The Concrete Producer articles from March 2006

The Concrete Producer archives from March 2006

Burning ears.(Editorial)(Editorial)
March 1, 2006... In late January, while many of us were recovering from World of Concrete, a special group of industry observers held their own gathering. John O'Hara and Ken Kasdan hosted about 45 associates at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa. From...

CIM expands.(News)
March 1, 2006... The Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program at Middle Tennessee State University will no longer be the only kid on the block. Three new CIM programs across the country are being launched. The CIM expansion effort began in 2004 and picked...

$224,225!(News)
March 1, 2006... The bidding was fast and furious at the World of Concrete auction benefiting the Middle Tennessee State University Concrete Industry Management program's new building campaign. More than 200 people attended, in addition to 69 registered bidders...

Liquid Stone concludes.(News)
March 1, 2006... After a successful run, Liquid Stone: New Architecture in Concrete closed on Jan. 29. The exhibition attracted 110,000 visitors to the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Featuring beautiful, innovative works of architecture from...

Fiber producer to buy SI Concrete.(News)
March 1, 2006... Propex Fabrics Inc., a manufacturer of polypropylene synthetic fibers based in Austell, Ga., will buy SI Concrete Systems. Joe Dana, CEO of SI, will become president of the North American operations in Chattanooga, Tenn. SI manufacturers fiber...

Sicoma opens in North America.(News)
March 1, 2006... Italian concrete mixer manufacturer Sicoma has recently opened offices in the United States and Canada. The North American venture is a partnership with Scale-Tron Corp., a Montreal-based control systems company. Sicoma's North American...

Cement capacity increases.(News)
March 1, 2006... The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has approved a 37% increase in the production of clinker at Titan America's Pennsuco plant, paving the way for cement production to increase to 2.4 million tons per year. Visit...

Upcoming conferences & events.
March 1, 2006... Decorative Concrete Expo The Decorative Concrete Council, a specialty council of the American Society of Concrete Contractors, hosts the Decorative Concrete Expo March 16-18 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in New Orleans. This is an excellent...

Rating sustainability: comparing analyses helps producers pinpoint product strengths and weaknesses.(E-CONCRETE)
March 1, 2006... The BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) software is a powerful technique for producers to select cost-effective, environmentally preferable building products. Available as a free download, this program can help...

Forming curving concrete: a Canadian researcher hopes to encourage fabric formwork technology.(What's New)
March 1, 2006... Mark West wants to change the way producers, engineers, and contractors view formwork. To reach this formidable goal, he has established the world's first research laboratory for fabric formwork technology at the University of Manitoba in...

A white cement road map.(architectural service materials)
March 1, 2006... Q. We've been discussing whether we want to take on a high-profile architectural precast project using white cement. The engineer's design calls for a very heavily reinforced member, while the architect wants a very high-quality exposed white...

If it isn't broken, fix it: if your safety performance is improving, make sure you know why.(Safety Rules)
March 1, 2006... Will Rogers once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." In this era of globalization and the ongoing threat of acquisition and consolidation, it's difficult to rationalize fixing something...

What's your company worth? There are many variables to consider when determining vale.(Concrete Returns)
March 1, 2006... I regularly receive telephone calls or am approached at industry conferences with the same basic question: "What are ready-mixed concrete producers selling for on a production yard basis?" or "What multiples are being used in today's market for...

When worlds collide: merging two producer is stressful for employee, but also presents opportunity.(As the Drum Turns)
March 1, 2006... Business is great. You've sold several jobs for ABC Ready Mix that contain large amounts of concrete. You process all of the information on the jobs, including who the superintendents are, the project managers you will be submitting the mix...

Concrete's future: a concrete bridge will connect Nevada and Arizona just in Front of Hoover Dam.(Hoover Dam)
March 1, 2006... The only telling feature of the barren southern tip of Nevada in the early 20th Century was the winding Colorado River, several miles away from the grandeur and majesty of the Grand Canyon to the east. From the canyon, the river then...

Getting the mix right: how the largest players approach consolidation and integration.
March 1, 2006... It's a matter of discussion at every concrete industry meeting. When producers gather, rumors about consolidation seem to capture everyone's attention. As a principal in a consulting firm specializing in bringing buyers and sellers...

Concrete is my product: special people promote concrete.
March 1, 2006... In January 2005, the Wisconsin Ready-Mixed Concrete Association sponsored a Concrete Parking Lot Workshop for ready-mix producers, contractors, and ingredient suppliers. Our workshop started at noon and continued until noon the next day. My...

Putting the shovels away: a conveyor belt cleaner saves a producer time and money.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... Armed with brooms and shovels, Raineri Ready-Mix in St. Louis waged a constant battle with conveyor-belt carryback. Ultimately fed up with the arduous, wasteful, and sometimes risky routine of manually removing carryback fallout, managers...

Conveyor for segregating material.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... Dover Conveyor custom engineers and manufactures a variety of conveyors. The underslung is its design of choice for radial stackers through 125 feet. Mast styles are offered from 125 through 200 feet. The non-segregating type is a specialty...

Heavy-duty radial stackers.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... Radial stacking conveyors come in 24-, 30-, and 36-inch belt widths, with a maximum length of 125 feet. They feature heavy-duty frame construction, including supports and axles. The Eagle Mobile, Stallion/ Thoroughbred, and Stationary Empire...

Robust miniconveyors.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... LIBA miniconveyor belts are robust and durable enough for transporting almost any material. Made with an aluminum frame, the units come in lengths from 3 to 6 meters. They are easily maneuverable--the LBA 300 weighs 132 pounds, while the 600...

Telescopic radial stacker.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... The ThorStack 2 is a portable, telescopic radial stacker that reaches up to 150 feet. The tail undercarriage is constructed from hollow structural steel for added strength, durability, and longevity. The hinge point was redesigned to alleviate...

Safety circuit for conveyor equipment.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... The Model RS Safety Stop Control is a heavy-duty safety control that provides a positive shut-off of dangerous conveyor equipment in an emergency. A cable pulled by endangered personnel actuates the control. The output contacts of the unit can...

Cut handling costs.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... The TS-190 TeleStacker Conveyor is equipped with a patent-pending swing axle that builds the highest volume stockpiles in almost any configuration. It is fully programmable, with a reach of 190 feet. It also allows producers to stockpile more...

Hydraulic walking floor conveyor.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... The Walking Floor System is a series of hydraulically actuated floor slats that convey the load in a four-phase cycle. In each of the first three cycles, one-third of the slats move, while the remaining two-thirds remain in place. In the final...

Move aggregate with air.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... The Air Pump can move granular sand, crushed rock, and decomposed granite, as well as lightweight soil mixes. A single hose can deliver up to 10 cubic yards per hour over a distance up to 250 feet. The truck-mounted unit allows you put material...

Attach to ready-mix trucks.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... The LTB Mixer Truck concrete conveyor is a cost-effective alternative to a concrete pump, with an operating distance of up to 53 feet. The patent-pending quick-detach system allows the conveyor to be attached or removed from the ready-mix truck...

Gravity conveyor limits waste.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... Easy to use and easy to maintain, the Air Shoot safely moves dry, fluidized material on a low-pressure, air-activated gravity conveyor. Cement, fly ash, hydrated lime, PVC resin, and more move through the Air Shoot in a near horizontal plane...

New brochure features bearing products.(Product Pulse)
March 1, 2006... Emerson Power Transmission has a new 12-page brochure on bearings and power transmission products for aggregate applications. Sealing systems included are the Browning Torq Taper Plus barrier seal system and SealMaster sealing options for...

Every day is wash day: disposing of washout residue at the jobsite is gaining greater attention.(Fleet Factors)
March 1, 2006... Offsite drum clean-out used to be a customer's problem. After all, didn't they purchase the material? So for the greater part of ready-mixed concrete history, fleet managers considered a successful trip one that found their trucks returning to...

Truck manufacturers made plenty of news at world of concrete in January that will interest fleet managers.
March 1, 2006... Indiana Phoenix Inc. released a new four-page brochure designed to help customers both understand and visualize important details of their front-discharge mixer product line. It features key points and concepts concerning the unit's cab, frame,...

Guide for Concrete Overlays and Toppings: the book includes creative aspects of installing decorative toppings.(Bookshelf)
March 1, 2006... The third in a series of educational guides for the decorative concrete industry, Bob Harris' Guide to Concrete Overlays & Toppings gives contractors comprehensive instructions for rejuvenating concrete floors, exterior flatwork, and even wall...

Pre-cast forming system.(Producer Products showcase)
March 1, 2006... AFTEC's concrete fence wall forming systems are at the top for efficiency and versatility. The patented Combo-Cast[TM] unit, whereby the column and panel are cast as one piece, requires less than one half of the manufacturing, handling and...

Tumblemaster.(Producer Products showcase)
March 1, 2006... Revolutionary and novel aging plant for concrete pavers, the "Tumblemaster". It finishes complete layers of concrete pavers (60-100 mm) on both sides in-line with a cycle time of 10 seconds. Daily capacity 25000 sq.ft. Phone (905) 575-4440,...

Molecular Cement Dissolver.(Producer Products showcase)
March 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...

Admixtures for colored concrete.(Producer Products showcase)
March 1, 2006... Award winning projects begin with award winning materials. CHROMIX[R] Admixtures for Color-Conditioned[TM] Concrete are colored, water-reducing, set-controlling admixtures for ready mixed architectural concrete. Coloring concrete integrally,...

Universal's Twister Connector.(Producer Products showcase)
March 1, 2006... Designed to withstand and spread concrete forces when connecting the side of the flange of one double tee beam, wall or slab to adjacent concrete in precast parking garage floors, bridge decks and reinforced roof slabs in industrial buildings....

It's a wrap.(concrete exhibitions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... If you ran into more friends and acquaintances at World of Concrete this year, it was no coincidence. The show shattered records for attendance and exhibit space. More than 80,000 people attended, or about 12,000 more than in 2005. More than...

Racing for customers.(Alby Materials)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... "Gentlemen, start your engine," was first used to announce the opening of Alby Materials' new Pewaukee, Wis., plant. The Southeast Wisconsin producer and aggregate supplier wanted it known that it was ready to race for customers, fulfill their...