Fritz-Pak Corporation enjoyed another strong year of growth last year, marking 2 straight years of double digit growth. “What’s strange is how we grew in both those years,” says Gabriel Ojeda, President of Fritz-Pak. “In 2011, almost all the growth was attributed to growing International Sales. We saw huge increases in countries like Germany, Russia, Italy, and India. However, in 2012, all of our growth came from Domestic Sales, while we maintained our previous International Sales numbers.”
When asked how to interpret the data, Gabriel says, “Part of the story is just the strength of our marketing and distribution in any given year. Another, more optimistic part is that the US economy might be primed for a strong recovery in the construction sector. Most concrete work takes place at the beginning stages of construction, so if we are seeing real growth in our products, it could be attributed to more domestic construction projects being undertaken.”
There is some correlating data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Portland Cement Association (PCA). Both organizations track annual US Cement consumption, and they both tend to mirror Fritz-Pak’s own growth curve. For example, in 2011, USGS reports domestic cement consumption growth of about 1.5%, which mirrors Fritz-Pak’s domestic growth of about 1%. Similarly, the latest PCA forecast for 2012 projects about a 7% increase in US cement consumption, which helps to explain Fritz-Pak’s growth this past year.
So which products grew the most in 2012? This year’s clear winner was Air Plus, our standard air entraining agent. This is one of Fritz-Pak’s most popular products for ready-mix concrete, as it can help save a load from being rejected due to low air. In fact, if you look at Air Plus and Super Air Plus together, you’ll see about 100% growth from 2009 to 2012.
Another product to mention would be Super Slump Buster, our specialty product designed for lowering the slump of a mix. The result is a tighter, more cohesive mix ideal for curbing, walls, or any low slump application. This product has grown steadily over the past 4 years, with about 20% growth last year. Another great product to have on hand when you need to make slight corrections to the mix.
Many thanks to our customers and distributors for supporting us and using our products. Hopefully we can all look forward to another year of growth in 2013!
Fritz-Pak Corporation is a member of the American Concrete Institute, the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, the American Society of Concrete Contractors, including the Decorative Concrete Council, the American Concrete Pumping Association, and the International Packaged Concrete Manufacturer’s Association
For more information, contact David Ojeda, 1-888-746-4116, davidojeda@fritzpak.com