Most people believe that the concrete industry really doesn’t change that much. And that’s probably because it doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean that they just keep doing things the way it was done in the ‘20s. And that’s why smart guys over at  Concrete Construction magazine recently wrote an extensive article about how the concrete world is changing today.

You can read the full article here, but for those who want the Reader’s Digest version, here’s a quick summary:

Professionalism is Key: In the old days you could have gotten a contract by just bidding low enough and often enough that something would turn up. But in this economy and this day in age, the only way to get a contract is to distinguish yourself from the rest, and not just on price. That’s why concrete contractors have to keep getting more and more certifications, continually educating themselves to further separate themselves from the rest.

The Internet is no longer just for Skype/Facebook: Today’s contractors realize that to really speed up work and make their processes lean they need to rely on technology for help. That’s why so many companies now days rely on cloud computing to share plans, documents and other necessary information between the office and the site. The era of smartphones and tablets allows them to be in constant contact, which diminishes previously wasted time traveling back and forth.

Joints are a Pain: No we’re not talking about the joints in your knees, although those can be a pain too. But the joints in concrete floors are the places where these floors fail the most. That’s why the concrete world has moved on to jointless floors. These floors can be made with a variety of techniques including shrinkage-compensating floors, post-tensioning reinforced floors and proprietary systems.

Going Green: Yes, this trend has hit the construction industry as well. Concrete work has always been somewhat “green,” but with people getting more and more into it, the green expectations are on the rise and for concrete construction companies to stay in the game  they need to be more stringent about the techniques and materials they use.

New Concrete: Ok, maybe not new, but RCC, SCC and Pervious concrete types haven’t been as widely used before as they are now. Technological advances combined with new and improved mixes have made these concrete options more viable to use than before.

As you can see changes in the concrete world are happening as we speak. Do you know of another trending change in the industry? Share it here.

To really get ahead in the concrete construction industry today companies and individuals alike need to earn certification. And not just once and not just by one association. The more diversified the certifications the better the company looks to prospective customers. But there are many associations that offer certifications, so how do you know which one is best?

Apparently these associations have heard your pain because nine different concrete associations are forming the Concrete Industry Certification Consortium. This concrete consortium won’t allow you to get one certification for all of the associations, but it will aggregate a lot of the necessary information. The consortium is coming together to promote certification in the concrete world. They plan on having one central website set up where contractors can go and get all the info they need about what kind of certification they should get, where to get it and how to get it.

You can read the full article explaining the details of this consortium here, thanks to the Concrete Construction magazine.

Here’s the list of all the association that will make up the Concrete Industry Certification Consortium:

• American Concrete Pumping Association (ACPA)
• American Shotcrete Association (ASA)
• Architectural Precast Association (APA)
• Concrete Foundations Association (CFA)
• Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association (CSDA)
• International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI)
• National Precast Concrete Association (NPCA)
• Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI)
• Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA)

Photo by: Concrete Forms, on Flickr.com