Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria; CP staff
A former concrete quality control manager pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with the U.S. Department of Transportation-funded Dulles Metrorail Project Phase II, an 11.4-mile stretch of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s (MWAA) 26-mile Silver Line extension.
Read MoreSources: Global Cement and Concrete Association, London; Cement Sustainability Initiative, Geneva; CP staff
A strategic partnership between the recently chartered Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is intended to facilitate sustainable development of the cement and concrete sectors and their value chains, while creating work program synergies benefitting both organizations’ members. Work from the WBCSD-hosted Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) will be transferred to GCCA in 2019.
Read MoreSources: International Code Council, Itasca, Ill.; CP staff
The ICC Board has created Ad Hoc Committee on Building Safety and Security with a goal of bringing “together experts from across many different disciplines to tackle one of the toughest, most important issues of our time.”
Read MoreSources: Concrete Industry Management National Steering Committee, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff
The CIM National Steering Committee (NSC) has appointed new officers and directors, effective July: Executive Director Eugene Martineau, U.S. Concrete (retired); Chairman Michael Schneider, vice president and chief people officer, Baker Concrete Construction; Vice Chairman Michael Philipps, vice president, Business Development, Sandler Training; Secretary/Treasurer Nicole Maher, chief operating officer, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association; and, Immediate Past Chairman Wally Johnson, vice president of Marketing, U.S. Concrete.
Read MoreSources: Environmental Protection Agency; CP staff
Through a voluntary recall coordinated with the EPA, Cummins Inc. will replace components in selective catalytic reduction-equipped engines powering 2010-15 model year medium- and heavy-duty trucks. SCR catalyst components to be replaced were found to degrade within a few years instead of controlling emissions of nitrogen oxides for a regulatory timetable—10 years or 435,000 miles (heavy-duty vehicles)/185,000 miles (medium-duty).
Read MoreSources: Build with Strength Coalition, Washington, D.C.; CP staff
With special attention to incidents involving Los Angeles multi-family developments, a study from Columbia University Adjunct Assistant Professor Urvashi Kaul offers a cost-benefit analysis showing wood-framed residential building fires’ economic impact on citizens and local governments.
Read MoreSources: LafargeHolcim, Chicago; CP staff
LafargeHolcim has closed on the assets of Metro Mix LLC, a ready mixed producer with Denver and Castle Rock, Colo., plants. The transaction adds to an already strong Colorado market presence LafargeHolcim enjoys through its integrated Aggregate Industries operations.
Read MoreSources: HawkeyePedershaab Concrete Technologies Inc., Mediapolis, Iowa; CP staff
A newly formed parent company, Afinitas, encompasses a charter dry cast equipment business, HawkeyePedershaab Concrete Technologies, plus three other manufacturers acquired over the past 18 months: New Hampton Metal Fabrication Corp., New Hampton, Iowa; BFS Betonfertigteilesysteme GmbH, Blaubeuren, Germany; and, CAM Sales Inc., Ludington, Mich.
Read MoreSources: National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), Fairfax, Va.; CP staff
NCCCO has developed the Telescopic Boom-Swing Cab Restricted (TLL-R) certification program for operators of boom trucks with short booms, no attachments/extensions, and a basic load chart. A restricted version of the Telescopic Boom Swing Cab (TLL), it covers equipment classes commonly used in precast concrete delivery.
Read MoreSources: FMI Corp., Raleigh, N.C.; PlanGrid, San Francisco; CP staff
A survey of nearly 600 construction professionals finds that time spent on non-optimal activities—fixing mistakes, scouting data and managing conflict resolution—accounts for $177.5 billion in labor costs per year, while rework stemming from miscommunication and inaccurate or inaccessible information will cost the U.S. industry $30 billion-plus in 2018.
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