Sources: Vulcan Materials Co., Birmingham, Ala.; Martin Marietta Materials, Raleigh, N.C.; CRH Plc, Dublin; CP staff
In investor guidance, the top three U.S. aggregate producers—each with varying levels of integrated concrete, cement, asphalt and road building businesses—report slight 2012 sales or earnings improvement over the prior year, plus 2013 market confidence underpinned by MAP-21 highway bill funding and residential building gains.
Read MoreSources: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Atlanta; CP staff
Safety data- and training-driven Vulcan Materials Co. has received the 2013 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award, presented by NIOSH in partnership with the National Hearing Conservation Association.
Read MoreSources: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.; CP staff
Forty-eight plants under Hanson Building Products, Oldcastle Precast and six other producers were named in two categories—0 to 60,000 hours and 60,000 to 120,000—of the NPCA Safety Awards. The competition saw 124 entries based on OSHA 300 log reporting for calendar year 2012, the award-winning plants representing in excess of 9 million man-hours of production time.
Read MoreSource: Fiber Reinforced Concrete Association, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Convening at World of Concrete, FRCA announced its inaugural award program winner: the Martin Luther King Jr./ Humboldt Basin pool and rink in Buffalo, N.Y., awarded to member Forta Corp. in Grove City, Pa. Forta fiber was used in the 3,700 yd. of concrete Buffalo Redi-Mix supplied to contractor Man O-Trees Inc.
Read MoreSource: Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago
PCI accepting 2013 Design Awards entries through May 20, continuing a longstanding program to recognize design and engineering excellence, innovation, and construction quality using precast concrete. Winning projects will be featured at the 2013 PCI Convention and National Bridge Conference, and in PCI Journal plus Aspire and Ascent magazines.
Read MoreSources: BASF Construction Chemicals, Beachwood, Ohio; CP staff
Twenty three-year BASF Construction Chemicals veteran Juan Alfonso Garcia will shift April 1 from a Zurich post as vice president of Market Management, Europe, to Cleveland-based vice president of admixture systems. He will be responsible for North American, Central American and Caribbean businesses, and succeed Gabriel Cottrell, who is retiring after 35 years with BASF Construction Chemicals, the last six overseeing admixture systems.
Read MoreSources: National Steering Committee for Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program, Murfreesboro, Tenn.; CP staff
The CIM National Steering Committee grossed more than $615,000 at its seventh annual auction, held during World of Concrete earlier this month at the Las Vegas Convention Center.The signature item was a Mack Granite with 11-yd. McNeilus mixer, Tim Ashley of Clovis Concrete, New Mexico, the winning bidder.
Read MoreSources: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Geneva; CP staff
WBCSD Cement Sustainability Initiative’s (CSI) new Product Category Rules (PCR) for unreinforced concrete offer producers a common methodology to prepare Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for their mixes. CSI membership includes all multinational companies with integrated North American operations: Argos, CRH, Cemex, GCC, Heidelberg, Holcim, Lafarge, Taiheiyo, Titan and Votorantim.
Read MoreSources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis
“Checklist for Concrete Producer – Concrete Contractor Fresh Concrete Performance Expectations” supports goals of a construction industry migration from prescriptive to performance-based (P2P) mix designs and specifications.
Read MoreSource: CP staff
If 2013 World of Concrete exhibitor booths are a barometer, this year will see ready mixed producers move on two capital investments: mixer trucks and roller compacted concrete-ready portable plants.
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