Industry News

Cleveland, OH - The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) will again be hosting its annual Architecture Faculty Workshop for college and university professors nationwide. This year’s event takes place April 10 in Charlotte, North Carolina and includes a tour of a local metal building manufacturing facility.

Fairfax, MN — Perfect for mobile containers, food trucks, show booths, storage units, non-wired outbuildings and other off-the-grid applications, Schweiss Doors has introduced a new compact hydraulic pump that can open and close hydraulic doors up to 24' x 12' with a cordless drill or by hand. The drill-driven compact hydraulic pump system allows customers to enjoy all the benefits of a Schweiss hydraulic door – strength, security and full access to inside space – without electricity.

Sheffield Village, OH — Sheffield Metals International (SMI), a leading provider of coated and bare metal coil and sheet products, is excited to announce a new branch opening in Plant City, Florida.

Arlington, VA - The construction sector added 17,000 employees in December and continued to raise wages at a faster clip than other industries, the Associated General Contractors of America reported in an analysis of most recent government data. Association officials said the survey it released this week found contractors expect to hire more employees in 2024 but are struggling to find enough qualified workers.

Wilmington, DE - DuPont™ Tedlar® and the SPE (Society of Plastic Engineers) Foundation announced that two students have been awarded the DuPont™ Tedlar® Scholarship for academic study focused on plastics engineering. Each scholarship recipient received $2,500 to support their studies in STEM.

Chesapeake, VA — Mitsubishi Chemical America’s (MCA) ALPOLIC Division, a leader in metal composite material (MCM) manufacturing, is pleased to announce the promotion of three employees within its leadership team. Candice Rambo has been promoted to Technical Director; Steve Tatro has been promoted to National Corporate Identity Sales Manager; and Michael Bowie has been promoted to Technical Services Manager.

Cleveland, OH - The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) has released its latest continuing education course titled Evaluating Metal Building Systems using COMcheck™.

Painesville, OH - Avery Dennison Performance Tapes has announced the launch of a new line of high-performing pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape products for the building and construction industry.

Villa Rica, GA – Storage Structures, a division of Central States Manufacturing Inc., announces the rebranding of the business to Elevate Structures. Elevate will continue to provide the self-storage industry with products and services while expanding into multifamily, hotel and student housing construction markets.

Bethlehem, PA - The Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association (MBCEA) announces Robert Tiffin of Silvercote, a Service Partners Company in Greenville, South Carolina, as its next President. He takes over from Jennifer Heimburger of Heimburger Construction Inc., Bonne Terre, Missouri, who becomes Past President.

Arlington, VA — Total construction spending increased by 0.4 percent in November, as a pickup in homebuilding and some private nonresidential markets offset a downturn in public spending, according to an analysis of federal spending data the Associated General Contractors of America.

Moundridge, — The Bradbury Group, a global leader in the design and manufacture of roll forming and coil processing equipment, announced it has acquired the assets of Press Room Equipment Co., (PRE) a leading provider of press feed and coil handling equipment based in Springfield, MO.

Washington, DC - The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has updated AISI S310, North American Standard for the Design of Profiled Steel Diaphragm Panels. This standard, first published in 2013, provides design provisions for diaphragms consisting of profiled steel panels which include fluted profiles and cellular panel profiles.

Washington, DC – The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) has released the December 2023 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). The index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $1 trillion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 42.5, steady with the November index of 42.8.

Washington, DC – The American Institute of Architects' AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) remained below 50 for the fourth consecutive month in November, 2023. The score of 45.3 increased by one point from October, indicating slightly fewer firms reporting a decline in billings. The report also found inquiries for future projects rising.

Houston, TX – Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions™, a leader in efficient and resilient roofing systems and components, has released a new CEU continuing education course for architects about roofing underlayment. The course, The Importance of Roof Underlayment for Energy Efficiency and Fire Resistance, explores the roof underlayment as an integral part of the total roof system design and educates architects on the performance, benefits, fire resistance and weather resilience of various underlayment types.

Hatfield, PA – Laminators Incorporated has received notice from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations indicating that the application for Florida Product Approval (FPA) has been approved for the 2023 Florida Building Code (FBC). Laminators’ Omega-Lite® ACM panels and applicable installation systems are approved for use in all Florida jurisdictions requiring FPA, including the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) with a wind load design pressure of +/- 120 pounds per square foot.

Cleveland, OH - The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) has released its 2023 annual report: “Metal Building Systems – A Sustainable Future”. It focuses on the sustainability and resiliency of metal building systems and how MBMA and its members continue to lead the industry in developing new and better solutions to advance metal building system design and manufacture.

Washington, DC - Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes rose three points to 37 in December, according to the recent National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released on December 18, 2023.

Washington, DC - Construction input prices decreased 0.3% in November compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data.