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Construction Marketplace Wednesday, January 22, 2020 3 0 MingFeng Introduces Biomass Composites, Products By Aaron Thom, Senior Designer MingFeng is known for its intelligent designs and its manufacturing of eco- friendly packaging. Now we have taken the next step by introducing biomass composites and products into our offer- ing. Biomass composites are essentially organic substances which are combined with a bio-base. The two principal fea- tures of biomass composites are that they are produced by utilizing organic sub- stances and that at the end of their func- tional lifetime as a product, they can be broken down, as they are either partially or completely degradable, according to the composite. We use grains, fibers, husks and organic products to form pellets. These can then go through extrusion, co-extru- sion or injection processes to produce packaging and other very useful com- modities. Our biomass composites have achieved a number of safety certifica- tions to guarantee their quality and safeness for use: flame-retardant per- formance, solvent residue, acid/salt proof and also food safety. Boxes are ideal for production with biomass composites. Other prod- ucts that can successfully employ biomass composites are electri- cal appliance parts, such as covers for mobile phones or vacuum cleaners, auto- motive parts for use inside the vehicle, hard cases for musical instruments, terti- ary packaging for transportation and more. Crates and pallets are ideal for pro- duction with biomass compos- ite materials. We offer four biomass composite options – mPLA, PLA/NF compounds, PBS/NF compounds and PP/ST com- pounds – which are all suitable for tableware, container and box packaging applications. Each composite option has slightly different characteristics, which can ensure that customers can select options according to their sustainability requirements. For more information, go to www.mingfengus.com. Smart Parents Stay Ahead of the Weather By Kari Strenfel, AcuRite Meteorologist As a meteorologist and an active mom with two young kids, I need to stay informed of the outdoor weather condi- tions to maintain our active lifestyle. Whether we are biking to the park, head- ed out on a family hike, or keeping it sim- ple by playing in the backyard, I need to stay updated on the outdoor conditions year-round. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, we can get outside mostly every weekend. In the summer, I need to keep an eye on those high temperatures: a family hike is fun at 8 a.m. when it's still 60 degrees Fahrenheit outside, but not so fun when it reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit by 10 a.m. Even in the winter when it rains, we like to know how much rain we got overnight to decide if it's a good day for puddle jumping! I rely on the AcuRite Atlas™ weath- er station that I mounted on my roof to stay updated on the changing weather conditions. With the weather station reporting to the AcuRite Access™, which is plugged into the router, all the weather data is reported to My AcuRite. This allows me to check the weather conditions from anywhere from the My AcuRite app on my smart- phone. I also have enabled alerts in My AcuRite to notify me of any potentially dangerous conditions, such as outdoor temperature above 95 degrees or lightning detected within 25 miles. For those of us with smart speakers, My AcuRite is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, making it even easier to access our weather conditions. I often find myself asking – "Hey Alexa, ask my AcuRite for the outdoor temperature." The AcuRite Atlas and My AcuRite will help you keep your family active and safe all-year-round. Create your custom weather station and home monitoring system at www.acurite.com/personal-weather- stations.html. For more information, go to www .acurite.com. Risk Management Solutions, Innovations and Technologies By Don Neff, President, LJP Construction Services Advancements in digital technology, automated systems and lean production processes are impacting all aspects of the construction industry. Home builders keeping up with current trends in automation and efficiency logically incorporate these elements into their delivery and workflow systems for proactive risk management. Reducing build cycle time, lowering indirect proj- ect costs and building high-quality homes are ongoing challenges for builders today. LJP Construction Services can help their builder clients overcome these chal- lenges and meet their production goals by providing a customized quality assurance program that incorporates digital data capture and job site analysis along with automated reporting. CaptureQA ® , developed by LJP Construction Services, can change the way builders and construction managers survey, assess and respond to construc- tion project needs and potential problem areas in the field. The innovative and pro- prietary quality assurance app is designed to identify trending problems before they become systemic and con- nects the field to the office with same- day reporting. With CaptureQA, key metrics can be tracked with deep dive analytics including open items by trade and assembly, root causes of the open items, aging of open items, aver- age close out times by assembly and trade, critical versus non- critical assemblies, field sched- uling problems and project vari- ations within a division and between divisions. This can also include three-way analyses – metrics of a single project, metrics from a portfo- lio of projects and metrics from the competitive market of comparison projects. The ability to characterize and track trade contractor workmanship for key assemblies on current and past projects can help improve decision- making processes for future projects across the company from purchasing to customer service. Common causes of construction issues include deficiencies in field work- manship, misinterpretation of plan details and deviations from manufacturers' rec- ommendations. LJP's experienced and trained field team members, armed with the power of CaptureQA, can iden- tify and differentiate the root cause and assist builders in identifying high risk items. If there are defi- ciencies documented throughout the construction process, the asso- ciated reporting and metrics can highlight them and help ensure the failure is not repeated. In challenging markets with trades spread thin, job sites frequently have different trade personnel from day to day. CaptureQA reports and data analy- sis received in real time that identifies what is being performed, and more importantly, how well it is being per- formed, will provide a higher-level overview and coupled with detailed per- formance metrics will drive up quality and accountability. Visit LJP Construction Services at booth #SU1534. For more information, go to www.ljpltd.com. Henry Offers Compatible Weather Barrier System Components Preventing moisture intrusion and weather- izing a building is a critical role of a weath- er-resistive barrier system. It's important that the weather-resistive barrier, flashing and sealant are compatible and work together to provide effective protection. The Fortifiber 1-2-3 Moisture Control System by Henry ® offers a sim- ple way to select an effective weatheriza- tion system – you simply choose the bar- rier for your application, add flashing and then complete the job with Henry Moistop ® Sealant. All products are com- patible with one another, making the selection process error-free to create an effective weather-resistive barrier system that can prevent mold and rot as well as minimize air leakage. "Industry data indicates more than two-thirds of litigation in the construc- tion industry is connected to moisture- related defects of building envelope sys- tems," said Jeff Wedge, Vice President Sales of Henry Company. "Builders are faced with balancing regional building practices, construction types and weather patterns. With the Fortifiber 1-2-3 Moisture Control System, we've simpli- fied this process by serving as a single- source of all building envelope system components for vertical walls. This pro- vides the flexibility to customize differ- ent combinations of components to achieve the right sys- tem for any project." With a complete portfolio of both self-adhered and mechanically fastened weather-resistive barriers and flashings, Henry offers the most comprehensive, compatible Building Envelope Systems ® in the industry for vertical walls. With the ability to mix and match components to suit specific requirements for a particular project, Henry takes the guess work out of creating a weather-resistive barrier system, allowing you to move on to your next project with confidence. The Henry product portfolio is built upon trusted brands such as Blueskin ® VP100, WeatherSmart ® and Jumbo Tex ® weather-resistive barriers, as well as Fortiflash ® and Moistop win- dow and door flashings. When you choose a Fortifiber 1-2-3 Moisture Control System by Henry, you will gain the confidence of a proven weatherization system, backed by an industry-leading warranty. You'll be protected against product defects for 15 years with replacement materials plus labor provided to correct the defect. With the 1-2-3 Moisture Control System warranty, the company doesn't prorate value or limit coverage to the original owner. It stands behind its Building Envelope Systems for the full term of the warranty. Visit Henry Company at booth #N455. For more information, go to www.henry.com or call 800.773.4777.