July 15, 2019 – Concrete Products

Eldorado corrals color options for Vintage Ranch barn wood series

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

Precast concrete veneer leader Eldorado Stone LLC in San Marcos, Calif., continues to capture the character and warmth of classic American barn wood with the debut of two color palettes for its Vintage Ranch profile. Dawnwood, which presents a whitewashed beige barn wood, and Stratuswood, a warm-toned and earthy gray, expand on the stone series’ color offerings, allowing designers and homeowners to craft a contemporary design while incorporating the signature of some of North America’s most iconic rural structures.

Oldcastle APG integrates drainage function in stone veneer panels

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

Atlanta-based Oldcastle APG has unveiled the Beonstone collection of attached veneers as a system of versatile, durable and easy-to-install panels available in four popular natural stone aesthetics and six colors. Delivering the same thickness and rich look of natural stone, the producer notes, the collection is an easy, cost-effective way to achieve a high-end stone finish.

New digital tools steer LafargeHolcim customer experience

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

Recognizing that digitization and adoption of new technology are critical to helping customers take advantage of growth projected for the U.S. construction business in the coming years, LafargeHolcim is transforming its customer experience with the launch of ConcreteDirect, DirectAccess and www.MaterialsThatPerform.com. Each of the digital solutions are part of an ongoing strategy to improve engagement, streamline interactions, optimize projects, and bring added convenience and ease to customers:

Survey finds best practices net contractors nearly seven-fold safety gain

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

The Associated Builders and Contractors’ 2019 Safety Performance Report documents the dramatic impact of proactive practices to reduce recordable incidents by up to 85 percent, making the best-performing companies 680 percent safer than the industry average.

Operator marks Infrastructure Week with $555M commitment

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

Bryn Mawr, Pa.-based Aqua America Inc. recognized the seventh annual Infrastructure Week (May 5-12) by helping raise awareness of the critical state of infrastructure across the United States. A leading contributor to water and wastewater infrastructure repair and replacement, Aqua plans to invest more than $500 million this year across eight states to improve systems.

Federal agencies increase their hand in water infrastructure

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

The federal government’s role in water supply and wastewater treatment infrastructure is taking on greater importance than in the past as municipalities are challenged to keep pace with the aging of more than 70,000 systems and 3 million miles of underground pipe networks. With overall public spending on water utilities declining year-over-year in five of the last 10 years, core federal programs are proving to be more critical in addressing urban and rural treatment system or network investment needs, according to a new report from Bluefield Research.

Eagle directors take page from TXI, Trinity, Grace, Heidelberg

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

Pointed exchanges between Eagle Materials management and a major shareholder culminated late last month with a proposed split of the Dallas producer’s Light and Heavy Materials businesses. The latter encompasses Fairborn Cement Co., Illinois Cement Co., Central Plains Cement Co., Mountain Cement Co., Nevada Cement Co., and Texas-Lehigh Cement; GGBF slag cement processor and supplier Skyway Cement; plus, integrated concrete and aggregates operations in Texas, Kansas City and northern California.

NPP ships first Electrically Isolated Tendon-bound bulb tee girders

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

Sources: Northeast Prestressed Products, Cressona, Pa.; PCI Mid-Atlantic, Lancaster, Pa.; CP staff

The Coplay-Northampton Bridge, linking Pennsylvania’s Lehigh and Northampton counties, marks the U.S. debut of Electrically Isolated Tendons (EIT)—part of a reinforcement scheme in 25 of 52 bulb-tee girders that Northeast Prestressed Products is fabricating for the 1,124-ft. Lehigh River crossing. Proven in Europe and advanced here by the Federal Highway Administration, EIT allow for verification that post-tensioning cables have been encapsulated per specifications, and provide enhanced durability and non-destructive condition assessment over time.

Merger measures testing lab, surveying firm synergy

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

Sources: Cardinal Survey and Design, Willamsburg, Va.

Construction, engineering, land surveying and 3D imaging specialist Cardinal Survey has expanded into one of the industry’s fastest growing segments through a merger with Richmond, Va.-based Pro-Inspections Inc., which offers private or public market customers concrete strength testing plus structural engineering and evaluation services.

Code Council enters testing and inspection arena in NTA deal

July 15, 2019 Concrete News

Source: International Code Council, Itasca, Ill.

The International Code Council has acquired Indiana-based NTA, a provider of testing, product certification, inspection, engineering, off-site construction plan review, and code evaluation services for residential and commercial builders, public officials, plus manufacturers and suppliers throughout the industry.