NRMCA surveys producers ahead of Industry-Wide EPD 4.0 validation

The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association is assessing producer data behind the Industry-Wide Environmental Product Declaration Version 4.0 (IW-EPD v4) and Benchmark Report, set for 2024 release. The new document will feature carbon dioxide emissions and other environmental impacts or metrics attending more than 100 mix designs, including air-entrained and non-air-entrained concretes plus a new high-strength category (> 8,000 psi);…

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Concrete Contractors chime in on portland-limestone cement mixes

Sources: American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis; CP staff The American Society of Concrete Contractors has kicked off a members-only “ALERT!” bulletin series with a look at portland-limestone cement concrete mixes. The two-page document reminds Society members how any new mix ingredient can trigger changes in concrete performance; lists variations contractors have reported with PLC mix loads; offers finishing…

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Small load suitor Ernest Industries fields 2-yd. Shortstop

Sources: Ernest Industries, Springfield, Ohio; CP staff Ernest Industries teamed with Isuzu Motors America for a ConExpo-Con/Agg & IFPE debut of the Shortstop 2 Concrete Mixer. Mounted on a Class 5 Isuzu NRR cabover, the 2-yd., 19,000-lb. GVW model is configured for ready mixed producers, concrete contractors or municipalities seeking to economize small load deliveries. The Shortstop 2 has an…

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Master Builders, Command Alkon partnership starts at mixer drum

Master Builders Solutions has entered into an exclusive agreement with Command Alkon to be the sole third-party reseller of the COMMANDassurance in-transit concrete monitoring system for ready mixed producers in the U.S. and Canada. A drum-mounted probe at the core of system provides real-time slump, temperature and volume data for site-bound concrete. COMMANDassurance takes measurements from direct mixture contact versus…

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Ready mixed producers cut carbon footprint by double digits

Data behind a new National Ready Mixed Concrete Association life cycle assessment report for cast-in-place concrete shows how ready mixed producers, through more efficient use of portland cement, have cut the respective carbon footprints of 4,000- and 8,000-psi orders by 13 percent and 20 percent since 2014. Armed with results from a survey of 155 member producers operating 1,954 ready mixed plants, the association analyzed data on material throughput and other metrics reflecting net energy consumption in slabs or structures.

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Ready mixed producers’ 2015 market confidence remains on upward trajectory

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.

Based on April Producer Confidence Survey responses, NRMCA’s latest industry confidence index reached a 75.1 level for the first quarter of 2015—amid a stock market at historic highs, positive companion economic indicators, and shipment figures showing 2014 as the first year since 2008 where U.S. per capita ready mixed concrete consumption eclipsed one yard.

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Loyal, upbeat employees propel Ozinga Bros. to Top Workplace ranks

Sources: Ozinga Bros, Inc., Mokena, Ill.; CP staff

Results from a survey gauging staff sentiments on daily work activities, impressions of management and company direction earned one of the Midwest’s premier ready mixed producers inclusion in the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces for 2014.

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Revised ACI 318 Code streamlines concrete mix, performance references

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich.; CP staff

In an overview for ready mixed producers on the reorganized ACI-318, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, NRMCA Senior Vice President, Engineering Colin Lobo notes how the just-released version: consolidates concrete mixture-specific references from 318-11 Chapters 3 (Materials), 4 (Durability) and 5 (Strength and Construction Issues) into new Chapters 19 (Concrete: Design and Durability Requirements) and 26 (Construction Documents and Inspection). The reorganization of these sections permitted an evaluation and elimination of some Code provisions related to concrete mixtures and construction when better addressed in other referenced standards.

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Pour function enriches latest Tekla Structures

Schedule

A leader in bringing building information modeling (BIM) software and online tools to the architectural, engineering and construction markets, Tekla Inc. has included in its latest version of 3D modeling software, Tekla Structures 19, a new graphic feature to help contractors and ready mixed producers plan concrete orders in optimal delivery sequences.

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