After a few uncertain years and a truncated event in 2021, the World of Concrete trade show brought together tens of thousands of contractors and construction equipment gearheads in Las Vegas on Jan. 18 to 21. Nearly 37,000 attendees came by to check out the latest equipment and products from over 1,100 equipment, tool and materials vendors.
And if the mood at the show was surprisingly upbeat, it was likely driven by some strong construction activity across the country. Despite multiyear disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Portland Cement Association is forecasting another strong year for cement consumption and construction activity in 2022 and beyond.
Even with data from December not yet available, PCA is forecasting that year-over-year cement consumption growth in the U.S. will be up 3.2% for 2021. That’s being driven by construction activity in specific sectors and regions, according to PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan. “What’s really been propelling it has been residential [construction],” he says. “It really hasn’t been the public side, and it certainly hasn’t been the non-residential side.” Sullivan adds that the 2021 activity was mostly in the Southeast and East Coast regions, a marked change from 2020, where cement consumption was driven by activity in the Mountain West.
部t the residential boom could be curtailed by an expected rise in mortgage rates in the next few years, and this is when the recently passed Infrastructure and Jobs Act might kick in. Citing the complex process of grant applications by cities and states, along with bidding processes, Sullivan expects construction activity from the bill will not be evident right away. “In our calculations you’re not going to see this materialize until 2023,” he says. Based on that and other factors, Sullivan expects year-over-year growth in U.S. cement consumption to decline slightly in 2022 and 2023, picking up again in 2024.
至于更直接的未来，尽管Sullivan和PCA对目前的建筑活动水平保持乐观，但他看不到对供应链问题的快速解决方案，这些问题已经使整个行业陷入了困境。他说：“（美国可以实施）没有太多政策来解决这一问题，这是一个国际问题。”“这将需要一段时间才能解开。”
Kubota在贸易展览会上展示了其新的“几乎零尾秋轮” U10-5迷你外观。
Photo by Jeff Rubenstone / ENR
具体的新功能
In an outdoor lot, Copenhagen-based manufacturer COBOD International ran a demonstration of its 3D concrete printer, the BOD2, in partnership with one of its U.S. customers, builder-developer WePrintHomes, and material provider QuickCrete. The printer extruded concrete walls several feet high during two-hour demo sessions.
While the speed of printing during the demo was slower than the 500-mm-per-second maximum recommended pace, Philip Lund-Nielsen—co-founder and head of Americas for COBOD—says that printing speeds continue to increase as modular equipment is updated and printing crews grow more accustomed to the technology. In Germany, PERI—another COBOD partner—printed a 4,100-sq-ft, three-story apartment building with five units in just 21 days, Lund-Nielsen says.
他补充说：“我们已经出售了该特定型号的35多个打印机，上周我们在美国又出售了3个打印机，因此采用的情况确实在增加。”Cobod最近还与GE Reenwable Energy和其他人合作，打印了10毫米的风力涡轮塔壁垒原型。
Back on the show floor, Liebherr introduced the THP 80-LP truck-mounted concrete pump, the smallest in Liebherr’s lineup for the North American market. It is intended for use in urban environments and sites with limited access. At only 22,684 lb, the THP 80-LP does not require a commercial driver’s license to operate, offering more flexibility for crews. Despite its smaller size, it has the same heavy-duty pump and high-capacity hopper as Liebherr’s larger boom trucks.
Kubota was on hand with its new U10-5 mini-excavator that boasts a “near zero-tail swing,” according to Kubota product manager Patrick Baker. An improved version of the 1-ton-class mini-excavators Kubota offers for the rental market, the U10-5 sports a redesigned ROPS that almost eliminates tail swing. “Just 0.6 of an inch hangs over the tracks, so we do classify it as a minimal tail swing,” says Baker. He adds that U10-5 is able to handle many jobs that call for a zero-tail-swing mini-ex, including work alongside active roadways.
泥瓦匠和招标在Spec Mix Mix Bricklayer 500比赛中竞争。
Photo by Jeff Rubenstone / ENR
Who’s the Best Bricklayer?
尽管这个混凝土的世界与典型年份相比少，但它仍然设法填补了Spec Mix Bricklayer 500摊牌的看台。泥瓦匠和招标团队有一个小时的时间来建造人群为他们加油打气时所能提供的最大，最质量的砖墙。当尘埃落定时，肯塔基州列克星敦的梅森·科尔·斯坦珀（Mason Cole Stamper）和梅森·森德·贝克尔（Jeff Becker）的梅森·科尔·斯坦珀（Mason Cole Stamper）的团队以760砖墙获得了最高奖项。两人带回家了一辆全新的福特F-250 4x4皮卡车，以及10,000美元的额外现金和奖品。
