Up-close and personal with Spancrete

Direct from Waukesha, Wis., comes a view of structural and architectural precast concrete in action, courtesy Spancrete.

We've selected the highlights - a broad variety of construction, engineering and explanations - from a Spancrete company video, showing precast concrete at use in a variety of projects. It's another family-business grown great. From a company history:

"Mr. Henry Nagy founded the company as West Allis Concrete Products in 1946 — a major supplier of concrete block for the post-war era construction boom. Then, in 1953 Mr. Nagy purchased a unique precast concrete manufacturing machine from a German inventor and brought it to the United States.

"Over the years, Henry’s son, Robert developed and perfected the Spancrete process, and built Spancrete into a worldwide leader that’s highly respected in the precast concrete and construction industries.

"Today, the third generation of the Nagy family is building for the future. In a world that demands fast, affordable, and quality, Spancrete is the one building material that promises all three. Nothing is stronger, more durable, or more versatile than Spancrete. And Spancrete, with its quick erection times, costs the same or less than other building materials.

To view this week's Cool Stuff Being Made, click here.

To learn more about the National Association of Manufacturers, visit www.nam.org.