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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
As of June 30, 2022, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock on the latest practicable date.
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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
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Parts Into Which Incorporated |
Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 11, 2023 (Proxy Statement) |
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Part III |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ITEM 1. |
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ITEM 1A. |
13 |
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ITEM 1B. |
26 |
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ITEM 2. |
27 |
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ITEM 3. |
31 |
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ITEM 4. |
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ITEM 5. |
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ITEM 6. |
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ITEM 7. |
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
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ITEM 7A. |
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ITEM 8. |
70 |
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ITEM 9. |
CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE |
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ITEM 9A. |
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ITEM 9B. |
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ITEM 9C. |
DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS |
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ITEM 10. |
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ITEM 11. |
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ITEM 12. |
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS |
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ITEM 13. |
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE |
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ITEM 14. |
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ITEM 15. |
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ITEM 16. |
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
PART I
ITEM 1 – BUSINESS
General
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (the Company or Martin Marietta) is a natural resource-based building materials company. The Company supplies aggregates (crushed stone, sand and gravel) through its network of approximately 350 quarries, mines and distribution yards in 28 states, Canada and The Bahamas. In 2022, aggregates product gross profit accounted for 69% of the Company’s consolidated total products and services gross profit. Martin Marietta also provides cement and downstream products, namely, ready mixed concrete, asphalt and paving services, in markets that are naturally vertically integrated and where the Company has a leading aggregates position. The Company’s heavy-side building materials are used in infrastructure, nonresidential and residential construction projects. Aggregates are also used in agricultural, utility and environmental applications and as railroad ballast. The aggregates, cement, ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations are reported collectively as the “Building Materials business”. The Company also operates a Magnesia Specialties business with production facilities in Michigan and Ohio. The Magnesia Specialties business produces magnesia-based chemical products that are used in industrial, agricultural and environmental applications. It also produces dolomitic lime sold primarily to customers for steel production and soil stabilization. Magnesia Specialties’ products are shipped to customers domestically and worldwide.
On April 30, 2021, the Company acquired Tiller Corporation (Tiller), a leading aggregates and hot mix asphalt supplier in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, a large and fast-growing midwestern metropolitan area. The Tiller acquisition complemented the Company’s existing product offerings in the surrounding areas. Additionally, Tiller sells asphalt solely as a materials provider and does not offer paving or other associated services. Tiller is reported in the Company’s East Group.
On July 30, 2021, the Company acquired assets of Southern Crushed Concrete (SCC). SCC was a leading producer of recycled concrete in the Houston area, one of the country’s largest aggregates markets. Recycled concrete is principally used as a base aggregates product in infrastructure, commercial and residential construction applications. SCC is reported in the Company’s West Group.
On October 1, 2021, the Company acquired the Lehigh Hanson West Region business (Lehigh West Region) for $2.26 billion in cash. The acquisition included a portfolio of 17 active aggregates quarries, two cement plants with related distribution terminals, and targeted downstream operations in California, Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. These operations provided a new upstream, materials-led growth platform across several of the nation’s largest megaregions in California and Arizona, solidifying the Company’s position as a leading coast-to-coast aggregates producer. The acquired cement plants, distribution terminals and California ready mixed concrete operations are classified as assets held for sale and discontinued operations as of and for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The Lehigh West Region business is reported in the Company’s West Group.
On April 1, 2022, the Company divested its Colorado and Central Texas ready mixed concrete operations to Smyrna Ready Mix Concrete LLC. This transaction optimized the Company’s aggregates-led portfolio and improved its ability to generate more attractive margins over the long term by reducing both business cyclicality and exposure to raw material cost inflation. The transaction resulted in a pretax gain of $151.9 million, inclusive of expenses incurred due to the divestiture. The divested operations and the gain on divestiture are all reported in the West Group in the Company's consolidated financial statements included in Item 8.
On June 30, 2022, the Company divested the Redding, California cement plant, related cement distribution terminals and 14 California ready mix operations for $235.0 million in cash. In addition, on July 15, 2022, the Company sold its interest in a joint venture that operates a cement distribution terminal for $15.0 million. These assets were acquired in connection with the acquisition of the Lehigh West Region business in 2021.
On August 9, 2022, the Company announced a definitive agreement to sell the Tehachapi, California cement plant and related distribution terminals for $350.0 million in cash, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. These assets were acquired in connection with the acquisition of the Lehigh West Region.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION WITH RESPECT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPANY’S BUSINESS PRIOR TO 2021, SEE THE INFORMATION APPEARING UNDER THE HEADING “GENERAL” INCLUDED IN PART I, ITEM 1 OF THE COMPANY’S FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019, WHICH INFORMATION IS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE.
Form 10-K ♦ Page 1 |
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
Business Segment Information
The Company conducts its Building Materials business through two reportable segments, organized by geography: East Group and West Group. The East Group provides aggregates and asphalt products. The West Group provides aggregates, cement, downstream products and paving services. The ten largest revenue-generating states accounted for 83% of the Building Materials business' total revenues in 2022: Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Minnesota, California, Georgia, Arizona, Iowa, Florida and Indiana. The Company’s Magnesia Specialties business is reported as a separate segment, which includes its magnesia-based chemicals and dolomitic lime businesses. For more information on the organization and geographic area of the Company’s business segments, see “Note A: Accounting Policies” and “Note P: Segments” of the “Notes to Financial Statements” of the Company’s consolidated financial statements, which appear in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this Form 10-K), which information is incorporated by reference.
Building Materials Business
The profitability of the Building Materials business, which serves customers in the construction marketplace, is sensitive to national, regional and local economic conditions and construction cyclicality, which are in turn affected by fluctuations in levels of public-sector infrastructure funding; interest rates; access to capital markets; and demographic, geographic, employment and population dynamics. The heavy-side construction business is conducted outdoors, as are much of the Building Materials business’s operations. Therefore, erratic weather patterns, seasonal changes, and other weather-related conditions, including precipitation, flooding, hurricanes, snowstorms, extreme temperatures, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts, can significantly affect production schedules, shipments, costs, efficiencies and profitability. Generally, the financial results for the first and fourth quarters are subject to the impacts of winter weather, while the second and third quarters are subject to the impacts of heavy precipitation.
The Building Materials business markets its products primarily to the construction industry, with 35% of its 2022 aggregates shipments sold to contractors in connection with highway and other public infrastructure projects and the balance of its shipments sold primarily to contractors for nonresidential and residential construction projects. The Company believes the business’ mix of public sector-related shipments lessens the impacts of fluctuations in nonresidential and residential, or private-sector, construction spending.
Funding of public infrastructure, historically the Company’s largest end-use market, is discussed in greater detail under “Building Materials Business’ Key Considerations—Public Infrastructure” in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,’’ of this Form 10-K.
The Building Materials business covers a wide geographic area. The five largest revenue-generating states (Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Minnesota and California) accounted for 64% of the Building Materials business’ total revenues in 2022. The Building Materials business is accordingly affected by the economies in these regions and has been adversely affected in part by recessions and weaknesses in these economies from time to time and may be affected by a decline in economic conditions, such as recession, economic downtown or inflationary conditions in the future. In 2022, aggregates shipments increased 3.3%, driven primarily by a full year of shipments in the California and Arizona operations acquired in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Aggregates
Aggregates, consisting of crushed stone, sand and gravel, are an engineered, granular material that is manufactured to specific sizes, grades and chemistry for use primarily in construction applications. The Company’s operations consist primarily of open pit quarries; however, the Company is the largest operator of underground aggregates mines in the United States, with 14 active underground mines located in the East Group.
Natural aggregates sources can be found in relatively homogeneous deposits in certain areas of the United States. Proximity of quarry facilities to customers’ construction sites or to long-haul transportation corridors is an important factor in competition for aggregates businesses. As a general rule, the distance truck shipments travel from an individual quarry is limited because the cost of transporting processed aggregates to customers is high in relation to the price of the product itself. The Company’s distribution system mainly uses trucks, but also has access to rail and waterborne networks where the per-mile unit costs of transporting aggregates are much lower.
The Company’s distribution network moves aggregates materials from certain domestic and offshore sources via its long-haul rail and waterborne distribution network, to markets where aggregates supply is limited. The Company’s rail network primarily serves its Texas, Florida, Colorado and Gulf Coast markets, while the Company’s locations in The Bahamas and Nova Scotia
Form 10-K ♦ Page 2 |
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
transport materials via oceangoing ships. The Company’s strategic focus includes expanding inland and offshore capacity and acquiring distribution facilities and port locations to offload transported material. At December 31, 2022, the Company’s aggregates distribution facilities consisted of 78 terminals. The Company’s expansion of its rail-based distribution network, coupled with the extensive use of rail service, increases the Company’s dependence on and exposure to railroad performance, including track congestion, crew availability, railcar availability, locomotive availability and the ability to renegotiate favorable railroad shipping contracts. The waterborne distribution network also increases the Company’s exposure to certain risks, including, among other items, meeting minimum tonnage requirements of shipping contracts, demurrage costs, fuel costs, ship availability and weather disruptions. The Company has long-term agreements with shipping companies to provide ships to transport its aggregates to various coastal ports.
The Company generally acquires contiguous property around existing quarry locations. Such parcels can serve as buffer property or additional mineral reserves, assuming the underlying geology supports economical aggregates mining. In either instance, the acquisition of additional property around an existing quarry allows the expansion of the quarry footprint and extension of quarry life. Some locations having limited reserves may be unable to expand.
Due to the nature of the indigenous aggregates supply in the midwestern United States, a long-term capital focus for the Company is underground limestone aggregates mines. Production costs are generally higher at underground mines than surface quarries since the depth of the aggregates deposits and the access to the reserves result in higher costs related to development, explosives and depreciation costs. However, these locations often possess marketplace transportation advantages that can lead to higher average selling prices than more distant surface quarries.
The construction aggregates industry has been consolidating, and the Company has actively participated in the industry’s consolidation. The Company’s Board of Directors and management continue to review and monitor the Company’s long-term strategic plans, commonly referred to as SOAR (Strategic Operating Analysis and Review), which include assessing portfolio optimization strategies that include business combinations and arrangements with other companies engaged in similar businesses, investing in internal expansion projects in high-growth markets, divesting businesses or nonoperating assets that are not core or do not further management’s strategy and pursuing new opportunities in the Company’s existing markets or new markets. Acquisition opportunities include public companies and private sponsor-owned and family-owned businesses, as well as asset swaps and divestitures from companies executing their strategic plans, rationalizing non-core assets and repairing financially-constrained balance sheets. When acquired, new locations sometimes do not satisfy the Company’s internal safety, maintenance, pit development or other standards, and may require additional investments before benefits of the acquisitions are fully realized.
Management believes its aggregates reserves are sufficient to permit production at present operational levels for the foreseeable future. The Company does not anticipate any significant difficulty in accessing reserves used for production. The Company’s aggregates reserves average approximately 75 years, based on the 2022 annual production level. However, certain locations may be subject to more limited reserves and may not be able to expand. Moreover, environmental, zoning and land use regulations will likely make it harder for the Company to expand its existing quarries or develop new quarry operations. Although it cannot be predicted what policies will be adopted in the future by federal, state and local governmental bodies regarding these matters, the Company anticipates that future restrictions will likely make zoning and permitting more difficult, thereby potentially enhancing the value of the Company’s existing mineral reserves.
The Company generally sells its aggregates upon receipt of customer orders or requests. The Company generally maintains inventories of aggregates products in sufficient quantities to meet the requirements of customers.
Cement and Downstream Operations
Cement is the basic agent used to bind aggregates, sand and water in the production of ready mixed concrete. Similar to aggregates, cement is used in infrastructure projects, nonresidential and residential construction, and the railroad, agricultural, utility and environmental industries. Consequently, the cement industry is cyclical and dependent on the strength of the construction sector. The Company has a strategic and leading cement position in Texas, with production facilities in Midlothian, Texas, south of Dallas/Fort Worth, and Hunter, Texas, north of San Antonio. These plants, which produce Portland and specialty cements, operated at 77% utilization in 2022. Clinker is the initial product in cement production, and the two Texas production facilities have a combined annual clinker capacity of 4.5 million tons. The Midlothian plant permit allows the Company to expand annual production by up to 0.8 million additional tons. The Company is currently undertaking a finishing capacity expansion project at the Midlothian plant, which is expected to be completed in mid-2024 and will provide 0.5 million tons of
Form 10-K ♦ Page 3 |
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
annual incremental capacity. Further, the Company is nearing completion of converting its plants to manufacture a less carbon-intensive Portland limestone cement, known as Type 1L, which has been approved by the Texas Department of Transportation.
In 2021, as part of the Lehigh West Region acquisition, the Company acquired a cement plant in each of Redding, California and Tehachapi, California, and several cement distribution terminals. The Redding, California plant and related terminals were sold in June 2022 and the Tehachapi, California and related terminals are classified as assets held for sale as of December 31, 2022.
Calcium carbonate in the form of limestone is the principal raw material used in the production of cement. The Company owns more than 600 million tons of limestone reserves adjacent to its Texas cement production plants on Company-owned property. Management believes that its reserves of limestone are sufficient to permit production at its cement plants at the current operational levels for the foreseeable future.
Cement consumption is dependent on the time of year and prevalent weather conditions. According to the Portland Cement Association, nearly two-thirds of U.S. cement consumption occurs in the six months between May and October. Approximately 70% to 75% of all cement shipments are sent to ready-mixed concrete operators. The remainder is shipped to manufacturers of concrete-related products, contractors, materials dealers and oil well/mining/drilling companies. The Company's cement operations generally deliver their products upon receipt of customer orders or requests. Inventory for products is generally maintained in sufficient quantities to meet rapid delivery requirements of customers.
Energy accounted for approximately 28% of the cement total production cost profile in 2022. Therefore, cement profitability is affected by changes in energy prices and the available supply of these products. The Company currently has fixed-price supply contracts for portions of its natural gas, power and coal needs, but also consumes alternative fuel and petroleum coke. Further, profitability of the cement operations is also impacted by kiln maintenance, which typically requires a plant to be shut down for a period of time.
Ready mixed concrete is measured in cubic yards and specifically batched or produced for customers’ construction projects and then typically transported by mixer trucks and poured at the project site. The aggregates used for ready mixed concrete is a washed material with limited amounts of fines (such as dirt and clay). As of December 31, 2022, the Company operates 94 ready mix plants in Arizona, California and Texas. The California ready mixed concrete operations are classified as assets held for sale as of December 31, 2022 and reported as discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. Asphalt is most commonly used in surfacing roads and parking lots and consists of liquid asphalt, or bitumen, the binding medium, and aggregates. Similar to ready mixed concrete, each asphalt batch is produced to customer specifications. As of December 31, 2022, the Company operates 38 asphalt plants in Arizona, California, Colorado and Minnesota. The Company also offers paving services in California and Colorado. Market dynamics for these downstream product lines include a highly competitive environment and lower barriers to entry compared with aggregates and cement.
The cement and downstream operations results are affected by volatile factors, including energy-related costs, operating efficiencies and weather, to a greater extent than the Company’s aggregates operations. Liquid asphalt and cement serve as key raw materials in the production of hot mix asphalt and ready mixed concrete, respectively. Therefore, fluctuations in prices for these raw materials directly affect the Company’s operating results.
Magnesia Specialties Business
The Magnesia Specialties business produces and sells dolomitic lime from its Woodville, Ohio facility and manufactures magnesia-based chemical products for industrial, agricultural and environmental applications at its Manistee, Michigan facility. These magnesia-based chemical products have varying uses, including flame retardants, wastewater treatment, pulp and paper production and other environmental applications. In 2022, 72% of Magnesia Specialties’ total revenues were attributable to chemical products, 27% to lime, and 1% to stone sold as construction materials.
Magnesia Specialties generally delivers its products upon receipt of customer orders or requests. Inventory for products is generally maintained in sufficient quantities to meet rapid delivery requirements of customers. A significant portion of the 275,000-ton dolomitic lime capacity from a lime kiln at Woodville, Ohio is committed under a long-term supply contract. In 2022, 74% of the lime shipments in the Magnesia Specialties business was sold to third-party customers, while the remaining 26% was used internally as a raw material in making the business’ chemical products. Dolomitic lime products sold to external customers are used primarily by the steel industry. In 2022, 31% of the Magnesia Specialties’ total revenues were attributable to products used in the steel industry, primarily dolomitic lime. Accordingly, a portion of the revenues and profitability of the Magnesia Specialties business is affected by production and inventory trends in the steel industry. These trends are guided by the rate of consumer consumption, the flow of offshore imports and other economic factors. The dolomitic lime business runs
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Part I ♦ Item 1 – Business
most profitably at 70% or greater domestic steel capacity utilization. According to the Federal Reserve, domestic steel capacity utilization averaged 75% of capacity in 2022 versus 81% of capacity in 2021.
In the Magnesia Specialties business, a significant portion of costs is of a fixed or semi-fixed nature. The production process requires the use of natural gas, coal and petroleum coke. Therefore, fluctuations in their pricing directly affect operating results. To help mitigate this risk, the Magnesia Specialties business has fixed-price agreements for approximately 39% of its 2023 coal and natural gas needs. For 2022, the Company’s average cost per MMBtu (1,000,000 British thermal units) of natural gas increased 47% versus 2021.
Given high fixed costs, low capacity utilization can negatively affect the segment’s results from operations. Management has shifted the strategic focus of the magnesia-based business to specialty chemicals that can be produced at volume levels that support efficient operations. Accordingly, these products are not as dependent on the steel industry as the dolomitic lime product line. Management expects future organic profit growth to result from increased pricing, efficiency enhancements, rationalization of the current product portfolio and/or further cost reductions.
The principal raw materials used in the Magnesia Specialties business are dolomitic limestone and magnesium-rich brine. Management believes that its reserves of dolomitic limestone and brine are sufficient to permit production at the current operational levels for the foreseeable future.
The Magnesia Specialties business is highly dependent on rail transportation, particularly for movement of dolomitic lime from Woodville to Manistee and direct customer shipments of dolomitic lime and magnesia chemicals products from both Woodville and Manistee. The segment can be affected by the specific transportation and other risks and uncertainties outlined under Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of this Form 10-K.
Patents and Trademarks
As of January 31, 2023, the Company owns, has the right to use, or has pending applications for patents pending or granted by the United States and various countries and trademarks related to its business. The Company believes that its rights under its existing patents, patent applications and trademarks are of value to its operations, but no one patent or trademark or group of patents or trademarks is material to the conduct of the Company’s business as a whole.
Customers
The Company’s products are sold principally to commercial customers in private industry. Although large amounts of construction materials are used in public works projects, relatively insignificant sales are made directly to federal, state, county or municipal governments, or agencies thereof. No material part of the business as a whole, or of any segment of the Company, is dependent upon a single customer or upon a few customers. The loss of any single customer would not have a material adverse effect on any segment of the Company.
Competition
The nature of the Company’s competition varies among its products due to the widely differing amounts of capital necessary to build and maintain production facilities. Crushed stone production from quarries or mines and sand and gravel production by dredging or otherwise are moderately capital intensive. Construction of cement production facilities is highly capital intensive and requires long lead times to complete engineering design, obtain regulatory permits, acquire equipment and construct a plant. Most domestic cement producers are owned by large foreign companies operating in multiple international markets. Many of these producers maintain the capability to import cement from foreign production facilities. Ready mixed concrete production requires relatively small amounts of capital to build a concrete batching plant and acquire delivery trucks. Accordingly, economics can lead to lower barriers to entry in some concrete markets. As a result, depending on the local market, the Company may face competition from small producers as well as large, vertically-integrated companies with facilities in many markets.
The Company operates in a largely-fragmented industry, including large, public companies and a large number of small, privately-held companies. Other publicly traded companies among the ten-largest U.S. aggregates producers include the following:
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Due to the localized nature of the industry resulting from the high cost of transportation relative to the price of the product, the Building Materials business primarily operates in smaller distinct areas that can vary from one another. The Company believes that its ability to transport materials by rail and waterborne vessels has enhanced its ability to compete in the building materials industry.
Capacity for cement plants is often stated in terms of clinker capacity. According to the Portland Cement Association, United States cement production is widely dispersed, with the top five companies collectively producing approximately 58% of U.S. clinker capacity. An estimated 84% of U.S. clinker capacity is owned by companies headquartered outside of the United States. The Company’s cement operations also compete with imported cement because of the higher value of the product and the existence of major ports or terminals in Texas and California.
The Company’s ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations are also in markets with numerous operators, large and small.
The Magnesia Specialties business competes with various companies in different geographic and product areas principally on the basis of quality, price, technological advances and technical support for its products. While the revenues of the Magnesia Specialties business in 2022 were predominantly domestic, a portion was derived from customers located outside the United States.
Environmental and Governmental Regulations
Overview
The Company’s operations are subject to and affected by federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations relating to zoning, land use, mining, air emissions (including CO2 and other greenhouse gases), water use, allocation and discharges, waste management, noise and dust exposure control, reclamation and other environmental, health and safety, and regulatory matters. Certain of the Company’s operations may from time to time involve the use of substances that are classified as toxic or hazardous within the meaning of these laws and regulations. Environmental operating permits are, or may be, required for certain of the Company’s operations, and such permits are subject to modification, renewal and revocation.
Environmental Compliance and Costs
The Company regularly monitors and reviews its operations, procedures and policies for compliance with existing laws, rules and regulations, changes in interpretations of existing laws and enforcement policies, new laws that are adopted and new laws that the Company anticipates will be adopted that could affect its operations, including with respect to climate change. The Company has a full-time team of environmental engineers and managers that perform these responsibilities. The direct costs of ongoing environmental compliance were approximately $35.6 million in 2022 and $31.0 million in 2021 and are related to the Company’s environmental staff, ongoing monitoring costs for various matters (including those matters disclosed in this Form 10-K) and asset retirement costs. Capitalized costs related to environmental control facilities were approximately $20.0 million in 2022 and are expected to be approximately $20.0 million in 2023 and $25.0 million in 2024. The Company’s capital expenditures for environmental matters were not material to its results of operations or financial condition in 2022 and 2021. However, the Company’s expenditures for environmental matters generally have increased over time and are likely to increase in the future. Despite the Company’s compliance efforts, the risk of environmental liability is inherent in the Company’s businesses, and environmental liabilities could have a material adverse effect on the Company in the future. Complying with governmental and environmental regulations did not have and is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position, other than as discussed in this section.
Many of the applicable requirements of environmental laws are satisfied by procedures that the Company adopts as best practices in the ordinary course of its business. For example, plant equipment that is used to crush aggregates products may, in the ordinary course of operations, have an attached water spray bar that is used to clean the stone. The water spray bar also
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serves as a dust control mechanism that complies with applicable environmental laws. Moreover, the Company does not separate the portion of the cost, depreciation and other financial information relating to the water spray bar that is attributable only to environmental purposes, as such an allocation would be arbitrary. The incremental portion of such operating costs that is attributable to environmental compliance rather than best operating practices is impractical to quantify. Accordingly, the Company records costs in that category when incurred as operating expenses.
As is the case with others in the cement industry, the Company’s cement operations produce varying quantities of cement kiln dust (CKD). This production by-product consists of fine-grained, solid, highly alkaline material removed from cement kiln exhaust gas by air pollution control devices. Since much of the CKD is unreacted raw materials, it is generally permissible to recycle the CKD back into the production process, and large amounts often are treated in such manner. CKD that is not returned to the production process or sold as a product itself is disposed in landfills. CKD is currently exempted from federal hazardous waste regulations under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
The environmental accruals recorded by the Company are based on internal studies of the required remediation costs and estimates of potential costs that arise from time to time under federal, state and/or local environmental protection laws. Many of these laws and their attendant regulations are complex and are subject to challenges and new interpretations by regulators and the courts. In addition, new laws are also adopted from time to time. It is often difficult to accurately and fully quantify the costs to comply with new rules until it is determined to which type of operations they will apply and the manner in which they will be implemented is more accurately defined. This process typically takes years to finalize, and the rules often change significantly from the time they are proposed to the time they are final. The Company typically has several appropriate alternatives available to satisfy compliance requirements, which could range from nominal costs to some alternatives that may be satisfied in conjunction with equipment replacement or expansion that also benefit operating efficiencies or capacities and carry significantly higher costs.
Management believes that its current accrual for environmental costs is reasonable, although those amounts may increase or decrease depending on the impact of applicable rules as they are finalized or amended from time to time and changes in facts and circumstances. The Company believes that its operations and facilities, both owned or leased, are in substantial compliance with applicable laws and regulations and any potential noncompliance is not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations or financial condition. See “Legal Proceedings" under Item 3 of this Form 10-K, “Note O: Commitments and Contingencies” of the “Notes to Financial Statements” of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplemental Data,” of this Form 10-K, and the “Environmental Regulation and Litigation" section included under Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” of this Form 10-K. However, future events, such as changes in or modified interpretations of existing laws and regulations or enforcement policies, or further investigation or evaluation of the potential health hazards of certain products or business activities, may give rise to additional compliance and other costs that could have a material adverse effect on the Company.
Mine Safety and Land Reclamation
In general, mining, production and distribution facilities for aggregates, cement, ready mixed concrete and asphalt must comply with air quality, water quality and other environmental regulations, zoning and special use permitting requirements, applicable mining regulations, and federal health and safety requirements. As the Company locates and acquires new production and distribution facilities, the Company works closely with local authorities during the zoning and permitting processes to design new quarries, mines, production and distribution facilities in such a way as to minimize disturbances. The Company frequently acquires large tracts of land so that quarry, mine, production and distribution facilities can be situated at a substantial distance from surrounding property owners. Also, in certain markets, the Company’s ability to transport material by rail and water allows it to locate its facilities further away from residential areas. The Company has established policies designed to minimize disturbances to surrounding property owners from its operations.
As is the case with other similarly situated companies, some of the Company’s products contain varying amounts of crystalline silica, a common mineral also known as quartz. Excessive, prolonged inhalation of very small-sized particles of crystalline silica has been associated with lung diseases, including silicosis, and several scientific organizations and some states, such as California, have reported that crystalline silica can cause lung cancer. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have established occupational thresholds for crystalline silica exposure as respirable dust. The Company monitors occupational exposures at its facilities and implements dust control procedures and/or makes available appropriate respiratory protective equipment to maintain the occupational exposures at or below the required levels. The Company, through safety information sheets and other means, also communicates
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appropriate warnings and cautions its employees and customers about the risks associated with excessive, prolonged inhalation of mineral dust in general and crystalline silica in particular.
The Company is generally required by state or local laws or pursuant to the terms of an applicable lease to reclaim quarry sites after use. Future reclamation costs are estimated using statutory reclamation requirements and management’s experience and knowledge in the industry, and are discounted to their present value using a credit-adjusted, risk-free interest rate. The future reclamation costs are not offset by potential recoveries. For additional information regarding compliance with legal requirements, see “Note O: Commitments and Contingencies” of the “Notes to Financial Statements” of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplemental Data,” of this Form 10-K. The Company performs activities on an ongoing basis, as an integral part of the normal quarrying process, that may reduce the ultimate reclamation obligations. For example, the perimeter and interior walls of an open pit quarry are sloped and benched as they are developed to prevent erosion and provide stabilization. This sloping and benching meets both safety regulations required by MSHA for ongoing operations as well as final reclamation requirements. Therefore, these types of activities are included in normal operating costs and are not a part of the asset retirement obligation. Reclaimed quarry sites owned by the Company are from time to time available for sale, typically for commercial development or use as reservoirs, or have been converted for recreational use by the local community.
Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change
The Board and management have identified certain risks and opportunities below with respect to climate change, including regulatory and physical impacts, and the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Board Oversight and the Role of Management The Board of Directors has an essential role in determining the Company's strategic priorities, and climate change and other sustainability matters are an integral part of its oversight of the business. In 1994, the Company established an Ethics, Environment, Safety and Health (EESH) Committee, which currently meets at least four times annually. The EESH Committee receives reports directly from management relating to environmental, safety, ethics and other sustainability matters, including greenhouse gas (GHG) and climate change-related matters, reviews input and engagement with investors on these matters, and monitors our compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, as well as our public reporting and disclosure with respect to climate change-related risks and opportunities and other environmental issues. The EESH Committee reports to the full Board, and a number of other Board committees have overlapping responsibility for sustainability matters, including the Audit Committee and the Management Development and Compensation Committee. While the Board oversees Martin Marietta's risk management, the executive officers are responsible for the day-to-day risk management processes, and management receives at least quarterly updates from operating personnel directly responsible for compliance relating to EESH matters. Management believes this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks facing the Company. The Company also has a Head of Sustainability, who reports directly to the Executive Vice President and General Counsel on climate and other sustainability matters. The Company believes the above approach has been effective in integrating sustainability as a core element of its corporate governance.
In an effort to mitigate the risks to the Company associated with climate change while ensuring and improving financial sustainability, the Company has adopted a corporate-wide management strategy that considers risks and opportunities related to climate change, which has resulted in multiple initiatives to identify and implement or evaluate GHG reduction processes and technologies that also improve operational efficiencies, including: using alternative fuels such as biodiesel; reducing overall fuel use by converting from quarry trucks to conveyor systems; right-sizing quarry trucks to match the appropriately sized truck with the size of production to reduce the number of required trips; replacing older railcars with more efficient, high-capacity models that reduce the number of required trips; adding rail capacity in lieu of truck movements; and installing state-of-the-art emissions control equipment at one of the Company’s magnesia plants and tire processing systems for fuel, as well as a larger natural gas line, at one of the Company’s cement plants. The Company’s Midlothian cement plant has been recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as a high-performing, energy-efficient facility following investments in innovative air pollution control technologies and usage of alternative fuels.
Policy and Regulatory Matters A number of governmental bodies, including the U.S. Congress and various U.S. states, have proposed, enacted or are contemplating legislative and regulatory changes to mitigate or address the potential impacts of climate change, including provisions for GHG emissions reporting or reductions, the use of alternative fuels, carbon credits (such as a cap-and-trade system) and a carbon tax. For example, in the United States, the USEPA promulgated a rule mandating that companies considered to be large emitters of GHGs report those emissions. The manufacturing operations of the
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Company’s Magnesia Specialties business release carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides during the production of lime, magnesium oxide and hydroxide products. The Company’s two magnesia-based chemicals facilities, as well as its two cement plants in Texas and one recently-acquired cement plant in California, file annual reports of their GHG emissions in accordance with the USEPA reporting rule. The primary business and operations of the Company, however, including its aggregates, ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving product lines, are not considered “major” sources of GHG emissions subject to the USEPA reporting rule. Most of the GHG emissions from aggregates plant operations are tailpipe emissions from mobile sources, such as heavy construction and earth-moving equipment.
In 2010, the USEPA also issued a GHG emissions permitting rule, referred to as the Tailoring Rule, which may require some industrial facilities to obtain permits for GHG emissions under the U.S. Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Title V operating permit programs. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2014 that the USEPA exceeded its statutory authority in issuing the Tailoring Rule but upheld the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) requirements for GHGs emitted by sources already subject to PSD or Title V permitting requirements for other pollutants. The Company’s cement plants, as well as its Magnesia Specialties plants, hold Title V Permits, and each (other than the Manistee, Michigan facility) is also subject to PSD requirements. It is currently unclear whether or how the USEPA may revise BACT requirements in the future. In fact, although several large-scale projects for carbon capture are in the development phase, no technologies or methods of operation for reducing or capturing GHGs have yet been proven successful in large-scale applications, other than improvements in fuel efficiency. Thus, if future modifications to the Company's facilities require PSD review for other pollutants, GHG BACT requirements could be triggered and may require significant additional costs, which the Company expects would be passed on to customers. It is not currently possible to estimate the cost of any such future requirements.
U.S. President Biden also has taken a number of steps to make climate change a central focus of his administration, including issuing a pair of executive orders and a presidential memorandum making climate change central to U.S. policy and setting out several administrative priorities and undertakings. President Biden reentered the Paris Agreement in January 2021 and later announced the United States’ reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement, including a 50% to 52% economy-wide reduction in net GHG emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. More recently, President Biden entered a pact with 103 countries and jurisdictions, known as the Global Methane Pledge, to reduce global methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by the end of the decade.
In November 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJ Act), which provides billions of dollars in new funding for public transit and clean energy projects intended, in part, to address climate change, including road, bridge and other major infrastructure projects. These projects, as well as new public transit and clean energy projects, require aggregates and cement for construction and may result in increased demand for our products. See Other Low-Carbon Transition Risks and Opportunities section for additional information.
Although it is too early to determine the actions the federal government will ultimately take to implement climate change-related orders, commitments and laws, or the full scope, timing or ramifications of such measures, it is clear that the current administration has already begun to make, and intends to continue to pursue, a significant and sweeping push on the climate front and, like other signatories to the Paris Agreement, intends to pursue a goal of a Net Zero GHG by 2050. It also seems probable that the USEPA and other agencies will use their rule-making authority and procurement decisions to further address climate change. Various states where the Company has operations have enacted or are considering climate change initiatives as well, and the Company may be subject to state regulations in addition to any federal laws and rules that are passed. On January 6, 2023, the USEPA proposed for public comment a reduction in the size of airborne particulate matter to fine particles that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter, or PM2.5, that will be regulated under its health-based, or primary, air regulations based on potential health impacts, including at-risk populations, with an adequate margin of safety. Under the Clean Air Act, which requires the USEPA to set two types of standards for particle pollution, consisting of primary standards to protect public health and secondary standards to protect public welfare, the USEPA is required to review the National Ambient Air Quality Standards every five years to determine whether they should be retained or revised. The particulate matter classifications were last revised in 2012. The new rules as currently proposed would revise the annual standard for particulate matter levels but retain the 24-hour standard. While the Company’s facilities will meet any adopted standard, these changes may result in significantly higher compliance costs and risks.
If and when the USEPA issues new regulations and/or Congress passes additional legislation restricting GHGs emissions, the Woodville, Ohio and Manistee, Michigan Magnesia Specialties operations, as well as the Company’s cement plants in Texas and California, which release CO2 in certain of their processes and use carbon-based fuels for power equipment, kilns and the Company’s mobile fleet, will likely be subject to these new regulations. The Company's three cement plants, like those of other cement operators, require combustion of significant amounts of fuel to generate high kiln temperatures and create carbon
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dioxide as a product of the calcination process, which is an unavoidable step in making clinker. Accordingly, the Company continues to closely monitor GHG regulations and legislation and its potential impact on the Company's cement business, financial condition and product demand. The Company anticipates that any increased operating costs or taxes relating to GHG emission limitations at the Woodville or cement facilities would be passed on to customers. The magnesium oxide products produced at the Manistee operation, however, compete against other products that, due to the form and/or structure of the source material, require less energy in the calcination process, resulting in the generation of fewer GHGs per ton of production. Due to GHG emissions requirements, the Manistee facility may be required to absorb additional costs, including for taxes or capital investments, in order to maintain competitive pricing in that market. In addition, the cement produced by the Company’s cement plants, like other U.S. operators, is subject to strict limits set by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and other agencies, including those relating to “clinker substitution”, or the replacement of ground clinker in cement with alternate materials such as pozzolan, slag and fly ash, which has implications for the Company’s fuel use and efforts to reduce GHG emissions from its cement operations. For example, various industry associations are engaged in an effort requesting the USDOT and other agencies to further revise their standards allowing for greater rates of clinker substitution, similar to the rates currently permitted for European cement producers. If higher rates of substitution and blending are, in fact, permitted in the future, the result is likely to be both reduced clinker and power consumption in cement production, which would, in turn, reduce GHGs emitted in connection with each ton of cement produced in the United States.
In light of the various regulatory uncertainties, the Company cannot presently reasonably predict the costs of any future compliance requirements. Nonetheless, the Company does not believe it will have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or results of the operations of either the Magnesia Specialties business or Building Materials business.
Physical Impacts In addition to impacts from increased regulation, climate change may result in physical impacts that could have adverse effects on the Company’s operations or financial condition. Physical impacts may include disruptions in production and/or regional supply or product distribution networks due to major storm events, shifts in regional rainfall and temperature patterns and intensities, as well as flooding from sea level changes. In addition, production and shipment levels for the Building Materials business correlate with general construction activity, which occurs outdoors and, as a result, is affected by erratic weather patterns, seasonal changes and other unusual or unexpected weather-related conditions, which can significantly affect that business. In the Company's cement and downstream operations businesses, the physical impacts of climate change may result in disruptions to its operations or its customers’ transportation activities, including impacts on production capabilities and capacities, supply chain interruptions and project delays that can impact the Company's reputation and result in additional costs to the Company. Excessive rainfall and other severe weather jeopardize production, shipments and profitability in all markets served by the Company in its Building Materials business. In addition, climate and inclement weather can reduce the useful life of an asset. In particular, the Company’s operations in the southeastern and Gulf Coast regions of the United States and The Bahamas are at risk for hurricane activity, most notably in August, September and October. The Company is also at risk for Pacific Ocean storm activity. The last few years brought an unprecedented amount of precipitation to the United States and particularly to Texas and the southeastern United States, notably the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, where it impacted the Company’s facilities. In California and Arizona, continuing drought has led to water use restrictions in numerous water districts, and insufficient supply of water for the Company's operations in those areas could impact production. In California, recent storms and flooding have caused operational delays and challenges. While reconstruction activities may offset some or most of the financial impacts on sales and demand, any of these events could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business and operations.
As the Company's footprint of quarries and aggregates facilities has grown nationwide, management believes it has bolstered resilience in its operations by maintaining a geographically diverse business and distribution network that is increasingly able to adjust to local disruptions and source materials from different facilities. In addition, because the Company transports aggregates products by various methods, including rail and water, it may be able to mitigate supply or transportation issues in any location caused by severe weather or disruptions in any transport modality.
Other Low-Carbon Transition Risks and Opportunities The Company’s businesses are dependent on reliable sources of energy and fuels. The Company could incur increased costs or disruptions in its operations if the price or availability of energy or fuels or other materials used in its operations is impacted by climate change regulation or severe weather. These and other climate-related risks, such as a downturn in the construction sector due to harsh weather, significant precipitation or other changes in weather, also could impact the Company’s customers, which could lead to reduced demand for the Company’s products. The Company may not be able to pass on to its customers all the costs relating to these risks.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing risks and uncertainties relating to climate change, there may also be opportunities for the Company to increase its business or revenues, both in terms of the physical impacts of climate change and market opportunities associated with the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy. For example, warm and/or moderate temperatures in March and November allow the construction season to start earlier and end later, respectively, which could have meaningful positive impacts on the Company’s first- and fourth-quarter results, respectively. From a regulatory standpoint, as noted above, the recently-passed IIJ Act provides billions of dollars in new funding for roads, bridges and other major infrastructure projects which require aggregates and cement for construction. New public transit and clean energy projects that address climate change may also result in increased demand for our products. Other opportunities are likely to result from the passing of the $1.2 trillion IIJ Act, the Cornyn-Padilla Amendment that allows $104 billion of unused COVID-19 dollars to be directed to infrastructure projects, and $23 billion of voter-approved state and local transportation-related 2022 ballot initiatives, all of which will fund infrastructure growth, repair and development. In addition, the Company’s magnesium hydroxide products are used to increase fuel efficiency in various industries, including both coal- and gas-fired electricity generation, which has a direct impact on reducing energy use and GHG emissions by more GHG-intense companies. Finally, the desire for sustainable building solutions has led to greater recognition of the benefits of concrete construction in the effort to move to a circular economy through innovative products, longevity and recyclability, and increased demand for green construction projects would have a direct impact on the Company’s cement and concrete business.
Land Management
The Company owns approximately 160,000 acres of land, the vast majority of which is used in connection with active facilities. The Company regularly reviews its land holdings to determine their highest and best use based on its management expertise. Land holdings that do not have economically recoverable reserves for current or future mining or are otherwise not in locations that complement the Company’s operating facilities are considered candidates for sale or development for sale.
Human Capital Resources
As of January 31, 2023, the Company has approximately 9,400 employees, of which approximately 7,000 are hourly employees and approximately 2,400 are salaried employees. Approximately 1,200 hourly employees (13% of the Company’s employees) are represented by labor unions, representing 15% of the Building Materials business’ hourly employees and 100% of the Magnesia Specialties segment’s hourly employees. The Company’s principal union contracts for the Magnesia Specialties business cover employees at the Manistee, Michigan, magnesia-based chemicals plant and the Woodville, Ohio, lime plant. The Woodville and Manistee collective bargaining agreements expire in June 2026 and August 2027, respectively. The Company believes it has good relations with its employees, including its unionized workforce.
Management believes the Company’s success depends on its ability to attract, develop and retain key personnel. None of Martin Marietta’s accomplishments are possible without its employees; the people who both drive the work and are most affected by it. These individuals are the heart of Martin Marietta. The Company’s management oversees various employee initiatives to develop its employees and the Management Development and Compensation Committee regularly reviews the compensation and development programs to achieve those objectives. In 2020, the Company launched an Inclusion and Engagement Task Force, comprised of employees with diverse race, gender, background and experience, which is focused on hiring, developing and retaining diverse employees to strengthen its talent pipeline and increase employee engagement and retention.
Health and safety in the workplace is one of the Company’s core values. The Guardian Angel safety program provides that every employee has the right, and the obligation, to stop any unsafe condition and that zero safety incidents is achievable. It includes the notion that every employee acts as a wingman for other employees, to observe and act on any situation that potentially creates unsafe circumstances. The companywide safety performance achieved the sixth-consecutive year of world class or better lost-time incident rate and the second consecutive year for total injury incidence rate.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of keeping the Company’s employees safe and healthy. In response to the pandemic, the Company took actions aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement robust protocols to protect its workforce so that they can safely perform their jobs.
In 2019, the Company established a new employer brand — ONE — that reflects the thoughts, feelings and hearts of employees at every level of Martin Marietta. This included a standard approach to safety mentoring that ensures every employee has the knowledge and resources needed to complete their work safely and efficiently. The Company also established a World Class Task Force, whose mission is to improve Martin Marietta and is fostering a level of communication never before seen at the
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Company. The Company has taken these steps to better allow it to grow responsibly and encourage employee engagement. In 2022, the Company began launching employee resource groups starting with a Military and Veterans Community resource group.
Available Information
The Company maintains an internet address at www.martinmarietta.com. The Company makes available free of charge through its internet website its Annual Report on Form 10‑K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10‑Q, Current Reports on Form 8‑K, and amendments to those reports, if any, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), which are available as soon as reasonably possible after they are submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). You can access the Company’s filings with the SEC through the SEC website at www.sec.gov or through our website, and the Company strongly encourages you to do so. Martin Marietta routinely posts information that may be important to investors on its website at www.ir.martinmarietta.com, and it uses this website address as a means of disclosing material information to the public in a broad, non-exclusionary manner for purposes of the SEC’s Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD). The contents of the Company's website are not incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K and shall not be deemed “filed” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any statements herein for revisions or changes after the filing date of this Form 10-K other than as required by law.
The Company has adopted a Code of Ethical Business Conduct that applies to all of its Board of Directors, officers and employees. The Company’s code of ethics is available on the Company’s website www.martinmarietta.com. The Company will disclose on its internet website any waivers of or amendments to its code of ethics as it applies to its directors and executive officers.
The Company has adopted a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines to address matters of fundamental importance relating to the corporate governance of the Company, including director qualifications and responsibilities, responsibilities of key board committees, director compensation and similar matters. Each of the Audit Committee, the Management Development and Compensation Committee, and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors has adopted a written charter addressing various matters of importance relating to each committee, including the committee’s purposes and responsibilities, an annual performance evaluation of each committee and similar matters. These Corporate Governance Guidelines, and the charters of each of these committees, are available on the Company’s website at www.martinmarietta.com.
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are required to file with the SEC each quarter and each year certifications regarding the quality of the Company’s public disclosure of its financial condition. The annual certifications are included as exhibits to this Form 10‑K. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer is also required to certify to the New York Stock Exchange each year that he is not aware of any violation by the Company of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance listing standards.
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ITEM 1A – RISK FACTORS
An investment in Martin Marietta common stock or debt securities involves risks and uncertainties. You should consider the following factors carefully, in addition to the other information contained in this Form 10-K, before deciding to purchase or otherwise trade the Company’s securities.
This Form 10-K and other written reports and oral statements made from time to time by the Company contain statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities law. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and are based on assumptions that the Company believes in good faith are reasonable, but which may be materially different from actual results. Investors can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate only to historic or current facts. The words “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “outlook,” “plan,” “project,” “scheduled,” and similar expressions in connection with future events or future operating or financial performance are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any or all of the Company’s forward-looking statements in this Form 10‑K and in other publications may turn out to be wrong.
Statements and assumptions on future revenues, income and cash flows, performance, economic trends, the outcome of litigation, regulatory compliance, and environmental remediation cost estimates are examples of forward-looking statements. Numerous factors, including potentially the risk factors described in this section, could affect the Company's forward-looking statements and actual performance.
Investors are also cautioned that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, the reader should not consider any such list to be a complete statement of all potential risks or uncertainties. Other factors besides those listed may also adversely affect the Company and may be material to the Company. The Company has listed the known material risks it considers relevant in evaluating the Company and its operations. The forward-looking statements in this document are intended to be subject to the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof based on management’s current expectations, and the Company does not undertake an obligation to update such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, other than as required by law.
For a discussion identifying some important factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, see the factors listed below, along with the discussion of “Competition” under Item 1 of this Form 10-K, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” under Item 7 of this Form 10-K, and “Note A: Accounting Policies” and “Note O: Commitments and Contingencies” of the “Notes to Financial Statements” of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplemental Data,” of this Form 10-K.
Industry Risk Factors
Our business depends on activity within the construction industry, which can be cyclical
Economic and political uncertainty can impede growth in the markets in which we operate. Demand for our products, particularly in the private nonresidential and residential construction markets, could decline if companies and consumers are unable to obtain credit for construction projects or if an economic slowdown causes delays or cancellations of capital projects. State and federal budget issues may also undermine the funding available for infrastructure spending. The lack of available credit may limit the ability of states to issue bonds to finance construction projects. As a result of these issues, several of our top revenue-generating states, from time to time, stop bidding or slow bid projects in their transportation departments.
We sell most of our aggregates (our primary business) and our cement products to the construction industry and, therefore, our results depend on that industry’s strength. Since our businesses depend on construction spending, which can be cyclical, our profits are sensitive to national, regional and local economic conditions and the intensity of the underlying spending on aggregates and cement products. Construction spending is affected by economic conditions, changes in interest rates, inflation, employment levels, demographic and population shifts, and changes in construction spending by federal, state and local governments. If economic conditions worsen, a recession in the construction industry may occur and affect the demand for our products. The recession of the late 2000s and early 2010s (the Great Recession) was an example, and our shipment volumes were significantly reduced and remain below peak shipment levels excluding the contribution of acquisitions. Construction spending can also be disrupted by terrorist activity and armed conflicts.
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While our business operations cover a wide geographic area, our earnings depend on the strength of the local economies in which we operate due to the high cost to transport our products relative to their selling price. If economic conditions and construction spending decline significantly in one or more areas, particularly in our Building Materials business’ top five revenue-generating states of Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Minnesota and California, our profitability will decrease. We experienced this situation during the Great Recession.
Demand for aggregates products, particularly in the infrastructure construction market, is affected by federal, state and local budget and deficit issues. Remote working trends or other factors that reduce miles driven can have a negative impact on various revenue streams that fund roadway projects. Further, delays or cancellations of projects in the nonresidential and residential construction markets, which combined accounted for 60% of aggregates shipments in 2022, could occur if companies and consumers are unable to obtain financing for construction projects or if consumer confidence continues to be eroded by economic uncertainty.
Our Building Materials business is seasonal and subject to the weather, which can significantly impact operations
Since the heavy-side construction business is conducted outdoors, erratic weather patterns, seasonal changes and other weather-related conditions affect our business. Adverse weather conditions, including hurricanes and tropical storms, cold weather, snow, heavy or sustained rainfall, wildfires and earthquakes, reduce construction activity, restrict the demand for our products and impede our ability to efficiently transport material. Adverse weather conditions also increase our costs and reduce our production output as a result of power loss, needed plant and equipment repairs, time required to remove water from flooded operations and similar events. Severe drought conditions can restrict available water supplies and restrict production. Production and shipment levels of the Building Materials business’ products follow activity in the construction industry, which typically is strongest in the spring, summer and fall. Because of the weather’s effect on the construction industry’s activity, the production and shipment levels for our Building Materials business, including all of our aggregates-related downstream operations, vary by quarter. The second and third quarters are generally subject to heavy precipitation, and thus are more profitable if precipitation is lighter. The first and fourth quarters, which are subject to the impacts of winter weather, are generally the least profitable, but can be more profitable if the impact of winter weather is less. Our operations in the southeastern and Gulf Coast regions of the United States and The Bahamas are at risk for hurricane activity, most notably in August, September and October. Our California operations are at risk for Pacific Ocean storms, wildfire activity and water use restrictions in the event of severe drought conditions. In California, recent storms and flooding have caused operational delays and challenges. These weather events and conditions may be exacerbated by climate change in the near and long term.
Competition and Growth Risk Factors
Our Building Materials business depends on the availability of quality aggregates reserves or deposits and our ability to mine them economically
Our challenge is to find quality aggregates deposits that we can mine economically, with appropriate permits, near either growing markets or long-haul transportation corridors that economically serve applicable markets. As communities in many of our geographic markets have grown, they have settled in and around attractive quarrying locations and have imposed restrictions on mining. We try to meet this challenge by identifying and permitting sites prior to economic expansion, buying more land around our existing quarries to increase our mineral reserves, developing underground mines and developing a distribution network that transports aggregates products by various methods, including rail and water. While our distribution network allows us to transport our products longer distances than would normally be considered economical, we can give no assurances that we will be successful at this strategy.
Our businesses face many competitors
Our businesses have many competitors, some of whom are bigger and have more resources than we do. Some of our competitors operate on a worldwide basis. Our results are affected by the number of competitors in a market, the production capacity that a particular market can accommodate, the pricing practices of other competitors and the entry of new competitors in a market. We also face competition for some of our products from alternative products. For example, our Magnesia Specialties business may compete with other chemical products that could be used instead of our magnesia-based products. As other examples, our aggregates, ready mixed concrete, asphalt and paving businesses may compete with recycled asphalt and concrete products that could be used in certain applications instead of new products and our cement operations
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may compete with international competitors who import products into the United States from jurisdictions with lower production and regulatory costs.
Our future growth may depend in part on acquiring other businesses in our industry, and we may acquire businesses by paying all or in part with shares of our common stock
We expect to continue to grow, in part, by acquiring other businesses. In the past, we have made acquisitions to strengthen our existing locations, expand our operations and enter new geographic markets. We will continue to pursue selective acquisitions, joint ventures or other business arrangements we believe will help our Company grow. However, the continued success of our acquisition program will depend on our ability to find and buy other attractive businesses at an appropriate price and our ability to integrate acquired businesses into our existing operations. We cannot assume there will continue to be attractive acquisition opportunities for sale at reasonable prices that we can successfully integrate into our operations.
We may decide to pay all or part of the purchase price of any future acquisition with shares of our common stock. We may also use our stock to make strategic investments in other companies to complement and expand our operations. If we use our common stock in this way, the ownership interests of our existing shareholders at that time will be diluted and the price of our stock could decline. We operate our businesses with the objective of maximizing long-term shareholder return.
Our integration of the acquisition or business combination with other businesses may not be as successful as projected
We have a successful history of business combinations and integration of these businesses into our heritage operations. However, in connection with the integration of any other business that we acquire, there is a risk that we will not be able to achieve such integration in a successful manner or on the time schedule we have projected or in a way that will achieve the level of synergies, cost savings or operating efficiencies we forecast from the acquisition.
Any significant business acquisition or combination we might choose to undertake may require that we devote significant management attention and resources to preparing for and then integrating our business practices and operations. Based on our history, we believe we would be successful in this integration process. Nevertheless, we may fail to realize some of the anticipated benefits of any potential acquisition or other business combination that we pursue in the future if the integration process takes longer than expected or is more costly than expected. Potential difficulties we may encounter in the integration process include the following:
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Our acquisitions and divestitures could harm our results of operations
In pursuing our business strategy, we conduct discussions, evaluate opportunities and enter into acquisition and divestiture agreements. Acquisitions involve significant challenges and risks, including risks that:
Divestitures also involve significant challenges and risks, including risks that:
Our cement and Magnesia Specialties businesses may become capacity-constrained
If our cement or Magnesia Specialties businesses becomes and/or remains capacity-constrained, we may be unable to timely satisfy the demand for some of our products, and any resulting changes in customers would introduce volatility to the earnings of these segments. We can address capacity needs by enhancing our manufacturing productivity, increasing the operational availability of equipment, reducing machinery down time and extending machinery useful life. Future demand for our products may require us to expand our manufacturing capacity further, particularly through the purchase of additional manufacturing equipment. However, we may not be able to increase our capacity in time to satisfy increases in demand that may occur from time to time. Our Texas cement operations are currently capacity constrained, which may prevent us from satisfying customer orders and result in a loss of sales to competitors that are not capacity-constrained. We are permitted to expand annual production by up to 0.8 million additional tons at our Midlothian cement plant and are currently in the process of effecting an expansion to add 0.5 million tons of annual production capacity. However, we may suffer excess capacity if we increase our capacity to meet actual or anticipated demand and that demand decreases or does not materialize.
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Our cement business could suffer if cement or clinker imports from other countries significantly increase or are sold in the United States in violation of U.S. fair trade laws
In the past, the cement industry has benefited from antidumping orders imposing duties on imports of cement and clinker from other countries that violated U.S. fair trade laws. Cement operators with import facilities can purchase cement from other countries, such as those in Latin America and Asia, which could compete with domestic producers. In addition, if environmental regulations increase the costs of domestic producers compared to foreign producers that are not subject to similar regulations, imported cement could achieve a significant cost advantage over domestically produced cement. An influx of cement or clinker products from countries not subject to antidumping orders, or sales of imported cement or clinker in violation of U.S. fair trade laws, could adversely affect our cement product line.
Economic, Political and Legal Risk Factors
Changes in legal requirements and governmental policies concerning zoning, land use, the environment, health and safety and other areas of the law, as well as litigation relating to these matters, affect our businesses. Our operations expose us to the risk of material environmental liabilities
Many federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to zoning, land use, air emissions (including carbon dioxide and other GHGs), water use, allocation and discharges, waste management, noise and dust control, mining, land reclamation and other environmental, health and safety matters govern our operations. Some of our operations require permits, which may impose additional operating standards and are subject to modification, renewal and revocation. Certain of our operations may from time to time involve the use of substances that are classified as toxic or hazardous within the meaning of these laws and regulations. Despite our extensive efforts to remain in strict compliance at all times with all applicable laws and regulations, the risk of liabilities, particularly environmental liabilities, is inherent in the operation of our businesses. These potential liabilities could result in material costs, including fines or personal injury or damages claims, which could have an adverse impact on our operations and profitability.
Future events, including changes in existing laws or regulations or enforcement policies, or further investigation or evaluation of the potential health hazards of some of our products or business activities may result in additional or unanticipated compliance and other costs. We could be required to invest in preventive or remedial action, like pollution control facilities, which could be substantial or which could result in restrictions on our operations or delays in obtaining required permits or other approvals.
Our operations are subject to manufacturing, operating and handling risks associated with the products we produce and the products we use in our operations, including the related storage and transportation of raw materials, explosives, products, hazardous substances and wastes. We are exposed to hazards including storage tank leaks, explosions, discharges or releases of hazardous substances, exposure to dust, and the operation of mobile equipment and manufacturing machinery.
These risks can subject us to potentially significant liabilities relating to personal injury, death or property damage, and may result in civil or criminal penalties, which could hurt our productivity or profitability. For example, from time to time, we investigate and remediate environmental contamination relating to our prior or current operations, as well as operations we have acquired from others, and, in some cases, we have been or could be named as a defendant in litigation brought by governmental agencies or private parties to investigate or clean-up such contamination.
We are involved from time to time in litigation and claims arising from our operations. While we do not believe the outcome of pending or threatened litigation will have a material adverse effect on our operations or our financial condition, an unexpected and material adverse outcome in a pending or future legal action could potentially have a negative effect on our Company.
Legislation or regulations to address climate change and transition to a low-carbon economy may adversely impact our business, including financial impacts
A number of governmental bodies, including the U.S. Congress and various U.S. states, have proposed, enacted or are contemplating legislative and regulatory changes to mitigate or address the potential impacts of climate change, including provisions for GHG emissions reductions or the use of alternative fuels, carbon credits (such as a cap-and-trade system) and a carbon tax. For example, in the United States, the USEPA promulgated a mandatory reporting rule covering GHG emissions from sources considered to be large emitters. The USEPA has also promulgated a GHG emissions permitting rule, referred to
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as the Tailoring Rule, which may require some industrial facilities to obtain operating permits for GHG emissions under the U.S. Clean Air Act. The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently ruled in June 2014 that the USEPA exceeded its statutory authority in issuing the Tailoring Rule but upheld the BACT requirements for GHGs emitted by sources that already require Title V operating permits or are subject to PSD requirements for other pollutants. It is currently unclear whether the USEPA will proceed with revisions of the Tailoring Rule or proceed in a different direction, nor is it known how the USEPA may revise the BACT requirements. If future modifications to our Magnesia Specialties or cement facilities require PSD review for other pollutants, GHG permitting requirements may also be triggered, which could require us to incur significant additional costs. It is not possible, however, to estimate the cost of any future requirements at this time.
U.S. President Biden also has taken a number of steps to make climate change a central focus of his administration, including issuing a pair of executive orders and a presidential memorandum making climate change central to U.S. policy and setting out several administrative priorities and undertakings to reduce GHG emissions. President Biden reentered the Paris Agreement in January 2021 and later announced the United States’ reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement, including a 50% to 52% economy-wide reduction in net GHG emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. The Biden administration has also entered a pact with 103 countries and jurisdictions, known as the Global Methane Pledge, to reduce global methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by the end of the decade. Although it is still too early to determine the actions the federal government will ultimately take to implement these or other orders, commitments and laws, or the full scope, timing or ramifications of such measures, it is clear that the Biden administration has begun to make, and intends to continue to pursue, a significant and sweeping push on the climate front and, like other signatories to the Paris Agreement, intends to pursue a goal of a Net Zero GHG by 2050. These measures, combined with continued focus by the administration, also suggest that additional executive and/or legislative action is likely, although the timing and scope of such action is unclear. Additionally, it seems probable that the USEPA and other agencies will use their rule-making authority and procurement decisions to further address climate change. Various states where we have operations have enacted or are considering climate change initiatives as well, and we have been and may continue to be subject to state regulations in addition to any federal laws and rules that are passed. For example, California has had a cap-and-trade program for emissions rights since 2012.
In addition, although our aggregates, ready mixed concrete, asphalt and paving operations are not considered “major” sources of GHG emissions subject to the USEPA reporting rule, any additional regulatory restrictions on emissions of GHGs imposed by the USEPA would likely impact our magnesia-based chemicals operations in Woodville, Ohio, and Manistee, Michigan, as well as our two cement plants in Texas and our cement plant in California, each of which currently file annual reports of GHG emissions as required by the USEPA reporting rule. We may not be able to recover any increased operating costs, taxes or capital investments (other than with respect to any carbon reduction or capture technologies) relating to GHG emission limitations at those plants from our customers in order to remain competitive in pricing in the relevant markets. Our businesses also are dependent on reliable sources of energy and fuels. We could incur increased costs or disruptions in our operations if climate change legislation and regulation (including regulatory changes with respect to alternative fuel use) or severe weather affect the price or availability of purchased energy or fuels or other materials used in our operations.
While we do not currently believe such requirements will have a material adverse effect on the financial condition or results of the operations of either the Magnesia Specialties business or Building Materials business, in light of the various regulatory uncertainties, it is very difficult at this time to reasonably predict the costs of any future compliance requirements. We continue to monitor GHG regulations and legislation and its potential impact on our business, financial condition and product demand.
Climate change may result in physical impacts that could have adverse effects on our operations or financial condition
Given the nature of our operations, physical impacts may include disruptions in production, regional supply or product distribution networks, as well as negative impacts on the price or availability of purchased energy or fuels, due to major storm events or other severe weather, shifts in regional rainfall and temperature patterns and intensities, and flooding from sea level changes. In addition, production and shipment demand for our Building Materials business correlate with general construction activity and rely on road, rail and water transportation networks, most of which occurs outdoors and, as a result, is affected by erratic weather patterns, seasonal changes and other unusual or unexpected weather-related conditions, which can significantly affect that business. In our cement and downstream operations business, the physical impacts of climate change may result in disruptions to our operations and to our customers’ transportation activities, including impacts on production capabilities and capacities, supply chain interruptions and project delays, which can impact our reputation and result in additional costs to our Company. Excessive rainfall and other severe weather events also jeopardize production, shipments and profitability in all markets served by our Building Materials business. In particular, our operations in the southeastern and
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Gulf Coast regions of the United States and The Bahamas are at risk for hurricane activity, most notably in August, September and October. In addition, our California operations are at risk for wildfires, which is exacerbated by prolonged drought, which may also result in water restrictions, while recent unprecedented storms and flooding have caused operational delays and challenges. Increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events have been linked to climate change, and further global warming may increase the risk of adverse weather conditions. Climate and inclement weather can also reduce the useful life of an asset. These and other climate-related risks, such as a downturn in the construction sector due to harsh weather, significant precipitation or other changes in weather, could impact our customers, which could lead to reduced demand for our products. We may not be able to pass on to our customers all the costs related to mitigating these risks.
Our business is dependent on funding from a combination of federal, state and local sources
Our products are used in public infrastructure projects, which include the construction, maintenance and improvement of highways, streets, roads, bridges, schools and similar projects. Accordingly, our business is dependent on the level of federal, state and local spending on these projects. The visibility into future federal infrastructure funding was clarified and stabilized to some extent in 2015 with the passage of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation, or FAST Act, which reauthorized federal highway and transportation funding programs. Further clarification was provided with the passage of the $1 trillion IIJ Act in November 2021, which contains a five-year surface transportation reauthorization plus $110 billion in new funding for roads, bridges and other hard infrastructure projects. At the federal level, we expect to see a meaningful impact from the IIJ Act beginning in 2023. Further, we continue to expect to see increased infrastructure spending at the state and local levels in 2023, aided by $10 billion for state departments of transportation provided by the December 2020 federal stimulus package, the Cornyn-Padilla Amendment that allows $104 billion of unused COVID-19 dollars to be directed to infrastructure projects and $23 billion of approved 2022 ballot initiatives. We cannot be assured, however, of the amount and timing of appropriations for spending on infrastructure projects.
Our businesses could be impacted by rising interest rates
Our operations are highly dependent upon the interest rate-sensitive construction and steelmaking industries. Therefore, our business in these industries may decline if interest rates rise and costs increase.
Notably, demand in the residential construction market in which we sell our aggregates products is affected by interest rates. The Federal Reserve aggressively raised interest rates throughout 2022 to address high inflation. The higher interest rates may affect our business in an adverse manner. The residential construction market accounted for 24% of our aggregates shipments in 2022.
Aside from these inherent risks from within our operations, our earnings are also affected by changes in short-term interest rates. However, rising interest rates are not necessarily predictive of weaker operating results.
Rising interest rates could also result in disruptions in the credit markets, which could affect our business, as described in greater detail under Disruptions in the credit markets could affect our business risk factor.
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Increases in our effective income tax rate may harm our results of operations
A number of factors may increase our future effective income tax rate, including:
The IIJ Act imposes a minimum corporate income tax rate of 15% on companies with at least $1 billion of pretax earnings. Any significant increase in our future effective income tax rate could reduce our net earnings and free cash flow for future periods.
Environmental, social and governance matters and any related reporting obligations may impact our businesses
Investors, other stakeholders, and U.S. and international regulators are increasingly focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. For example, new proposed U.S. laws and regulations relating to and requiring disclosure of ESG matters, including those relating to sustainability, climate change, supply chain, human capital, diversity and cybersecurity, are under consideration or being adopted, or may be proposed in the future. These requirements have resulted in and may continue to result in our need to make additional investments and implement new practices and reporting processes, all entailing management attention and additional compliance risk. Any failure or perceived failure to achieve or accurately report on our current or future ESG-related commitments, including our GHG reduction and net zero targets, and any differences between our commitments and those of any companies to which we are compared, could harm our reputation, adversely affect our ability to effectively compete (including as a result of disclosure of proprietary information regarding our plants or changes in our ability to raise capital), adversely affect our recruitment and retention efforts or expose us to potential legal liability. In addition, while we are committed to pursuing our sustainability objectives, there is no assurance that we will achieve any of our ESG goals or commitments, that low- or non-carbon-based energy sources and technologies required to meet long-term emissions reductions in some of the sectors in which we operate will be available at scale in the U.S. on an economically feasible basis or that our suppliers can meet sustainability, diversity and other standards that are required by current or future laws or established by our investors and other stakeholders. Failure to meet these commitments could result in reputational harm to our Company and changes regarding climate risk management and practices may result in higher regulatory and compliance risks and costs.
Our businesses could be adversely affected by new waves of COVID-19 or its variants, or any other outbreak of disease, epidemic or pandemic, or similar public health threat, or fear of such an event and its related economic and societal response
Our businesses could be negatively impacted by the widespread outbreak of an illness or other communicable disease, or any other public health crisis that results in economic and trade disruptions. Public health threats like COVID-19 or its variants can negatively impact economic activity, consumer confidence and discretionary spending, and overall market conditions and these conditions could have an impact on our Company to the extent that they occur in regions where our Building Materials business principally operates. Further, COVID-19 or other outbreaks of illnesses could negatively affect the health of our employees, employee productivity, customer purchasing patterns and fulfillment of purchase orders, availability of supplies, pricing for raw materials and the ability to transport materials via the Company’s distribution network. We actively monitor public health situations as part of our health and safety measures and acted during the pandemic to comply with federal, state and local mandates and to protect the health and safety of our employees. We may take further actions that alter our business operations, including any that may be required by federal, state or local authorities or that we determine are in the best
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interests of our employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, communities and other stakeholders as we adapt to public health events from time to time.
Personnel Risks
Labor disputes could disrupt operations of our businesses
Labor unions represent approximately 15% of the hourly employees of our Building Materials business and all of the hourly employees of our Magnesia Specialties business. Our collective bargaining agreements for employees of our Magnesia Specialties business at the Woodville, Ohio, lime plant and the Manistee, Michigan magnesia chemicals plant expire in June 2026 and August 2027, respectively.
Disputes with our trade unions, or the inability to renew our labor agreements, could lead to strikes or other actions that could disrupt our businesses, raise costs and reduce revenues and earnings from the affected locations.
We depend on the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel, and our failure to attract and retain such personnel could adversely affect our business
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued services of, and on our ability to attract and retain, our key personnel and executive officers, including qualified management, technical, marketing and sales, and support personnel. Competition for such personnel is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting or retaining such qualified personnel, which could negatively affect our business. In addition, because of our reliance on our senior management team, the unanticipated departure of any key member could have an adverse effect on our business. Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to identify and develop or recruit talent to succeed our senior management and other key positions throughout the organization. If we fail to identify and develop or recruit successors, we are at risk of being harmed by the departures of these key employees. Effective succession planning is also important to our long-term success. Failure to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving key employees could hinder our strategic planning and execution.
Investment returns on our pension assets may be lower than expected, or interest rates may decline, requiring us to make significant additional cash contributions to our benefit plans
A portion of our current and former employees has accrued benefits under our defined benefit pension plans. Requirements for funding our pension plan liabilities are based on a number of actuarial assumptions, including the expected rate of return on our plan assets and the discount rate applied to our pension plan obligations. Fluctuations in equity market returns and changes in long-term interest rates could increase our costs under our defined benefit pension plans and may significantly affect future contribution requirements. It is unknown what the actual investment return on our pension assets will be in future years and what interest rates may be at any given point in time. We cannot therefore provide any assurance of what our actual pension plan costs will be in the future, or whether we will be required under applicable law to make future material plan contributions.
Our reputation, ability to do business and results of operations could be impaired by improper conduct by any of our employees, agents or business partners
We are subject to regulation under a wide variety of U.S. federal and state and some non-U.S. laws, regulations and policies, including laws related to anticorruption, antibribery, export and import compliance, antitrust and money laundering, due to our operations. We cannot provide assurance our compliance policies and internal controls will always protect us from the improper conduct of our employees, agents and business partners. Any violations of law or improper conduct could damage our reputation and, depending on the circumstances, subject us to, among other things, civil and criminal penalties, material fines, equitable remedies (including profit disgorgement and injunctions on future conduct), securities litigation and a general loss of investor confidence, any one of which could have a material adverse impact on our business prospects, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the market value of our stock.
Financial, Accounting and Cost Management Risk Factors
Our business is a capital-intensive business
The property and machinery needed to produce our products are very expensive. Therefore, we require large amounts of cash to operate our businesses. We believe that our cash on hand, along with our projected operating cash flows and our available
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financing resources, is adequate to support our anticipated operating and capital needs. Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow depends on future performance, which will be subject to general economic conditions, industry cycles and financial, business and other factors affecting our operations, many of which are beyond our control. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash to operate our business, we may be required, among other things, to reduce or delay planned capital or operating expenditures.
Our earnings are affected by the application of accounting standards and our critical accounting policies, which involve subjective judgments and estimates by our management. Our estimates and assumptions could be wrong
The accounting standards we use in preparing our financial statements are often complex and require that we make significant estimates and assumptions in interpreting and applying those standards. These estimates and assumptions involve matters that are inherently uncertain and require our subjective and complex judgments. If we used different estimates and assumptions or used different ways to determine these estimates, our financial results could differ.
While we believe our estimates and assumptions are appropriate, we could be wrong. Accordingly, our financial results could be different, either higher or lower. We urge you to read "Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates" included under Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” of the Form 10-K.
The adoption of new accounting standards may affect our financial results
The accounting standards we apply in preparing our financial statements are reviewed by regulatory bodies and are periodically changed. New or revised accounting standards could, either positively or negatively, affect results reported for periods after adoption of the standards as compared with the prior periods, or require retrospective application changing results reported for prior periods. We urge you to read about our accounting policies in Note A: Accounting Policies of our consolidated financial statements included under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Form 10-K.
Reports from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s (PCAOB) inspections of public accounting firms continue to outline findings and recommendations that could require these firms to perform additional work as part of their financial statement audits. Our costs to respond to these additional requirements may increase.
Impairment charges could have a material adverse effect on our financial results
Goodwill and other acquired intangible assets expected to contribute indefinitely to our cash flows are not amortized, but must be evaluated for impairment by management at least annually. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the reporting unit's goodwill is considered impaired and a non-cash charge to earnings is recorded for the difference. If the carrying value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset is greater than its fair value, the intangible asset is considered impaired and is reduced to fair value via a non-cash charge to earnings. Future events may occur that would adversely affect the fair value of our goodwill or other acquired intangible assets and require impairment charges. Such events may include, but are not limited to, lower-than-forecasted revenues, construction growth rates that fall below our assumptions, actions of key customers, increases in discount rates, continued economic uncertainty, higher levels of unemployment, weak consumer confidence, lower levels of discretionary consumer spending and a decline in the trading price of our common stock. We continue to evaluate the impact of economic and other developments to assess whether impairment indicators are present. Accordingly, we may be required to perform impairment tests based on changes in the economic environment and other factors, and these tests could result in impairment charges in the future.
Disruptions in the credit markets could affect our business
We have considered the current economic environment and its potential impact to our business. Demand for aggregates products, particularly in the infrastructure construction market, has historically been negatively affected by federal and state budget challenges and the uncertainty over future highway funding levels. Further, delays or cancellations to capital projects in the nonresidential and residential construction markets could occur if companies and consumers are unable to obtain financing for construction projects or if consumer confidence is eroded by economic uncertainty.
A recessionary construction economy can also increase the likelihood we will not be able to collect all of our accounts receivable from our customers. We are protected in part, however, by payment bonds posted by many of our customers or end-users, as well as statutory lien rights. Nevertheless, we may experience a delay in payment from some of our customers during a
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construction downturn, which would negatively affect operating cash flows. Historically, our bad debt write-offs have not been significant to our operating results, and we believe our allowance for credit losses is adequate.
The credit environment could impact our ability to borrow money in the future. Additional financing or refinancing might not be available and, if available, may not be at economically favorable terms. Further, an increase in leverage could lead to deterioration in our credit ratings. A reduction in our credit ratings, regardless of the cause, could also limit our ability to obtain additional financing and/or increase our cost of obtaining financing. There is no guarantee we will be able to access the capital markets at financially economical interest rates, which could negatively affect our business.
We may be required to obtain financing in order to fund certain strategic acquisitions, if they arise, or to refinance our outstanding debt. It is possible a large strategic acquisition would require that we issue new equity and debt securities in order to maintain our investment-grade credit rating and could result in a ratings downgrade notwithstanding our issuance of equity securities to fund the transaction. We are also exposed to risks from tightening credit markets, through the interest payable on any variable-rate debt, including the interest cost on future borrowings under our credit facilities. While we believe our credit ratings will remain at a composite investment-grade level, we cannot be assured these ratings will remain at those levels. Also, while we believe our Company will continue to have adequate credit available to meet its needs, there can be no assurance of that.
Our Magnesia Specialties business faces currency risks from its overseas activities
Our Magnesia Specialties business sells some of its products outside the United States. Therefore, the operations of the Magnesia Specialties business are affected from time to time by the fluctuating values of the currency exchange rates of the countries in which it does business in relation to the value of the U.S. Dollar. The business tries to mitigate the short-term effects of currency exchange rates by primarily denominating sales in the U.S. Dollar. This still leaves the business subject to certain risks, depending on the strength of the U.S. Dollar.
Unexpected equipment failures, catastrophic events and scheduled maintenance may lead to production curtailments or shutdowns
Our manufacturing processes are dependent upon critical pieces of equipment, such as our kilns and finishing mills. This equipment, on occasion, may be out of service as a result of planned or unplanned maintenance, failures or damage during accidents. In addition to equipment failures, our facilities are also subject to the risk of catastrophic loss due to unanticipated events such as fires, explosions or violent weather conditions. We have scheduled outages that can range from one to several weeks at least once a year to refurbish our cement and dolomitic lime production facilities. In 2022, our cement and Magnesia Specialties operations incurred shutdown costs of $33.3 million and $6.0 million, respectively. Any significant interruption in production capability may require us to make significant capital expenditures to remedy problems or damage as well as cause us to lose revenue due to lost production time.
Our paving operations present additional risks to our business
Our paving operations face challenges when our contracts have penalties for late completion. In some instances, including many of our fixed-price contracts, we guarantee project completion by a certain date. If we subsequently fail to complete the project as scheduled, we may be held responsible for costs resulting from the delay, generally in the form of contractually agreed-upon liquidated damages. Under these circumstances, the total project cost could exceed our original estimate, and we could experience a loss of profit or a loss on the project. In our paving operations, we also have fixed-price and fixed-unit-price contracts where our profits can be adversely affected by a number of factors beyond our control, which can cause our actual costs to materially exceed the costs estimated at the time of our original bid. These same issues and risks can also impact some of our contracts in our asphalt and ready mixed concrete operations. These risks are somewhat mitigated by the fact that a majority of our road paving contracts are for short-term projects.
Our ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving product lines have lower profit margins and operating results can be more volatile
Our ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations typically generate lower profit margins than our aggregates and cement operations due to potentially volatile input costs, highly competitive market dynamics and lower barriers to entry. To reduce our exposure to fluctuations in raw materials costs, we divested our ready mixed concrete operations in Colorado and Central Texas in 2022.
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Suppliers, Raw Materials and Energy Costs Risk Factors
Short supplies and high costs of fuel, energy and raw materials affect our businesses
Our businesses require a continued supply of diesel fuel, natural gas, coal, petroleum coke and other energy. Our financial results have historically been affected by the short supply or high costs of these fuels and energy. Changes in energy costs also affect the prices that we pay for related supplies, including explosives, conveyor belting and tires. While we can contract for some fuels and sources of energy, such as fixed-price supply contracts for natural gas, coal and petroleum coke, significant increases in costs or reduced availability of these items have and may in the future reduce our financial results. Moreover, fluctuations in the supply and costs of these fuels and energy can make planning for our businesses more difficult. Because of the fluctuating trends in diesel fuel prices, we may enter into fixed-price fuel agreements from time to time for a portion of our diesel fuel to reduce our diesel fuel price risk.
Cement production requires large amounts of energy, including electricity and fossil fuels. Energy costs represented approximately 28% of the 2022 production costs of our cement operations. Therefore, the cost of energy is one of our largest expenses. Prices for energy are subject to market forces largely beyond our control and can be volatile. Cost increases that we are unable to pass through in the form of price increases for our products or disruption of the uninterrupted supply of fuel and electricity could adversely affect us. Accordingly, energy cost volatility can adversely affect the financial results of our cement operations. The cement operations have fixed-price agreements for a portion of their 2023 coal, power and natural gas needs.
Similarly, our downstream operations also require a continued supply of liquid asphalt and cement, which serve as key raw materials in the production of hot mix asphalt and ready mixed concrete, respectively. Some of these raw materials we produce internally, but most are purchased from third parties. These purchased raw materials are subject to potential supply constraints and significant price fluctuations, which are beyond our control. The financial results of our ready mixed concrete and asphalt and paving operations have been affected by the short supply or high costs of these raw materials. We generally see frequent volatility in the costs for these raw materials.
Our Magnesia Specialties business has fixed-price agreements for approximately 39% of its 2023 coal and natural gas needs.
Cement is sensitive to supply and price volatility
Cement competition is often based primarily on price, which is highly sensitive to changes in supply and demand. Prices may fluctuate significantly in response to relatively minor changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions and other market conditions, which we cannot control. When cement producers increase production capacity or more cement is imported into the market, an oversupply of cement in the market may occur if supply exceeds demand. In that case, cement prices generally decline. We cannot be assured that prices for our cement products sold will not decline in the future or that such decline will not have a material adverse effect on our cement product line.
Our Magnesia Specialties business depends in part on the steel industry and the supply of reasonably priced fuels
Our Magnesia Specialties business sells some of its products to companies in the steel industry. While we have reduced this risk over the last few years, this business is still dependent, in part, on the strength of the cyclical steel industry. Our Magnesia Specialties business also requires significant amounts of natural gas, coal and petroleum coke, and financial results are negatively affected by increases in fuel prices or shortages.
Cyber and Information Security Risk Factors
We are dependent on information technology and our systems and infrastructure face certain risks, including cybersecurity risks and data leakage risks
Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential, sensitive, proprietary and other types of information relating to our business operations, as well as confidential and sensitive information about our customers and employees maintained in our computer systems and networks, certain products and services and in the computer systems and networks of our third-party vendors, including cloud-based systems and managed service providers. Cyber threats are rapidly evolving as data thieves and hackers have become increasingly sophisticated and carry out direct large-scale, complex automated attacks against a company or through vendor software supply chain compromises. In addition, we have relied on our information technology infrastructure to support remote work from time to time and may need to do so in the future,
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Part I ♦ Item 1A – Risk Factors
which can increase cyber risks. We are not able to anticipate or prevent all such attacks and could be held liable for any resulting material security breach or data loss. In addition, it is not always possible to deter misconduct by employees or third-party vendors.
We have experienced attacks to breach the security of our information technology systems, although all such breaches have been detected early and before any sensitive data or access was impacted or taken. Breaches of our technology systems, or those of our vendors and customers, whether from circumvention of security systems, denial-of-service attacks or other cyber-attacks, hacking, “phishing” attacks, computer viruses, ransomware or malware, employee or insider error, malfeasance, social engineering, vendor software supply chain compromises, physical breaches or other actions, may result in manipulation or corruption of sensitive data, material interruptions or malfunctions in our Company’s or such vendors’ and customers’ websites, applications, data processing and certain products and services, or disruption of other business operations. Furthermore, any such breaches could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of material information held by our Company (including information about our business, employees or customers), as well as sensitive personally identifiable information, the disclosure of which could lead to identity theft. Breaches of our products that rely on technology and internet connectivity can expose our Company to product and other liability risk and reputational harm. Measures that we take to avoid, detect, mitigate or recover from material incidents, may be insufficient, circumvented, or may become ineffective.
We have invested and continue to invest in risk management and information security and data privacy measures in order to protect our systems and data, including employee training, organizational investments, incident response plans, table top exercises and technical defenses. The cost and operational consequences of implementing, maintaining and enhancing further data or system protection measures could increase significantly to overcome increasingly intense, complex and sophisticated global cyber threats. Despite our best efforts, we are not fully insulated from data breaches and system disruptions. Recent well-publicized security breaches at other companies have led to enhanced government and regulatory scrutiny of the measures taken by companies to protect against cyber attacks, and may in the future result in heightened cybersecurity requirements, including additional regulatory expectations for oversight of vendors and service providers. Any material breaches of cybersecurity, including the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data, or media reports of perceived security vulnerabilities to our systems, products and services or those of third parties relied upon by our Company could cause us to experience reputational harm, loss of customers and revenue, fines, regulatory actions and scrutiny, sanctions or other statutory penalties, litigation, liability for failure to safeguard our customers’ information or financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through any insurance maintained by our Company. The report, rumor or assumption regarding a potential breach may have similar results, even if no breach has been attempted or occurred. Any of the foregoing may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We are exposed to risks related to compliance with data privacy laws
The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), which went into effect in January 2020, provides, among other things, a new private right of action for data breaches, requires companies that process information on California residents to make new disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use and sharing practices, and provides consumers with additional rights. The California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act, which became effective on January 1, 2023, amends and expands the CCPA, creating new industry requirements, consumer privacy rights and enforcement mechanisms. Similarly, to conduct certain of our operations, we move data across national borders, and consequently are subject to a variety of continuously evolving and developing laws and regulations in the United States and abroad regarding privacy, data protection and data security. The scope of the laws that may be applicable to our business is often uncertain and may be conflicting, particularly with respect to foreign laws. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which became effective in May 2018, greatly increased the jurisdictional reach of European Union law and added a broad array of requirements for handling personal data, including the public disclosure of significant data breaches. Our reputation and brand and our ability to attract new customers could also be adversely impacted if we fail, or are perceived to have failed, to properly respond to security breaches of ours or third party’s information technology systems. Such failure to properly respond could also result in similar exposure to liability.
All of these evolving compliance and operational requirements impose significant costs that are likely to increase over time. Privacy laws that may be implemented in the future will continue to require changes to certain business practices, thereby increasing costs, or may result in negative publicity, require significant management time and attention, and may subject our Company to remedies that may harm our business, including fines or demands or orders that we modify or cease existing business practices.
Form 10-K ♦ Page 25 |
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Part I ♦ Item 1A – Risk Factors
Other Risk Factors
Delays or interruptions in shipping products of our businesses could affect our operations
Transportation logistics play an important role in allowing us to supply products to our customers, whether by truck, rail or water. We also rely heavily on third-party truck and rail transportation to ship coal, natural gas and other fuels to our plants. Any significant delays, disruptions or the non-availability of our transportation support system could negatively affect our operations. Transportation operations are subject to capacity constraints, high fuel costs and various hazards, including extreme weather conditions and slowdowns due to labor strikes and other work stoppages. In Texas, we compete for third-party trucking services with operations in the oil and gas fields, which can significantly constrain the availability of those services to us. If there are material changes in the availability or cost of transportation services, we may not be able to arrange alternative and timely means to transport our products or fuels at a reasonable cost, which could lead to interruptions or slowdowns in our businesses or increases in our costs.
The availability of railcars can also affect our ability to transport our products. Railcars can be used to transport many different types of products across all of our segments. If owners sell or lease railcars for use in other industries, we may not have enough railcars to transport our products.
We have long-term agreements with shipping companies to provide ships to transport our aggregates products from our Bahamas and Nova Scotia operations to various coastal ports. These contracts have varying expiration dates ranging from 2023 to 2027 and generally contain renewal options. Our inability to renew these agreements or enter into new ones with other shipping companies could affect our ability to transport our products.
Some of our products are distributed by barges along rivers in Ohio and West Virginia. We may experience, to a lesser degree, risks associated with distributing our products by barges, including significant delays, disruptions or the non-availability of our barge transportation system that could negatively affect our operations, water levels that could affect our ability to transport our products by barge, and barges that may not be available in quantities that we might need from time to time to support our operations.
Our articles of incorporation and bylaws and North Carolina law may inhibit a change in control that you may favor
Our restated articles of incorporation and restated bylaws and North Carolina law contain provisions that may delay, deter or inhibit a future acquisition of us not approved by our Board of Directors. This could occur even if our shareholders are offered an attractive value for their shares or if many or even a majority of our shareholders believe the takeover is in their best interest. These provisions are intended to encourage any person interested in acquiring us to negotiate with and obtain the approval of our Board of Directors in connection with the transaction. Provisions that could delay, deter or inhibit a future acquisition include the following:
Additionally, the occurrence of certain change-of-control events could result in an event of default under certain of our existing or future debt instruments.
ITEM 1B – UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
There are no unresolved written comments that were received from the staff of the SEC one hundred and eighty (180) days or more before the end of the Company's fiscal year relating to its periodic or current reports under the Exchange Act.
Form 10-K ♦ Page 26 |
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Part I ♦ Item 2 – Properties
ITEM 2 – PROPERTIES
Building Materials Business
As of December 31, 2022, the Company processed or shipped aggregates from 344 quarries, mines and distribution terminals in 28 states, Canada and The Bahamas. No individual quarry or mine is material to the Company’s business or financial condition. The Company’s aggregates reserves, on average, represent approximately 75 years at the 2022 annual production level. However, certain locations may be subject to more limited reserves and may not be able to expand. As of December 31, 2022, the Company operated 78 aggregates distribution terminals. In total, aggregates locations (quarries, mines and distribution terminals) include 154 located on land owned by the Company free of major encumbrances, 63 on land owned in part and leased in part, 114 on leased land, and 13 on facilities neither owned nor leased where raw materials are removed under an agreement. In addition, as of December 31, 2022, the Company processed and shipped ready mixed concrete and asphalt products from 132 properties in five states, of which 98 are located on land owned by the Company free of major encumbrances, 3 are on land owned in part and leased in part, 28 are on leased land and 3 are at facilities neither owned nor leased.
An overview of the Company’s quarrying and mining operations is included in “Business—Building Materials Business” and “Business—Environmental and Governmental Regulations,” included in Item 1, “Business” of this Form 10-K, which is incorporated herein by reference. The following map presents the locations of these quarries and underground mines, including the limestone reserves adjacent to the California cement plant that is classified as held for sale:
Mineral reserves and mineral resources for the Company’s aggregates and cement businesses have been prepared in accordance with the disclosure requirements of subpart 1300 of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation S-K. Mineral resources represent concentrations or occurrences of material of economic interest in or on the Earth's crust in such form, grade or quality, and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for economic extraction. A mineral resource is a reasonable estimate of mineralization, taking into account relevant factors such as cut-off grade, likely mining dimensions, location or continuity, that, with the assumed and justifiable technical and economic conditions, is likely to, in whole or in part, become economically extractable. A measured mineral resource is that part of the mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of conclusive geological evidence and sampling in sufficient detail to support detailed extraction planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit to be quarried or mined. An indicated mineral resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of
Form 10-K ♦ Page 27 |
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Part I ♦ Item 2 – Properties
adequate geological evidence and sampling in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit of the material to be quarried or mined. Inferred mineral resources are that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. The Company has no inferred resources as of December 31, 2022.
A mineral reserve is an estimate of tonnage and grade or quality of indicated and measured mineral resources that, in the opinion of the qualified person, can be the basis of an economically viable project. More specifically, it is the economically mineable part of a measured or indicated mineral resource, which includes diluting materials and allowances for losses that may occur when the material is mined or extracted. A probable mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of an indicated and, in some cases, a measured mineral resource. A proven mineral reserve is the economically mineable part of a measured mineral resource and can only result from the conversion of a measured mineral resource. The Company estimates proven and probable mineral reserves based on the results of drilling and testing completed by or under the supervision of qualified persons.
The Company uses various exploratory drilling methods, depending on the type of deposit, to estimate mineral reserves that are economically mineable. The extent of drilling varies depending on the complexity of the mineral deposit and whether the location is a potential new site (greensite), an existing location or a potential acquisition. More extensive drilling is performed for potential greensites and acquisitions, and, in rare cases, the Company may rely on existing geological data or results of prior drilling by reputable third parties. Subsequent to drilling, selected drill samples are tested by an accredited laboratory for soundness, abrasion resistance and other physical properties relevant to the aggregates industry. If the mineral reserves meet the Company’s standards and are economically mineable, they are either leased or purchased. Once in operation, routine quality control testing is performed to ensure the quality grade of aggregates continues to meet specifications.
In determining the amount of reserves, evaluations are completed by or under the supervision of qualified Company personnel using industry best practices and internal controls defined by the Company. Reserve estimates represent net tons after consideration of applicable losses incurred during mining and plant processing. The Company’s policy is to exclude from reserve estimates the portions of a mineral deposit that are not available due to property boundaries, set-backs and plant configurations, as deemed appropriate when estimating reserves. The Company uses the same methods of analysis to evaluate and estimate the amount of its mineral reserves used in the cement manufacturing process for its cement operations as it does for its aggregates operations. For additional information on the Company’s assessment of reserves, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Other Financial Information - Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates - Property, Plant and Equipment” included under Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” of this Form 10-K. While the mineral reserve and resource classification categories (proven and probable) identify relative confidence of reserve estimates, there is inherent risk associated with such estimates. The Company bases estimates on the information known at the time of determination and regularly reevaluates reserves whenever new information indicates a material change in reserves at one of the Company’s sites.
In general, quarry and mining facilities must comply with air quality, water quality, noise regulations, zoning and special-use permitting requirements, applicable mining regulations, and federal health and safety requirements. As new quarry and mining sites are located and acquired, the Company works closely with local authorities during the zoning and permitting processes to design new quarries and mines in such a way as to minimize disturbances. The Company frequently acquires large tracts of land so that quarry, mine and production facilities can be situated substantial distances from surrounding property owners.
Set forth in the tables below are the Company’s estimates as of December 31, 2022 of proven and probable mineral reserves of aggregates (crushed stone and sand and gravel) and measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources of aggregates (exclusive of proven and probable reserves), shown on a geographic division basis. The East Division includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Canada and The Bahamas. The Central Division includes Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and West Virginia. The Southwest Division includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The West Division includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The reserve estimates shown were determined to be economically mineable using a reasonable and justifiable price for salable product as of December 31, 2021 with respect to each division for each product category of aggregates resources. The Company’s estimate of resources and reserves of aggregates shown in the tables below includes resources and reserves that would be devoted for use in the Company’s cement product line and Magnesia Specialties business.
Form 10-K ♦ Page 28 |
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Part I ♦ Item 2 – Properties
Summary Mineral Resources |
||||||||||||||||
|
Measured Mineral Resources |
Indicated Mineral Resources |
Measured + Indicated Mineral Resources |
Inferred Mineral Resources |
||||||||||||
|
Tons |
|
Grades/Qualities |
Tons |
|
Grades/Qualities |
Tons |
|
Grades/Qualities |
Tons |
|
Grades/Qualities |
||||
Crushed Stone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
East Division |
|
144,299 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
30,584 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
174,883 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
— |
|
Crushed Stone |
Central Division |
|
— |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
22,730 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
22,730 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
— |
|
Crushed Stone |
Southwest Division |
|
— |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
— |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
— |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
— |
|
Crushed Stone |
West Division |
|
61,320 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
152,137 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
213,457 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
— |
|
Crushed Stone |
Total crushed stone |
|
205,619 |
|
|
|
205,451 |
|
|
|
411,070 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
East Division |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
Central Division |
|
1,102 |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
35,390 |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
36,492 |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
Southwest Division |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
West Division |
|
59,839 |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
143,191 |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
203,030 |
|
Sand & Gravel |
|
— |
|
Sand & Gravel |
Total sand and gravel |
|
60,941 |
|
|
|
178,581 |
|
|
|
239,522 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
Summary Mineral Reserves |
||||||||||||
|
Proven Mineral Reserves |
Probable Mineral Reserves |
Total Mineral Reserves |
|||||||||
|
Tons |
|
Grades/Qualities |
Tons |
|
Grades/Qualities |
Tons |
|
Grades/Qualities |
|||
Crushed Stone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
East Division |
|
4,608,483 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
3,643,381 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
8,251,864 |
|
Crushed Stone |
Central Division |
|
1,472,296 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
1,418,537 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
2,890,833 |
|
Crushed Stone |
Southwest Division |
|
2,253,444 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
1,711,836 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
3,965,280 |
|
Crushed Stone |
West Division |
|
351,196 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
600,000 |
|
Crushed Stone |
|
951,196 |
|
Crushed Stone |
Total crushed stone |
|
8,685,419 |
|
|
|
7,373,754 |
|
|
|
16,059,173 |
|
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
East Division |
|
63,500 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
110,046 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
173,546 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
Central Division |
|
226,350 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
69,562 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
295,912 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
Southwest Division |
|
55,196 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
80,557 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
135,753 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
West Division |
|
170,288 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
41,436 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
|
211,724 |
|
Sand and Gravel |
Total sand and gravel |
|
515,334 |
|
|
|
301,601 |
|
|
|
816,935 |
|
|
The following presents the Company’s total annual production for the last three years, shown on a product line-by-product line basis.
|
|
Total Annual Production (tons in millions) |
|
|||||||||
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|||
Aggregates |
|
|
214.5 |
|
|
|
199.6 |
|
|
|
191.2 |
|
Cement limestone |
|
|
6.6 |
|
|
|
5.4 |
|
|
|
5.1 |
|
Magnesia Specialties limestone |
|
|
2.9 |
|
|
|
3.0 |
|
|
|
2.8 |
|
Total |
|
|
224.0 |
|
|
|
208.0 |
|
|
|
199.1 |
|
Cement
As of December 31, 2022, the Company processed or shipped cement from 14 properties in two states, of which 7 are located on land owned by the Company free of major encumbrances, 1 is located on land owned in part and leased in part and 6 are
Form 10-K ♦ Page 29 |
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Part I ♦ Item 2 – Properties
on leased land. The Company’s cement operations have production facilities located at three sites: Midlothian, Texas, south of Dallas/Fort Worth; Hunter, Texas, north of San Antonio; and Tehachapi, California. Tehachapi was acquired on October 1, 2021 in connection with the Lehigh Hanson West Region acquisition and is classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2022. The following table summarizes certain information about the Company’s cement manufacturing facilities at December 31, 2022:
Plant |
|
Rated Annual |
|
Manufacturing |
|
Service Date |
|
Internally |
Midlothian, TX |
|
2.4 |
|
Dry |
|
2001 |
|
60 |
Hunter, TX |
|
2.1 |
|
Dry |
|
2013, 1981 |
|
140 |
Tehachapi, CA |
|
0.9 |
|
Dry |
|
2018, 1990, 1908 |
|
30 |
Total |
|
5.4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reserves identified with the facilities shown above are contained on approximately 3,000 acres of land owned by the Company. As of December 31, 2022, the Company estimated its total proven and probable limestone reserves on such land to be approximately 717 million tons, which are included in the Summary Mineral Reserves table.
The Company’s cement manufacturing facilities include kilns, crushers, pre-heaters/calciners, coolers, finish mills and other equipment used to process limestone and other raw materials into cement, as well as equipment used to extract and transport the limestone from the adjacent quarries. These cement manufacturing facilities are served by rail and truck.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company also operated, directly or through third parties, 11 cement distribution terminals, of which six are classified as assets held for sale.
Magnesia Specialties Business
The Magnesia Specialties business currently operates major manufacturing facilities in Manistee, Michigan, and Woodville, Ohio. Both of these facilities are owned.
Other Properties
The Company’s principal corporate office, which it leases, is located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Company owns and leases various administrative offices for its five operating business segments.
Condition and Utilization
The Company’s principal properties, which are of varying ages and construction types, are believed to be generally in good condition, are generally well maintained, and are generally suitable and adequate for the purposes for which they are used.
During 2022, the principal properties of the aggregates operations were believed to be utilized at average productive capacities of approximately 75% and were capable of supporting a higher level of market demand. The Company adjusts its production schedules to meet volume demand for its products.
During 2022, the Texas cement kilns operated on average at 77% utilization. The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has projected that Texas cement consumption will increase 2.0% in 2023 over 2022. The cement business’ leadership, in collaboration with the aggregates and ready mixed concrete teams, has developed strategic plans regarding inter-plant efficiencies, as well as tactical plans addressing plant utilization and efficiency.
The Company’s Magnesia Specialties business expects future organic earnings growth to result from increased pricing, product mix optimization, capacity expansion projects and/or cost reductions. In the current operating environment, where steel utilization is between 72% and 77%, any unplanned change in costs or customers introduces volatility to the earnings of the Magnesia Specialties segment. The dolomitic lime business of the Magnesia Specialties segment operated at 77% utilization in 2022.
Form 10-K ♦ Page 30 |
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♦ Information About Our Executive Officers
ITEM 3 – LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, claims of various types are asserted against the Company arising out of its operations in the normal course of business, including claims relating to land use and permits, safety, health, and environmental matters (such as noise abatement, blasting, vibrations, air emissions, and water discharges). Such matters are subject to many uncertainties, and it is not possible to determine the probable outcome of, or the amount of liability, if any, from these matters. In the opinion of management of the Company (which opinion is based in part upon consideration of the opinion of counsel), based upon currently-available facts, it is remote that the ultimate outcome of any litigation and other proceedings will have a material adverse effect on the overall results of the Company's operations, its cash flows or its financial condition. However, management cannot assure that an adverse outcome in any of such litigation would not have a material adverse effect on the Company or its operating segments.
The Company was not required to pay any penalties in 2022 for failure to disclose certain “reportable transactions” under Section 6707A of the Internal Revenue Code.
See also “Note O: Commitments and Contingencies” of the “Notes to Financial Statements” of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included under Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplemental Data,” of this Form 10-K and the “Environmental Regulation and Litigation” section included under Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” of this Form 10-K.
ITEM 4 – MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
The information concerning mine safety violations or other regulatory matters required by Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and Item 104 of Regulation S-K (17 CFR 229.104) is included in Exhibit 95 to this Form 10-K.
Information about our Executive Officers
The following sets forth certain information regarding the executive officers of Martin Marietta as of February 24, 2023:
Name |
Age |
Present Position |
Year Assumed Present Position |
Other Positions and Other Business |
C. Howard Nye |
60 |
Chairman of the Board; |
2014 |
|
|
|
Chief Executive Officer; |
2010 |
|
|
|
President; |
2006 |
|
|
|
President of Aggregates Business; |
2010 |
|
|
|
Chairman of Magnesia Specialties Business |
2007 |
|
James A. J. Nickolas |
52 |
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer |
2017 |
Principal Accounting Officer (2019) |
Roselyn R. Bar |
64 |
Executive Vice President; |
2015 |
|
|
|
General Counsel; |
2001 |
|
|
|
Corporate Secretary |
1997 |
|
Oliver W. Brooks |
37 |
Senior Vice President, Enterprise Excellence |
2022 |
Vice President, Strategic Planning for Southwest Division (2020-2022); General Manager, North Texas/Oklahoma District (2018-2020); General Manager, Denver Metro Ready Mix (2016-2018) |
Robert J. Cardin
|
59 |
Senior Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer |
2019
|
Vice President and Corporate Controller (2019); Chief Accounting Officer, SWM International (2013-2019) |
Craig M. LaTorre |
55 |
Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resource Officer |
2019
|
Vice President, Human Resources (2018-2019); Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer |