National Precast Inc. is a corporation that specializes in the manufacturing and installation of architectural and structural precast concrete in mostly industrial and commercial construction. The company was founded in 1968 and has served the Midwest construction industry on over 800 projects since that time.
At the main office, located in Roseville, Michigan since its inception, National Precast manufactures various types of custom architectural precast as well as most types of structural precast.
Our architectural products are mostly used as exterior facades of office buildings, stadiums, hospitals, schools, parking structures, and similar type construction. We specialize in concrete finishes that include sandblast, exposed aggregate, acid wash, granite and/or limestone cladding and brick clad precast. Our quality architectural products can be found on the exterior of the most prestigious buildings throughout the metro Detroit area. Whether it is the private sector, the auto industry, auto suppliers, government agencies, universities or professional sports teams, National Precast has helped form the image these entities greet their clients with. Companies such as AAA, Auto Owners Ins., Barton Malow, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Daimler Chrysler, Compuware, and Flagstar Bank, have chosen National Precast Inc. and its products to grace the exterior of their National headquarter buildings. All three of the major automobile companies have used our products on numerous facilities that they own. Our local sports teams, the Lions, Tigers and Pistons all entertain their fans in facilities built with National Precast products defining their exteriors.
Our structural products produced at our main office include columns, beams, load bearing panels and stadium seating. These structural products are mainly used in parking structures throughout the Midwest. Clients choosing the quality and durability of National Precast structural products to provide parking for their employees and customers include Beaumont Hospital, Compuware, Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Hutzel Hospital, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and numerous cities, businesses and institutions throughout the area.
In an effort to better service our parking structure customers, National Precast Inc. has recently purchased the assets of Shelby Precast Concrete Co. This acquisition will enable National Precast to manufacture double tees, which is the only structural product that we did not manufacture ourselves when constructing these various parking structures. This expansion will enable us to reduce our overall cost structure, improve the quality of the double tees, and gain greater control over the scheduling of our parking structures. The Shelby Precast facility is also located in the Metro Detroit area, and like National, has close access to the major freeways. This new acquisition, situated on 75 acres, will also enable National Precast to expand its other structural products.
Both National Precast Inc. and its subsidiary, National Precast Structural, are long time members of the Precast Concrete Institute (PCI). The PCI is a national organization of precast concrete manufacturers and the industries that supply them. The organization markets and promotes precast concrete on a national level, provides funding for various research projects, publishes numerous magazines, promotional and educational literature and organizes various technical committees. In addition, PCI has an established quality control manual for both architectural and structural products. In order to maintain a membership in the PCI, a company must pass two unannounced detailed inspections by an independent engineering firm for adherence to these quality control manuals. We are proud to say that over the years, National Precast Inc. has obtained some of the highest grades given upon inspection by the independent agency.
The service that National Precast provides does not begin only when a project is awarded. We at National Precast believe it is our professional responsibility to educate the design community and the general contractor’s in the proper use of our product. To this end, we spend much time meeting with architects and general contractors and aiding them in the very preliminary stages of projects. We spend time with these professionals to develop drawings, to properly show the use of our product and its interface with other construction, to make them aware of the concrete finishes available to best suit their needs, to review project scheduling and to setup budgets based on their intended needs. We also have made presentations on various production techniques to architects, general contractors and engineering organizations. All of these efforts are done free of charge. Our only hope is that by providing these services, we will be successful at promoting the use of precast concrete and thus increasing the marketplace. We are then confident that with our ability and quality, we will be successful at securing our fair share of that increased market.
Over the years, the knowledge our staff of engineers and production people have developed has proven invaluable. We are proud to say that we have been pioneers in the precast industry in the Midwest. The Palace, home of the Pistons, is the first brick clad precast project in the Midwest. Since that time we have worked together with the brick manufacturers and the form liner suppliers to perfect the process of making brick clad precast panels. The detail encountered in brick clad precast project today, is due mainly to the perseverance and ingenuity of the staff at National Precast.
Similarly in parking structures, National Precast has been at the front of innovation. Many of the details currently used in parking structure design have been developed by our firm. Exterior wall panel systems to “hide” exterior ramps and interior accommodations for OSHA requirements are two of the most popular systems that National Precast helped develop.