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Category: Innovations Reports

Kraft Match-Cure removes guesswork from QC in precast, prestressed

Concrete News

Kraft Curing Systems’ new Match-Cure insulated enclosure heats and cools test cylinders or cubes containing the same mix design as prestressed concrete elements in the production area, replicating their curing conditions. Temperature sensors, wired or wireless, installed in the Match-Cure enclosures and production area, transmit concrete temperatures to the central AutoCure automatic concrete curing control system. It “matches” the temperature…

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BulkSource delivers construction materials producers data intelligence through open technology platform

Concrete News

ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023 offered a preview of data science methods destined to improve construction materials production and delivery profits. By capturing a groundswell of plant and fleet inputs from signals, sensors, production logs, and order or ticket files, a new class of information technology specialists demonstrated algorithms or programs greatly extending the dashboard and business intelligence tools accompanying current software suites.…

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Startup C60 leverages technology to optimize business operations

Concrete News

The pressure is on for concrete producers. Demand is high, especially with the passing of the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but the market is more challenging than ever.  Construction costs rose 14.1 percent year over year by the end of 2022, according to CBRE’s Construction Cost Index. Recruiting skilled labor continues to be difficult as many industry veterans…

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AI-wise Spider Bot bests buckets for precast, prestressed mix placement

Concrete News

One of the major innovations premiering at The Precast Show 2023 (February 23-25, Columbus, Ohio) is a pinpoint placement machine engineered to succeed mix delivery by crane and bucket, gantry devices or specialized vehicles in precast, prestressed concrete production, while eliminating most of the labor typically required along formwork or casting beds. The EquipPro Spider Bot couples artificial intelligence and…

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Hyster big trucks shoulder M CON’s elevated volume, structure scale

Concrete News

Founded in 1989 to serve Ottawa and eastern Ontario markets, M CON Products Inc. is a leading provider of precast concrete infrastructure components. It produces everything from manholes and catch basins, to pipe, box culvert and other critical concrete structures supporting residential and commercial developments. As the City of Ottawa and surrounding areas have grown, so too has M CON,…

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PLC, in-transit mix management raise performance, sustainability attributes

Jason Straka

By Jason Straka Reducing net carbon dioxide emissions in finished concrete is a critical endeavor for the industry. As portland cement production accounts for a measurable percentage of global man-made CO2 emissions, stakeholders are under a microscope to change the way they finish binders and develop new approaches that are more sustainable through the entire cycle of concrete production. From…

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Shumaker Industries reloads automated truck wash station

Concrete News

One of past decade’s best examples of equipment uptake among North American ready mixed concrete producers is also a textbook case of user experience-driven continuous improvement.  Shumaker Industries piloted and initially deployed its Load and Go automated mixer truck wash station over a 2007-2012 window. Operators saw the 12- x 15-ft. aluminum frame device—outfitted with hoses and wands feeding nozzles…

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Kits ease safe replacement of Hammertek Smart Elbow silo top assemblies

Concrete News

New kits allow direct replacement of silo top elbows and piping/tubing subject to abrasive wear, with all preparation done safely at ground level. Each contains all components required to replace failing elbows, including two Smart Elbow deflection pieces plus all necessary piping/tubing, connectors and gaskets. The kits can be assembled on the plant floor prior to silo top installation, reducing…

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Enviro-Port 5500 frames Shelby Materials’ aggregate, water recycling plan

Concrete News

A new Enviro-Port Complete Recovery Series 5500 concrete reclaimer at Shelby Materials’ Franklin, Ind. ready-mix plant supports permit compliance and community relations measures, most notably storm and process water management, along with space utilization and site aesthetics.  The 5500 is well equipped for the 15-25 yards of returned concrete the plant’s fleet of 19 mixer trucks channels at peak production.…

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Werner weaves compliant answer to ANSI self-retracting lifeline standard

Concrete News

To answer American National Standards Institute code changes effective Q3 2022, a key player in jobsite fall protection has evolved its Bantam and Max Patrol Self-Retracting Lifeline product families. ANSI approved revisions to the Z359.14 standard for self-retracting lifelines (SRLs) in 2021, affording Werner Fall Protection and peers more than a year to update gear.  “Our philosophy is to continue…

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