If you have seen the precast concrete pull boxes Locke Solutions manufactures (also known as ground boxes or handholes), you might be asking “What’s up with those round recesses all over the box?”

We sat down with Michael Luck, Vice President of Sales for Locke Solutions, to give us some background on how this look came to be.

“From the beginning of Locke, we’ve always tried to find ways to make precast more valuable to our contractors.” says Luck. “These recesses can be used as a guide in the field and it helps the contractor visualize the location of the duct bank or conduit during installation.”

Luck says, “It’s not as noticeable on the smaller concrete ground boxes, but we also developed these pull boxes with rounded corners.  The recesses and the rounded corners both help to reduce the amount of spalling when handling or knocking out openings for conduit.”

Although the precast concrete industry has proven the value of long-lasting steel-reinforced concrete, there have been few changes in precast technology over the years until recently.  Many precast manufacturers, including Locke, have started developing new and innovative ways to make the use of precast even more cost-effective and valuable to contractors and owners.

“We believe that if the concrete looks good with little or no chipping, the contractor and the owner feel better about the product.  Most of our products are going underground, but we care about how it looks when it leaves our facility and arrives at the site.” Luck reiterates “It just looks better!”