Grupo Villacero, Cemex and Proeza Invest in Texas

Gov. Rick Perry recently announced that three Mexican companies - Grupo Villacero, Cemex and Proeza - will expand operations in Texas to the tune of $29 million in new capital investment.

Grupo Villacero, a steel-products conglomerate, will expand an existing recycling and shredding company in El Paso and an existing scrap-processing facility in Houston. Expansion of El Paso-based Border Steel will have an initial capital investment of $4.5 million

Cemex, the largest cement producer in North America, will invest $19.5 million to expand and improve its existing operations in Texas at facilities in Harlingen and the Houston area. It expects to spend $700,000 for maintenance and improvement to the Harlingen terminal and $2.9 million for expansion of its Katy terminal. The company operates 14 facilities statewide and had assets of more than $345 million in its Texas operations last year.

Cemex produces, distributes and markets cement and ready-mix concrete in more than 30 countries. It employs 716 workers in Texas.

With a yearly production capacity of 81 million metric tons of cement, the company's net sales totaled more than $6.5 billion in 2002. Gross 2003 sales in Texas totaled more than $330 million.

Automotive supply company Proeza, a subsidiary of Grupo Metalsa, will invest $4 million in a truck-frame-processing center in support of the future Toyota Tundra manufacturing facility in San Antonio.

Texas-based Asphalt Company Expands Business

Dallas-based ALON USA announced the acquisition of substantially all assets of Doyle-Ellis Asphalt in Bakersfield, Calif. The Doyle-Ellis facility is an asphalt blender with capabilities of producing up to 100,000 tons per year or 1,500 barrels per day of all grades of road asphalt including emulsions and polymer-modified grades.

The new company will be named ALON Asphalt Bakersfield and will increase ALON's asphalt blending capabilities by at least 25 percent.

From its facility in Big Spring, ALON USA is the third largest asphalt producer in Texas.

Volvo CE Rents Signs Second Contract for Rental Franchises in Texas

Volvo Construction Equipment Rents Inc., headquartered in Asheville, N.C., announced the signing of a franchise agreement for Volvo equipment rental centers with Smithco Enterprises LLC of McKinney.

The new center is the second Volvo CE Rents franchise contract completed for the Texas market. In June contracts were announced for the establishment of Volvo CE Rents franchises in Houston.

Rental Service Corp. Opens New Store in South Texas

Rental Service Corp., headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., opened its second San Benito RSC store in Pharr in the Rio Grande Valley.

The 1.5-acre site features a 6,500-sq.-ft. building with a three-bay shop and showroom for display of equipment and supplies.

"As development in the upper Valley increases, the demand for rental equipment has taken off with it," said Ed Ruddick, general manager of both San Benito RSC stores.

The new RSC store carries a full line of construction and industrial equipment for rent and purchase. The store also stocks tools, supplies and construction-related merchandise.

GeoShack Rents Offers Lasers, Survey Instruments

GeoShack recently announced a new division to focus on the rental market for construction lasers and survey instruments. GeoShack Rents is part of the network of growing GeoShack outlets in Texas and Oklahoma.

Products included in the rental line are available on a daily, weekly or monthly basis and include the latest technology from Trimble Spectra Precision Lasers such as DialGrade Pipe Lasers, Laser Levels and Interior Levels.

GeoShack, part of GeoShack North America, Inc., based in the Dayton, Ohio, now has five Texas locations: Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston and its newest store in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Tenbusch Introduces Lubricant System

Tenbusch Inc. of Lewisville recently announced the introduction of its new L-220 Lubricant System. The new L-220 can be used in any application where bentonite and/or polymer are used as a lubricant.

The L220 lube system was developed for use with the Tenbusch line of trenchless pipe-replacement equipment.

The L220 is compact so that it can be used on small or congested job sites. The system was designed to allow a crew to quickly mix a batch of lubricant with two hydraulically powered pumps that can be operated independently of each other, allowing one batch can be mixed while crews use another.