Industry News

Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Industries’ industrial coatings business has produced a new video introducing Duranar® GR (graffiti-resistant) and Coraflon® GR factory-applied clear coats. When combined with Duraprep® Prep 400 field-applied graffiti remover by PPG, the coatings create what is believed to be the only graffiti-resistant architectural coating system sold and tested by the same company.

Louisville, KY - Drexel Metals has announced the move of two branch locations, one in Colorado and the other in Pennsylvania.

DeLand, FL – Kingspan Insulated Panels has announced new features and usability improvements on its WikiSTIK ™—an auto-updated architectural binder—and the launch of its first WikiSTIK mobile app.

Memphis, TN - Varco Pruden Buildings announces the appointment of Rob Schaeffer as district manager for south Texas, effective immediately. In his newly-appointed role, Schaeffer will be responsible for Varco Pruden’s business development and builder support. He will report to Chuck Powers, sales manager for Varco Pruden’s central region.

Washington, DC – Following consistently increasing demand for design services throughout most of 2013, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has posted its first consecutive months of contraction since May and June of 2012. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the December ABI score was 48.5, down from a mark of 49.8 in November.

Colorado Springs, CO – S-5!®, the well-respected international authority on ancillary attachment technology for the metal roofing industry, is proud to announce its most recent full-line distributor, Metal Plus, LLC.

Corinth, MS - Developmental Industries Inc., along with its D.I. Roof Seamers division, marks 25 years in business in 2014. Based in Corinth, Mississippi, D.I. Roof Seamers is recognized as one of the largest roof seamer manufacturers in the world, with offices in the United States and Canada.

Hatfield, PA – Two of Laminators Incorporated's top sales people from the company’s architectural division recently passed the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) CDT exam. Shawn Crouthamel, National Sales Manager, and Scott Leonard, Regional Sales Manager for the Midwest and Upper Midwest regions, have passed the rigorous testing to become a certified Construction Documents Technologist (CDT).

Eufaula, AL - American Buildings Company (ABC), a leading domestic and international manufacturer and marketer of high-quality metal building systems for industrial, commercial, and institutional construction markets, announces the addition of Atkinson Incorporated of Fayetteville, NC, to its national network of Builders.

Centennial, CO –The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) has released a comprehensive app to aid in the inspection of hot-dip galvanized steel. The app is available for purchase for $4.99 in both the Apple and Google Play stores.

Falls Church, VA - The Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) has released a new detailed analysis of the impact on the construction industry of the recent reduction of structural values for Southern Yellow Pine - one of the most commonly used species of wood used for framing.

Houston, TX - MBCI, a leading supplier of metal construction products, announces a new addition to its wide range of commercial and industrial wall panels. The AVP panel is an exposed-fastener wall panel and is the improved version of its popular existing PBA panel.

DeLand, FL- Kingspan Insulated Panels – North America challenged architectural students across the globe to design an urban mid-rise, mixed-use complex for a Washington, DC project site in its 2013 design competition, known as Generation Kingspan, or simply GenK. While all the participating students won valuable knowledge and experience by completing the multifaceted requirements, there was only one Grand Prize Winner: the team led by Luis Sidonio.

Eufaula, AL - American Buildings Company (ABC), a leading domestic and international manufacturer and marketer of high-quality metal building systems for industrial, commercial, and institutional construction markets, announces the addition of Hankins Construction Services, LLC of Crawfordsville, Ind., to its national network of Builders.

Washington, DC - The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has completed testing on the cyclic/seismic lateral performance of power-actuated fasteners (PAFs) for connecting cold-formed steel (CFS) to concrete base materials as part of interior and exterior wall framing applications. The laboratory results demonstrate that tested capacities of the cold-formed steel track-to-concrete PAF connections exceed those used for design under the current ASCE 7 (2010) provisions.

Louisville, KY - Drexel Metals has announced receiving approval for its third AIA CES accredited course - Course # 731 - Understanding Metal Roofing Engineering and Test Requirements. The new seminar focuses on metal roofing design and engineering and was written by Drexel Metals’ technical and engineering team.

Cleveland, OH - As the push for more energy-efficient buildings continues, numerous building codes are now including air barrier requirements. To address these changing standards, Garland has engineered a new product line of high-performance solutions that prevent unwanted air, vapor and water from penetrating the building envelope. The Garland Aero-Block™ product line offers solutions for all six sides of the building enclosure, as well as for gaps in walls or between sections of walls.

Beloit, WI – Jonathan Shepard has been named president of Mule-Hide Products Co. Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality, high-performance, low-slope roofing products and systems. He succeeds Daniel Piché, who was recently named vice president of national business development for ABC Supply Co., Inc.

Lancaster, PA - Fabral, provider of metal building envelope products, announces the appointment of Roy Clay to Territory Sales Manager. He will work with the architectural community and commercial distribution centers in the north Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas markets.

Statesville, NC - 3A Composites USA announces that Herb Larsen has joined the Alucobond® aluminum composite material (ACM) sales team as southwest district sales manager.