Best Block 8 x 32 CMU weighs on the Construction Robotics MULE

Sources: Quikrete Cos. and Best Block, Atlanta; Construction Robotics, Victor, NY; CP staff

South East Rigging President Scott Elliott and Sales Representative John Raulerson.

Masonry Madness at World of Concrete 2021 offered a prime venue to show the speed and productivity of building with Best Block 32-in. Large Format Masonry (LFM) and the Construction Robotics Material Unit Lift Enhancer, best known as the MULE. A two-day equipment demonstration was set up in the Las Vegas Convention Center Silver Lot, timed with Masonry Madness’ (June 9) centerpiece: the Spec Mix Bricklayer 500. 

With pallets of Best Block 8 x 32 CMU at their disposal, team members from Construction Robotics and Florida dealer South East Rigging Inc. put the MULE to test. Comparing their robotics solution to traditional manual handling, the manufacturer and dealer are promoting the MULE’s capacity to double the number of LFM or comparably sized units a mason can set in a typical day. Compounding the productivity metric is the significantly higher wall square footage finished when working with concrete block double the length of normal 8 x 16 CMU. 

Best Block recently unveiled the LFM series in scored structural gray and architectural face textures or special cuts, delivering “a striking aesthetic that retains the performance characteristics, and advantageous pricing of traditional masonry.” The Best Block-MULE demonstration and Bricklayer 500, coupled with a North Hall Masonry pavilion booth for its flagship packaged materials business, netted Atlanta-based Quikrete Cos. by far the strongest presence among World of Concrete 2021 exhibitors. — Construction Robotics, 585/742-2004; www.construction-robotics.com