Roman’s Numeral: 107 and Counting

By Kirk Stelsel

The year is 1903. In Kitty Hawk, N.C., the Wright brothers are flying their first aircraft. The first World Series is underway between the Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates. And the Great Train Robbery is debuting as the first silent film across the country. That same year, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Montalbine family – five brothers who immigrated to the United States from Italy – is starting Roman Stone Construction Co. Today, 107 years later, Roman Stone is not only still in businesses but thriving in the precast concrete industry.

The external changes Roman Stone has endured since its founding – The Great Depression, two World Wars, 19 presidents and the digital revolution, to name a few – are almost unfathomable. But as the United States has evolved throughout the past century, so has Roman Stone. It is a business steeped in equal parts tradition and innovation – honored to look back but not afraid to look forward. Read More »

PRECAST FORECAST 2011: Are We There Yet?

By Ty Gable
President, National Precast Concrete Associatio

Are we there yet? It’s a question that anybody traveling with kids on a long-distance car ride has heard many times before. And it’s a question I’ve been hearing all year long from precast concrete manufacturers – only the topic is much more serious. They’re wondering about the economy, the end of the recession and the return to at least some normal level of activity.

Well, in a word, no. We’re not there yet. But in 2011, we’ll be moving in the right direction. After three years of declining sales volume in the precast concrete industry, we’re anticipating very modest growth of about 2% in 2011. If our estimates prove accurate, the slight rebound will bring the industry to about 69% of the high water mark for the industry – 2007, when total sales volume in North America was $27.5 billion. Read More »

Green Piece

Report from NPCA’s Sustainability Committee

By Kyle Kerstiens

The NPCA Sustainability Committee and NPCA staff are committed to helping members navigate the sea of “green” terminology that has kept some from embracing these new practices. As such, we will be including a sustainability page in each issue of Precast Inc. Here you will find information regarding this hot-button topic that will help you make informed decisions for your business and the environment.

The past
The Sustainability Committee started as a task force in May 2008. NPCA and its Board of Directors soon realized the value of the task force and voted in October 2009 to form the Sustainability Committee. Since its inception, the Sustainability Committee has been working feverishly on a wide variety of components to better educate and help NPCA members in several ways. Committee members created the LEED calculator, LEED Reference Guides, website content, and even a Sustainability Forum to help educate members on the many aspects of sustainability. Read More »

Precast Quality Improvement

A corrective action system for an improved bottom line.

By Sam Lines

The stagnant construction sector of the past two years has caused some significant changes in the precast concrete industry. It is “business as unusual” for many small- to medium-sized operations simply trying to survive the worst recession to hit the United States since the Great Depression 80 years ago. A healthy bottom line has been hard to achieve, and many operations find themselves looking at red in the income statement. With the current conditions facing our industry, there is no better time to consider improving the processes in your operation. A continuous quality management system is paramount to the financial health of an organization. According to Phillip Crosby (1980), “quality is free.” He explains that it is actually all the “unquality things” that are costly. Every cent not spent doing the wrong thing is a penny sent to the bottom line. Read More »

Taking Shortcuts

Why do employees risk it all?

By Randy DeVaul

Did you know that for every one injury caused by an unsafe condition, there are six injuries caused by committing an unsafe act? It is important to know the difference between an unsafe condition and unsafe act to understand why some workplace injury claims are denied both in the United States and in Canada. These definitions are based on the person, not the equipment, and may differ from other sources.

“Unsafe condition” involves lack of knowledge
An unsafe condition is one in which “an individual does not have either the knowledge or the control over existing circumstances that may be unsafe, that would otherwise suggest he would not perform the action.” Here are two examples: Read More »

Deciphering the Healthcare Bill – Part 1: The Rules of the Game

Part 1: The Rules of the Game

By Bridget McCrea

Ever since President Obama signed the Healthcare Reform Bill (officially titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) into law in March, businesses of all sizes and across all industries have been scratching their heads over the slew of new rules, regulations and requirements. Where in the past it was enough to provide a basic health care plan for employees – and, in some cases, it was OK to avoid this step altogether – the detailed new law raises much concern over just what is required of American companies and their workers.

In Part 1 of a two-part series on this important topic, we’ll look at the new law itself, show you what’s changed and help you figure out exactly what it means for your firm. In Part 2 we’ll give you some solid tips on how to deal with the changes and stay on the right side of the law without sacrificing too much time or money in the process. Read More »

What Precasters Need to Know About OSHA’s New Crane Rule

Bonnie Wasson of U.S. Concrete Precast Group in Phoenix, Ariz., and chair of the NPCA Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) Committee, asked committee members to address a new rule recently released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In the following discussion, SHE Committee members Donald Graham, director of safety for Jensen Precast, Sparks, Nev., and Julie A. Pace, senior member of The Cavanagh Law Firm in Phoenix, answer critical questions about the new OSHA ruling that relate specifically to precast concrete producers.

Donald Graham has worked as safety director at Jensen Precast in Sparks, Nev., since 1996. He is a certified safety manager with more than 30 years of experience in the safety field and is a U.S. Air Force veteran. Graham oversees the safety and workman’s compensation programs for all Jensen Precast locations in four states.  Graham may be reached at dgraham@jensenprecast.com.

Julie A. Pace is a senior member of The Cavanagh Law Firm in Phoenix and specializes in OSHA, fall protection, employment, litigation, labor, human resources, labor, ERISA, OFFCCP, government contracts and construction. Pace may be reached at jpace@cavanaghlaw.com. Read More »

ASTM C 1613: Clearing Away the FOG

Experienced inspector and engineer explains why it is critical to understand grease interceptor standards and watertightness testing protocols.

By James Baginski, P.E.

The term FOG often describes the streets of London during the early morning hours. Sorry ole’ chap, but this term has become an acronym that strikes fear in the hearts of wastewater collection system managers. Or does it?

Over the past few decades, after all our wastewater treatment plants were upgraded, the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) began to focus on observed fats, oils and grease (FOG) discharged to public sewer systems. FOG had arguably become the No. 1 cause of costly sanitary sewer overflows that can result in adverse impact to public health and the environment. Well, that will not do. Surely municipalities require restaurants and food service establishments (FSEs) to control FOG discharges. Or do they? Do FOG-removal devices such as grease interceptors take care of this nasty problem?

Read More »

Tanks, I Needed That!

As emerging technologies in concrete construction march relentlessly forward and new product and safety standards follow closely behind, precasters can benefit from information available from NPCA’s website to  maintain a competitive edge.

By Phillip Cutler, P.E.

With the ever-increasing emphasis on pretreatment regulations for precast concrete wastewater products and their competition, precast tank producers can stay ahead of the curve in their markets by raising the bar on quality and tapping the web resources available from NPCA. Read More »

Doing It Right

Sanders Pre-Cast gets back to basics with customer service and quality.

By Ron Hyink

There was a time when a handshake was as good as a contract, and a man’s word was his honor. Business was a mindset based on honesty, integrity, a well-made product and great customer service. That “old school” way of conducting a business is an almost forgotten lore.

Mark Sanders is a holdover from that era, and in fact he’d rather endure a financial drubbing than go back on his word. As president of Sanders Pre-Cast Concrete Systems Inc. in Whitestown, Ind., Mark was actually placed in that predicament sometime back. “We had a guy who oversold us one year. It took a lot of hard work, but I bit the bullet and ran double shifts and made it happen,” said Mark, whose plant manufactures precast wall panels, MSE panels, hollowcore slabs and three-sided structures. “We could have walked away from it and said we don’t have anything in writing. But you know, I grew up the old way – if we give somebody our word, then we’re going to stick to it. And boy, did I like eating it? Not at all!” Read More »