MANUFACTURERS April 2014

Besser Co. announces the addition of Travis Dye to the Pipe and Precast Sales team. Based in Sioux City, Iowa, he joins colleagues serving producers from around the globe with equipment, retrofit and parts service and deliveries.

As an 18-year Besser veteran, he brings a wealth of equipment knowledge to his new role. Dye began as a draftsman in 1995 and three years later became a machine technician. In this capacity he constructed and tested inhouse and then installed and serviced it at customer locations worldwide. In 2007 he became assembly department supervisor working directly with sales, engineering and other departments. Dye holds an associate’s degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Western Iowa Technical Community College.

Eyeing an expanded engineered lifting systems portfolio, Tampa, Fla.-based Meadow Burke has formally committed to having a majority of such product manufactured in the U.S. Keeping jobs in America is inherently good business practice, company officials note, adding that when consumers purchase products made in the United States, they are supporting their own financial markets, while jobs shipped overseas are a loss to the industry and national economy.

In 2007 there were 17 million-plus manufacturing jobs in the U.S., Meadow Burke notes, compared to fewer than 12 million currently—a 32 percent drop in seven years. Additionally, Meadow Burke is committed to safer work environments for manufacturing employees. High field-testing standards are implemented, as are quality control measures, to ensure the safest work space possible.

Euclid Chemical Co. has received two National Precast Concrete Association Sustainability Awards, recognizing excellence in sustainable products, practices and operations. A macro-synthetic polypropylene fiber that replaces steel in concrete reinforcement, the company’s Tuf-Strand SF took first place in the associate member product category. A study completed in partnership with the University of Akron found that the use of the product to reinforce concrete instead of steel reduced carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 56 percent.

“The construction sector is a major emitter of carbon dioxide, and concrete is the most used building material worldwide. So, we’re extremely proud of the fact that our Tuf-Strand SF product has a considerable impact on reducing the carbon footprint. Plus, the fact that it doesn’t corrode is another significant benefit it provides over steel,” says Euclid Chemical President Moorman Scott.

The company also received a first place award in the associate member plant category for initiatives to improve waste management, energy consumption, water use and safety at its Cleveland flagship operation. Additionally, it established a sustainability leadership team to track energy consumption and improve efficiency at its plants throughout North America.