Concrete Products

SEP 2012

Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.

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BRIEFS ACTIVITIES & APPOINTMENTS PRODUCERS On the heels of last year's strategic invest- ment in fly ash binder specialist Ceratech, Argos USA is preparing to offer carbon-neu- tral concrete mixes in major markets from the Carolinas to Texas. With expanded prod- uct offerings based on the ekkomaxx binder—fly ash plus a handful of propri- etary liquid admixtures—Argos will reaffirm its industry leadership by offering portland cement-free mixes with two to three times the durability of regular concretes when ex- posed to extreme corrosive and high tem- perature environments, Ceratech notes. As the country's fourth largest ready mixed concrete producer, Argos is building a competitive advantage based on sustain- ability and innovation, notes Ceratech CEO Jon Hyman, adding, "The investment in Ceratech shows how important innovative, sustainable construction products are to [Argos'] goals as an industry leader." Separately, Ceratech has signed a multi- year, fly ash sourcing agreement with Mid- west Generation LLC. "The quality of the ash is excellent," affirms Ceratech Execu- tive V.P. Mark Wasilko. "Unlike conven- tional portland cement, we have no issues with carbon activated ash, which enables us to [Midwest's] highly reactive ash in all our cements. In combination with the fly ash sourcing in Michigan and Ohio, we are well positioned to support a broad range of projects across the Midwest. "[Midwest Generation] compliments es- tablished fly ash procurement agreements with Headwaters Resources at power plant locations throughout the U.S. We are ac- tively involved in identifying, developing, and even enhancing fly ash sources in the U.S. and Canada." New York's Turner Construction safety managers were set to suspend work Sep- tember 4 to deliver a message—Lean and Safe: Material Management for a Safer Work Environment—timed with the general con- tracting giant's annual Safety Stand-Down. The event is an opportunity to introduce 40,000-plus subcontractors to the princi- ples and methods of lean construction, which Turner describes as an operating philosophy a) emphasizing the use of provenmethods and tools in a cycle of con- tinuous improvement; b) seeking to de- liver client the greatest value through reduction of activities that waste time, material and other resources; and, c) ca- pable of delivering results with better col- laboration and communication, jobsite organization, and scheduling. 22 | SEPTEMBER 2012 Stand-Down presentations focus on how project team members can improve overall site safety with Lean methods, including how equipment, tools, and materials are de- livered, received, distributed, and stored. "One adaptation of Lean is a program we call 'Nothing hits the Ground' where subcontrac- tors use rolling carts and racks, dollies, and pallet jacks in order to prevent many of the strains, sprains and repetitive motion in- juries associated with material handling. At the same time this increases worker produc- tivity, which can lead to improved schedules and lower costs," says Turner Director of In- tegrated Building Solutions James Barrett. "Being a leader in the construction industry is more than just programs, procedures, met- rics and initiatives," adds Vice President of En- vironmental Health and Safety Cindy DePrater. "It's about continuous improvement, empowering people to find and suggest solu- tions, and an unwavering commitment on part of every project team member to sending every worker home safely every day." PRODUCER, CONTRACTOR GROUPS CHARTER CLEARINGHOUSE In an effort to increase the awareness of certification opportunities for concrete pro- fessionals, while promoting the advantages of such programs, eight concrete associa- tions have joined forces to form the CICC. Comprised of the American Concrete Pumping Association (ACPA), Architectural Precast Association (APA), Concrete Foundations As- sociation (CFA), Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association (CSDA), International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI), National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA), Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI) and the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA), the CICC is a non-profit clearinghouse dedicated to serving those interested in improving the quality and safety of concrete construction and renovation. As a group, the associations will concentrate on providing concrete industry professionals with certification opportunities. The consortium made available a unified marketing piece that raises awareness of the program variety offered to the industry in electronic format at the end of August, and through the websites of the participating organizations. Additionally, the consor- tium plans a website for unified information and links to the certified personnel direc- tories for each program. The message supporting the value and importance of certification in the concrete industry will be visible throughout organizational conven- tions and during World of Concrete, February 4–8 in Las Vegas, where master certifica- tion certificates and the majority of these opportunities are offered. "The consortium idea came about during gatherings of the Small Association Group Executives (SAGE), which the participating organizations of the consortium started sev- eral years ago," said Ed Sauter, executive director for the CFA and TCA. The consortium itself was spawned a little over a year ago as SAGE gathered during their regular spring meeting. Each association represented in the consortium has been working for years to develop, refine, maintain and promote certification as the next step forward for the fu- ture of their respective industry. According to Christi Collins, executive director of the ACPA, maintaining the strictest standards for safety in the concrete industry is crucial. "Every contractor has an obli- gation to provide a safe work environment for their workers and utilizing the most qual- ified, knowledgeable and professional personnel in their respective fields will help them achieve this assurance. Through the collaborative promotion efforts of the CICC, we are able to expand the awareness of our pump operator certification program which will go a long ways towards improving the overall quality of our industry," said Collins. "Certification of companies or individuals is a topic found in all segments of the con- struction market as builders and code departments attempt to establish competency and accountability in construction," said James Baty, technical director of CFA and TCA. "In the end, it is about assurance and knowing that an industry segment has a com- mitment opportunity that results in that assurance." WWW.CONCRETEPRODUCTS.COM

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