Onboard cameras equipped with artificial intelligence can help drivers improve their performance and producers defend themselves against lawsuits. Professional athletes watch film; lots of film. They look for patterns in what they did right and (most importantly) what they did wrong. When that knowledge is paired with dedication and hard work, it removes coincidence and paves a proven path to…
Read MoreSources: AICrete Corp., Richmond, Calif.; CP staff AICrete is extending its artificial intelligence application competencies from concrete mix design optimization to aggregate characterization and moisture content measurement. AggSense transforms sand, gravel and stone analysis by replacing time-consuming burn and sieve tests with real-time particle size distribution and moisture evaluations. Ideally mounted over a concrete batch plant weigh hopper or aggregate…
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The Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP) has tapped construction materials testing and engineering giant Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. (WJE) to measure a set of low embodied carbon concrete mixes for their potential in data center floors. The mixes use supplementary cementitious materials plus a portland cement alternative binder. Derived from feedstocks and commercially available processes, the latter is yet…
Read MoreConfirming the Associated Builders & Contractors’ endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, ABC CEO Michael Bellaman and 2024 Chair of the ABC National Board of Directors Buddy Henley (Henley Construction Co. Inc.) note in a letter to his campaign: “After almost four years of anti-competitive, inflationary and divisive policies undermining taxpayer investments in America’s infrastructure, ABC is looking forward…
Read MoreSources: Sunroc Corp., Spanish Fork, Utah; CP staff Sunroc Corp. has closed on Arizona Metro Mix LLC, which serves the Phoenix area with four batch plants and 72 full-time team members. “This acquisition marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for Sunroc in the Phoenix market,” says President Mark Elder. “We bring a reputation that is known throughout the Intermountain…
Read MoreSource: White Cap L.P., Atlanta; CP staff White Cap, the top player in construction supplies and safety products, continues to build concrete contractor offering and service depth, acquiring B&R Reinforcing Inc. of Columbus, Ohio. The transaction follows closely on the heels of White Cap’s acquisition of Ohio-based Dayton Superior Corp., plus deals for five rebar supply and fabrication facilities from…
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I live in suburbia. My town just outside of New Orleans looks like every other suburb in America, replete with good schools, a vibrant restaurant scene, and plenty of traffic at rush hour and during school times. My wife and I moved here 32 years ago, escaping the challenges of urban living—crime and potholes—for the comfort and security of life…
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In an era of continual investments, divestments and mergers of large, global materials producers, it’s easy to view the “big players” as agents of change. But look closely: true innovation is second nature to regional leaders like Superior Ready Mix, a family-owned and operated producer of concrete, asphalt and aggregates based in Escondido, Calif. The company began in 1958 as…
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Building Transparency, the Seattle-based organization behind the environmental product declaration-fueled Embodied Carbon Calculator (EC3), raises a “less is more” premise for carbon emissions-minded architectural, engineering and construction professionals. Authors of its latest report, Manufacturers Guide to Embodied Carbon, frame “dematerialization” as a strategy where the lowest cost, lowest carbon footprint specification results from a design requiring less raw material per…
Read MoreSources: Building Transparency, Seattle; CP staff The latest Lead or Pilot Partners supporting the nonprofit organization building the Embodied Carbon Calculator (EC3) represent a diverse set of manufacturers, suppliers, organizations or individual architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) entities fostering low-carbon public or private contract procurement. In addition to the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association, GCP Applied Technologies and other new…
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