ACI Strategic Plan

ACI's Mission


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

  • Benefit to Society - public interest, trust, and safety; value and cost-effectiveness; commitment to sustainable design and construction.
  • Credibility - unbiased information, free of commercial or political influence; meticulous technical review process; trust, integrity, timeliness, transparency.
  • 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 an interest in concrete and its applications; 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 universally recognized for its comprehensive knowledge, guidance, and influence regarding concrete and its application.

The Envisioned Future


  • ACI will be a global catalyst and collaborator in the development of the knowledge of concrete and in the continuous improvement of concrete construction.
  • ACI's products and services will be universally valued and accepted.
  • ACI will be a global concrete knowledge community.
  • Concrete will be recognized for its sustainability attributes.


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 universally in developing and disseminating knowledge of concrete.

Objectives

  1. Support the advancement of new and emerging technologies.
  2. Improve the processes for development, coordination, and maintenance of codes and technical documents.
  3. Increase active participation of younger and experienced members in ACI committees.
  4. Maintain ACI at the forefront of communication technology.
  5. Increase content on the concrete knowledge center platform for all practitioners.

Goal #2: Sustainability

ACI will facilitate efforts that communicate the sustainability of concrete and its applications.

Objectives

  1. Expand the understanding of sustainability.
  2. Integrate sustainability content in relevant ACI documents and products.
  3. Coordinate an industry consensus and response on sustainability.
  4. Explore methods to quantify, rate, and certify sustainability of concrete structures.

Goal #3: Collaboration

ACI will collaborate with other organizations and associations for the purpose of improving concrete quality, design, and construction.

Objectives

  1. Increase effectiveness among industry groups and partners through improved coordination and communication as well as collaboration on research.
  2. Increase participation of industry group members on ACI committees.
  3. Raise awareness of constructibility, compatibility, and tolerance issues in the Owner, Design, and Construction communities.
  4. Strengthen relationships with current international partners while establishing relationships with new partners.
  5. Increase coordination with specification organizations to promote the broader use of ACI specifications.
  6. Take a leadership role in facilitating Building Information Modeling (BIM) for concrete structures.

Goal #4: Education & Certification

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

Objectives

  1. Expand reference to ACI certification requirements in standards and project specifications.
  2. Expand and support certification and education programs and services internationally.
  3. Develop and implement new programs in response to market needs.
  4. Provide practical web-based tools to help design, build, and maintain concrete and its applications.
  5. Expand delivery methods to make products more accessible, timely, helpful, and relevant.

Goal #5: Membership

More people 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 ACI chapter members in all ACI activities.
  3. Improve the process to increase membership based on market research.
  4. Increase focus on targeted member communication.
  5. Reduce barriers to participation in ACI.
  6. Increase ACI's perceived value.
  7. Broaden the scope of the Student Fellowship Program to attract a wider variety of donors and recipients.
  8. Expand membership value for members worldwide.

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


  • Social media will have increasing influence on communication worldwide.
  • 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 with more emphasis on electronic delivery systems.
  • 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.
  • Faster growth in the number of concrete users will occur internationally.

Legislative and regulatory factors


  • Laws will likely be enacted regulating emissions, as well as regulating the building industry regarding green construction issues.
  • Lack of a unified and clear voice can negatively impact the concrete industry.
  • 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.

Economic factors


  • Economic uncertainty is the new reality.
  • Energy price volatility will continue.
  • Faster growth will occur outside of North America, putting pressure on resource availability globally.
  • Asian economic growth and rapid urbanization will expand and shift global demand.
  • Global consolidation will continue resulting in decisions being made based on global impact versus North American impact.
  • Disaster prevention, management, and response will require more focus on cost-effective design for resilience.
  • Increasing debt loads, particularly in the U.S. and Europe, will constrain global economies.

Industry structure factors


  • Concrete-related associations will work more closely with each other.
  • 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.
  • Concrete construction internationally will demand advanced knowledge.
  • Demand for cost-effective and rapid construction will increase.
  • The focus on "sustainable design and construction" and resilience will impact design priorities.
  • New construction materials will require more rapid consideration in building codes.

Technology factors


  • Innovation in concrete technology, design, and construction will come increasingly from outside the U.S.
  • 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 have an increasing impact.
  • Construction will become more automated.
  • New materials might replace concrete or reinforcement. Shift to more durable and greener materials.
  • Rapid advances in technology will impact all facets of our industry.
  • 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.
  • Worldwide legal and cultural differences on the treatment of intellectual property will change ACI.
  • Disruptive technology can emerge and can have a major impact on our industry.

Approved by the ACI Board of Direction April 3, 2008

Revisions approved by the ACI Board of Direction November 12, 2009

Revisions approved by the ACI Board of Direction March 22, 2012