A proposed ASTM International standard will provide a test method for properties of fresh roller compacted concrete, its development coinciding with the increasing specification of RCC for highway road base, streets, roads, parking lots and heavy industrial pavements.
Read MoreMonth: July 2014
NRMCA frames Improving Concrete Quality
A publication that the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association is releasing this month discusses concrete quality measurement, along with tangible and intangible benefits attributable to improved product quality. Co-published with CRC Press, Improving Concrete Quality shows ready mixed company executives and managers how to boost operational performance; reduce labor and material costs; and, lower the environmental footprint of concrete while raising the overall quality of concrete construction.
Read MorePRODUCERS – July 2014
Adam Mainka has been promoted to director of Plant Operations at Heldenfels Enterprises Inc. (HEI), overseeing all production activities at the company’s San Marcos and Corpus Christi, Texas, sites, with combined payroll of 225. He joined the producer in 2009 as a quality control technician and was subsequently promoted during his first two years, to QC supervisor, then QC manager, combining the latter post with San Marcos plant manager duties. Mainka holds Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Level III certification, co-chairs the PCI Productivity Committee and is 2014 Leadership PCI Program Committee chair.
Read MoreHolcim’s Humes provides striking hospitality Down Under
The iconic Prahran Hotel, a corner pub located outside of Melbourne, Australia, was renovated last year to include an eye-catching art deco façade created from 17 oversized stacked concrete pipes. The 2.5- to 7.4-ton precast pipes were provided by Humes, a division of Holcim Austraila.
Read MoreRockway Precast, Marks Metal provide water bottle solution
When Clackamas, Ore.-based Marks Metal Technology received an inquiry about a form that would mold a giant concrete water bottle, Steve Tuttle of the company’s concrete division initially believed it was an impossible project. However, after some reflection he realized it was not only possible but would be more efficient to produce if it was created “as if it were a series of machined joint rings, stacked one on top of the other.”
Read MorePennecon Concrete Division Seeds Newcrete Investments
Backed by Toronto private equity operator Banyan Capital Partners, Pennecon Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Larry Puddister has led a management team buyout of the company’s ready mixed, precast and concrete block & paver business—serving markets in the far eastern reaches of North America.
Read MoreNew Quebec administration supports McInnis Cement
Leaders in the newly elected Quebec government have confirmed the major financial commitment—$100 million equity stake plus $250 million in senior debt—the predecessor administration announced earlier this year for the $1.1 billion McInnis Cement plant and marine terminal in Port-Daniel-Gascons.
Read MoreGraniterock adds carbon footprint savings calculator to iPhone app
The Construction Calculators Version 4.2 app enables architects and contractors to gauge carbon dioxide emissions reduction when using supplementary cementitious materials to offset portland cement in concrete mix designs. The just-released update builds on one of the industry’s first mobile device-geared software products, launched in 2011, for estimating a project’s ready mixed and aggregate requirements.
Read MorePCA’S Sullivan Firm On 2014 Growth Projection In 8 Percent Range
Although recent indicators point to a tempering of the U.S. economy, Portland Cement Association is maintaining its forecast for steady growth in construction and cement consumption during the next five years, starting with a projected 7.9 percent increase this year in powder shipments—nearly double the 4.5 percent increase the industry logged in 2013 over prior-year volume.
Read MoreAGC economist cautious as construction employment hits six-year high
Construction employers added 6,000 workers in May as the industry’s unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent, its lowest mid-spring level in six years, according to an Associated General Contractors of America analysis of federal government data.
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