BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 21,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE:
VMC), the nation's largest producer of construction aggregates,
today issued the following statement:
On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, CEMEX
(NYSE:CX), aided by armed Mexican police and military, forcibly
entered Vulcan's port facilities near Playa del Carmen. They are
still occupying the property.
There is no contract permitting CEMEX's use of Vulcan's port
facilities. Although the companies had an agreement for CEMEX to
lease a portion of Vulcan's property, that agreement expired on
December 31, 2022, without any
renewal. Prior to the expiration, CEMEX was formally made aware
that negotiation of a new contract would be necessary. Vulcan has
been and remains open to renegotiating the lease agreement.
Rather than looking for a mutually agreeable solution, CEMEX
officers threatened to seek the aid of the Mexican government,
including its armed forces, to use Vulcan's port facilities.
On March 14 and to this day,
CEMEX, the military and the police have not presented any court
order, warrant or other legal justification for their forceful
entry and occupation of Vulcan's property. Contrary to CEMEX's
position, a Mexican federal court ordered CEMEX to vacate the
property, and another Mexican federal court order requires military
and police forces to leave the property immediately.
The Mexican government continues its illegal shutdown of
Vulcan's quarrying, processing and shipping operations.
Nonetheless, Vulcan owns the four parcels of property that make up
its Mexico operation, including
the port facilities. Likewise, Vulcan lawfully holds the port
concession. Use of Vulcan's private property by third parties, such
as CEMEX, requires Vulcan's authorization.
About Vulcan Materials Company
Vulcan Materials
Company, a member of the S&P 500 Index with headquarters in
Birmingham, Alabama, is the
nation's largest supplier of construction aggregates – primarily
crushed stone, sand and gravel – and a major producer of
aggregates-based construction materials, including asphalt and
ready-mixed concrete. For additional information about
Vulcan, go to www.vulcanmaterials.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT DISCLAIMER
This document
contains forward-looking statements. Statements that are not
historical fact, including statements about Vulcan's beliefs and
expectations, are forward-looking statements. Generally,
these statements relate to future financial performance, results of
operations, business plans or strategies, projected or anticipated
revenues, expenses, earnings (including EBITDA and other measures),
dividend policy, shipment volumes, pricing, levels of capital
expenditures, intended cost reductions and cost savings,
anticipated profit improvements and/or planned divestitures and
asset sales. These forward-looking statements are sometimes
identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "believe,"
"should," "would," "expect," "project," "estimate," "anticipate,"
"intend," "plan," "will," "can," "may" or similar expressions
elsewhere in this document. These statements are subject to
numerous risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including but not
limited to general business conditions, competitive factors,
pricing, energy costs, and other risks and uncertainties discussed
in the reports Vulcan periodically files with the SEC.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance and actual results, developments, and business
decisions may vary significantly from those expressed in or implied
by the forward-looking statements. The following risks
related to Vulcan's business, among others, could cause actual
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements: general economic and business
conditions; a pandemic, epidemic or other public health emergency,
such as the COVID-19 outbreak; Vulcan's dependence on the
construction industry, which is subject to economic cycles; the
timing and amount of federal, state and local funding for
infrastructure; changes in the level of spending for private
residential and private nonresidential construction; changes in
Vulcan's effective tax rate; the increasing reliance on information
technology infrastructure, including the risks that the
infrastructure does not work as intended, experiences technical
difficulties or is subjected to cyber-attacks; the impact of the
state of the global economy on Vulcan's businesses and financial
condition and access to capital markets; international business
operations and relationships, including recent actions taken by the
Mexican government with respect to Vulcan's property and operations
in that country; the highly competitive nature of the
construction industry; the impact of future regulatory or
legislative actions, including those relating to climate change,
biodiversity, land use, wetlands, greenhouse gas emissions, the
definition of minerals, tax policy and domestic and international
trade; the outcome of pending legal proceedings; pricing of
Vulcan's products; weather and other natural phenomena, including
the impact of climate change and availability of water;
availability and cost of trucks, railcars, barges and ships as well
as their licensed operators for transport of Vulcan's materials;
energy costs; costs of hydrocarbon-based raw materials; healthcare
costs; labor relations, shortages and constraints; the amount of
long-term debt and interest expense incurred by Vulcan; changes in
interest rates; volatility in pension plan asset values and
liabilities, which may require cash contributions to the pension
plans; the impact of environmental cleanup costs and other
liabilities relating to existing and/or divested businesses;
Vulcan's ability to secure and permit aggregates reserves in
strategically located areas; Vulcan's ability to manage and
successfully integrate acquisitions; the effect of changes in tax
laws, guidance and interpretations; significant downturn in the
construction industry may result in the impairment of goodwill or
long-lived assets; changes in technologies, which could disrupt the
way Vulcan does business and how Vulcan's products are distributed;
the risks of open pit and underground mining; expectations relating
to environmental, social and governance considerations; claims that
our products do not meet regulatory requirements or contractual
specifications; and other assumptions, risks and uncertainties
detailed from time to time in the reports filed by Vulcan with the
SEC. All forward-looking statements in this communication are
qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
Vulcan disclaims and does not undertake any obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statement in this document
except as required by law.
Investor
Contact:
|
Mark Warren (205)
298-3220
|
|
Media
Contacts:
|
Janet Kavinoky (205)
298-3220
|
|
|
Jack Bonnikson (205)
298-3220
|
|
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SOURCE Vulcan Materials Company