Industry News

Los Angeles, CA - C.R. Laurence, a supplier and manufacturer of products to the glass and glazing industry, has announced the availability of the new HR18 Architectural Railings Catalog.

Washington, DC – The first quarter of 2017 ended on a positive note for the Architecture Billings Index (ABI). As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the March ABI score was 54.3, up from a score of 50.7 in the previous month.

Indianapolis, IN – Firestone Building Products Company, LLC, a leading manufacturer and supplier of high-performing building product solutions, has announced their 2017 Master Contractor award recipients. These top-tier companies are among the top 5 percent of Firestone Building Products Red Shield™ Licensed Roofing Contractors and were selected for their exemplary installation, quality of work and customer service.

Elk Grove Village, IL - Beckers has introduced Beckry®Tex, a super durable polyester architectural coating system. The result of over 30 years of research and development conducted by the Beckers Group, Beckry®Tex offers a series of unique textured coatings with an ultra low-gloss finish that will enhance the aesthetic of any roofing project in the commercial, residential and industrial metal roofing markets.

Washington, DC - The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) will host the 2017 CFSEI Annual Expo on May 22-23, 2017 at the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. This event is designed for architects, builders/contractors and engineers, with an educational program geared toward both skilled cold-formed steel (CFS) framing professionals as well as newcomers.

Cleveland, OH - The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) announces the newest participants in its capstone course program. This program enables colleges and universities to work with MBMA and its member companies to offer a Senior Design Course focusing on metal buildings.

Deer Park, WA - Knight Wall Systems announces that it has launched a new marketing video that provides an overview of the company’s technology and entire range of rainscreen attachment systems, according to company president Doug Knight.

Kansas City, MO - Butler Manufacturing™ has named Canadian builder Bel-Con Design-Builders Ltd. as this year’s Butler Design Award winner for its industry-leading construction of a new facility for SafeStart, a safety training company in Belleville, Ontario.

Indianapolis, IN - Coated Metals Group (CMG) has expanded its Indianapolis location with a recent addition to its operation facility. The expansion has increased the building's square footage by over 50 percent allowing CMG to ramp up their on-hand inventory and production.

Pittsburgh, PA - PPG (NYSE: PPG) has produced four videos - including an introductory video and three training videos - demonstrating how original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their suppliers can repair surface defects on coated parts without re-running entire units through their production lines.

Olathe, KS - A white paper titled "Does the presence of a radiant barrier system (including an RBS with metallic materials) increase the risk of a lightning strike to a structure?" is now available for purchase through RIMA International (RIMA-I).

Pittsburgh, PA – Wismarq Industries, LLC will now be called Vorteq Coil Finishers, LLC. This name change, along with the launching of Vorteq’s new web-based customer portal, is the culmination of a comprehensive initiative to create a differentiated and personalized customer service model, to further augment the company’s quality standards, and to enhance brand recognition of the company as a supplier of specialized coil coating services.

Washington, DC - The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) will host a webinar on “Fastening and Firestopping Interior and Exterior Walls” on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The webinar is designed for architects, engineers, building officials and contractors. Participants are eligible for 1.5 PDHs.

Cleveland, OH - Scott Russell of Nucor Corporation has been presented with the first Norman W. Rimmer Technical Leadership Award by the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA). The award was presented to Russell in recognition of eight years of exemplary service as Technical Committee Chairman, and as an advocate of the spirit of discovery and sharing of knowledge within the metal building systems industry.

Pittsburgh, PA - BuildSteel, an alliance of steel and construction industry organizations, announces the release of “BIM for Cold-Formed Steel Framed Projects: Benefits, Drawbacks, and How to Succeed,” an e-book to help architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals understand and utilize building information modeling (BIM) for cold-formed steel projects.

Raleigh, NC – VMZINC®, the international brand name of rolled zinc products and a division of Umicore, has announced that the International Code Counsel Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) has issued final approval of the report for VMZ Flat lock and VMZ Interlocking panels.

Washington, DC – The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) returned to growth mode in February, after a weak showing in January. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the February ABI score was 50.7, up from a score of 49.5 in the previous month.

Burlington, Ontario, Canada - AXYZ International, a CNC router manufacturer, announces the release of its third iBook, titled, "AXYZ Trident – The Most Versatile CNC Router-Knife Hybrid In the Industry".

Chicago, IL - Jeremy K. Flack, CEO of Flack Global Metals, and Greg Underwood, President of Kenwood Painted Metals, have announced the merger of their companies, effective April 1, 2017. Flack will retain his position as CEO of Flack Global Metals, and Underwood will join the company as executive vice president.

Phoenix, AZ - EcoFasten Solar has launched their newest product, SimpleBlock, a solution designed specifically for standing seam metal roofing applications.