2012 Media Coverage

News & Feature Stories about ACH Foam Technologies & the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Industry

 

Rural Builder
December 2012
 
As Butch Gardner hauls cranberries between two cold storage facilities on the Badger State Fruit Processing property in Pittsville, Wis., he gives the “thumbs-up” to plant manager Mark Konrardy for a job well done.  Konrardy met three tough challenges for the construction of a new cold storage facility, built to house Badger’s 200 million pounds of cranberries with room to grow.  Insulated metal panels, architectural grade EPS insulation and efficient lighting all helped accomplish that goal.  Read More.
 

Construction Specifier Magazine
August 2012

EPS and Polyiso R-values. Understanding the change in measuring roof insulation. Due to recent findings on the nature of polyisocyanurate (polyiso) off-gassing, the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) - an impartial organization that represents the best interests of the roofing industry - has revised the way the insulation's R-value is measured.  Read More.

 

APWA Reporter
July 2012

In 2008, Construction Management General Contractor, Stacy Witbeck, started early reviewing the preliminary design for the Utah Transit Authority (UTA's) TRAX airport extension from downtown Salt Lake City valued at $200 million.  The largest continuous section of Geofoam fill in the US was installed in two sections along the airport TRAX line.   Read More.

 

Packaging Strategies
June 2012

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) continues to expand its own use in shipping, where sustainability is just as critical as ensuring that containers keep their contents at the right temperature. According to GBI Research, EPS continues to increase in global demand, expected to rise from 14.9mn tons in 2010 to 23.5mn tons in 2020.

ACH Foam Technologies has long been aware of the benefits of EPS. As a manufacturer of polystyrene, ACH has used the product extensively in shipping containers. Now, the manufacturer is introducing an EPS-based wine container that can maintain temperature during the summer months which can be brutally harsh on wine products.  Read More.


Transportation Builder
May/June 2012

Light rail meets light fill:  Stacy and Witbeck, Inc. and Kiewit Western Company (SWK) are partners in building the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Airport TRAX Line, a six-mile light rail project that will connect downtown Salt Lake City with its international airport. A critical part of the project presented severe settlement risks due to old Lake Bonneville clay deposits.  In order to prevent the bridges’ embankments from settling and impacting existing tracks beneath and historic structures nearby, the team elected to go with a geofoam fill, which weighs one to three pounds per cubic foot—100 times lighter than soil.  Read More.
 

Supply Chain
April 2012

More than 71 million pounds of expanded polystyrene was recycled in 2010, according to the recently released 2010 EPS Recycling Rate Report conducted by the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers (AFPR).  The figure represents an increase of 3.5 million pounds over the 19.5% recycling rate in 2008.  AFPR releases recycling rates every 2 years.  Read More.
 

Concrete Contractor
April 2012

A Hole in One for Country Club Using Geofoam EPS in Terrace Construction.  In spring of 2011, ClubCorp decided to add a $500,000 renovation that would bring the outdoors in (or the indoors out, as some would have it) by building an open-air terrace and outdoor lounge with gorgeous views overlooking the 18th hole and its surrounding landscapes.

At issue was the fact that the terrace was to be situated on a side hill overlooking the golf course. When engineer Clinton Rex of Stanley D. Lindsey and Associates along with the project architects from Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio, LLC studied the landscape they knew the hill would have to be carved out and a fill material installed that would prevent pressure on the downslope and create a stable foundation for the roughly 2,760 square foot terrace.  Read More.

Architectural Products
March 2012

Of course, there are many ways to optimize an envelope, and each component can contribute to the envelope’s environmental performance in its own way. In the case of structural insulated panels (SIPs), the environmental benefits are seen in two.  “SIPs are typically selected first for their energy efficiency, but they do have some additional design benefits,”  says Kiesecker. “For example, SIPs can span long distances, which can reduce the amount of roof trusses needed.  Sometimes designers specifically want fewer trusses to meet an aesthetic look and other times to reduce costs.  Essentially, the design is a bonus benefit after they’ve selected SIPs for their energy efficiency.”  Read More.
 
American Recycler
March 2012

The recently released 2010 EPS Recycling Rate Report conducted by the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers (AFPR) demonstrated steady growth in the amount of expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging recycled since the 1990s.  AFPR releses rates every two years.  Total EPS recycling increased to 71.3 million lbs. in 2010.  Read More.

ReBuilding America's Infrastructure
March 2012

Cost-saving approaches: Light rail bridge embankment features the largest continuous section of geofoam fill in the United States.  In 2008, construction management general contractor Stacy Witbeck began early reviewing the preliminary design for the Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) $200 million TRAX airport extension from downtown Salt Lake City. The light rail extension travels along North Temple to the Salt Lake City International Airport.  Read More.
 
Structural Engineer
January 2012
A solid solution for retaining walls Lightweight Geofaom helps accelerate construction schedules.  What do Myriad Genetics. the University of Arkansas, Biscuit Creek, and Grove Terrace have in common? Stabilization - using  EPS geofoam.  Underlying each of these retaining wall projects was a problem that pointed to geofoam, an incredibly lightweight material with enormous compressive strength that offers a, time-saving alternative to traditional fill materials.  Read More.
 
Wine Business Monthly
January 2012

The recently released 2010 EPS Recycling Rate Report conducted by the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers (AFPR) demonstrates incremental growth in the amount of EPS (expanded polystyrene) recycling since the 1990s. The Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers releases recycling rates every 2 years. Total EPS recycling increased to 71.3 million pounds in 2010. A total of 28% of all post-consumer and post-commercial EPS was recycled in 2010, an increase of 3.5 million pounds over the 19.5% recycling rate in 2008 – one of the highest recycling rates among all plastics products.  Read More.
Federal Construction
December - January 2012

It's a weight thing. The mission is clear. The Federal Highway Administration recently issued a National Deployment Statement urging all states to consider using alternative fill materials such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam when planning fill and embankment projects. The goal, as stated on its website, reads:“By October 2010, EPS geofoam will be a routinely used lightweight fill alternative for state DOTs on embankment projects where the construction schedule is of concern. By October 2011, all states will have evaluated EPS geofoam as a lightweight fill alternative.”  Read More.