Anticipating his term as chairman of the board of the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA), Vernon Wehrung has quality in mind as he eyes the international horizon. President of Ottsville, Pa.-based Modern Precast Concrete, Wehrung will follow his official installment as chairman in February at NPCA's 39th Annual Convention in Atlanta with an initiative encouraging precast producers to continue increasing the quality of their products through an expanded NPCA certification program. By reaching out to international associations, he also hopes to expose NPCA members to some of the best practices in precast from around the world.

On the quality front, NPCA has hired a quality assurance and product promotion specialist to foster plant certification and quality assurance programs in both the industry and state departments of transportation. “It's very important for NPCA to get our certification program recognized and accepted by specifiers and DOTs,” Wehrung affirms. The association, he adds, is already approaching its goal of 140 member plants certified by spring 2004.

So crucial is the topic of quality to NPCA that the association published an “Essentials of Quality” issue of MC Magazine last year, devoting the entire publication to the nuts and bolts of manufacturing quality products. Articles from the 2003 special issue may be downloaded from NPCA's Web site at www.precast.org/publications.

INDUSTRY TRANSFORMATION

In the past, precast manufacturers had varying perceptions about what constituted a quality product, Wehrung tells Concrete Products. Small family-owned operations were particularly vulnerable to wide interpretations of quality production practices.

“Many of these companies are owned by second- and third-generation families,” Wehrung says. “In the postwar era, these firms made the product, and so long as the local community was satisfied with the quality, that's as far as it went. Not many precasters had multiple plants. And, transportation costs would get to the point where they could not compete with large firms.”

Now, increased competition and demands for exacting standards in U.S. and Canada are forcing smaller companies to take a closer look at the quality of their precast products. “If you had more competition or a customer whose specs were more demanding, then your product tended to be of higher quality,” Wehrung contends. “Or, if your corporate culture mandated quality from the top down, you had it. Up until the past decade, a major challenge has been to get the whole industry focused on top quality.”

RISING TIDE

Like a rising tide, competition and certification programs — such as those sponsored by NPCA — are urging all producers to raise the level of quality in their products. “Unfortunately, there still are some companies that don't commit to the investment or overhead needed to ensure the highest quality,” Wehrung notes, “and I think we will see them as not aligned with NPCA's future goals.”

A refinement in NPCA's reach is thus impending. Wehrung asserts, “The association may have tried to be all things to all people. Now, it's very important for us to represent the industry through quality. Individual companies can choose whether they will make a better-quality product, but if they don't, they're going to find that their peers and association will not defend them.”

Most precast products are buried forever. “Sometimes out of sight is out of mind,” Wehrung says. “But, the products have to be manufactured and installed correctly before they are put into use if they are to stand up to the test of time.”

RISING SUN

In addition to boosting plant certification, enhanced educational opportunities from NPCA are high on Vernon Wehrung's list of goals for 2004. “I want to continue our strong educational programs of recent years,” he says (see “Education for Profit,” Concrete Products, February 2003, pp 26-28). “I like to call it ‘education and exposure.’ I want owners and managers exposed to the international scene, and to reach entry-level workers as well.”

Wehrung emphasizes that he is passionate about helping entry-level workers, whether they are fresh out of college or working their way through high school. He aims to present programs that will teach them about life and dealing with the real world, leadership, handling conflict, managing finances and even succeeding in family affairs. “For some of these young people, this is the first full-time job, and we are mentors to them,” he says.

On the subject of learning new things, he and NPCA President Ty Gable recently traveled to London at the invitation of the British Precast Concrete Federation. “They're reaching out to the international community, and we found there was much to learn,” Wehrung reports. “I traveled with my family to Japan right after and visited precast plants there. I was so overwhelmed that a month later I took my chief operating officer over, and we spent eight days visiting six plants.”

The visits must have been inspiring, because an NPCA delegation will travel to Munich in March to attend Bauma, the world's largest construction and plant machinery equipment show — held every three years. Fully optimizing the opportunity of such visits, Wehrung wants to learn more about overseas technology and promote NPCA membership.

“In Japan, we learned of a whole realm of precast concrete products that we don't hear about over here,” he tells Concrete Products. “For example, they make precast bases for guard rails. They do a lot of trench drains, using sheet flow into trench drains to collect water along a highway.”

ENHANCED MARKETING

Wehrung credited the NPCA staff as a group of professionals who are responsive to the constantly changing environment in the precast industry. “During my period as a board member, we have really been fortunate to tap into so much talent,” he observes. “Ty Gable and his staff have been able to offer an abundance of services and expertise to our members.”

NPCA's two magazines — MC and Precast Solutions — offer issues packed with technical, safety and business articles and other items of interest for its members and for specifiers as well. Articles from both magazines may be downloaded at http://www.precast.org/publications/index.htm.

In late 2003, the association's flagship publication, MC Magazine, was recognized as the top association magazine in Indiana. MC earned “Best Magazine” status at the annual Indiana Society of Association Executives Star Awards presentations Dec. 4. It was the fourth Star Award for NPCA in the last two years, after recognition the previous year for Best Membership Campaign, Best Newsletter and Best Directory/Buyer's Guide.

Last year was a big year for NPCA, and Wehrung looks forward to an even greater 2004. A big boost in growth for the association was marked by the 2003 MCPX, he contends, as it was NPCA's first year partnering with three other trade associations (see related sidebar). “It's exciting,” he adds, “to watch NPCA grow — and even more exciting to be a part of it.”

MODERN PRECAST CONCRETE AT-A-GLANCE

Founded in 1946 by Woody and Blanche Wehrung as an excavating contractor in historic Bucks County, Pa., north of Philadelphia, Modern Precast Concrete has been in precast for half a century. As suburbanization gathered steam in the early 1950s, the Wehrungs launched Modern Concrete Septic Tank Company to meet product demand.

Today, Modern produces median barriers, box culverts, utility manholes as well as storm and sanitary products, including septic tanks, seepage tanks, inlets, manholes and headwalls, plus a variety of standard and custom precast concrete products. The company's Ottville and Bethlehem, Pa., operations are included in the National Precast Concrete Association's Plant Certification Program.

Modern also manufactures a number of licensed products, such as retaining walls and the Easi-Set line of precast buildings. These weatherproof, vandal-resistant, low-maintenance structures come in standard sizes from 6 ft. × 6 ft. to 12 ft. × 24-ft., with larger sizes to fit customer requirements.

Modern stocks and distributes the Aco Drain trench drain system for commercial applications. This system consists of precast channels manufactured from either corrosion-resistant polymer concrete, or fiberglass, together with grates from a variety of materials for all loading uses. The system also includes catch basins, closing end caps, outlet closing caps, locking systems, and other accessories.

For its contractor customers, Modern carries a complete line of PVC pipe and fittings, including corrugated polyethylene pipe, sewage pumps/alarms and related accessories. Modern also operates Wehrung's Lumber and Home Center and Wehrung's Do-It Best Rental Center. These retail operations are to be spun off as separate business entities in January 2004.

NPCA SPONSORS MCPX FOR SECOND YEAR IN 2004

This year's Manufactured Concrete Products Expo — MCPX 2004 — will be a major industry event. Scheduled for Feb. 6-8 in Atlanta, MCPX 2004 will be the second such show for which the National Precast Concrete Association, National Concrete Masonry Association, Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute, and American Concrete Pipe Association have collaborated to produce a trade show serving all their members.

In addition, each association will be holding concurrent national meetings and educational sessions and seminars. Under one roof at the Georgia World Congress Center, MCPX will display all the newest products and services for the manufactured concrete products industry.

Beyond exhibits, MCPX 2004 will provide product demonstrations, a working concrete products testing lab, and gala networking events for the entire manufactured concrete products industry. For more information, visit http://www.mcpx.org.

NATIONAL PRECAST CONCRETE ASSOCIATION At-A-Glance

The National Precast Concrete Association is an international trade group representing manufacturers of plant-produced concrete products and suppliers to the industry. Today NPCA represents nearly 1,000 companies worldwide.

Dedicated to expanding the use of quality precast concrete, NPCA pursues its mission by providing industry leadership and by supporting members' success in ways that are consistent with the public interest. NPCA provides members with educational seminars, an annual industry trade show, industry newsletters, publications targeted exclusively to the manufactured concrete products industry, technical/sales literature, and a technical services hotline.

The association provides technical and production information through five product line sections: Sanitary & Stormwater, Water & Wastewater; Transportation; Utility; Industrial & Communications; and, Building, Housing, Landscape & Specialty Products.

Ty Gable, CAE, is NPCA president. For more information contact the National Precast Concrete Association, 10333 N. Meridian St., Suite 272, Indianapolis, IN 46290; voice: 317/571-9500, 800/366-7731; fax: 317/571-0041; e-mail: npca@precast.org; website: www.precast.org.

CHAIRMEN

2004

VERNON WEHRUNG

President
Modern Precast Concrete
Ottsville, Pennsylvania

IMMEDIATE PAST (2003)

BRUCE GLASER

President
APS Concrete Products
Lannon, Wisconsin

ELECT (2005)

JOAN BLECHA

Hanson Pipe & Products Southeast
Green Cove Springs, Florida