Titan affiliate applies artificial intelligence to cement plant downtime prevention

A recently chartered entity, operating independently but affiliated with Titan America, has entered artificial intelligence solutions for cement plant operations. CemAI concentrates on predictive maintenance, building a platform that combines a proprietary licensed software with a continuous monitoring and incident resolution service for mills around the world. The firm works through multiple remote monitoring centers with fully staffed maintenance experts…

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Alabama student teams prevail in PCI Big Beam competition

The University of Alabama – Teams B and A placed first and third in the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s 2022 Engineering Design Competition, also known as Big Beam. Sponsors ALP Supply and PCI’s Aspire Magazine will present Teams B and A respective cash prizes of $2,000 and $1,500, and the University of Minnesota Duluth team with $1,750 for its second place…

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Leica advances construction site safety with latest awareness module

Leica Geosystems has launched a new safety awareness module in the cloud-based collaboration platform Leica ConX. Integration of safety awareness solutions augments accident or incident prevention on construction sites by collecting and visualizing data that enhances awareness, speeds up hazard response and provides better insights. Leica Geosystems previously introduced the safety awareness solution portfolio, including Leica iCON PA10, iCON PA80…

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Cemex ‘Spider Tracker’ sensors gauge mix temperatures wire-to-wire

Cemex, S.A.B. de C.V. has announced a proprietary technology, dubbed “Spider Tracker,” that monitors concrete during placing and hardening to measure strength development in real-time. It enables contractors to remove formwork at precisely the right moment and make informed decisions about the concrete specified for their jobs.  Such actions can result in time and cost savings and potentially a reduction…

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Mixer driver survey results evidence Great Resignation undercurrent

An analysis of National Ready Mixed Concrete Association 2022 Mixer Driver Recruitment and Retention Survey data shows that 28 of every 100 drivers hired in 2021 quit at some point during the year. That places ready mixed producers 3 percent above the national resignation rate, 25 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported for last year.  The figures continue…

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Saint-Gobain guides GCP businesses to Chryso, CertainTeed homes

Following approvals from North American and overseas regulators, Paris-based Saint-Gobain consummated a takeover of Georgia-based GCP Applied Technologies Inc. late last month. Distinct GCP profit centers will have separate destinations. Cement additive and concrete admixture assets will be combined with Chryso Inc., which Saint-Gobain acquired in mid-2021 and positioned in its High Performance Solutions segment. A specialty materials business specializing…

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Lehigh Hanson brand nears sunset

Texas-based Lehigh Hanson Inc. plans a Q1 2023 transition to Heidelberg Materials following last month’s abrupt adoption of the new banner by German parent company HeidelbergCement AG. Heidelberg Materials represents “a brand with global reach and focus on sustainability, digitalization and leadership in the building materials industry,” management notes. In North America, it will unify—and gradually succeed—Lehigh Portland Cement Co.…

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Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality progresses along Madison Avenue

Portland Cement Association Chairman Ron Henley (GCC America) told a New York Climate Week gathering in mid-September how U.S. producers have exceeded expectations outlined a year ago in the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality. With a 2050 horizon, the document offered carbon dioxide emissions reduction opportunities across a Clinker, Cement, Concrete, Construction and Carbonation value/process chain.  Taking the podium at…

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HaulHub Agency Portal application advances at U.S. Patent Office

HaulHub Technologies, Haverhill, Mass. developer of digital tools assisting state transportation agency e-Ticketing and e-Construction program management, cites a United States Patent and Trademark Office notice of allowance for a patent application directed to use of a system to reconcile and reformat delivered construction material data with project data between various contract stakeholders. “In the Covid-era of e-Ticketing, sharing a…

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EPA take stock of Diesel Emissions Reduction Act deliverables

A new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report attributes significant air quality improvements to the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), federal legislation aimed at protecting health and conserving truck fleet fuel.  “Reducing harmful diesel emissions results in cleaner air and healthier communities, and this bipartisan legislation is delivering these benefits to communities across the nation,” says EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “The…

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