The American Concrete Institute and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute have released ACI/PCI CODE-319-25: Structural Precast Concrete – Code Requirements and Commentary. The document provides essential guidance for the materials, design and detailing of structural precast concrete buildings or nonbuilding structures, while completing a key tenet of a strategic plan that PCI directors adopted in 2018. “ACI/PCI CODE 319-25 has been a…
Read MoreAuthor: Concrete News
Investor empowers remote delivery-driven Modern Concrete
Big 7 Ventures, a northern California private equity firm targeting industrial service and product investments, recently closed on Elko, Nev.-based Modern Concrete Inc., a volumetric mixer fleet operator known for deliveries to isolated construction, mining and communications infrastructure sites. The producer serves an Interstate 80 corridor spanning one of the least populated areas in the West and measures its delivery…
Read MoreCommunity service anchors Metromont milestone observances
Leading into a centennial anniversary celebration later this year in their Upstate South Carolina home base, Metromont Corp. officials plan to mark a century in the construction business through community service efforts involving six precast, prestressed concrete operations. Team members from Greenville, S.C. headquarters, Florida, Georgia and Virginia plants will assist local groups or national organization chapters, including American Red…
Read MoreEconomist sees cement consumption approaching six-year low
Sources: American Cement Association, Washington, D.C.; CP staff American Cement Association Regional Economist Trevor Stork projects U.S. cement shipments dropping 1.6 percent this year, to 99.98 million metric tons (Mt), from 101.57 Mt in 2024 and 107.13 Mt in 2023—representing 0.6 percent and 5.25 percent year-over-year declines. The 2025 figure is part of a baseline scenario, one of three he…
Read MoreOutdoor Living Supply dedicates northern Virginia greenfield site
Sources: Outdoor Living Supply, Franklin, Tenn.; CP staff Outdoor Living Supply has opened a greenfield location under the Nova Stone brand in Catharpin, Va. The new location deepens the hardscape retailer’s Mid-Atlantic presence and reinforces a management goal of growing organically in high potential markets by combining local expertise with the resources of a national platform. The expansion follows development…
Read MoreEngineering Institute publishes Lower Carbon Concrete Guide
Sources: American Society of Civil Engineers’ Structural Engineering Institute, Reston, Va.; CP staff A new ASCE Structural Engineering Institute guide advances adoption of concrete mixes with lower than normal embodied carbon, outlining best practices across a building’s design, specification, procurement, and construction phases. Targeted to project principals overseeing mix designs and schedules, Lower Carbon Concrete Guide supports the core objective…
Read MorePost-Giant Cement, a new Keystone Cement parent emerges
The Fortaleza Materiales Group has created a new parent company, Keystone Cement Holding Inc., over three namesake Cement, Aggregates (formerly Kapco) and Resource Recovery divisions. The move follows Fortaleza Materiales’ early-April sale of its main U.S. asset, South Carolina-based Giant Cement Holding Inc. (GCHI), to Heidelberg Materials North America. Bath, Pa.-based Keystone Cement will continue operating with an experienced team,…
Read MoreNational Minerals ushers EP into North American ash market
EP Power Minerals of Germany, a global player in cementitious materials, closed a platform-level deal for its North American business, acquiring Hastings, Minn.-based National Minerals Corp. The mid-April transaction brings EP Minerals America Inc. one Minnesota, one Wisconsin and five Iowa fly ash processing facilities, plus two Iowa and three Minnesota distribution terminals. “The combination will strengthen our company and…
Read MoreSullivan keeps cement, construction focus after PCA exit
Former Portland Cement Association Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Market Intelligence Ed Sullivan remains a principal information source for cement, concrete and construction stakeholders through “The Sullivan Report.” The Substack portal offering (sullivansreport.substack.com) launched last month with installments on U.S. cement consumption trends, Federal Reserve policy, and the impact of tariffs on cement imports: CEMENT SHIPMENTSConstruction market and…
Read MoreTransportation groups cheer as DOT walks back GHG reporting
Consistent with a White House order to scrutinize pre-2025 agency measures, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy moved in late April to repeal a 2023 Federal Highway Administration rule known as National Performance Management Measures; Assessing Performance of the National Highway System, Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Set for official repeal this month, the rule required state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning…
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