Although a late-2018 deadline passed without a formal proposal, members of the U.S. Senate Joint Select Committee on the Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans vowed to continue pursuing a solution to the funding crisis engulfing organized labor retirement systems. In a joint statement, co-chairs Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and his retiring colleague, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), noted:
Read MoreMonth: January 2019
Florida, Michigan policies merit construction stakeholder attention
The Sunshine State topped the Associated Builders & Contractors 2018 Merit Shop Scorecard, vaulting from ninth position the prior year on the strength of its free enterprise and open-competition approach to the construction sector, increased career and technical education opportunities, and job growth rates. Michigan saw the biggest year-over-year improvement, rocketing from 24th to seventh after the repeal of its prevailing wage law, which will result in greater competition and lower costs for construction projects.
Read MorePlants of the Future
This month’s cover report tours the National Ready Mixed Concrete Co. (National Ready Mix) Vernon plant, near downtown Los Angeles, similar to the December issue profile of Superior Concrete Materials’ Washington, D.C. site (“Capital Investment,” page 40). Both operations will be spotlighted in Las Vegas during a first of its kind World of Concrete 2019 session.
Read MoreFly ash processing method makes bayou debut
Sources: Charah Solutions Inc.; CP staff
Concurrent with deploying slag cement finishing technology gained in its mid-2018 acquisition of SCB International, Charah Solutions has installed companion beneficiation equipment at its Sulphur, La., terminal to improve the overall quality of ASTM C618-grade material output. Dubbed MP618 Multi-Process, the SCB-modeled method reduces loss on ignition, ammonia, activated carbon and moisture in fly ash.
Read MoreCharah inaugurates slag, pozzolan finishing technology at N.Y. terminal
Sources: Charah Solutions Inc., Louisville, Ky.; CP staff
Fly ash processor Charah Solutions’ first facility with patented granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) grinding technology is located 100 miles up the Hudson River from New York City at the Port of Coeymans. With barge, rail and truck access, it will finish MultiCem-branded slag cement to be distributed through the company’s MultiSource materials network.
Read MoreBoral Resources adds Mexico stations to fly ash supply chain
Sources: Boral Resources, Atlanta; CP staff
Boral Resources has acquired marketing rights for fly ash produced at two large coal-fueled power plants in Mexico, their combined annual output equating to a potential 1 million-plus tons of Class F fly ash for distribution throughout the western United States. The plants are Carbon II in Nava, Coahuila, located approximately 25 miles from the Texas border and accessible by truck or rail; and, Petacalco in Petacalco, Guerrero, located on Mexico’s Pacific Coast and accessible by rail or barge.
Read MoreSika bulks up mortar volume in $2.5 billion deal for Parex
Sources: Sika AG, Baar, Switzerland; CP staff
The Swiss parent of New Jersey-based admixture and construction products supplier Sika Corp. projects a second or third quarter closing on Parex, a key player in facade, technical and waterproofing mortars, plus tile adhesives. Sika AG will acquire the business, which reported 2018 sales of $1.1 billion, from a fund of CVC, a global private equity and investment advisory firm.
Read MoreEldorado Stone-backed veneer study pegs savings in cement board substrate
Sources: National Gypsum, Charlotte, N.C.; CP staff
National Association of Home Builders Association-affiliated Home Innovation Research Labs finds that using PermaBase Cement Board as a substrate in exterior wall systems with modified veneer mortar reduces adhered stone installation time by 35 percent and total installed cost by 6 percent against traditional lath-and-cement mortar base alternatives.
Read MoreNational RM, Superior Concrete define “Plants of Future” at WOC 2019
Source: CP staff
New urban market ready mixed operations are the theme of a January 21 session, “Concrete Plants of the Future,” at the Las Vegas Convention Center—part of World of Concrete 2019 day one education activities. The two-hour program will spotlight the 400-plus yd./hour National Ready Mixed Concrete Co. Vernon plant on the edge of downtown Los Angeles; and, the 250-yd./hour Superior Concrete Materials District of Columbia plant, built in a transitioning neighborhood of the nation’s capital.
Read MorePublic comment period for ACI 318-19 draft continues
Source: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.
ACI is accepting feedback through February 6 on the proposed ACI 318-19: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, the draft posted here. The new edition will be the first since a reorganized format was published in 2014 and include new or updated provisions on transverse reinforcement and shear in wide beams, hanger reinforcement, bi-directional interaction of one-way shear, and reference to ACI certifications. Existing provisions expected to receive significant updates and clarifications include two-way shear strength, ordinary walls, seismic loads, reinforcement detailing, analysis, and numerous materials requirements. Analysis methods for two-way slabs and provisions on shear heads and composite concrete columns are expected to be removed.
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