How one producer uses a rewards-based app to tie driver behavior to the bottom line. An employee gives a company around 36,000 heartbeats per workday—heartbeats they will never get back. It’s our job, and our responsibility, to make those heartbeats count for all involved. Simple alignment is one of the best things we can do to make this happen. “The…
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Optimization for Ready Mixed Concrete Dispatch
Expect artificial intelligence to impact all aspects of the fulfillment process. “If it ain’t late, you ain’t making money.” Sound familiar? This has been a decades-long mantra of ready mixed concrete (RMC) dispatchers all over the world when pressured to minimize the typical 17 to 23 percent of total costs due to logistics. And the bookend customer complaint to dispatchers…
Read MoreAfter the Artificial Intelligence Crash
What ready mixed concrete jobs will look like after the AI bubble pops. Economic booms and subsequent busts, especially those associated with innovation, have been a part of history for centuries. So what should we expect as the wax (hype) starts to wane for generative artificial intelligence (AI) powered by large language models a la ChatGPT? The likely answers will…
Read MoreBatching Evolution and the Future
A look at how game-changing technologies have been transforming ready mixed concrete and batching. Cementitious materials have been around for a very long time, with the ancient Romans often cited as the first accomplished engineers to exploit them via volcanic pozzolanas. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, significant development took place in England and France. Ultimately, ordinary portland cement—named after the…
Read MoreAre We Ready for Electric Concrete Trucks?
The economics of switching from diesel to electric—and what must be done to reach viability The Ford flathead V8 from 1932 is near-mythical. The engine’s rumble and power transformed road vehicles into speedsters that were often favored by moonshine runners. The 1909 Harley-Davidson V-twin engine, with its patented sound, is equally iconic. So why are we messing with the fabled…
Read MoreERP Implementation
Investment in an enterprise resource planning system can represent a considerable cost, but if done right, the benefits will be realized in a relatively short time. Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” is 1,000 pages of overwhelming complication. Very few people have succeeded in reading it cover to cover. That, my friends, pales in comparison to the Herculean task of selecting…
Read MoreGraphene for Carbon-Neutral Concrete
Graphene technology promises carbon-neutral ready mixed concrete. Those seeking to aggressively push a transition to carbon neutrality should look to Adam Smith, known as the father of capitalism, for guidance. According to the 18th-century Scottish philosopher and economist, “By pursuing his own interest [the individual] frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote…
Read MoreGet Flat and Fast to Compete
Minimize information sprawl to focus on the customer needs that drive your key metric: sales. Enterprise digitization, often called the “paperless company,” has been pushing decision-making to the edge for years. By leveraging cloud-based tools and mobile apps, companies can empower front-line staff with access to the information needed to make quick decisions. This flattens the organizational need for intermediate…
Read MoreNRMCA Concrete Innovations Awards
Now in its second year, the program recognizes outstanding achievement in concrete design and construction. Early this month, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association selected the winners of the 2024 NRMCA Concrete Innovations Awards. Ten projects demonstrate outstanding achievements in performance even as they lower environmental impacts, such as embodied and operational carbon footprints. To help you fully understand the…
Read MoreHow Smart Plants Lower Producers’ Costs
Optimize your resources to reduce the debt of becoming a least-hassle supplier. When Albert Einstein was once asked to name mankind’s greatest invention, his answer was “compound interest.” While the federal funds rate was near zero, it made sense for businesses to load up on debt and pay virtually no interest. Now, with higher interest rates compounding the impact, it’s…
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