The Concrete Producer articles from April 2006

The Concrete Producer archives from April 2006

Above the rim.(women in workforce)(Editorial)
April 1, 2006... In January, I called my first goaltending violation at a women's basketball game. It was the first in almost 33 years of officiating. It was close. And even though it cost the home team two points, the crowd loved my call. So did No. 32, who...

Specifying carbon fiber.(News)
April 1, 2006... A partnership of precast industry leaders dedicated to developing and marketing precast technologies is presenting seminars which will center on carbon fiber reinforced precast concrete. Produced by AltusGroup, top industry professionals...

ASTM developments.(News)(American Society for Testing and Materials)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Anthony Fiorto, president and CEO of CTLGroup in Skokie, Ill., has become the 2006 chairman of the ASTM International board of directors. A member of ASTM since 1980, Fiorto serves on ASTM committees C01 on Cement and C09 on Concrete and...

Hurricane rebuilding.(News)
April 1, 2006... As people in the Gulf Coast area try to put their lives back together after Hurricane Katrina, the Portland Cement Association and other concrete industry associations have planned three seminars to educate building professionals and homeowners...

ICAR 14th Annual Symposium.(Upcoming Conferences & Events)(Calendar)
April 1, 2006... The International Center for Aggregates Research (ICAR) holds its 14th Annual Symposium April 24-26 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Town Lake in Austin, Texas. It all begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., April 23. Several sessions will interest...

Think concrete: here is an ideal Web site for promoting concrete as a sustainable building material.(E-CONCRETE)
April 1, 2006... Do you have a designer in your area who is not sold on concrete? To help this doubting Thomas get into a concrete way of thinking, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) now offers a special-purpose Web site called ConcreteThinker.com. ...

Staying upright: manufacturers unveil a new truck stability system.(What's New)
April 1, 2006... It's an eerie feeling sitting in a truck that's tipping. Now I understand why drivers say that they don't sense the impending danger until it's too late. I didn't sense my near incident until the specially installed outriggers on the truck I...

Extra credit for pavers.(Problem Clinic)
April 1, 2006... Q. We are a concrete paver producer. An architect who is working on a project that may become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified recently asked if we had any specifications documenting pavers as a green building...

New resource for WWR in concrete.
April 1, 2006... Precast producers now have a new resource to help them understand how to use welded wire reinforcement in their products. Engineers from Purdue University, through the support of Ivy steel & Wire, a division of MMI Products Inc., recently...

Power of positive safety: Metromont engineers hazards out of existence.(Safety Rules)
April 1, 2006... A few weeks ago I began a two-hour drive to visit a client along a very familiar route. As many of us do during a routine task, my mind wandered, and by the time my attention refocused on the task at hand, I realized that I had driven 10 miles...

Why fly solo? Selling concrete is far different from selling your business.(Concrete Returns)
April 1, 2006... After determining how much your company is worth (see last month's column), it becomes time to ask yourself, "Is this the time to sell?" If we look at the activity in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) side of the ready-mixed concrete...

Agents of travel: more women are become dispatchers for concrete producers.(concrete distribution )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... I don't know about you, but for me, weekends are meant for running errands and taking care of whatever I didn't have time to do during the week. Usually, this means spending lots of time behind the wheel of a car. Not too long ago on a...

A network to watch: attendees at the first Women in Concrete Luncheon were urged to be tough and join associations.(Women in Concrete)(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... "Welcome to the first annual Women in Concrete Luncheon and Forum." Just that phrase alone drew thunderous applause from more than 200 women (and a few men) who attended the networking event at World of Concrete in January. The editors of...

Tracking trucks: with these high-tech systems, your trucks are always within range.
April 1, 2006... Becki Fredrick and Peter McDaniel work for concrete producers of different sizes, but they have one thing in common: They're both using wireless truck tracking systems to improve efficiency and save money. Sometimes called telematics,...

Working with dispatch: finding the right telephone strategy is vital for dispatchers to provide good customer service.
April 1, 2006... Adequate staffing is a key to improving the service you provide to your customers. You work hard to earn your customer's business, so why throw it all away by inadequate staffing or excessive workload on your dispatchers? Dispatchers often...

Battling bug holes: understanding surface aesthetics of self-consolidating concrete.(materials in construction industry)
April 1, 2006... Many aspects of self-consolidating concrete (SCC)--durability, high strengths, extreme workability, and appearance--make it a high-performance material. Although increased productivity is the driving force for using SCC, another important...

Keeping in touch: technical innovations relay large amount of data.(Product Pulse)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A good communications network can increase the efficiency of not only delivering ready-mixed concrete, but also other plant operations. In recent years, dispatchers have been using the communications provided by radios to know where their...

Concrete fence forms.(Producer Products showcase)
April 1, 2006... AFTEC supplies proprietary StoneTree[TM] concrete fence forms that produce a combined wall panel and column section from textured double sided interchangeable liners. The form yields 6 wall sections per pour equal to 90 lineal feet in a 10ft....

OSHA & DOT automated compliance management software.(Producer Products showcase)
April 1, 2006... WorkHorse 1[TM], organizes data for fast, easy retrieval with e-mail alert notifications to ensure pro-active management. Shown at left is a sample Alert Page for DOT (driver alerts--license, physicals, MVR's), Training (specific, missed or...

Portable bulk bag silo.(Producer Products showcase)
April 1, 2006... The Supersax 1500 portable bulk bag storage silo is designed to make bulk bag handling on the job site easier and safer. The hopper stores up to 15,000 lbs of cement, discharged through a hydraulicly driven screw conveyor, which is controlled...

Price breakthrough for dust collectors.(Producer Products showcase)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... We have engineered a reliable filtration system that does the same job as carbon steel at a competitive cost The low density rotationally molded polyethylene body in the 5-Ft. model accepts from 16 to 37 filters for air flows from 1,500 to...

Molecular cement dissolver.(Producer Products showcase)(RoMix, Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... "Back-Set" Molecular Cement Dissolver is a unique acid alternative formulated by RoMix, Inc. "Back-Set" works on the molecular level breaking down the ionic bond of the portland cement, turning it to a rinse free mud! "Back-Set" is...

70 candles.(In the Mix)
April 1, 2006... Hartford Concrete Products Inc. is celebrating its 70th year in business. Started in 1936 by the Schantz family as a manufacturer of burial vaults and septic tanks, the company was the first precast concrete producer in the nation to achieve...

Burrowing for business.(In the Mix)
April 1, 2006... Ferrara Bros. Building Materials Corp. has been called on to supply concrete--lots of it--for the largest construction project in New York City history. Based in Queens, N.Y., Ferrara Bros. started producing and delivering 300 to 1000...

Over there.(In the Mix)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Ed Herbert, director of environmental affairs for NRMCA, was scheduled to end his tour of duty in the Middle East in February and return to his post at the association in early March. An officer with the Maryland Air National Guard with 32...