Masonry Magazine October 2008 Page. 55
Industry News
NSC Completes Benchmarking Assessment
The Natural Stone Council (NSC) conducted a comprehensive study of the natural stone industry. Forty-two North American companies responded to the survey, yielding data for a sum of 64 quarries and 45 processing facilities. Responding to the survey in the greatest numbers were the granite and limestone sectors. Sandstone, marble and, to a small extent, slate and travertine comprised the remainder of stone reported. With regard to quarry operations, adequate information was collected to assemble an initial life-cycle inventory for granite, limestone and sandstone. Data is still being collected to do the same for marble. The first versions of these data sets are in their final draft stages and will be available on the Genuine Stone Web site this fall, www.GenuineStone.org. Survey responses revealed that water consumption efficiency will be key for the industry's sustainability profile because of increasing global water shortages. Another issue is site maintenance and quarry closures. Regarding processing operations, an important issue for the industry to address is the diversity in the transportation distance of stone. Again, water consumption will be a significant topic in discussions about sustainability. Survey responses indicated that water reclamation is one of the industry's best practices.
With industry data now in-hand, the NSC will continue to work with the Center for Clean Products at The University of Tennessee to perform a life-cycle analysis of the environmental impacts of certain stone products, identify strategic sustainability goals for the industry, and continue outreach efforts to the environmental and green building communities through vehicles such as best practices, case studies and material fact sheets.
Stone Construction Equipment Acquisition
Stone Construction Equipment Inc. has acquired the patents and marketing rights to Buddy Equipment Mortar Mixers. The Mixers, which will be marketed under the "Buddy by Stone" label, consist of three belt-driven models and one fully enclosed gearcase model. The extreme-duty mixers are designed to address applications that require a more robust, heavy-duty mixer, such as specialty mix applications where the mix is stiffer or much more abrasive. The applications could include, but are not limited to, curbing, terrazzo or special additive mixes.
Fellowship for Indoor Environmental Quality Design
The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) is offering a $3,500 fellowship to a graduate or undergraduate student for the fourth consecutive year. The Ken Dillon Memorial Fellowship for Indoor Environmental Quality Design encourages multidisciplinary study of indoor environments with a focus on indoor air quality and its effect on health and/or productivity. The GEI is seeking student applicants interested in multidisciplinary study of the relationship between indoor air quality and public health in building design and construction. To request an electronic application for the fellowship, students can send an email request to dillonfellowship@greenguard.org, or call 800-427-9681. Applications will be accepted until Nov. 14, 2008, at 5 p.m. EST.
ACME's Lean/Green Brick
Acme Brick engineers have developed a new brick design that increases the area of a brick's core holes from 25 percent to 33 percent of the brick's total volume. This version of a King Size "lean/green" brick will generate savings of about 11 percent in energy used to fire or burn the brick. Additional savings will be generated in transportation costs, because the new brick will weigh about 3.15 pounds, versus 3.5 pounds for a conventional King Size brick.
New Holland Trains Latin American Dealers
New Holland Construction's training team recently held a five-day training session for dealer salespeople from across Latin America and the Caribbean at its Carol Stream, III., facility. The participants traveled from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama to attend the training program, which covered New Holland Construction's full product range and included a combination of classroom and field sessions. The training program gave participants the hands-on experience of the benefits and competitive advantages of New Holland equipment. IMAS