Meet a Precaster-ARTO Brick

This month we are pleased to feature ARTO Brick as part of our Meet a Precaster blog series. The following answers have been provided by Armen Alajian.

Q: Where are you located?
A: Online: www.artobrick.com; Physical: Gardena, Calif.

Q: How long have you been in business?
A: Officially since 1966

Q: How long have you been a member of NPCA?
A: 7 years

Q: Why did you join NPCA?
A: The fraternal nature of the organization mixed with real information that can better our business, topped off with a great staff. Read More »

The Sustainable Precaster: A look inside green practices at precast plants

When specifiers choose precast concrete, they get a number of sustainable benefits. In addition to precast being a durable, high-quality product that is easy to install, it often includes recycled content, can reduce site disturbance, uses regional materials and has an extremely long lifespan.

Precast as a building material can be considered a sustainable product, but precast producers have also begun implementing practices at their plants that make their production facilities more eco-friendly. Techniques range from simple changes like replacing inefficient lighting and reducing dust to installing radiant floor heating, solar panels or cisterns for rainwater reuse. Read More »

Making the Customer Commitment

Thirty-four years ago, I looked my wife in the eyes and said “I do.” I was making a promise to her that I did not take lightly then and still don’t today.

Have I always been the perfect husband? No. But that’s a part of being human and I’ve always worked hard to hold up my end of the bargain. As a business owner, you make a similar pledge to your customers. You are forming a fragile relationship that can be broken at any time if you don’t make good on your promises.

There’s a reason the phrase, “the customer is always right” is so common. It makes good business sense and it’s just good common sense. You can make the best product in the world, but without loyal customers you’re dead in the water. Why not go above and beyond for your customers? Give them the baker’s dozen treatment and show them you really care. If you exceed expectations, it will be noticed. Things like guarantees and warrantees can go a long ways. Read More »

The Speed You Need

Precast concrete producers provide architects, engineers, contractors and anyone else in the building or infrastructure industry with a wide array of products. From underground to above ground, and structural to architectural, there is a precast solution. Precast concrete is the construction material of choice for many because of the numerous benefits it provides, including consistent quality, versatility, durability and its availability year round.

All of these benefits add up to a great product for any number of building or infrastructure projects. But when time is of the essence and the project absolutely, without question, has to be done quickly the best benefit of precast is ease of installation. This ensures a short project timeline. Read More »

Storm Safety-NPCA member featured in news story

When a string of devastating storms hit the U.S. last week, the result was more than 342 deaths and a swath of destruction that stretched across multiple states.

A majority of damage was done by tornados, which have the power to level nearly everything in their path. The 312 tornadoes from last week, which includes a record-setting 226 in one day alone, did exactly that, leaving homes and lives destroyed.

The storms have left many wondering if they could have been better prepared, and brought storm shelters to the forefront as residents in tornado-prone areas across the U.S. have begun to worry about their own safety. WTVA, a local NBC affiliate in Mississippi, ran a story highlighting the newfound focus on storm shelters in the area. The story features a shelter made by NPCA member Lee’s Precast Concrete Inc. in Aberdeen, Miss., that can withstand winds up to 250 mph. Allen Lee said the phone at his business has  been ringing off the hook ever since the storm. Read More »

Meet a Precaster-Dalmaray Concrete Products

This month we are pleased to feature Dalmaray Precast in our second Meet a Precaster blog post. The following answers have been provided by Robert J. Ausen and Aaron J. Ausen of Dalmaray.

Q: Where are you located?
A: We are based in Janesville, Wisconsin

Q: How long have you been in business?
A: We have been in business for 54 years now with three generations of family working under one roof. Read More »

Task Force Seeks Member Input on Lifting Systems

If you are a precast concrete manufacturer or a supplier of lifting devices for the precast concrete industry, the National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) Lifting Systems Task Force wants to hear from you. The Task Force is currently gathering industry best practices, performance criteria and material information leading to the development of lifting device certification procedures and standards and wants to ensure that all NPCA Associate members that supply lifting devices to precasters are represented in these important discussions.

The goal of the Task Force is to develop best practices and certification criteria for lifting devices. To join the Lifting Systems Task Force, or for more information, please contact Phil Cutler, P.E., director of NPCA technical services and plant certification, at pcutler@precast.org or (800) 366-7731.

OSHA’s Guide to Help Comply with New Cranes and Derricks Rule

From a recent edition of the OSHA newsletter, QuickTakes:

OSHA now offers a guidance document to help small businesses comply with the agency’s cranes and derricks rule published in August 2010. This new standard was issued to address the number of worker injuries and deaths associated with the use of cranes and derricks in construction. Chapters in the Small Entity Compliance Guide for Final Rule for Cranes and Derricks in Construction correspond to sections of the standard to help employers understand what they must do to protect their workers from dangerous, sometimes fatal injuries. This guide accompanies other OSHA compliance materials on crane-related topics available on the agency’s website, including a PowerPoint overview, web chat transcript, webinar, list of frequently asked questions and fact sheets.

OSHA Crane Safety Regs

Do You Want Crane Safety Training?

National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA) recently offered Articulating Crane Operator Certification program at The Precast Show in Charlotte. As of Nov. 8, 2010, OSHA implemented a new standard as detailed in OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC for certification of crane operators, riggers and signal persons. As the NPCA Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) Committee considers safety-related courses for The Precast Show 2012 in Orlando, we are looking for your input. Please take a few minutes to answer a brief survey about your crane training needs.

Take the survey.

Please complete the survey by Friday, April 8. The SHE Committee appreciates your input.

Meet a Precaster-Jensen Precast

For our inaugural meet a precaster post, we are pleased to feature Jensen Precast. Answers were provided by Jensen Precast CEO and long-time NPCA member, Don Jensen.

Q: Where are you located?
A: Jensen Precast is based in Sparks, Nev. We have 11 locations throughout the Southwest and Hawaii.

Q: How long have you been in business?
A: I founded Jensen Precast in 1968. The company remains family owned and operated. In fact, all four of my children are heavily involved in the day-to-day operations.

Q: How long have you been a member of NPCA?
A: Continuously since 1974.

Q: Why did you join NPCA and what are the best benefits?
A: I was introduced to NPCA by Frank Brooks. I believe he was the president of the organization at the time. He suggested I join and, given the lack of product knowledge and business skills I had at the time, I saw it as an absolute necessity that would allow me to continue to grow and improve in this field. The benefits have been many! There is no other organization that can provide the venue to learn the precast concrete business the way NPCA does. I was very motivated to learn as much as I possibly could about the industry. I worked hard to Read More »