Africa

Gear up for BAUMA CONEXPO Africa in Johannesburg this March 13 through 16. Get all the information at www.bcfafrica.com/.

China

A trio of reporters from Reuters showed in October that China was importing mixed aromatics—to the tune of over 800,000 tonnes more than they imported in September—out of Europe, in advance of expected import tariffs and regs in early 2018. Source: Reuters

United Arab Emirates

The 2nd Argus Middle East Petroleum Coke Conference will take place in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Jan. 24 and 25, 2018. They anticipate over 150 participants. Get registration information from me.events@argusmedia.com.

United States

The National Cooperative Highway Research Program has released its Research Report 857 titled Performance-Related Specifications for Pavement Preservation Treatments. The 158-page book is available as a free download or in paperback from the National Academies Press. Visit here.

Arizona

Join the Association of Modified Asphalt Producers (AMAP) for the 19th annual conference & workshop Feb. 6 through 8 in Phoenix. Visit modifiedasphalt.org for details.

California

Make sure you’re signed up to attend the 2018 National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) annual meeting this Feb. 11 through 14 at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego. Get information at www.asphaltpavement.org.

Colorado

• The steering committee of the Metropolitan Government Pavement Engineers Council (MGPEC) has updated the asphalt specification (Item 20) as of October 2017. One of the changes is in hot-mix and warm-mix terminology. HMA is now “asphalt paving materials” and WMA is now called “workability mix additive.”
• Make sure you’re registered for the Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference & Equipment Show (RMACES) this Feb. 21 through 23. Visit www.RMACES.org.

Hawaii

The Hawaii Asphalt Paving Industry (HAPI) 2017 Photo Contest was conducted in September. Members of the state association were encouraged to submit photos of a Hawaii paving or pavement treatment project either under construction or completed. The winning photo of the Farrington High School Athletic Field, submitted by Grace Pacific, can be viewed at http://hawaiiasphalt.org/2017-hapi-photo-contest/.

Illinois

• John Deere of Moline, Illinois, has reason to be proud of its senior engineer in the Construction and Forestry Division. Amy Jones has earned the SAE International/AEM Outstanding Young Engineer Award. Jones began her career as a project engineer at Sachs Electric Company in St. Louis, and joined John Deere in 2010 as a software verification and validation engineer in her current division where she supervises and leads a global team. She has a driving passion for STEM outreach, and has dedicated herself to creating opportunities for thousands of students in eastern Iowa.
• Deere also completed its global rollout of a new company website at www.JohnDeere.com. It includes 33 sites in 16 languages and about 2,300 product pages.

Minnesota

Ergodyne and Corvex Connected, both based in Minnesota, have partnered to help safety professionals predict and prevent potential workplace hazards through sharing real-time data, insights and safety risk concerns from workers who are connected to intelligent safety gear and an Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Read more in this month’s New Tech department.

Missouri

Your AsphaltPro staff, Fayette, Missouri, has teamed up with hall-of-famer industry consultant John S. Ball III of Top Quality Paving & Training, Manchester, New Hampshire, to bring you an online training course for each member of your asphalt paving crew. Check out free previews of lessons or get started by clicking the green “enroll” button here.

North Carolina

National Joint Powers Alliance® (NJPA) members in government, education, and nonprofit throughout the United States and Canada can access LeeBoy, Rosco and LBPerformance products via NJPA contract 052417-VTL. LeeBoy of Lincolnton, North Carolina, is an NJPA contract awarded vendor in Roadway Maintenance Equipment with Related Accessories, Attachment, Materials and Supplies.

Ohio

Technology company Continental of Fairlawn, Ohio, has acquired Custom Machining Services Inc., of Valparaiso, Indiana, to expand its range of services for the industrial hose industry. “Custom Machining Services is a well-respected manufacturer and has a solid reputation in the hose industry,” said Andreas Gerstenberger, Continental’s head of Industrial Fluid Solutions.

Tennessee

Plan ahead for recycling! The Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) invites you to attend the silver anniversary of C&D World Feb. 10 through 13 at the Hilton Nashville. The event will also host the annual meeting of the CDRA. Get info at www.cdrecycling.org.

Washington, D.C.

• Nov. 21, 2017, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) released the Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25) for October showing new business volume was up 2 percent year over year and 4 percent year to date, and down 3 percent month to month for the $1 trillion equipment finance industry.
• The Transportation Research Board (TRB) has released a set of “TRB Straight to Recording for All” webinars, including one titled “Increasing Warm Mix Asphalt Implementation.” The recording series is a follow-up to a previous video series about WMA. This current video series presents the state-of-the-knowledge of WMA, including a summary of the national survey on WMA; the two-day national workshop held May 2017; and an overview of current implementation practices. Access the free recordings here.