Atlantic Lining Company, Inc., a geomembrane specialist providing material sales and installation services for HDPE, LLDPE, PVC, CSPE, Geosynthetic Clay Liners and Polypropylene liners, has announced the appointment of Timothy Rafter as Director of Business Development. Rafter brings 20+ years of geosynthetics experience. Atlantic Lining Company, Inc. provides technical assistance, turnkey installation services, excavating, remediation, piping and concrete construction capabilities for turnkey projects through the general contracting division of Atlantic Lining Company, Inc., ALCO Construction Company.

During a Nor'easter in March of 2010, heavy surf and high winds devastated the dune system protecting beach front homes, near the Hampton's, on the twin forks of Long Island, New York. With the dunes gone, there was nothing left to protect the beachfront properties from future storms. Instead of doing a "sand push" along the beach, or trucking in sand to rebuild the dunes, Maccaferri was approached to offer an alternative long term solution. The steel sheeting shown in the top right image was a temporary solution after an earlier storm; however, the US Army Corp of Engineers mandated that it was to be removed. The MacTubes® were installed as the only means of defense against future storms.

Maccaferri's coastal structures are designed, produced, and installed to stand against the forces of Mother Nature. This was apparent after Super Storm Sandy hit the Northeastern United States in October 2012. Maccaferri's existing coastal structures protected homes and natural shorelines from storm surge damage and erosion. Links are provided here to fuller stories on each project, one of which involves revisiting how a 2010 installation held up to Sandy.

In response to a Nor'easter that hit the coast of Staten Island in March of 2010, a gabion retaining wall was installed along the oceanfront property to protect upland infrastructure from storm damage and wave action. The original wall design consisted of PVC coated galvanized steel gabions, spanning 100' parallel to the shore direction with a 9 ft. vertical height and two 30 ft. return walls at either end. During Super Storm Sandy in October 2012, the storm surge had pushed a large volume of sand and debris upland against the existing wall. While minimal damage was observed in confined places, the wall structure remained intact and fully functional.

TenCate has grown steadily to become one of the world’s largest geosynthetics companies. While the company’s products are well known, its origin in the industry is seldom noted—but it was certainly an extraordinary beginning and underscores the vital role geosynthetics have come to play in improving modern infrastructures. To mark this 60-year anniversary in the development of the Delta Works flood control solution--one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World--an infographic detailing TenCate’s involvement in the project has been published.

Geofabrics Australasia Pty. Ltd. (www.geofabrics.com.au), an Australia-focused geosynthetics manufacturer and service provider, has announced the hiring of industry veteran Dr. Richard Austin as the company's new National Technical Manager. With 20+ years of experience in the geosynthetics field, Richard brings considerable expertise and international insight to Geofabrics. Through his previous key positions with geosynthetics manufacturers and system providers in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong Richard has developed a strong reputation in the industry, particularly in the utilization of soil reinforcement technologies, for subgrade and slope stabilisation and the construction of mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) walls.

Duke University’s Center on Globalization, Governance, & Competitiveness (CGGC) published a 44-page report in 2012 on coastal restoration projects and how geosynthetic technologies were playing a greater role. Funded by the Environmental Defense Fund and the Walton Family Foundation, the report, “Geosynthetics: Coastal Management Applications in the Gulf of Mexico,” highlighted technologies such as geotextile tubes and oil booms. Geosynthetic...

Raven Industries Engineered Films Division has announced the installation of a new reclaim production line designed to capture and recycle excess polymer material from internal manufacturing processes. The new reclaim line is truly a state-of-the-art system, capable of producing up to 15 million pounds of reprocessed resin pellets annually. This unique design contains a specific line filtering system for the removal of foreign materials from the melt stream; allowing complete quality control of all materials produced. The integrated computer control interface monitors every aspect of the process from the introduction of material to the finished resin pellets produced. Read the release.

Maccaferri will sponsor a February 27 (2:00 pm EST) webinar on "Geosynthetics: An Introduction to Flexible Pavement Design." An instructional webinar, this free session will focus on: The AASHTO Method for Unreinforced Roads and Geogrid Reinforced Roads; and, Roadway design support. An overview of roadway construction materials will also be included. Learn more and register.

GSE Holding, Inc. (NYSE:GSE) a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered geosynthetic containment solutions for environmental protection and confinement applications, is excited to participate as the leading company in their industry on Manufacturing Marvels narrated by John Criswell. "Being spotlighted on Manufacturing Marvels is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our employees to provide products and solutions that protect our water and keep our communities safe. We are proud of the work we do," said Peter McCourt, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing.