 Georgia
Precast Services (GPS)
GPS is a unique and versatile manufacturer of specialty Precast
Concrete products, GFRC, and Cast Stone Coat. As a specialist
in architectural precast concrete, we offer a unique blend of
sculpting, engineering, mold making, and manufacturing capabilities.
Using old techniques and new technology, our mold making skills
are unsurpassed in the industry.
  We
are a company set up to service the building industry in mold
making and casting. GPS brings together the best of today's
modern materials with a dedication to old-fashioned craftsmanship
and service. With combined experience of more than 40 years
in mold making and casting, company principals Colin Oliver
and Jose Salomon are known industry wide as producers of low-cost,
quality precast, on schedule, individualized to meet your needs.
Innovation
 GPS
constantly seeks out new materials to reduce costs, not only
in our production but also onsite. We’re currently working
with Lightweight Concepts
to design and develop lightweight concrete products. We have
developed a product that weighs five pounds per square foot,
uses an adhesive installation method, and can also have a mechanical
connection in conjunction with adhesive. The adhesive bond will
work with almost all of today’s building materials. Cast
Stone Coat is an ideal solution for trim work. It has a high
compressive strength, good flex strengths, and high tensile
strengths. The product also does not require any heavy lifting
equipment for installation.
Modeling/Sculpting
   The
many different ways that model makers produce their art is one
of the most intriguing aspects of the profession. Model making
is by no means standardized. Until recently, there were no model
making schools. Most model makers were apprentices trained by
craftsmen and brought through the trade. Other model makers
were trained in the fine arts, particularly sculpture. Others
come to model making from industrial arts backgrounds. Today,
laser cutters and other high-tech solutions play an ever-growing
role in rapid prototyping, helping model makers create more
accurate parts in less time.
At GPS, 90% of all sculpting and modeling is done in-house.
When necessary, we lean on the incredible skills of Cherrylion
Studios, a nationally renowned sculpture studio, to augment
our services.
Mold Making
 The
mold process is where the architect's vision begins to change
into something tangible. Shop drawings and assembly details
are reviewed and layouts are completed. According to the size
of the project and detail, molds are made of different materials.
High-quantity or rush jobs generally have molds built of wood,
fiberglass, GFRC or foam. Ornate pieces usually have molds built
of rubber or fiberglass. The craftsman responsible for the project
determines the best material for the application. If necessary,
GPS crews will make molds in the field. If an actual piece from
a building is brought to be matched, craftsmen will sculpt an
exact replica down to the finest detail. Mold making is an art
form passed from craftsman to apprentice, allowing the techniques
of the old to gel with the technology of this generation of
artists. At GPS we revere the old, respect the new, and continually
look for better ways to refine our craft.
GPS manufactures a variety of radius, straight, and elliptical
design molds. Cast stone molds include fountains, copings, planters,
benches, chairs, tables, balustrades, cap and base rails, and
bollards. Specialized column molds are available from six feet
up to thirty feet in any style (straight, tapered, or with an
entasis).
Engineering
 The
key to economies of scale are repetition of shape and profile.
Jobs can be reduced to a fraction of otherwise prohibitive cost
if certain standards are followed.
Size: Rather than cost per lineal
or per square foot, the wide range of sizes that can be made
makes it more convenient to view cost in terms of cubic feet
per piece. The ideal unit cost (per cubic foot) is achieved
when individual piece sizes are 1.5 to 2.0 cubic feet. The ideal
length for straight pieces such as copings, sills, banding is
between 4' to 6'.
Piece Design: By including one
flat unexposed side in the design of the individual piece, production
and curing time will be reduced to a minimum, and costs will
be lower. Typical profiles with one flat unexposed side include
base, water table, banding, sills, header, and coping. If more
than one flat unexposed side is designed such as L-shaped or
U-shaped pieces, costs increase due to the intricate mold required
and the additional production time. Pieces such as balusters
and balls that require molds that are two-sided, with minimal
unexposed surface, add costs due to the longer time to construct
molds and extreme care that must be used during the production
process.
Profile Repetition: The more that
an individual mold can be amortized over a production run, the
lower the cost per piece, even if the length of the profile
varies. Various piece lengths can be made by using an adjustable
filler or stop in the mold during the production process.
Profiles: The architect is encouraged
to exercise design freedom when drawing profiles. In contrast
to natural cut stone, profiles with curves and bevels are encouraged
because the additional cost to incorporate these shapes into
molds is minimal compared to flat pieces with defined edges.
Ornamentation: Highly intricate
designs that require making a model adds to the cost. This would
be the case when reproducing shapes on historical buildings.
Manufacturing Capabilities
  From
the largest custom project to the smallest of artistic detail,
GPS is your source for precast, lightweight architectural products,
restoration resources, and custom fountain and landscape applications.
We focus on durable, low-maintenance, energy-efficient materials
that create low, long-term operating costs. We also know that
for the project to be right, delivering on time and on budget
is essential. Whether you're putting in a high-rise, planning
a subdivision, renovating an historic structure, or landscaping
a park, let GPS be your partner for lighweight, cost-efficient
solutions.
Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC)
 A
mixture of cement mortar with countless strands of embedded
glass fiber creating a true composite material. GFRC is lightweight
and thus allows for less structural load and reduced erection
and transportation costs. GFRC panels can cover three to four
times the area of precast concrete panels of the same weight,
or permit lower capacity cranes the necessary outreach to handle
units of economical size, on a multi-story building in congested
city centers. Architects can reproduce fine surface details
in terms of shape, form, and texture in a lightweight product.
Cast Stone Coat Profiles
 Cast Stone Coat Profiles are manufactured lightweight cast stone shapes.
The shapes consist of minimum 3/8" thick StoneCoat cladding
over an EPS core. This unique combination of construction technologies
offers many advantages.
Eliminates steel cost from your project:
Cast Stone Coat Profiles weigh roughly 10% of traditional cast
stone and require less structure in the wall cavity. Typically
L/360 is sufficient. Cast Stone Coat Profiles eliminate costly
heavy gauge metal attachments and additional structure that
is often required with traditional cast stone.
Shorten construction time: Cast Stone Coat Profiles avoid hard-mold production delays as EPS molds
are created daily with wire cutting machines at the GPS plant.
With our unique and tested installation methods, Cast Stone Coat Profiles also install in less time, with less equipment, and
with less interference t the scheduling of other products on
the project.
Beauty that lasts: Cast Stone Coat Profiles offer traditional cast stone finishes as well as polished
and burnished finishes not available with other cast products.
Cast Stone Coat Profiles are considered to be be 75 year products
(only .1% degradation in the 300 cycle freeze-thaw test). Durability
is exceptional at over 5500 PSI.
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