by Bill Palmer for Concrete Insights, a Concrete Construction Blog
We have selected the Five Most-Influential People in the concrete industry for 2013 and I think you will enjoy learning about these individuals over the next few weeks. Some you probably already know, or know of, but others are people who have worked behind the scenes to make a difference in our business
It is with great sadness we bid farewell to another true pioneer of concrete pumping. Vern Johnson, 1942-2013, has passed after a year-long battle with a rare form of cancer.
Seven—yes, that’s right, seven—years ago I was asked by the ACPA’s executive director, Christi Collins, to attend a meeting with the California Air Resource Board, “fondly” known as CARB to see if anything they were working on would be of interest or have an effect upon concrete pumpers. The answer was “$%&@#!!!” Since then, I have attended almost every monthly board meeting and served on any number of committees and panels to try and slow down or stop this growing bureaucracy.
Beginning 2014, there will be significant changes to the ACPA Operator Certification Program that will seek to elevate the integrity of the program while helping to streamline administrative processing:
Schwing America has made significant additions to its online ordering system, http://www.schwingparts.com for customers purchasing Genuine Schwing Parts and accessories. Now more than 4,500 parts are available online with continuous updates and additional information to help deliver parts quickly and accurately. Recent changes to the site have added several timesaving features to further enhance the benefits of online ordering.
Putzmeister America, Inc. has redesigned its website, www.PutzmeisterAmerica.com, to integrate its four brands: Putzmeister America, Pro-Tech Used Equipment, Putzmeister Shotcrete Technology and Putzmeister Pipe Technology, while carrying through the new look of the Putzmeister creative platform, offering a more user-friendly navigation, and increasing informational content.
Concrete pump and truck mixer fleet owners can now receive free evaluations from Concrete Pump Repair (CPR), a Schwing company. CPR brings more than 20 years’ experience to the process of analyzing used equipment, reconditioning viable concrete pumps and appraising trade-ins. This evaluation of capital goods can be valuable for tax planning, cash flow and preparing for future growth. An easy to complete form is available online at http:// schwing.com/pre-owned and can be filled out in minutes to begin the evaluation process.