Over the years, the World of Concrete has become one of the premier construction events across the country. The name may make you think it’s strictly related to concrete, but the truth is that anyone in the industry can find value in attending the massive event. Each year, the Most Innovative Products featured at the World of Concrete are chosen and Hanley Wood, a construction information and marketing company, recently announced the winners.
According to Concrete Construction, the winners are chosen by three different groups: readers of Concrete Construction and The Concrete Producer who attended the WOC (Industry Choice), a panel of industry experts (Expert’s Choice), and the Editors of Concrete Construction and The Concrete Producer (Editor’s Choice).
There are 10 categories and 3 winners in each category: expert’s choice, editor’s choice, and industry choice. I’m just going to highlight a few of the winners below, but you can check out the full list at Concrete Construction’s website.
Business Tools & Technology
Expert’s Choice: Procore Technologies, Procore
Procore is one of the industry leaders in complete project management software. At last year’s Procore Groundbreak conference, which updates users on Procore developments each year, the company launched Construction OS, which opens an application marketplace allowing users to link data from over 100 different construction apps. Procore also launched two new platform options, in addition to their flagship Procore Project Management, which they call Procore Construction Financials and Procore Quality & Safety. Each of the 3 different platforms grant unique accesses to the users, but all users are still interconnected by the ability to view documents and insights.
Concrete Construction Equipment
Expert’s Choice: Hilti, Hilti Water Management System DD-WMS 100
We got a chance to see Hilti’s Water Management System at the show and were thoroughly impressed. As you can see in our Instagram video and description below, the water system can recycle it’s 4 gallons of water 7 times before needing to be replaced. It was showcased in conjunction with Hilti’s coring system.
General Construction Tools & Equipment
Expert’s Choice: ILLUMAGEAR, Inc., Halo
Illumagear’s Halo is a jobsite tough 360 degree hard hat light that we’ve discussed on Construction Junkie several times in the past. Utilizing a single rechargable lithium ion battery the size of a AA embedded in the ring, the Halo provides light on its highest settings (halo mode, 276 lumens) for up to 5.5 hours and up to 34 hours on its lowest setting (dim mode, 49 lumens). More importantly, the 360 degree light keeps you visible from over a quarter of a mile away. There are two other settings, including task mode (5.5 hours runtime, 259 lumens) and hi-alert mode (14 hours, fluctuating luminosity).
Repair/Demolition Materials, Tools & Equipment
Expert’s Choice: Robert Bosch Tool Corp, GSH27-26 Brute Turbo Breaker Hammer with GPS Tracking
At the World of Concrete 2018, Bosch unveiled a world’s first in the form of their 15-Amp Corded GSH27-26 Brute Turbo Breaker Hammer with integrated GPS tracking. While many tool manufacturers have begun adding Bluetooth technology to tools, like Milwaukee’s One-Key and DeWalt’s Tool Connect, there is a limit to what Bluetooth can do. Mainly, the user has to be within about 100 feet of their Bluetooth enables tool to be able to use any of the features.
More information: Bosch Introduces World’s First Breaker Hammer with GPS Tracking | Construction Junkie
Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.