is excited for what the future holds for Command Alkon’s technology developments.

“Command Alkon has built a technology platform that powers mission-critical operations across one of the world’s most essential industries,” says Petri Oksanen and Quentin Lathuille, partners at Francisco Partners. “Infrastructure investment is accelerating across major markets, and artificial intelligence is significantly enhancing the value Command Alkon can bring to its customers. Its platform is exceptionally well-positioned to deliver on these opportunities, and we see strong potential to further scale its agentic AI and autonomous plant capabilities.

“We look forward to partnering with the Command Alkon team and Heidelberg Materials to execute on this next phase for the business as they continue helping their customers modernize, grow and succeed,” they add.

Under Thoma Bravo’s majority ownership, Command Alkon says it undertook a comprehensive digital transformation that delivered accelerated growth and advanced the platform. Command Alkon initiated a transition to the cloud through Command Cloud, launched AI-enabled capabilities including Batch AI and the Command Intelligence agentic platform, and expanded its platform through strategic acquisitions.

“Thoma Bravo contributed our demonstrated software operating model, and Heidelberg Materials brought deep industry knowledge, strategic vision and a front-row seat to the customer,” says A.J. Rohde, a senior partner at Thoma Bravo. “Martin and his team combined that to modernize the entire company and product suite and transform the industry.”

Adds George Jaber, a principal at Thoma Bravo: “This partnership has been a massive success, proving what’s possible when private equity and industrial owners partner together to drive innovation. We are enormously proud of what we’ve built with Command Alkon and look forward to seeing their continued success.”

From the Heidelberg Materials perspective, the deal serves as the next step in its partnership with Command Alkon.

“Command Alkon has successfully driven the digital transformation of our industry and is now focused on unlocking the full potential of AI and autonomous operations for its customers,” says Dennis Lentz, chief digital officer and a member of the managing board at Heidelberg Materials. “After a successful period of growth alongside Thoma Bravo, we are excited to partner with Francisco Partners on the next leg of the journey. We look forward to combining our deep domain knowledge with their technology expertise to accelerate Command Alkon’s capabilities and create lasting value across our industry.”

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026 and is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Related: US Aggregates acquires New Point Stone in Indiana

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Based in Wellsville, Utah, Pisgah joins CRH’s network of Utah operations to supply hard rock limestone for asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and construction applications. The business has been locally owned and family operated for more than a decade.

“The Utah market continues to benefit from strong population growth, economic expansion and significant infrastructure investment,” says Jason Jackson, president of CRH Americas Materials. “Pisgah’s high-quality limestone reserves, strategic location and strong cultural alignment with CRH make it an excellent fit for our growing northern Utah business and will enhance our ability to serve customers across the Wasatch Front.

“We look forward to building on Pisgah’s success and continuing to deliver outstanding service to customers throughout the region,” Jackson adds.

Derrick Pack, president of Staker Parson Materials & Construction and Jack B. Parson Ready Mix Concrete for CRH’s Americas Materials business, says the acquisition helps future-proof CRH’s access to the aggregates needed to support the region’s growth.

“The team at Pisgah has done a fantastic job of building a great business with a strong track record of delivering for its customers, and we are excited to take them forward as part of CRH,” Pack says.

Related: Look back at P&Q’s 2020 visit to Pisgah Stone Products

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