Month: June 2011

Sources: Verifi LLC, West Chester, Ohio; CP staff

In its first major technology upgrade following the December 2010 acquisition by W.R. Grace & Co., Verifi has unveiled a next generation Process Control Platform for mixer trucks. Succeeding an RS Solutions on-board, flagship device for slump measurement en route, the new hardware acts as a robust control and management hub during ready mixed concrete delivery, product engineers note. It will integrate with forthcoming devices aimed at measuring concrete temperature, adding mix dispersants, determining high speed slump mixing, plus other tools performing related quality control functions.

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Source: American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Va.

After a grueling three-day battle of academic and athletic skills, students from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, beat out teams from 22 other top engineering schools to win their second consecutive National Concrete Canoe Competition with a 208-lb. vessel named Cetacea. For the year leading up to the event, teams of civil engineering students from the United States and Canada logged thousands of hours researching, designing and constructing their canoes. After winning in regional competitions throughout the spring, 23 top engineering schools matched their skill and wit in the national finals.

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

Holcim (US) has announced cement price increases effective August 1, citing burgeoning energy and operating costs, plus outlays associated with anticipated environmental regulations covering mills and air pollution controls. An announcement did not specify per-ton figures, although the company notes that local sales representatives will contact customers regarding the price bump.

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Sources: Ceratech Inc., Alexandria, Va.; CP staff

Only three months after announcing that third-largest coal producer Alpha Natural Resources had acquired a 10.3 percent interest in its business (with an option to increase the stake to 28.3 under certain future terms), Ceratech has accepted another strategic equity investment from Colombian cement giant Cementos Argos, the fourth-largest U.S. concrete producer. The buy-in follows Argos’ recent expansion of its U.S. presence through a $760 million purchase of Lafarge North America’s Southeastern assets. The two companies will cooperate to develop and distribute Ceratech binder products through Argos’ Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Southwest markets.

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Source: Mineral Information Institute, Foundation for the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Inc., Englewood, Colo.

The Mineral Information Institute’s latest “Minerals Baby” notes that 38,052 lb. of new minerals must be provided for every person in the United States to make the items used daily. This includes 8,509 lb. of stone for roads, buildings, bridges, landscaping, and numerous chemical and construction uses; 5,599 lb. of sand and gravel for concrete, asphalt, roads, blocks and bricks; and 496 lb. of cement for roads, sidewalks, bridges, buildings, schools and houses.

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Source: National Concrete Masonry Association, Herndon, Va.

The International Code Council and Metal Building Manufacturers Association have teamed with NCMA for the second edition of Concrete Masonry Walls for Metal Building Systems.

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Source: American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, Va.

University of Evansville civil engineering students and faculty will welcome peers from 23 schools to southern Indiana for the National Concrete Canoe Competition. The June 16-18 event will see student teams compete in four categories: canoe aesthetics and structural integrity; technical design paper highlighting their planning, development, testing and construction; academic presentation covering their canoe’s design, construction, racing ability and other innovative features; and, canoe and paddlers’ performance in men’s and women’s slalom/endurance and sprint races, plus co-ed sprints.

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