Movers & Shakers: News that matters
Dust Muzzle Ultra now available in clamshell packaging
The Dust Muzzle Ultra is now available in attractive clamshell packaging for both J-Hook and stand-alone sh`elf displays. Also available is the step-down hose that adapts to any standard American-made vacuum. The Dust Muzzle Ultra is based on the efficient design of the original Dust Muzzle. It uses a flexible adapter ring that eliminates the common problem of hose-clamp pinch-off and allows it to attach firmly to all grinders. It comes in two diameters, 4 inches to 5 inches and 7 inches to 8 inches, and is made from a new rugged plastic that is flexile down to minus 20 F. Distributor discounts are available. Ë›
www.dustmuzzle.com
ProBuild expands presence in Montana
ProBuild Holdings, the nation's largest supplier of building materials to professional contractors, has announced its newest facility in Kalispell, Mont. The operation is a 33-year-old full-service lumberyard serving area contractors and remodelers. The Kalispell yard brings the total number of ProBuild facilities in Montana to 11 and represents a new market for the company.
www.probuild.com
New pricing structure for Concrete Coatings distributors
Concrete Coatings Inc. has announced a new pricing structure with the goal of helping its distributors receive the best prices possible. This new pricing structure will affect all existing distributors as well as new distributors, which are growing in number.
"Our main goal in implementing this new structure is to get all distributors to the Master Distributor Price, which is the largest discounted price we offer," said Alan Christensen, president and CEO of Concrete Coatings Inc., in a press release.
As Concrete Coatings unveils this new pricing structure, it becomes one of the only manufacturers of decorative concrete products that rewards its distributors regardless of size. According to the new pricing levels, distributors receive increasingly better pricing based on either amount of product purchased or product lines carried, giving even the smallest distributors the opportunity to purchase products at the highest discounted price.
Concrete Coatings hopes to help various distributors of all sizes stay competitive in the decorative concrete market. These distributors in turn can pass on savings to their customers, who can then use a high-quality product at a competitive price. This strategy will help build the reputation and credibility of Concrete Coatings, its distributors, and the decorative concrete market as a whole.
www.concretecoatingsinc.com
A POP display unit from Super-Krete
Stores that carry Super-Krete products can display them on a unique three-sided point-of-purchase display unit from the manufacturer.
The unit highlights all 20 Super-Krete Ure-Kote colors, the Super-Krete Paint Chip System, all 20 Color Stain colors with sample boards of blended color examples, and photo displays of jobs and application types. Approximately six feet tall and 200 pounds, the display is on wheels for easy maneuverability. The display is typically sent with a distributor's first initial order. To become a distributor, contact Tracey Holwitz at (800) 995-1716 or at supertracey@super-krete.com.
www.super-krete.com
Blastrac adds Southland distribution
Blastrac, NA has added Quest Building Products as a distributor of its Blastrac and Diamatic product lines.
Located in Anaheim, Calif., and serving greater Los Angeles, Quest is a full-service store with a complete line of equipment to prep, protect, restore, decorate and maintain concrete.
www.questbuilding.com
www.blastrac.com
Proceq SA acquires CNS Farnell Ltd.
Proceq SA of Switzerland, maker of portable precision instruments for testing concrete, metal and rolls of paper and film in the construction, manufacturing and engineering consulting industries, has acquired U.K.-based CNS Farnell Ltd.
CNS Farnell manufactures testing products that are complementary to Proceq's offerings.
www.proceq.com
www.cnsfarnell.com
ASTM committee developing standards
Four proposed new standards are being developed by subcommittees under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates.
Subject matter covered by these standards includes aggregate resistivity, lightweight aggregates, methacrylate bonding systems and semi-adiabatic calorimetry. All interested parties are invited to participate in the standards-developing activities of ASTM Committee C09 subcommittees.
www.astm.org
Cements get new standard from ASTM
Rapid-hardening hydraulic cements are used in a variety of applications in which reduced cementitious content is desired or early service is needed. A newly approved ASTM International standard covering these cements, ASTM C1600/C1600M, Specification for Rapid-Hardening Hydraulic Cement, has been developed by Subcommittee C01.13 on Special Cements, part of ASTM International Committee C01 on Cement.
Four types of cement are covered by the new standard: Type URH, ultra-rapid hardening; Type VRH, very rapid hardening; Type MRH, medium-rapid hardening; and Type GRH, general rapid hardening, for use when higher-strength properties are not required.
(610) 832-9585
www.astm.org
American Shotcrete Association promotes sustainability
The American Shotcrete Association has announced several new initiatives and activities with the purpose of promoting the use of concrete as a sustainable building material.
Last August, ASA joined other concrete organizations in the Joint Sustainability Initiative. Through JSI, these member organizations will present a unified industry approach to sustainability through the creation of programs and products to promote the use of concrete for its sustainable benefits.
Also in August, the ASA Board of Direction voted to form a new committee, Sustainability, which will focus on the identification and promotion of the sustainable benefits of building with shotcrete. Through the work of this new committee, ASA plans to launch new projects and products that will aid ASA members and the shotcrete industry as a whole in advancing the use of shotcrete in sustainable building projects. These projects will include the creation of a brochure outlining the green attributes of concrete and shotcrete, a sustainability-themed issue of Shotcrete magazine, sustainability-related education and training programs, and presentations designed to explore the use of shotcrete as a green material. The ASA Sustainability Committee held its inaugural meeting during the ASA Fall 2009 Committee Meetings in New Orleans, in conjunction with the American Concrete Institute's Fall 2009 Convention.
www.shotcrete.org
Portland Cement Association: Federal funds not stimulating current cement consumption
Bureaucratic delays in releasing funds coupled with long lags between outlays and construction activity for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects will result in very little stimulatory impact on cement consumption in 2009, according to the most recent economic forecast from the Portland Cement Association.
PCA projected that total cement consumption fell 22 percent during 2009 to 75 million metric tons. The meeting of total ARRA obligations in 2010 combined with the beginning of a sustained pickup in the residential sector should contribute to a 10.9 percent increase in total cement consumption in 2010, followed by a 13.1 percent gain in 2011.
The public construction sector, which typically accounts for 50 percent of cement consumption, is hampered by large state deficits caused by a perfect storm of adverse economic conditions and job layoffs, leading to declines in state tax revenue. Ed Sullivan, PCA chief economist, expects that as jobs are created and consumer spending returns, public construction spending will rebound, but not until 2011.
www.cement.org
Concrete polishing specification updated
The Technical Institute for Polished Concrete has released the second version of its technical concrete polishing specification. The specification takes into consideration all of the controllable variables when processing concrete to a polished finish. It is written in a format that allows any manufacturer or specifier to easily specify equipment and supplies while maintaining a solid foundation for installation.
The Technical Institute for Polished Concrete is an organization designed for polishing contractors by polishing contractors. It is dedicated to promoting mechanically ground, honed and polished concrete through research, standards development, accreditation and education.
(410) 643-4074
www.polishinginstitute.org
