IRVING, TX (February 4, 2013) – Every concrete pipe plant in North America is committed to producing quality products. But as in other industries, there’s good, there’s excellent and there’s exceptional. The American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) established its Qcast Awards to recognize those plants that stand above the rest on the most important measures of production quality.
TheACPA’s “Quality Cast” Plant Certification Program, commonly known as Qcast, is the recognized standard for quality assurance in the concrete pipe industry. The Qcast program covers the inspection of materials, finished products and handling/storage procedures, as well as performance testing and quality control documentation. Plants may be certified in storm sewer and culvert pipe, sanitary sewer, box culverts, three-sided structures, manholes and precast structures.
Plants in each of the certification categories that score 95% or better on their annual Qcast audit are recognized with the ACPA Qcast Awards. From these honorees, one overall winner is selected in each category.
The ACPA recognized its 2012 Qcast Awards winners during a special ceremony at its annual Pipe School held in Indianapolis last month. The overall winners are:
Langley Concrete Group Chilliwack, BC, Canada
Combined Sanitary & Storm
Hanson Pipe & Precast San Antonio, TX
Storm Sewer
Hancock Concrete Products, LLC Cannon Falls, MN
Box Culvert
Cretex Concrete Products Midwest, Inc. Shakopee, MN
Sanitary Manholes
Cretex Concrete Products Midwest, Inc. Elk River, MN
Manholes
Grand Junction Concrete Pipe Co. Grand Junction, CO
Precast
“Every year at this time, we are reminded that North American concrete pipe companies are laser-focused on quality manufacturing, which, of course, is why our industry is able to compete so effectively in the marketplace,” said Vince Bussio, ACPA Chairman of the Board, and President of Geneva Pipe Company. “It should be reassuring to every DOT, engineer, specifier and contractor to know that the concrete pipe they specify and install has met the most rigorous and comprehensive quality assurance criteria available.”