Sources: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Cement Sustainability Initiative, Geneva; CP staff
Backed by 16 major producers—nine with significant North American market stakes—the WBCSD Low Carbon Technology Partnerships initiative (LCTPi) outlined at the UN Paris Climate Conference a Cement Action Plan to clip worldwide industry carbon emissions 20–25 percent by 2030.
Read MoreSources: American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
An ARTBA analysis of the five-year, $305 billion Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) that President Obama signed December 4 notes: “While the total core highway investment increase during the [five-year] life of the bill will be just over 15 percent, yearly assessments are a better gauge of market impact.
Read MoreSources: Sika AG, Baar, Switzerland; Saint-Gobain, Paris; CP staff
A year after an initial overture and subsequent Swiss agency and European Commission legal proceedings, Sika AG management remains steadfastly opposed to a stock transfer to global glass and building materials giant Saint-Gobain. Sika Chairman Dr. Paul Hälg calls the transaction “unparalleled in the world” and reiterates board concerns rooted in the bid’s structure: Saint-Gobain seeks the stake of the largest shareholder—the Burkhart family—amounting to 16.1 percent of shares, but vested with 52.4 percent of voting rights.
Read MoreSources: American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Va.; CP staff
The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute has teamed with the ASCE Water Resources Institute and Water Resources Research Council’s Low Impact Development Committee to publish the first comprehensive handbook for the proper design, construction, and maintenance of permeable concrete or asphalt pavement systems.
Read MoreSources: Tindall Corp., Spartanburg, S.C.; CP staff
Located near the Gulf Coast, Tindall’s Moss Point, Miss., plant recently received ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System certification for the design, manufacture and erection of precast/prestressed concrete structures. The five-plant producer previously attained such certification for its Atlas CTB precast concrete wind tower fabrication, and is eyeing additional ISO 9001-2008-level audits for processes at sister operations.
Read More