Source: American Industrial Hygiene Association, Falls Church, Va.
A guidance booklet from the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Construction Committee highlights the significant impact that air contaminants, high temperatures, manual material handling and noise have on workers and their employers, along with practical steps that can be taken to control exposure.
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Sources: Freedonia Group, Cleveland; CP staff
In a new report, market researcher Freedonia Group projects hardscape unit demand increasing 5.4 percent annually through 2023, driven especially by consumer interest in higher value offerings like concrete plank pavers that resemble wood, along with permeable interlocking concrete, natural stone or porcelain pavers.
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By: Pierre G Villere
The immigration debate continues to rage in Washington, D.C., with some in the Republican party now parting ways with President Trump on the issue of the 5 percent tariff on goods manufactured in Mexico. The move has roiled much of American industry because we are so reliant on Mexican imports, and likewise our own domestic manufacturers are so reliant on exports to Mexico’s burgeoning middle class. The dispute is just another example that points to how important prudent immigration policy is for our nation, as legal immigrants have been the mainstay of America’s population growth, and corresponding economic expansion, for almost 250 years.
Read MoreSources: IDTechEX Research, Boston; CP staff
A new article, “Graphene: The evolving application landscape,” projects early prototype and semi-commercial prototype phases over the next 8-10 years for concrete, cement and asphalt additives bearing graphene or carbon nanotubes. That observation is consistent with lab or field demonstrations by a handful of admixture developers eyeing performance properties attainable in finished concrete through dosages of nano-scale cylinders with wall thicknesses the diameter of a single carbon atom.
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Sources: Sika AG, Baar, Switzerland; CP staff
The parent of Sika Corp. is partnering with one of the world’s top architects, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), to showcase 3D concrete printing capabilities at the “Formgiving” Exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running through January 2020 in the architect’s home base, the exhibition focuses on the future of construction and how it shapes the planet.
Read MoreSources: Green Building Initiative, Portland, Ore.; CP staff
The Green Building Initiative’s new Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings version, revised with content on resilience and life cycle cost analysis, has been approved as a American National Standards Institute consensus standard. GBI President Vicki Worden attributes the designation to “more than 230 public meetings to deliberate the latest science and research, baselines, and market advancements since the last update.”
Read MoreSources: Dynam.AI, San Diego; GBA, Lenexa, Kan.; CP staff
Dynam.AI, a provider of end-to-end artificial intelligence (AI) for businesses, and GBA, engineering and architecture solutions developer, have entered a partnership to refine methods of identifying and assessing bridge defects—a market whose potential is underscored in a 2019 American Road & Transportation Builders Association report indicating 47,000-plus crossings deemed structurally deficient.
Read MoreSources: Oldcastle Infrastructure, Atlanta
On the heels of similar bolt-on transactions involving Pacific Northwest operators Quality Concrete Products and Valley Precast, Oldcastle Infrastructure has acquired Granite Precasting & Concrete Inc., a Bellingham, Wash. producer of manholes, catch basins and storm water drainage components, plus structures serving energy and communications sectors.
Read MoreSources: Dayton Superior Corp., Miamisburg, Ohio; CP staff
Minnesota-based Simplex Construction Supplies Inc. has closed on the Dayton Superior Road and Highway Concrete Paving Division, encompassing pavement and curb & gutter forms, load transfer products and bar supports. The transaction positions the suitor as a leading source of infrastructure products and solutions for heavy and highway contractors throughout the country.
Read MoreSources: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.; CP staff
NPCA directors have approved a new structure of Board and Products Committees, citing their improved capacity “to move quickly to address opportunities and threats” and potential to “provide a meaningful forum in which members can work on specific issues that impact the industry.”
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