High Concrete Group, LLC broke ground Wednesday on a major revitalization of precast concrete production facilities at its Denver, Pa., headquarters to extend the company’s growing presence in the architectural precast concrete market.
The 48 million revitalization includes investments in new equipment, processes, and construction for the 148-acre campus. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-2020 and is expected to create 50 to 70 jobs and as much as approximately $50 million per year in local revenue once the plant begins operating at full capacity.
Architectural precast includes structural and non-structural walls, cladding and panels used as facades for commercial and institutional buildings.
“High is recognized for world-class leadership in architectural precast,” John (J.) Seroky, High Concrete Group president, said. “This strategic initiative will bring increased capacity and efficiencies that enable us to serve more customers better. And it signals our commitment to invest in technology that keeps High at the forefront of innovation in the precast market. We are also proud that this initiative will lower our carbon footprint and improve work conditions for our co-workers.”
The project will relocate the company’s architectural precast operations to its largest production building to streamline operations and provide space for future growth. High Concrete Group will continue to serve its structural markets.
“After extensive global research, we are utilizing the latest technology available,” Sean Dixon, plant maintenance asset manager for High Concrete Group, said. “The technology we are using for batching, mixing, and color systems is the best available in the world for architectural precast producers.”
Dixon noted that the systems feeding the new mixers will increase the number and variety of aggregates available for architectural mixes and that new storage areas will improve quality and repeatability.
The company will move its structural forms to the building that formerly housed its architectural operations while maintaining structural capacity at its current volume. A new structural batch plant and related construction will enable a future “bullet” delivery system that will reduce batch-to-form times.
“The architectural community is demanding high-performing building enclosures. Durable, resilient and energy-efficient architectural precast meets this need,” Bob Pabst, vice president of sales for High Concrete Group, said.