We all know that the concrete industry is undergoing significant transformation to reduce its carbon footprint. Focusing on blending portland cement with supplementary cementitious materials, moving to PLC Type IL, and now even to LC3 are big wins for carbon reduction. While these cement innovations are critical, in this article, I want to cover how logistics and transport (what we…
Read MoreHow using mobile apps for authentication helps suppliers prevent fraud while getting paid quicker. Customers, fraud, and regulation, oh my! Who knew getting paid what you’re owed could be so complicated? Below are a few reasons why. At an industry internal rate of return of around 8.5 percent, losing your investment power to nonpaying customers and fraudsters is a hidden…
Read MoreHow ready mixed concrete producers can tackle information technology expenses while staying competitive. Provided you haven’t spent the past decade off the grid hiding from doomsday in a prepper shelter, you know that modern businesses run on information technology. Advanced IT systems have become a hallmark of leading companies in every industry—and while each sector has different needs, all need…
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I want to start this column by saying I am frequently surprised when we get a call from producers requesting EPDs that the first question is: “I have a big project coming and I need EPDs, can you explain what they are? And how do I get one?” This column will focus on what they are, so the many of…
Read MoreTackling the top technology concerns for producer leadership. Technology applicable to ready mixed concrete (RMC) production is rapidly evolving—more so in the past two years than in the previous two decades. Your options are to choose right and prosper or choose wrong and perish. The stakes are high, and it’s imperative to avoid being blindsided by the promised opportunities and…
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Federal agencies have spent more than two years reviewing carbon dioxide emissions associated with load-bearing construction material processing or production. Officials recognize regional or local factors affecting the CO2 emissions profile of concrete, asphalt and steel, and have positioned 2025 as a turning point for procurement terms applicable to federally funded transportation and building work. The Federal Highway Administration took…
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Oshkosh S-Series engineers have designed the new Trainer Cab for the company’s flagship front discharge mixer to meet ready mixed concrete producers’ evolving training needs. It affords a comfortable, versatile and effective training solution by providing a second seat for an experienced operator to accompany a new driver. A successor to a legacy cab that debuted in 1999, the S-Series…
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The White House and General Services Administration have marked the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)-funded low embodied carbon (LEC) construction materials procurement program pilot, noting “a dramatic increase of thousands more environmental product declarations used to identify sustainably-manufactured construction materials over the past year. EPDs are a key tool for gaining visibility into a product’s environmental impacts…
Read MoreSources: Progressive Planet Solutions Inc., Kamloops, British Columbia; CP staff Progressive Planet cites promising compressive strength performance of concrete specimens prepared with PozPyro, a supplementary cementitious material processed with plasma technology and abundantly available crystalline silica feedstock. Designed in collaboration with Pyrogenesis Canada, the binder exhibits potential as a partial portland cement replacement. Mortar cube testing on four separate PozPyro…
Read MoreFly ash market leader Eco Material Technologies has announced a collaboration with Southern Co. subsidiary Alabama Power to harvest and process millions of tons of stored coal combustion products from Plant Barry, a Bucks, Ala. power station. The project is the third such venture with the Atlanta-based utility giant, following CCP harvesting and processing contracts at Plants Bowen and Branch…
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