Holcim consolidates stake in Texas’ Lattimore Materials

Sources: Holcim Participations (US), Waltham, Mass.; CP staff

After receiving Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice clearance, Holcim Participations has entered a nonbinding letter of intent to acquire a remaining 51 percent stake in McKinney, Texas-based Lattimore Materials Co. A key Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex player, the family-operated business spans 35 concrete plants on 26 sites, a 400-plus mixer and dump truck fleet, seven aggregate operations, and four rail terminals.

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SCM, aggregate processor Calera eyes concrete pilots for CO2-sequestering carbonate

Sources: CP staff; Calera Corp., Los Gatos, Calif.

Two years after outlining research aimed at commercial processes for carbon dioxide-capturing aggregate or cementitious materials, Calera has announced a series of prospective concrete applications testing a mix agent from its Mineralization via Aqueous Precipitation technology. An initial carbonate product, Partial Cement Substitute (PCS), is derived from the flue gas of the Moss power plant in northern California, coupled with naturally occurring, water-based calcium or magnesium sources.

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NASDAQ relists U.S. Concrete

Sources: U.S. Concrete Inc., Houston; CP staff

Public trading of U.S. Concrete shares resumed February 1 as NASDAQ Stock Market LLC approved the company’s application for the relisting of its common stock, with USCR succeeding a prior RMIX symbol. The relisting “will allow our shares to be held by a broader range of investors and facilitates increased shareholder liquidity,” notes U.S. Concrete CEO Michael Harlan. “[It] also provides greater visibility within the investment community and reflects the significant financial progress we have achieved as part of our effort to build shareholder value.”

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Central Concrete early adopter of Climate Earth water usage-tracking system

Sources: Climate Earth Inc., San Francisco; U.S. Concrete Inc., Houston; CP staff

San Jose, Calif.-based Central Concrete Supply Co. is one of the premier users of Climate Earth technology measuring and managing operations’ and supply chain water usage. A web analytics portal enables administrative or plant staff to interact with dashboards, charts, reports and supporting information that make up what Climate Earth describes as “environmental intelligence.”

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NRMCA launches Sustainable Concrete Plant Certification

Source: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.  

A new certification program is geared to help NRMCA producer members demonstrate excellence in sustainable development. Its quantitative, performance-based metrics provide specific guidance for assessing production practices and implementing strategies that will ultimately lower plants’ overall footprint.

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Masonry structure withstands all but most severe seismic event simulation

Sources: National Concrete Masonry Association, Herndon, Va.; University of California, San Diego, Jacobs School of Engineering

A three-story concrete masonry building recently tested on the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) shake table—an apparatus widely acknowledged for research on specimens’ response to seismic loads—exhibited damage only at very high simulated earthquake magnitudes. The structure was designed and constructed to current building code requirements, and subjected to increasing levels of simulated seismic activity, above both design-level earthquakes and maximum considered events.

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ASTM Sustainability Committee schedules C01, C9 workshop, exchange

Source: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.

“Workshop on Implications of ASTM E60 Standards on Sustainability for Cement and Concrete” is scheduled June 14 at the Marriott Anaheim (Calif.), amid Committee C01 on Cement and Committee C9 on Concrete meetings. Organizers note that ASTM Committee E60 on Sustainability has adopted standards that could have implications for cement and cement-based building materials, including E 1991 Standard Guide for Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Building Products, and E 2129 Standard Practice for Data Collection for Sustainability Assessment of Building Products.

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Batch plant specialist BHS opens Carolina office for North American operations

Source: BHS Filtration Inc., Charlotte, N.C. Well-established German batch plant and mixer manufacturer BHS-Sonthofen will serve U.S. and Canadian customers and prospects from a new Charlotte office, co-located with the domestic base of parent BHS Filtration. Mixing Division Manager Stu Bentley ([email protected]; 704/814-7670) will oversee sales and service of a full line of turnkey batch plants; twin or single shaft…

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