Here’s what I’m looking forward to in 2017: Concrete 2029, safety, lean construction, training, and technology.

By Bill Palmer

The prevailing wisdom about 2016 is that it was a year of great upheaval. And while that may be true in the political world, in our little world of concrete construction, I think the changes were less profound than perhaps they should have been or could have been. So here’s what I’m looking forward to in 2017:

• The roadmap for Concrete 2029 will be completed and bought into by a wide cross-section of the concrete industry. Money will begin to flow into initiatives that can make a difference across the industry.
• Safety as a true company commitment at the highest levels will continue to gain converts and the concrete industry will begin to approach zero fatalities on job sites.
• Concrete contractors will begin to adopt lean construction on a wider basis, thereby increasing productivity by 10 to 20 percent.
• Training programs to bring young people into the industry and to train young leaders within the industry will accelerate, including those from the Concrete Preservation Institute and Concrete Industry Management.
• Concrete contractors will lose their fear of new technology and see the advantages of things like BIM, telematics, 3D printing, drones, and the cloud.

So if any of these things happen, you’ll hear about it right here first! Have a great 2017!  Read more by Bill Palmer online here