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Carlisle Companies will acquire Plasti-Fab

Carlisle Companies Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz., recently announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the expanded polystyrene insulation segment of PFB Holdco Inc., Calgary, Alberta, a portfolio company of The Riverside Company that is composed of the Plasti-Fab and Insulspan brands, which collectively are referred to as Plasti-Fab.

Plasti-Fab is a provider of EPS insulation products and has eight manufacturing locations across Canada and three in the U.S. serving the commercial, residential and infrastructure construction markets. Plasti-Fab generated revenue of $109 million during its fiscal year that ended Aug. 31.

Under the terms of the agreement, Carlisle Companies will purchase Plasti-Fab for $259.5 million in cash.

“The acquisition of Plasti-Fab delivers vertically integrated polystyrene capabilities to our Insulfoam EPS business while adding scale, supporting retail channel growth, and filling key geographic gaps in the U.S. and Canada,” says Chris Koch, Carlisle Companies chair, president and CEO. “I am confident that we will create significant value for all our stakeholders as we leverage the Carlisle Operating System across the Plasti-Fab business.”

The acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2024.


Fall protection is OSHA’s most-cited violation for 2024

Recent preliminary numbers from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show dangers from falls at construction sites remain the most frequently cited hazard on OSHA’s list of most-cited violations for fiscal-year 2024, according to Safety+Health magazine.

Other rules related to construction falls are among the top 10 violations, including ladders and scaffolds.

Following are the top 10 most-cited violations for fiscal year 2024.

  • Fall protection—general requirements: 6,307 violations
  • Hazard communication: 2,888 violations
  • Ladders: 2,573 violations
  • Respiratory protection: 2,470 violations
  • Lockout/tagout: 2,443 violations
  • Powered industrial trucks: 2,248 violations
  • Fall protection—training requirements: 2,050 violations
  • Scaffolding: 1,873 violations
  • Personal protective and lifesaving equipment—eye and face protection: 1,814 violations
  • Machine guarding: 1,541 violations

“While incredible advancements are made in safety each year, we continue to see many of the same types of violations appear on OSHA’s Top 10 list,” says Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “As a safety community, it’s critical we come together to acknowledge these persistent trends and identify solutions to better protect our workforces.”

NRCA’s classes, webinars and products offer information to ensure you properly train your employees and can keep them safe. Visit shop.nrca.net for more information.


Study highlights importance of coordination during projects

A study released by Dodge Construction Network, published with Dusty Robotics, examines causes of U.S. and Canadian contractors’ quality issues during the past three years and highlights the importance of job-site coordination and collaboration. Following are findings from the study.

  • Contractors interact with other companies on projects an average of 17 times per day, and eight of those interactions involve conflicts. Only 38% believe everyone involved understands what is being communicated compared with 50% of general contractors, and 48% find everyone agrees on the next steps in most conflicts with other companies compared with 69% of general contractors.
  • Thirty-three percent of contractors find coordination issues on job sites are the root cause of their construction quality challenges. Such coordination issues lead to an average 9% budget increase and an average 10% erosion in annual company profit margin.
  • Ninety-six percent of contractors agree active collaboration improves projects. However, when six approaches to fostering collaboration were tested, only 18% of respondents report using more than three methods. The two most effective ways—implementing policies and investing in technology—were only used by 43% and 50% of contractors, respectively.
  • Eleven percent of field personnel report always having access to the information they need about what and where to build on projects. Fewer than one-third of field personnel use building information modeling for coordination, and 90% of contractors use manual means such as chalk lines for layout. Automated layout currently is used by only 4% of contractors, but 34% would consider using it in the future.

GAF appoints new president

John Barkhouse

GAF, Parsippany, N.J., has appointed John Barkhouse to the company’s newly created president role.

Barkhouse has more than 25 years of manufacturing and operational leadership experience in the industrial, energy and services sectors to GAF. He most recently served as president and CEO of CabinetWorks Group, Livonia, Mich.

As president of GAF, he will oversee operations and research and development for GAF’s Residential and Commercial divisions.

“We are excited to welcome Barkhouse to GAF,” says John Altmeyer, the company’s CEO. “He brings a fresh perspective and an expertise in growing and operating industrial manufacturing businesses.”

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