Day: April 6, 2011

Sources: Putzmeister America Inc., Sturtevant, Wis.; CP staff

Putzmeister America has arranged transfer of a pair of its largest truck-mounted concrete boom models to pump water to cooling tanks at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, whose reactors were damaged by a tsunami following last month’s massive earthquake. The 70m pumps are scheduled for April 9-10 delivery from Atlanta and Los Angeles to ultimate owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., via the world’s largest aircraft—Russian Antonov AN-225 Mriya Super Heavy Transport planes.

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Sources: Command Alkon Inc., Birmingham, Ala.; CP staff

Through the ConExpo-Con/Agg launch of COMMANDbatch CP, Command Alkon aims to equip architectural, structural and utility/underground precast producers with new hardware and software packages built around moisture measurement, precise water dosage, pigment or color agent dispensing, mix delivery system and raw material replenishment tools. The program has the potential to significantly boost the company’s presence in manufactured concrete, limited thus far to architectural precast and higher volume, structural precast/prestressed plants.

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Source: Ameron International Corp., Pasadena, Calif.

Preliminary board election results from the Ameron annual meeting indicate James Marlen will serve another three-year term as director and remain president, chief executive officer and chairman, while James Mitarotonda secures a seat incumbent director David Davenport sought to hold.

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Source: U.S. Concrete Inc., Houston

The U.S. Concrete board has formed a search committee to replace President and CEO Michael W. Harlan, who will retain the titles he has held for four years as directors seek a successor. A founding U.S. Concrete director and chief financial officer from May 1999–November 2004, he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer prior to taking the helm in May 2007.

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Source: Advanced Infrastructure Technologies Inc., Orono, Maine

A carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite arch tube product—pumped with ready mixed on site and geared to 20–80-ft. span bridges— has landed the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2011 Charles Pankow Award for Innnovation. Dubbed Bridge-in-a-Backpack, the 12-in. or 15-in. diameter FRP tubes bear 3/8-in. aggregate mixes with superplasticizers dosed to impart self consolidating concrete-level spread characteristics. As superstructure components, the hardened tubes provide what engineers note are corrosion protection and external concrete reinforcement in lieu of conventional rebar.

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

Scheduled for Thursday, April 7, Noon (EDT)–2pm, the NRMCA Sustainable Concrete Plant Certification webinar will provide a detailed overview of the program for those interested in submitting concrete plants for certification as well as those interested in becoming auditors.

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Source: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association

To reflect the growing importance of green building, NRMCA has added a fifth career track to its industry-leading STEPS (Seminars, Training, & Education Programs) program. This latest track, Sustainability, joins Business Management, Concrete Technology, Operations & Production, and Sales, Marketing & Promotion, and reflects the growing importance of ready mixed concrete’s role in sustainable development. The goal of this certification program is to ensure concrete professionals are knowledgeable on concepts of sustainable development and green building practices. Additionally, all class work, readings and exams are offered in an interactive online format to facilitate participation.

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Source: U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Washington, D.C.

OSHA, in partnership with the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, announced a series of three teleconferences to reach out to the small business community for input on OSHA’s proposal to add a column for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) on employer injury and illness logs. This proposal would require those employers already mandated to keep injury and illness records to add the step of checking a column when recording work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The first teleconference will be Monday, April 11 at 1:30pm (EDT), the second and third on April 12 at 9am and 1:30pm (EDT).

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