Ortiz Engineered Products arms Insteel for rebar substitution

Sources: CP staff; Insteel Industries Inc., Mount Airy, N.C.

Insteel Wire Products Co. has acquired certain assets of Hazelton, Pa.-based Ortiz Engineered Products, Inc. (OEP), whose value engineering methods validate bar mats or welded wire as alternatives to conventional rebar. Such substitution can significantly reduce project cost and timeline in many concrete conditions, contends Insteel, which fabricates welded wire reinforcement at facilities in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.

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LafargeHolcim spotlights power-generating, solar film-faced UHPC cladding

Sources: LafargeHolcim Ltd., Zurich; CP staff

A two-year collaboration between LafargeHolcim and Germany’s Heliatek GmbH has netted a photovoltaic concrete façade product capable of generating double the amount of energy typical of roof-based solar panel arrays. Unveiled at Batimat 2017 in Paris, it combines LafargeHolcim’s Ductal ultra-high performance concrete, suited to architectural applications in ½-in. or greater thickness; and, Heliatek’s flexible, ultra-light HeliaFilm, weighing 1 kilogram/square meter (2.2 lbs./10.75 sq. ft.).

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