Salt Industry News

Rohm and Haas, parent to Morton Salt has announced a 16% sales increase to $2.507 billion for the first quarter of the year. Morton Salt sales totalled $411 million, up 28%,

driven by increased demand as a result of favorable weather conditions for the business. Sales for ice-control use increased 35 percent versus the prior-year period, while strong sales growth also continued in non-ice applications.

Pretax earnings were up 43% to $67 million due to "(f)avorable weather conditions resulting in above-average demand for ice-control salt, volume gains in the consumer and industrial markets, the favorable impact of currencies and higher selling prices."

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 11:31 PM | Permalink

The 9th International Symposium on Salt now has an active website and has issued a Call for Papers. Deadline for abstract submission is December 15, 2008.

The meeting, themed with the Salt Institute slogan (and film title) "Salt: The Essence of Life," will be held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. It is being sponsored and organized by Salt Institute member China National Salt Industry Corporation. The Salt Institute is co-sponsoring, along with the Indian Salt Manufacturers Association and the Solution Mining Research Institute.

Topics for which papers are invited include the following:

Keep a watch on the website as the program develops.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 11:40 AM | Permalink

Cargill Salt has altered the skyline of St. Clair, MI, installing a 7,000-pound "round can" atop its production facility as part of the community's sesquicentennial celebration. Plant manager Don Chutas provides a sense of proportion for the now-prominent "billboard."

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 11:24 AM | Permalink

Sales of US dry salt jumped 37.2% in 2007 to 31.7 million tons, the Salt Institute reported today, releasing its annual Statistical Report of US Salt Sales.

Salt industry revenues rose 11.9% to $1.68 billion, excluding transportation costs.

Highway salt sales were the second best year on record with 20.3 million tons (the record was set in 2005: 20.5 million tons were used to keep winter roads safe and passable), up sharply, 67%, over 2006, the worst year in highway sales for the past decade. Revenues for highway salt sales were $585.7 million

Among other major markets, salt for animal nutrition grew for the third year in the past four year after rather steady declines over the past decade, increasing 7.3% to 1.627 million tons. Chemical sales reversed an historic climb, recovering 11.3% to 2.1 million tons, the most since 2004. Food salt sales were totally flat: 1,562 in 2007, 1563 in 2006. The only declining market was water softening salt which fell from 3.6 million tons to 3.5 million tons in 2007, down 2.7%

Salt sales back to 1977 are reported on the Salt Institute website.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 12:36 PM | Permalink

Rohm and Haas provided investors with perfromance guidance today including "solid sales performance" in its Morton Salt division. Overall, the company expects to gross $8.8 billion in 2007 and $10 billion next year.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 08:32 PM | Permalink

The Association of Friends of Inland Salinas has created a new blog on the natural and cultural heritage of saltscapes. In this blog you will find information about salt issues, as well as on the association's activities.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 09:54 PM | Permalink

Making up for the mild second half of the winter of 2005-2006, US highway salt sales roared back to 10.9 million tons in the first half of 2007, up 62.5% from January-June 2006. Revenues grew even faster: 85.1%.

Overall, US salt sales for the six months increased to 16.3 million tons, up 37.4%, and revenues grew 30.4% to $832 million.

All of the increase was in rock sales to keep the nation's highways safe and passable. Rock salt sales climbed 57.2% and associated revenues by 76.4%. In contrast, evaporated salt sales were absolutely flat (they fell 1,000 tons from 2.106 million to 2.105 million tons). Solar salt managed a 9.3% tonnage increase. Revenues rose for both: evap sales advancing 8.8% and solar sales by 14.1%.

The only market decline was water softening tonnage which slipped 9% to 1.57 million tons. Chemicals salt sales reversed a prolonged slide, gaining 18.4% to 941,000 tons. Salt for human and animal consumption rose, respectively by 2.6% and 3.4% (790,000 tons of food salt and 802,000 tons of ag salt).

The Salt Instiutute has been reporting salt industry sales statistics since 1977.

No need to wait for Gen. Petreaus' report in September. THIS surge IS working.

Posted by Dick Hanneman at 03:51 PM | Permalink