NRMCA's celebration of the 100th anniversary of ready mixed concrete in the U.S. continues its submissions for November - see below for this week's Producer and Associate member Web site links. This week's industry milestone: The Dames Pointe span over the St. John’s River, Jacksonville, FL, with a 1,300 foot span, became the longest concrete cable-stayed bridge in North America when completed in 1988.

Kentucky Concrete, Inc. - The company was founded in 1979 under the name Hardin County Ready Mix, Inc. by nine local builder/developers to insure a readily available source of concrete for their own use, as well as filling a gap in the market for timely deliveries of concrete. In 1982, the late Joe K. Schlatter purchased the stock from the other eight local builders. With steady growth over the next few years and a growing need for an easier access to the Elizabethtown market, the assets of Larue County Ready Mix was purchased in early 1984. The business was incorporated under the name of Lincoln Trail Ready Mix, Inc. and ran separate from Hardin County Ready Mix, Inc. Read more.

An NRMCA Producer member since 1998

Housby - Since 1969, Housby has been known for the quality of new and used trucks it sells. What started out primarily as a Mack Truck dealership has grown into a conglomerate of vertically integrated businesses. Housby is also a member of the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau for its manufacturing of mixer drums. Read more.

An NRMCA Associate member since 1998

After decades in the cut-throat concrete industry, Australian Joe Wagner recognizes the importance of innovation to remaining competitive. Wagners, a family company that supplies construction materials to the building industry, has invested eight years of research and development at its laboratory in Toowoomba, Queensland, into the formulation of a "green" concrete. The product, marketed as "earth-friendly concrete", is based on a cement-like material made using slag and fly ash that replaces Portland cement as a binder in concrete. Wagner says the concrete costs about as much as that made with Portland cement. However, it is making inroads into the market, partly because of its environmental and structural characteristics.

Source: A November 16 posting on the Web site of The Australian. Read more.

Perhaps at some point you find yourself asking, "Where do old poker chips go when casino bosses decide they're no longer fit for using?" Well, sometimes the answer involves the world's most versatile building material and, in a reference to Las Vegas's sometimes sordid past, "sleeping with the fishes."

Today’s furniture makers are using the industrial material to make a wide range of objects, from dining chairs and tables to candelabras and even pillows. To do so, designers often replace the gravel and sand used in conventional concrete with high-tech materials, such as fibreglass or steel-reinforcing micro fibres.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established a technical working group (TWG) to provide input and feedback on pavement and material sustainability. The working group is composed of representatives from state DOTs, other government agencies, academia and industry. The working group is part of FHWA's Sustainable Pavements Program, established in 2010, which strives to advance the knowledge and practice of sustainability in the pavements and materials area. The integrated program covers asphalt, concrete, granular and recyclable materials used in pavement systems and promotes research into new sustainable materials and processes.

Program objectives include developing guidelines for designing and constructing sustainable pavement systems; evaluating materials, processes, technologies and tools to aid in the evaluation, design and construction of sustainable pavement systems; and conducting technology transfer and deployment activities. In support of these objectives, the working group meets twice a year to exchange ideas, innovative solutions and evaluate products under development by the FHWA sustainable pavements team. At a recent TWG meeting held in Baton Rouge, LA, Franz-Joseph Ulm of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub presented the latest results of the pavement-vehicle interaction (PVI) model being developed by MIT and feedback from the group was very positive. Previous input from the technical working group was instrumental in shaping the current version of the PVI model. NRMCA Vice President Pavement Structures Brian Killingsworth is a friend of the committee and ensures that the benefits of ready mixed concrete are considered in the work that the group performs.

The NRMCA Promotion Committee Task Force on Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) is charting the waters for producers looking to dip their toes into the RCC market. "Roller-Compacted concrete pavement is a viable alternative to conventional asphalt paving that offers our industry strong growth opportunities," says NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Phil Kresge. " As we move into this market we have plenty to learn and the task force will help in smoothing out that learning curve."

During a recent meeting, the task force determined that there are several good technical documents currently available or in development that provide information on production, design and construction of RCC pavement. It was suggested that what is needed is a Ready Mixed Producer’s Guide to Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavement that would assist producers in understanding the nuances of RCC, specifically in mix design and placement procedure.

A section of the Guide will also be dedicated to how best to promote RCC pavement, patterned after NRMCA’s Promotion and Advocacy Guide for Concrete Streets and Roads. Topics within this section will include customers’ expectations for RCC pavement, the difference between selling conventional concrete and RCC, and developing relationships with RCC/Asphalt Contractors.

NRMCA has announced a new State Affiliate Promoter of the Year Award to recognize outstanding concrete promotion contributions by an employee of one of NRMCA’s State Affiliate partner organizations. Nominees must be a current employee of the Affiliate and have worked in the industry for at least five years. Existing NRMCA promotion awards are the Lifetime Achievement Award for Promotion and the Concrete Producer Promoter of the Year Award. Nominations are open for all three awards with a December 20, 2013 deadline.

NRMCA promotion awards are presented at the Annual Convention every spring.  Any active participant in the ready mixed concrete industry (including suppliers and contractors) can help a promotion champion gain acknowledgement by nominating him or her for any of these prestigious awards. Information about all three promotion awards and the simple nomination process can be found here.

With more than 6,000 members and partners in the ready mixed concrete industry who rely on NRMCA for training and information, NRMCA is a powerful force in the ready mixed concrete industry around the globe. Click here to examine the numerous opportunities in the 2014 NRMCA Sponsorship Program to reach key buying influencers in the industry. Regardless of your budget, you’ll find opportunities that can deliver to a powerful, receptive audience at an affordable cost.

Sponsorship opportunities are limited and sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. So act now to join the growing list of members who support NRMCA through annual sponsorship!

Exams have been graded and results are being sent to the 38 attendees at the recent NRMCA Technical Short Course in Silver Spring, MD. The attendees are congratulated for attending the course and for their significant participation. The following is the summary of the results:

• ACI Field Testing Technician Grade I – 17 of 17 passed (100%)
• ACI Flatwork Finisher Technician – 9 of 13 passed (69%)
• NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 2 – 21 of 38 passed (55%) – Haejin Kim with SES Group and Associates, LLC, is congratulated for achieving the highest score.
• NRMCA Concrete Technologist Level 3 – 14 of 27 passed (52%) – Lee Thrasher with Ready Mix USA  is congratulated for achieving the highest score.

A Kansas City industry group organized a seminar titled "Is Your Concrete Chemically Dependent" for designers and contractors to address some of the restrictive specifications and the associated problems with construction. The seminar provided three professional Development Hours to Architects and Engineers through the AIA-CES, with NRMCA member Ash Grove Materials as the education provider. The seminar was attended by 75 designers, contractors and industry members, along with NRMCA Senior Vice President of Engineering Colin Lobo.

 

Rusty Owings with Hunt Martin Materials discussed the topic of minimum water content required for appropriate consistency and the restrictions caused by conservative water-cement ratio limits in project specifications. He illustrated several projects in the region where problems occurred. Lobo presented on the requirements in industry standards and the need to avoid unnecessary prescriptive provisions. He discussed options of evolving toward performance-based specifications and provided NRMCA documents that were resources to designers to change their specifications.

Pat Harrison with SSI discussed the requirements for successful interior slab on grade construction in terms of having adequate mix water, paste content, aggregate size distribution and other aspects of placing and finishing floors for a wide range of project needs. 

The session concluded with a panel discussion that included a general contractor and owner/developer. There was good participation from the audience during this discussion session.

For more information, contact Colin Lobo at clobo@nrmca.org.

The University of Toronto has scheduled the sixth offering of this popular course on "Chemistry of Cements and Concrete" and is offering the program to industry professionals in addition to graduate students. The course is scheduled for April 28 – May 2, 2014 at the University of Toronto. The course is taught by Professor R. Doug Hooton and other world renowned experts on the subject matter. It covers the chemistry and physics related to cement manufacture, supplementary cementitious materials, interactions with chemical admixtures, microstructure development, and durability mechanisms related to sulfate reactions, alkali-aggregate reactions, corrosion and freezing and thawing resistance of concrete. A reasonably advanced knowledge of cement and concrete technology is required for optimized learning opportunity.  Handout materials on the course content will be provided.

The December 10-13 NRMCA Plant Manager Certification class in Orlando is sold out. NRMCA has a waiting list for cancellations only. As a result, NRMCA will hold an extra class March 25-28, 2014 in Oklahoma City. Registration will open for that class around December 1. Until then, NRMCA will hold a list of names for the March class.

The new Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) from OSHA requires chemical manufacturers, distributors or importers (including ready mixed concrete producers) to make adjustments to their Hazard Communication Plan... is your company ready? Did you know that the new rule that went into effect in 2012 requires ready mixed concrete producers to change their Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDSs to a new 16-part format Safety Data Sheet (SDS)? There is a new criteria for labels on hazardous chemicals, including pictograms... do you know what they are? The labels must now include Chemical Hazard Classifications, Precautionary Statements and Signal Words... are your employees familiar with these? The new standard requires that your employees be trained about the various aspects of your new Hazardous Communication Plan by December 1... have they been trained? Do you know where to find ready mixed concrete industry specific training?

Another vital addition to NRMCA’s Safety Series, the Hazard Communication Standards Guide for the Ready Mixed Concrete Industry has the training and answers for all of these questions. This CD-based PowerPoint training guide provides the ready mixed concrete producer with the tools to train employees on OSHA’s new Hazard Communication Standard changes. The training guide includes a CD with training PowerPoint, trainer notes, attendee slides, sample SDS for ready mixed concrete, and OSHA QuickCards highlighting the new Hazard Communication Standard changes. Finally, a quiz and training documentation form are enclosed to help keep track of personnel training. 

To obtain your guide please click here or call the NRMCA publications department at 240-485-1165. For more information, contact Gary Mullings at gmullings@nrmca.org.

NRMCA’s annual Dispatcher Forum Workshop will be held February 18-20 in Silver Spring, MD, (metro Washington, DC) at the RMC Research & Education Foundation Center. The seminar includes concrete technical topics as they relate to the dispatcher's job, the latest update on drivers' hours of service regulations, scheduling, order taking and customer service-phone skill building exercises. Special care is taken to address dispatchers’ challenges in today’s difficult environment.

 

NRMCA will host a free Webinar on Monday, December 16, from 3 - 4 p.m. Eastern time to update concrete industry professionals on key sustainability issues facing the industry, and NRMCA tools and initiatives to help members address these issues. The green building movement continues to expand at an unprecedented rate, and there are many opportunities and challenges for the concrete industry. To take full advantage of these opportunities and address the challenges, you must have a full understanding of issues facing the industry and how these issues can affect your business. This Webinar will present the key sustainability issues and NRMCA tools and initiatives that can help you address them. This is the first of a series of periodic Webinars that will address specific topics, including:
 

• MIT Research Results

• Disaster Resiliency Initiatives

• LEED v4 and new reporting requirements including EPDs, RSS and HPDs

• Concrete industry efforts to address key Wood First initiatives

• Adopting life cycle costing and life cycle assessment at the state and local level

• Education opportunities

The Washington Aggregates & Concrete Association (WACA) hosted its annual winter workshop last week in Tacoma, WA; the main focus of the meeting was the movement toward Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in the green building marketplace, reports NRMCA Senior Vice President of Sustainable Development Lionel Lemay who attended the meeting. WACA Executive Director Bruce Chattin assembled a group of speakers representing the academic, design, construction and manufacturing communities to lay out the new requirements for material reporting in LEED v4, including EPDs. Kate Simonen of the University of Washington described the EPD process. Don Davies, a structural engineer with Magnusson Klemencic & Associates, described how the design community will use the information described in EPDs to make informed decisions on structural materials. Jeff Davis of Central Concrete, the first concrete company in North America to verify an EPD, described how it is leveraging its EPD and other sustainability initiatives into a market advantage in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lemay described the business case for moving toward reporting environmental impacts through EPDs and other reports required in LEED v4, including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports and Health Product Declarations (HPDs). He also described the many programs and tools available to concrete producers to help meet these new requirements, including the NRMCA EPD Program.

The deadline for submitting abstracts for NRMCA’s 2014 International Concrete Sustainability Conference scheduled is Saturday, November 30. The ninth annual conference is scheduled for May 12-15 just outside Boston at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge. The conference will provide learning and networking opportunities on the latest advances, technical knowledge, continuing research, tools and solutions for sustainable concrete manufacturing and construction. Researchers, academics, students, engineers, architects, contractors, public works officials, material suppliers and concrete industry professionals are invited to submit abstracts. Suggested topics include the latest developments related to design, specifying, manufacturing, testing, construction, maintenance, and research of concrete as it relates to sustainability.

Abstracts can be submitted online by November 30. The 2014 International Concrete Sustainability Conference is being held in conjunction with the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub Showcase scheduled for May 15. Registrants for the 2014 International Concrete Sustainability Conference will have the option of attending both events.

The third class in NRMCA's sales certification series, Fundamentals of RMC Accounting, Finance, and Business Law: CCSP Module III, Business Knowledge, will be held February 11 - 13, 2014, in Silver Spring, MD. The curriculum stands alone; attendees do NOT have to attend CCSP I or II first. Class content shows how to use break-even analysis, fundamentals, cash flow, fundamentals of contract law, collections and antitrust regulation. Each is critical to a producer to assure sales staff sell every cubic yard profitably. The class only runs once a year.

CCSP III is a required class in the STEPS Sales and Promotion program.