Industry News

Arlington, VA - Construction spending in February increased 6.0 percent from February 2019, with year-over-year gains in both residential and nonresidential outlays, according to a new analysis of federal data released April 1 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned that their latest survey shows conditions for contractors have deteriorated rapidly since February. They called on Congress to urgently pass targeted recovery measures to boost infrastructure funding, compensate firms for lost or delayed federally funded work, and provide needed pension relief.

Hatfield, PA – Continuing with its efforts to promote the features and benefits of recently launched field-fabricated Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) products and installation systems, Laminators Inc. has announced the development of a new video to guide designers and contractors through the installation process for its new Clip & Caulk™ system.

Allentown, PA - ATAS International Inc. has once again received a prestigious Top Workplace award. This is the fifth consecutive year that the award has been earned, and ATAS is one of only four manufacturing firms in the Lehigh Valley to receive this 2020 honor from The Morning Call.

Miami, FL - The Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) Construction, Permitting & Building Code Division announces that a new ePermitting System application for Metal Roof Panels (Category 96), is available for use by licensed roofing contractors.

Louisville, KY - Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of metal roof, wall and building systems, announces the addition of Brian Haraf as the new Vice President of Sales.

Washington, DC – Demand for design services in February increased at a solid pace for the sixth month in a row, according to the latest report from The American Institute of Architects (AIA). AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 53.4 for February reflects an increase in design services provided by U.S. architecture firms (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). During February, both the new project inquiries and design contracts scores moderated slightly but remained in positive territory, posting scores of 56.5 and 52.0 respectively.

Portland, OR —The Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA) has selected Texas Traditions Roofing and Sheffield Metals as the first winners of its quarterly Best Residential Metal Roofing Project competition.

Colorado Springs, CO – S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, a leading authority on metal roof attachment solutions, is offering a series of free educational webinars on a variety of solar and snow retention topics this week and twice-weekly throughout April.

Washington, DC - The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) will host a webinar on “Design Considerations for Cold-Formed Steel Light Frame Diaphragms” on Thursday, April 9, 2020 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT. The webinar is designed for architects, engineers, building officials and contractors.

Newton, MA - Ready to put the brakes on sliding sales and negativity about the economic outlook? Want to know what other metal construction industry sales pros are doing in these uncertain times to buck trends and make their numbers? Wondering how to use this down-time to prepare for the pent-up demand on the other side?

Davidson, NC - Wanderlust, a selection of 29 new ALUCOBOND® PLUS aluminum composite material (ACM) finishes, has been introduced by 3A Composites USA. The new finishes increase the company’s offering of stocked ALUCOBOND PLUS finishes to a total of 86.

Cleveland, OH - The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) has released a revised set of 10 insurance bulletins. MBMA’s insurance bulletins provide building owners, designers and builders with important information on the different types of insurance companies and rating systems and how various hazards or conditions can impact insurance costs.

Washington, DC - The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has published two new cold-formed steel research reports: 1) “RP19-3: Direct Strength Prediction of Purlins with Paired Torsion Bracing,” and 2) “RP20-1: Inelastic Lateral-Torsional Buckling Strength Validation for Non-Principal Axis Bending Using Numerical Methods.”

Denver, CO - Coated Metals Group (CMG) announces the completion of its new Denver location. It features a 60% increase in total square footage, allowing a significant increase in stock and production capabilities.

Muskegon, MI - Lorin Industries Inc. has released a new video highlighting the company’s continued success through innovation, processes, service and quality. The “Reflect Your Vision: Corporate Video,” now available on Lorin’s YouTube Channel, pays tribute to the outstanding employees whose dedication and commitment helped shape where the company is today.

Sheffield Village, OH – Sheffield Metals International, an AIA Continuing Education Provider and a leading distributor of coated and bare metal coil and sheet products, has launched six new American Institute of Architects (AIA) approved Nano courses to the architectural and design community.

Kingscourt, Ireland - Improving energy efficiency and performance in buildings is an essential component of the Advancing Net Zero project, which aims for every single building – both new and existing – to operate at zero carbon emissions by 2050, or sooner. Kingspan is committed to promoting an envelope first approach and supporting the industry’s development of innovative solutions towards decarbonization. This will require systemic change in the way products are manufactured, used and transported around the world.

Greeneville, TN – Jarden Zinc Products LLC, a Jadex Inc. company (formerly Jarden Process Solutions), has announced the launch of a new corporate brand identity and company name change. Jarden Process Solutions is now known as Jadex Inc., and Jarden Zinc Products will now operate under the legal name ARTAZN LLC and the ARTAZN™ brand.

Wausau, WI - Linetec has promoted Jake Kriewald from inside sales lead to outside sales manager for the Mid-Central states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

Portland, OR — The Metal Roofing Alliance is spreading the good news for homeowners looking to save money by installing an energy efficient metal roof this year: the Federal Property Tax Credits incentive for doing so have been retroactively extended until Dec. 31, 2020.