ACI Strategic Plan

ACI's Mission


Provide knowledge and information for the best use of concrete.
The core values of ACI's mission are:

  • Benefit to Society - public interest, trust, and safety; value and cost-effectiveness; commitment to sustainable technology.
  • Credibility - unbiased information free of commercial or political influence; meticulous technical review process; trust, integrity, timeliness.
  • Personal and Professional Growth - exposure to all aspects of industry; technical diversity; personal growth through responsibility and achievement; lifelong learning.
  • Consensus - inclusive and diverse working groups; collaboration through open discussion; bridging differences through constructive compromise.
  • Camaraderie - a place for everyone with a technical interest in concrete; mutual respect, cooperation; friendship, social interaction; volunteers as key to success; exposure to diverse opinions on the best use of concrete; member-staff partnership.


ACI's Vision


ACI will be recognized as the prime source of knowledge, insight, and influence regarding concrete and its application.

The Envisioned Future


  • ACI will be a catalyst and collaborator in the development of concrete knowledge and improvement of concrete construction worldwide. Through communication, cooperation, and collaboration, ACI will facilitate the formation of a unified global concrete knowledge community, with an organized worldwide body of knowledge on the design, construction, use, repair, and maintenance of concrete products, structures, and facilities.
  • ACI's influence on the industry will be universally valued: ACI documents will set the standard for the industry on a global basis; ACI standards will serve as a template and will be translated into many languages; and ACI certification will be universally accepted. ACI members will enjoy the prestige of membership and will have access to the most authoritative knowledge and people in the industry.
  • There will be improved concrete construction worldwide through ACI technical programs, documents, education, and certification programs. This knowledge will be disseminated worldwide through the use of the most advanced technologies.
  • Concrete will be universally recognized as a high quality, durable cost-effective building material for sustainable development, and ACI will lead efforts that position concrete as sustainable and environmentally-friendly.


ACI's Goals and Objectives


These goals, formulated within the context of a 3 to 5 year planning horizon, represent a strategic approach to move ACI toward the realization of the future vision. A set of objectives for each goal outlines probable actions that will be required to address the key issues facing ACI in the near future.

Goal #1: Knowledge

ACI will be recognized as the leader in developing and disseminating concrete knowledge.

Objectives

  1. Improve efficiency of identifying and evaluating new technologies.
  2. Improve the code and technical document development process.
  3. Increase active participation of younger and experienced members in ACI committees.
  4. Enhance ACI's electronic portal to keep it at the forefront of communication technology.
  5. Increase content on the concrete knowledge center platform.

Goal #2: Sustainability

ACI will facilitate efforts that communicate the sustainable and environmental benefits of concrete structures (horizontal and vertical).

Objectives

  1. Expand understanding of the sustainability issue among membership.
  2. Expand resources to support sustainability issues.
  3. Provide sustainability content in ACI documents and products.
  4. Improve the perception of concrete relative to sustainability.
  5. Coordinate an industry consensus and response on sustainability.
  6. Explore methods to quantify, rate, and certify sustainability of concrete structures.

Goal #3: Industry Collaboration

ACI will collaborate with other organizations and associations in the interest of improving the quality of concrete.

Objectives

  1. Improve coordination among ACI documents.
  2. Increase effectiveness among industry groups through improved coordination and communication.
  3. Increase participation of Intra/Inter industry groups on ACI committees.
  4. Minimize constructability, compatibility, and tolerance issues, by raising awareness in the Owner, Design, and Construction communities.
  5. Increase cooperation with international partners.

Goal #4: Education

ACI will expand its education, certification, and career-related programs to improve the quality of concrete construction.

Objectives

  1. Expand ACI certification referenced in standards and project specifications.
  2. Expand certification and education services internationally.
  3. Develop and implement programs based on market research.
  4. Expand tools to help design, build, and maintain concrete.
  5. Expand delivery methods to make products more accessible, timely, and relevant.
  6. Increase resources to support these services.
  7. Broaden the scope of the Student Fellowship Program to include and attract a wider variety of donors and recipients.

Goal #5: Member Value

More people in the construction industry will find value and benefit in ACI membership.

Objectives

  1. Increase the number of student/younger members and their level of participation.
  2. Increase participation by local ACI chapter members in ACI activities.
  3. Increase membership recruiting efforts based on marketing research.
  4. Increase personalization of web interface and other communication.
  5. Reduce real and perceived barriers to participation in ACI.
  6. Increase ACI's perceived value relative to other construction-related organizations.

Our Changing Industry


To project the future environment in which ACI will need to position itself, assumption statements have been created regarding the next 5 to 10 years. As conditions change, strategies will need to be reconsidered. Assumptions about the key challenges ahead include:

Social, cultural, and consumer factors


  • While the U.S. population will become more diverse, outsourcing of technology creation and associated tasks will have a negative impact on the U.S. economy. U.S. involvement in international conflicts will also impact the industry.
  • The sustainability movement will continue to expand with a growing emphasis on green building and increased concern over global warming.
  • Consumers will demand "reliable" information instantly and free.

Demographic factors


  • Younger members will foster changes in established methods of information distribution.
  • Immigration will cause a shift in ACI members and users. As the world population shifts to urbanization, increased demands will be made on the construction industry.
  • Potential exists for a knowledge gap and volunteer gap. A decline in engineering students worldwide may cause reduction in membership and committee involvement. Additionally, there may be difficulty in getting U.S. students interested in careers that are being outsourced. Employers will need to support younger members' participation on committees.

Legislative and regulatory factors


  • Laws will likely be enacted regulating emissions, as well as regulating the building industry regarding green-construction issues. A unified voice within the concrete industry will be needed.
  • Trade and environmental regulations will affect materials supply and composition.
  • Immigration reform will affect cost and availability of labor.
  • Homeland security legislation will affect structural design and construction.
  • Special interest legislation could have a damaging effect on the concrete industry.

Economic factors


  • The recession of 2008 may continue for several more years.
  • Energy prices will increase, leading to a demand for alternatives to petroleum-based construction materials.
  • Faster growth will occur outside of North America, putting pressure on resource availability globally.
  • Global consolidation will continue resulting in decisions being made based on global impact versus North American impact.
  • Fewer people will enter the workforce requiring greater efficiency and less emphasis on cost of materials.
  • The U.S. dollar will continue to be weak against other currencies.

Industry structure factors


  • Concrete-related associations will work more closely with each other.
  • Globalization will change the way everyone in the concrete industry works.
  • Engineering education will focus on "soft side" / management versus technical. If courses on concrete are cut, technology will be compromised.
  • Global consolidation will impact the concrete industry and global standards will be necessary.
  • Continued de-valuation of the U.S. dollar will expand international involvement and ownership in U.S. industries.
  • Restructuring of the cement and materials industry will shift from local to global, causing the costs of cement and the mining of aggregate costs to increase.
  • Internet-based knowledge systems will reduce the reliance on experts.
  • Offshore consulting will change the design community.
  • The shift to "sustainability" will cause a major change in design priorities.

Technology factors


  • There will be more information available in a shorter period of time; increased use of the Internet for business communications.
  • Sustainability will require the development of new technologies.
  • Transition to an all-electronic workflow, with more work done via the Internet. Virtual interactions will change ACI.
  • Construction will become more automated.
  • New materials might replace concrete or reinforcement. Shift to more durable and greener materials.
  • Industry will look to technology to improve construction document effectiveness.
  • Acceptance of performance-based specification and codes will be slow.
  • Industry will look to technology to solve industry problems.
  • Proprietary technology will make ACI's role as "knowledge disseminator" more difficult.
  • Technology will emerge which is not anticipated and will have a major impact.

Approved by the ACI Board of Direction April 3, 2008

Revisions approved by the board of Directions November 12, 2009