Sources: ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pa.; CP staff
ASTM Committee C27 on Precast Concrete Products is set to publish a standard (C1889) for designing drainage and utility infrastructure. The document essentially codifies requirements for precast structures from American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials load and resistance factor design (LRFD) specifications, and also addresses soil, hydrostatic, surcharge plus other loads.
Read MoreSources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff
Prestress Services Industries LLC (PSI), Columbus, Ohio-based producer of architectural or structural precast for building and transportation markets, will contest Occupational Safety and Health Administration-proposed penalties of $158,500 before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Read MoreSources: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.; CP staff
NPCA directors have appointed Frederick Grubbe, MBA, CAE, successor to President and CEO Ty Gable, who will cap 25-plus years at the group with a previously announced year-end retirement. Effective January 2020, Grubbe will lead staff, programs and activities to ensure objectives are attained, plans fulfilled, and member needs met. He will work with directors on developing the strategic plan and maintaining effective internal and external relationships.
Read MoreSources: A-Lok Products, Inc., Tullytown, Pa.; Seaman Corp., Wooster, Ohio; CP staff
Seaman Corp. has entered a strategic alliance that will see its XR Quikliner membrane distributed through A-Lok Products, a key player in underground precast connectors, gaskets and accessories. A prefabricated PVC alloy with polypropylene fiber backing, the Quikliner is based on XR-5 technology, which has been deployed for 40-plus years in geomembrane conditions subject to harsh environments.
Read MoreSources: American Concrete Pipe Association, Irving, Texas; County Materials Corp., Marathon, Wis.; CP staff
Members and allies are recognizing the American Concrete Pipe Association-organized Concrete Pipe Week, August 18-24, through plant tours and employee appreciation events, while engaging federal, state or local officials in discussions about product quality, performance and resilience as they relate to storm and sanitary sewer infrastructure, culverts, and small precast bridges.
Read MoreSources: University of California, Los Angeles; CP staff
A University of California, Los Angeles team in the final round of the $20 million NRG Cosia Carbon Xprize competition has scheduled a February 2020 demonstration of a process yielding precast concrete blocks with carbon dioxide gas from coal-fired power generation. Carbon Upcycling UCLA will stage the 30-day undertaking at the Dry Fork Station near Gillette, Wyo.; members see daily production of up to 10 tons of their CO2ncrete-trademarked units for use in wall construction.
Read MoreSources: Fortified Precast Technologies LLC, Ocala, Fla.; CP staff
Fortified Precast Technologies has outlined an ambitious Florida residential real estate development plan, leveraging a partnership with German precast concrete production specialist Vollert Group and Opportunity Zone provisions in the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). The company’s Fortified Precast Opportunity Fund is authorized to raise $100 million in $20 million increments to build five plants incorporating Vollert mix delivery, form pallet and companion robotics or casting components. At 32,720 sq. ft. of daily wall panel output, the operations would be capable of supplying more than 4,200 home projects annually. The capacity would be initially targeted to the Sunshine State market, which seen residential building permits climb from 116,200 in 2016, to 122,700 in 2017 and 142,300 last year.
Read MoreSources: Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Foundation, Chicago; CP staff
“Our mission is to impact the future of the built environment while promoting the use of precast concrete. We are partnering with bright young minds to push the boundaries of precast design and construction to do what has never been done before,” says PCI Foundation Executive Director Marty McIntyre, outlining 2019-2020 initiatives.
Read MoreSources: National Precast Concrete Association, Carmel, Ind.; CP staff
NPCA directors have approved a new structure of Board and Products Committees, citing their improved capacity “to move quickly to address opportunities and threats” and potential to “provide a meaningful forum in which members can work on specific issues that impact the industry.”
Read MoreSources: Charles Pankow Foundation, McLean, Va.; CP staff
A Charles Pankow Foundation grant will fund “Seismic Precast Concrete Wall and Frame Structures with Short-Grouted Ductile Rebar Connections,” a University of Notre Dame Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences investigation under Yahya Kurama, PhD, PE. Findings could support the development of commercially available connectors holding the potential to simplify precast wall and frame construction.
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