Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.
Issue link: https://cement.epubxp.com/i/64524
FEATURE COVER STORY Destiny control Code-sanctioned plant certification helps New York City producers write their own tickets to performance specs By Don Marsh On its first Chicago project, the 1,034-ft. Trump International Hotel & Tower (2005- 09), the construction team for New York de- veloper Donald Trump saw firsthand how a ready mixed producer can exert more influ- ence on a major reinforced-concrete structure in the Windy City than in the Big Apple. Since then, the protocol enabling Chicago's Prairie Materials to design and de- liver a full schedule of high performance concrete mixes for Trump International in the Second City is now second fiddle to New York City's—thanks to the Concrete Industry Board (CIB) of New York's Concrete Producer Certification Program. Through it, New York City has set a new standard for concrete sup- pliers with the nation's most stringent qual- ity control and assurance program. Under the leadership of current president and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey/Materials Engineering Division Man- ager Casimir J. Bognacki, P.E., CIB has dra- matically changed the landscape for concrete producers as well as contractors, engineers and owner/developers in New York City. The CIB Certification Program has given producers an opportunity to shed traditional roles as prescriptive-mix suppli- ers tethered to testing labs, and bring their own mix design expertise and quality con- trol/assurance to the construction and en- gineering value chain. With its vast and varied membership of design, engineering, city and state agency officials, vendors and suppliers, and con- struction and real estate professionals, the CIB is the industry's only group of its kind. Since 1951, it has been dedicated to promoting the highest quality in all phases of the concrete industry, from de- sign to production to placement. Thus, it was a fitting catalyst to develop a pro- ducer certification program to coincide with a recent update in the New York City Department of Buildings' 2003 Building Code as it pertained to concrete. The Department of Buildings solicited CIB input to modernize the Building Code with provisions that recognized the many techno- logical advancements and practical applica- 24 | MAY 2012 tions of high-performance/high-strength concrete materials, plus the need to be as- sured of quality throughout the production and delivery process in both private and pub- lic sector construction projects. To instill engineer and agency confidence in product quality and consistency, the CIB crafted a two-part certification plan with input from the Association of New York City Concrete Producers and other stakeholders. The CIB Producer Certification Program con- sists of a Quality Control/Quality Assurance Plan–Minimum Standards and a 28-point QC/QA Producers Checklist. The criteria of the CIB's program incorporates—and goes well beyond—the standards of agencies and or- ganizations including the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, ASTM/AASHTO Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory, New York State Department of Transportation and New York City Department of Buildings. The program significantly raises the bar for New York City producers, notes Carmine Va- lente, CEO of Bronx-based Jenna Concrete Corp., supplier to the new Yankee Stadium as well as many other high-profile construction projects. Valente and Bognacki were the driv- ing forces behind the CIB Certification proj- ect. They spearheaded this innovative and industry program with a Board committee of fellow producers, structural engineers, as well as public agency, material supplier and test- ing lab representatives. Many meetings, dis- cussions, seminars and comments from 200-plus stakeholders that responded to the committee's "Minimum Standards of the Quality Control/Quality Assurance" plan spawned a working outline. "Certification requires a serious invest- ment in personnel, equipment, and con- stant monitoring and testing of every detail in the production process," says Valente. "The monetary commitment will yield pro- ducers and their customers dividends for years to come." In addition to staff payroll, CIB estimates a $50,000–$60,000 upfront investment in re- quired testing lab equipment and a $2,000– $4,000 annual budget for staff certification and equipment maintenance. Jenna Concrete attained the first CIB Producer Certification in February 2011; Ferrara Bros. Building Ma- terials Corp., with batch plants in Queens and Brooklyn, became CIB certified in October. Seeing the inherent benefits of the CIB Certi- fication Program, several other producers are following suit and are well on their way to achieving this elite status in the industry. "This is an independent verification that a New York City ready mixed producer meets the most rigorous and demanding quality control and quality assurance standards in the nation," says Joseph J. Ferrara, vice pres- ident of Ferrara Bros., who eagerly embraced the CIB program. "It is like the 'Good House- keeping' seal of approval for ready-mixed concrete. CIB Certification gives owners, ar- chitects, engineers and agencies the utmost confidence that quality concrete will be de- livered to their projects. "Specialty, high-strength and high-perfor- mance concrete—and the interaction and sensitivity of mix constituents—requires that WWW.CONCRETEPRODUCTS.COM