Propex Concrete Systems

Source: Construction Digital

Date :06/08/2007 14:11:05

Propex Concrete Systems has found a way to use a combination of fibers to make concrete stronger, last longer, and resist the age - old problem of cracking

Written and produced by Andrea Orr & Sean Bakke

Concrete is one of the world’s oldest and most widely used construction materials — found in ancient Roman architecture and used in many applications around the world today, including precast, transportation, shotcrete/underground, walls, and forming the foundation for houses, offices, warehouses, manufacturing plants and many other buildings.

The world’s insatiable demand for concrete — typically made from rock, cement, sand and water — is a testament to its strength and durability.

But even the earliest builders who worked with concrete were quick to discover its flaws. It is prone to shrinking or expanding after it is placed and sets, which inevitably leads to cracking.

Over the centuries, builders working with concrete have found ways to work around this flaw. It is said that the ancient Romans mixed horse hair into wet concrete to give it added strength. In modern times, managing the cracking can be handled in several ways: from jointing the concrete, which allows space for it to expand and contract, to using secondary reinforcement such as welded wire fabric, rebar or fibers.

Propex Concrete Systems Inc. specializes in a wide array of fiber solutions for secondary reinforcement, ranging from polypropylene fibers, steel fibers and blended fiber systems.

According to Sandy Stewart, marketing manager for Propex, fiber reinforcement is an alternate system that performs differently than conventional steel reinforcement in terms of controlling concrete cracking throughout the lifespan of the concrete. Fibers also add other benefits such as impact, abrasion and shatter resistance, and increased flexural toughness, increasing the overall durability of the concrete.

Stewart goes on to add that the company is on the verge of celebrating its 25th anniversary, which she says marks a history of innovation.

Propex started in the early 1980s by introducing and pioneering the use of Fibermesh micro-synthetic fibers as an alternative means of secondary reinforcement. These polypropylene fibers excel in minimizing cracks in the early plastic shrinkage and settlement phase of concrete she says, and they are highly effective in residential and light commercial applications such as patios, slabs and driveways.

Micro-synthetic fibers remained the company’s main product line up until the late 1990s when it acquired Novocon steel fibers. While micro-synthetic fibers help in the early stages of concrete, steel fibers enhance concrete in its hardened state by providing superior crack control in increased load bearing situations. This makes Novocon ideal for heavy-duty industrial applications such as warehouse floors and manufacturing plants.

About the same time of the Novocon acquisition, the company introduced its macro-synthetic line of products. These high performance polymer fibers offer the long-term performance of steel fibers at a lower addition rate ultimately adding levels of toughness and durability, Stewart says.

Then, in 2000, the company realized through its product testing and innovation efforts that there is a synergy between combining micro-synthetic fibers with either macro-synthetic or steel fibers.

These composites — named Novomesh — represent an enhanced solution to the intrinsic flaws of concrete throughout its entire lifespan, according to Stewart. The micro-synthetic fibers benefit the concrete in its earliest stages while the steel or macro-synthetic fibers provide crack control long-term in its hardened state.

“With the blends, we were able to expand into other applications for these products including com-posite metal deck construction for commercial buildings,” says Jeff Krupcale, director of North American sales for Propex Concrete Systems.

As of today, Propex has reinforced more than 25 billion square feet of concrete in virtually every type of concrete application.

Throughout its history, and beginning with its development of its micro-synthetic fiber products, Propex has relied on innovation as the key means by which it differentiates itself from its competitors.

“We have a very structured innovation and product development process that we go through,” says Krupcale. “It is a four stage process that utilizes a product steering committee that meets monthly to check the status of projects, and to approve moving a project to the next phase of development.”

According to Krupcale, the initial idea can come from just about anywhere within the company or industry, such as from customer comments, sales force, and technical crew. “We want as many ideas put through that pipeline as possible,” he says.

The phases of the process are designed to develop the initial proposal, assess it for feasibility and marketability, and then to look for an efficient and cost-effective means to manufacture a new product or expand into a new market with existing products.

Stewart adds that the company’s interest in innovation is an example of how diligently the company works to add worth to every segment of its value chain — from its partnership with ready mix companies (the company’s primary channel to market, says Krupcale) to the structural engineer that specifies the product or concrete contractor that installs the product all the way to the home or business owner.

According to Krupcale, the company brings value to the ready mix partners through dedicated market education efforts.

Propex employs one of the largest, highly skilled sales forces in the fiber reinforcement industry, he says. This team works to create demand for the product by educating engineers on the performance benefits of fibers, as well as educating concrete contractors on the time savings, reduced labor and safety benefits fibers bring to a project.

A focus on innovation also naturally leads to a culture focused on continuous improvement. The company carries this initiative forward through its Winning the Game program, which focuses on three key areas: developing the capabilities and expertise of its people, improving its processes through programs such as lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, and delivering value through the advantages they bring to the markets they serve.

“We are focused on continuous improvement throughout all of our processes, whether it is through our manufacturing floor or sales or developing the skills and capabilities of our people,” says Krupcale.

Lean manufacturing practices have enabled the company to get better at what it does, says Krupcale.

“We are certainly interested in utilizing new technology in our manufacturing processes to be more efficient and improve on quality,” he adds.

As a result of the company’s investment in this area, he says the company has improved on the entire business flow, from receipt of order to making the product to delivery in a more efficient manner. He goes on to say that the lean technology has allowed the company to reduce waste in all areas of the business and deliver more value to its customers.

Technology also plays a role in the company’s research and development efforts. In particular, through the use of specialized software, the company is able to maximize fiber design and examine how it reacts within concrete. The result is that the company is able to optimize its fibers to achieve the highest level of performance.

The company also has a number of patented technologies.

“We are always looking at what we are developing to see if it is a patentable opportunity for us,” says Stewart.

For example, the company has a patent on its e3 technology, which enables it to engineer fibers three ways: by length, thickness, and mix ratio.

“These properties help facilitate a faster, more equal dispersion in the concrete mix,” says Stewart, “which ensures a multi—dimensional network of reinforcement that is always in the right place.”

The company also has patents on fiber designs, which are intended to maximize the performance of the fibers.

In total, these processes and improve-ments have helped the company grow. Krupcale says Propex Concrete’s global sales last year totaled approximately $80 million, up from $75 million the year before. In theory, whenever concrete sales grow, sales of Propex reinforcement products should grow too.

While business is good, Krupcale thinks there is a lot of room to grow.

“I think there is a lot of opportunity for us to increase our penetration,” says Krupcale. “We’re out talking to the engineering and the contracting communities to show the benefits of fiber reinforcements.”

He adds that market development focused on driving specifications and conversions is key to future growth for the fiber industry.

“We have an excellent opportunity,” says Krupcale, who explains that as acceptance of the company’s new products and the technology in macro-synthetic fibers and engineered blended fibers systems grow, contractors and structural engineers will see the inherent advantages of working with the Propex fiber reinforcement solutions to meet their project and performance needs.

With the expansion of the company’s product line, the micro fibers are still its leading product—representing approximately 60 percent of Propex’s revenue. However, their macro-synthetic and blended fibers are quickly catching up, especially with all of the applications that these fibers have allowed Propex to expand into.

As the fiber industry continues to expand and construction professionals embrace fiber technology, Krupcale stresses that Propex’s biggest challenge remains focusing on increasing fiber use over traditional secondary reinforcement methods and plain concrete.

“We will continue to create advantages for the marketplace and our customers by innovating and perfecting fiber reinforcement solutions.

Our goal is to become the new standard in secondary concrete reinforcement,” he says.