March 2014 – Page 2 – Concrete Products

Delaware Valley deploys Pennsylvania’s first CNG-fueled mixer

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

Delaware Valley Concrete Co. (DVC) kicked off 2014 dispatching its premier compressed natural gas-powered mixer, an Oshkosh S-Series front discharge model converted from diesel as part of the manufacturer’s new glider program.

Based in Hatboro, Pa., northwest of Philadelphia, DVC is the first concrete company running a CNG mixer in Pennsylvania and Delaware. “As a fuel, CNG has plenty to offer. Not only is it cheaper to produce than diesel, it also burns much cleaner,” says DVC President Mario Diliberto. “We are reducing our carbon footprint in the industry and fueling costs as well.

Concrete Industry Management Program auction grosses $800K+

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

Assembling at the close of bidding for the Granite-mounted McNeilus mixer are (from left) CIM Executive Director Eugene Martineau; Mack Trucks President Stephen Roy; U.S. Concrete Vice President, Sales & Marketing Wally Johnson and CEO William Sandbrook; and, Auction Chair and Cemex Vice President, Market Development Mike Philipps.

With confirmed live, online and silent bids exceeding $810,000, the Concrete Industry Management Program National Steering Committee reports that the 2014 World of Concrete Auction bested last year’s record gross by nearly $200,000.

“We had a record in terms of the value of donated items and auction attendees that helped make this year’s event a huge success,” notes Cemex’s Mike Philipps, who chaired the committee organizing the Las Vegas Convention Center-staged, January 22 fundraiser. “Everyone stepped up to donate and bid on great items.”

Residential market upturn fuels near-double digit gains for fiber cement

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

Demand in the U.S. for fiber cement products is forecast to rise 8.5 percent annually through 2017 to 2.9 billion square feet—valued at $2.2 billion—according to a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm. “Advances will be driven by a rebound in residential building construction spending, particularly in the new housing segment,” states Matt Zielenski, an analyst with The Freedonia Group. Growth will be further spurred by increasing use of fiber cement products because of their favorable aesthetic and performance properties. These and other trends are presented in Fiber Cement.

SEFA OUTLINES MAJOR ASH PROCESSING INVESTMENT

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

Scheduled International Concrete Sustainability Conference speakers include Hank Keiper of the SEFA Group, who will present “The Future of Fly Ash is Under Our Feet,” during the May 12-14 event in Boston. He will discuss the dwindling availability of coal fly ash suitable for use as supplementary cementitious material in the U.S. due to environmental regulations and market factors. To ensure a future supply of high-quality, Class F fly ash, SEFA Group has modified its proprietary thermal beneficiation process to accept fly ash reclaimed from disposal sites, including both landfills and settling ponds. The adaptation of a proven technology will create a consistent supply of premium fly ash, prevent future disposal of material initially below ASTM C618 grade, and offer existing site
remediation solutions.

ACI Committee 318 reorganizes Building Code around designs’ structural members

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

American Concrete Institute ACI 318 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete

American Concrete Institute is finalizing ACI 318-14: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, announcing at World of Concrete 2014 the streamlined document’s new orientation to engineers; more intuitive flow of requirements compared to earlier versions; and, centralized construction requirements in a single chapter.

BIG CITY MAYORS EMBRACE ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

Recognizing resources consumed over buildings’ operating life cycles, mayors from 10 major U.S. cities will undertake an effort to significantly boost energy efficiency in new and existing facilities. Supporters contend such measures could cut as much climate change pollution as generated by 1 million to 1.5 million passenger vehicles every year, and lower annual energy costs by nearly $1 billion.

FHWA PUBLISHES ALKALI-AGGREGATE REACTIVITY REFERENCE

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

FHWA’s new Alkali- Aggregate Reactivity Facts Book

From the Federal Highway Administration’s Focus newsletter… Alkali-aggregate reactivity (AAR) can occur in concrete structures and pavements as both alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and alkalicarbonate reaction (ACR). FHWA’s new Alkali-Aggregate Reactivity Facts Book (Pub. No. FHWA-HIF-13-019) discusses both types of reaction but concentrates on ASR, as cases of ACR are more limited.

Lafarge, Lehigh and Vulcan sales teams lead adoption of new enterprise mobile apps

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

Sources: Catavolt Inc., Alpharetta, Ga.; CP staff

After initial deployments with four major integrated producers and a top precast/prestressed operator, Catavolt has unveiled technology supporting rapid, low-cost development of custom apps providing geographic market intelligence and perspective, plus customer relationship management program-grade data.

JUSTICES SIDE WITH HARDSCAPE DEALER HALUCH GRAVEL IN UNION PENSION CASE

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

The Supreme Court has reversed a U.S. Court of Appeals decision for plaintiffs (Funds), led by the Central Pension Fund of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which had pursued additional contributions and reimbursement of litigation expenses from Ray Haluch Gravel Co. Ludlow, Mass.-based Haluch Gravel petitioned for review of technical questions on whether the Funds’ appeal of a U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Boston) order were timely or untimely under federal rules. According to counsel Mayer Brown: The petition centered on the appealability of federal trial court decisions in cases where a party has requested an award of attorney’s fees. The Supreme Court held that a district court’s decision leaving unresolved a request for contractual attorney’s fees is a final decision subject to immediate appeal.

JUDGE COMPELS EPA TO PICK UP PACE ON LANGUISHING COAL ASH DISPOSAL RULE

March 17, 2014 Concrete News

A late-January federal court action establishes a December 2014 deadline for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to finalize a rulemaking, initiated in early 2009, that has created uncertainty over the regulatory status for all grades of coal ash, including ASTM C618 product. “The regulatory uncertainty that has impeded the beneficial use of coal ash for half a decade is finally coming to an end,” affirms American Coal Ash Association (ACAA) Executive Director Thomas Adams. “It now appears 2014 is the year for EPA to finally establish federal coal ash disposal guidelines under the ‘non-hazardous’ section of the law.”