The association’s latest task group champions the latest advances in technology. By Craig Yeack Once upon a time, the winners and losers in our industry were separated mainly by one thing: pricing power. Be it through consolidation, vertical integration, or just being a superior operator, pricing power is an economic term that describes a company’s ability to raise prices without…
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Shining the Light on Precast
A solid financial case can be made to use precast concrete more broadly in projects. Decades ago, some bright guy built his own septic tank with forms, casting the concrete structure first and then installing it. His neighbors asked if he could help them do that, too. Boom. Precast as we know it was born. Modern precast is critical infrastructure,…
Read MoreThe Future of Batching
Producers must decide between sticking with batching systems that do a good enough job and upgrading to one that runs masterfully with improved accuracies and uptime. Many of us grew up with the idioms “use it up, wear it out” and “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” These words of wisdom are essential for survival in a world of…
Read MoreNewsflash: The digital enterprise is not complicated
Ready-mix concrete is a “now” industry. Real time. No delay. It’s time for us to catch up with what our kids already have: Instant access to information and collaboration with everyone all the time. The phrase “digital enterprise” makes a ton of money for lots of advisors from big-name consultancies. They use it as a noun, verb and adverb. They…
Read MoreThe Modern Customer
Modernizing the business of ready-mix, part 3 of 3. Running a ready-mix concrete operation is tough. Pat yourself on the back for exactly three seconds. Now for the crushing reality: Running a concrete construction operation is just as tough, if not more. Let’s spend some time in our customers’ shoes (see sidebar). Think about what we can do to make…
Read MoreThe ‘NOW’ System Landscape
Modernizing the business of ready-mix, part 2 of 3. Managing construction materials is a complicated “now” business. Dozens of independent factors must be tamed to achieve on-time, on-site, on-spec fulfillment. The most complicated is structural ready-mix concrete, which is driven by the real-time NOW factors of need, inventory, manufacturing, perishability and logistics. Complicating the issue even further, most material producers…
Read MoreConcrete Batching: Buy vs. Build
Modernizing the business of ready mix, part 1 of 3 Many concrete producers are considering the merits of upgrading their software and hardware for concrete batching. Some are even considering a DIY approach. Recently, one regional company owner asked me, “What would it take to update all of our 100-plus batching plants to a modern system, and why can’t we…
Read MoreTaking the Pork Out of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
H.R.3684, all 1,372 pages using size 12 Robo font, is a whopper. Every dollar sign is followed by at least six zeros, and it’s pretty much hopeless to sum up the total to be spent. A billion spent here and a billion spent there, and pretty soon you have some real money! As of press time, the bill has yet…
Read MoreWhy Covid is Pushing our Industry to the Cloud
Use Service Oriented Architecture to become the least-hassle provider and win customers. Now more than ever due to Covid, concrete producers must rely on technology to navigate the uncertain, changing future. Our own employees, and our customers, are forced to rely on remote communications with the expectation of great service and real-time information. So how do folks steeped in a…
Read MoreThe Green Dividend
Is it time to consider an alternative fuel source for your fleet? by Craig Yeack
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