MIDDLEBURG — Advanced Concrete Systems Inc. may conduct its business underground, but its success is through the roof. As it prepares to expand its plant and production, it will also be introducing a product that will save customers even more money on heating and cooling costs.
“We are in the process now of completing the development of a next generation wall,” said the Middleburg company’s president, Michael Daven.
The XI Plus will be available by the end of April, and will include insulation in the wall cavity with an R-Value of 21.3 — a measurement for insulation. The current XI wall has insulation with an R-value of 12.5.
The new wall exceeds building code requirements. “We like to stay over and beyond what the codes are actually asking for,” said Todd Fegley, plant manager, who, as the longest-tenured worker at Advanced Concrete has played an important role in this newest development, along with Mark Detwiler, who works in technical operations, quality control and purchasing. “Plus,” he said, “it offers our customers a higher R-Value, and cost savings. Everything is based on our customers’ needs and quality.”
Advanced Concrete is the single largest licensee of Superior Walls of America, in dollar volume as well s the number of foundations installed, accounting for 25 percent of all Superior Walls sales.
“When we first started this a year and a half ago,” Daven said, “we started pushing for a higher R-Value foundation wall system to get ahead of anticipated changes to code requirements. We pushed Superior Walls to introduce it.
“We will be the first licensee to put it out,” he said.
Customers are very interested, he said, and “There is demand from our builders for this product.”
XI Plus walls will be produced in 8’2” and 9’ heights.
Advanced Concrete’s Superior Walls foundation uses 5,000 to 6,000 psi concrete, with a low-moisture and high density mix, eliminating the need for extra waterproofing. All of the walls are reinforced with steel rebar, have insulation in the cavity, are pre-studded, and include chase holing for wiring. The foundations are manufactured in the company’s clean, factory-controlled environment and are shipped to the builder’s job site, where most foundations are assembled in less than a day.
Advanced Concrete has grown from one manufacturing plant to now more than 150,000 feet of manufacturing space on 30 acres of land.
They plan to expand even more when the housing market improves.
“There is interest and pent-up demand from buyers,” Daven said. “We’re all being held back by banks approving construction loans or mortgages.” “I want to see the company go to the higher R-Value,” said 25-year employee Angela Barrett, senior vice president, “and help people out, save them money in the long run.”
She also wants to see production doubled.
Having peaked at 1,700 foundations a year, their medium-term expectation is 2,400 to 2,500 foundations annually. They are also planning to more than double the size of one of their plants, allowing them to eventually produce 4,000 in a year.
The company covers 40 counties in Pennsylvania, three counties in Maryland, seven in West Virginia, and 10 in Virginia. Their market share has tripled in the last six years. More information about Advanced Concrete is available at www.yourbasement.com.
