Johnstown, PA, September 26, 2005—Daniel R. DeVos, President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) today announced that the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) has accepted a new standard specification for Cold Weather Admixture Systems (CWAS) for cold weather concreting, an initiative facilitated by funding under the National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence (NDCEE) program, which is operated by CTC. The standard was accepted just two and a half years after the NDCEE presented the initiative to ASTM in December 2002, and is published in the September 2005 issue of ASTM Standardization News. While the standards development process typically takes 5-10 years, the NDCEE worked diligently to include and coordinate key industry stakeholders to expedite the lengthy ASTM process.

The new standard, C 1622 - Specification for Cold-Weather Admixture Systems, represents a vast departure from conventional cold weather concreting and promises to greatly reduce costly thermal protection practices. Current cold weather concreting procedures require that concrete shall not cure below 40 °F ambient temperature, requiring contractors to use costly temperature control strategies. Developed through cooperative research among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) - Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL); Grace Construction Products; and DeGussa Admixtures Inc., CWAS allows concrete to cure down to 23 °F concrete temperature while gaining strength properly.

Mr. DeVos stated, "CTC has successfully operated the NDCEE since the program was established in 1991. The fact that the new standard was accepted in less than half the time it typically takes is a testament to the NDCEE's commitment and capabilities. The NDCEE will continue its work to develop the cold weather admixture market through outreach to industry and military stakeholders, raising awareness and stimulating demand, thereby creating an attractive opportunity for admixture manufacturers. I would like to commend the CTC investigative/program team, which included Peter W. Arbuckle as Principal Investigator; Karen F. Nelson and William E. Tumblin, III as Program Managers; and Dr. Michael Muthig as Technology Transfer Specialist."

"This standard marks a major change in cold weather concreting practice. The primary approach since the 1930s has been to keep the concrete warm by insulation or heated enclosures until it is cured. This new capability is expected to drastically reduce cold weather concreting costs and fossil fuel usage throughout the construction industry," added Dr. Charles Korhonen, USACE ERDC - CRREL.

CTC is an independent, nonprofit, applied research and development professional services organization providing management and technology-based solutions to a wide array of clients representing state and federal government as well as the private sector. Established in 1988, CTC operates from more than 35 locations with a staff of 1,400 employees. For more information about CTC, visit www.ctc.com.

For more information, please contact Frederick J. Mulkey, Executive Director at 814-269-2877.