Aug 8 2006
Leading the industry in the distribution of concrete forms made of 100 percent recyclable plastic, Geoproducts Midwest, www.geoproductsmidwest.com, announced today the availability of Geotube, the first and only plastic concrete tube for the construction industry. The Geotube is also the first reusable tube, up to 100 castings, to hit the U.S. construction market.
For concrete column forms, the concrete construction industry today is using mostly cardboard paper tubes. “The cardboard paper tubes are not reusable, they can only be used once, sometimes they bend under their own weight, they are very difficult to store and transport, and the long lengths are very difficult to install,” says John Sclafani, Geoproducts Midwest’s President and Founder. The Geotube, on the other hand, is reusable for several castings, stackable to different lengths, can be stored outside, are simple to assemble and come in many different size diameters. The Geotubes are also very rigid, making installation and pouring concrete very easy.
“With the skyrocketing costs of material, energy, and labor, builders and developers are aggressively looking for ways to increase their net profits,” says John. “Geotube is one way.” In addition, these savings in material and labor should eventually trickle down to the consumer. Also, using recyclable and reusable plastic forms instead of cardboard forms is simply better for the environment.
One application of Geotube is the concrete bases found at the bottom of light poles. The majority of these light poles sit on a round concrete column. “Next time you drive down the highway or interstate, take a good look at all of the light poles,” says John. “With today’s cardboard tube, you can only pour concrete once per tube per light pole base. With Geotube, on the other hand, you can pour 100 times using one Geotube. That’s 100 concrete bases for 100 light poles with one Geotube.” Geoproducts Midwest's biggest competitor manufactures a cardboard tube that can only be used once.