Somero: Concrete Construction Workflow & New Products

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Perhaps it would be more helpful to start with the evolution of the industry. You've been in the industry for a long time, and the first time we talked, you mentioned that when laser screed came out, Baker was among the few companies doing 20,000 square feet per day in terms of concrete pours. That capability was unique to you, and you did high-volume jobs. You told me that the screed kind of leveled the playing field. It would be helpful if you could expand on that

Fast forward, we had an industrial floor group working on warehouses nationwide. We started losing jobs to other contractors who had laser screeds. The laser screed allowed them to pour 20,000 square feet at a time, which was a great equalizer. Our unique niche disappeared, and we lost a lot of that work. We reassessed our approach and ended up buying a laser screed in the late 1980s. The serial number was 29. We used it on warehouse work and large slab-on-grade pours.

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How did that reduction in labor affect efficiency for you?

Typically, you'd have a crew setting the screed pads with the laser and another crew making a screed pad using a 16-foot straight edge. Behind each of those were a couple of laborers. Depending on the pour, there might be three straight edges going at a time, each with two finishers, totaling six finishers just for placing the concrete.

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How did that reduction in labor affect efficiency for you?

Each of those would have two to three laborers, so you'd probably have seven to eight laborers doing the same thing.

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