Industry News

Washington, DC - National nonresidential construction spending rose 0.5% in September but is down 0.9% on a year-ago basis, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, spending totaled $775.6 billion, 2.4% lower than the cyclical peak in April 2019.

Pittsburgh, PA - Vorteq Coil Finishers, LLC, a provider of coil coating services for metal products, has announced the acquisition of the assets of Western Metal Decorating of Rancho Cucamonga, CA. The company also announced the relocation of its headquarters from Oconomowoc, WI to Pittsburgh, PA.

Moon Township, PA - CENTRIA®, a leading innovator and manufacturer of advanced building envelope wall and roof panels, integrated components and coating systems, introduces TotalClad™ MW fire-resistant insulated metal wall panels. Building upon its current offering, Micro Planked, the panels are now available in Striated and Heavy Embossed options.

Portland, OR - The new realities of climate extremes are having a major impact on U.S. and Canadian homeowners. But old realities are still standing in the way for some homeowners who want to increase their home’s resiliency. That includes outdated local HOA restrictions that may prevent more protective home improvement practices.

Kennesaw, GA – Direct Metals, an international steel service center, now offers various value-added fabrication processes to their line of specialty metals and fiberglass inventory, including wire mesh, perforated metal, expanded metal, bar grating, safety grating, fiberglass grating, and architectural metal.

Washington, DC - Sales of newly built, single-family homes decreased 0.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 701,000 units in September off a downwardly revised reading in August, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. On a year-to-date basis, new home sales for 2019 are 7.2 percent higher than the same period in 2018.

Chesapeake, VA - Mitsubishi Chemical Composites America (MCCA), a leader in metal composite materials manufacturing, is proud to announce the addition of three new Regional Sales Managers for its ALPOLIC® line of business.

Washington, DC - The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures (CCFSS) at the Missouri University of Science and Technology announce the publication of “Cold-Formed Steel Design - Fifth Edition”.

Walker, MI - Tubelite Inc. introduces its ForceFront Storm® hurricane/impact architectural entrance door systems with an expanded choice of approved hardware.

Washington, DC - U.S. construction industry leaders remained confident in August 2019, according to the Construction Confidence Index released in late October by Associated Builders and Contractors. While contractors were less upbeat regarding sales growth over the coming six months, confidence associated with profit margins and staffing increased from July to August.

Washington, DC – Architecture billings moderated in September but design activity shows signs of remaining sluggish at U.S. architecture firms, according to a new report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Washington, DC – The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) has released the October 2019 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 51.4, a decrease from the September index of 54.7.

Toronto, ON - Covertech Flexible Packaging, a leading manufacturer of reflective insulation, introduces the rFOIL Ultra White 2600 Series metal building insulation with a 10-year UV degradation warranty on material flaking and labor cost. Ultra White is designed to block 97 percent of radiant heat transfer, while preventing interior condensation.

Villa Rica, GA - Southern Aluminum Finishing Co., (SAF), has announced the availability of a new RainScreen Panel System. The SAF 4200 RainScreen is a Drained & Back-Ventilated ACM Panel system designed to eliminate the visual appearance of mechanical fasteners from the panel edges.

Portland, OR - With talk of recession looming, homeowners are re-evaluating home renovation projects that may make the most sense—and dollars—in an uncertain economy.

Minneapolis, MN – Sherwin-Williams unveiled a new architect-inspired color palette, Fluropon Architect Series, created by architects who attended the company’s “Color Mixology” event during the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019 in Las Vegas. The private event brought together hundreds of architects who helped to create 10 newly developed colors of Fluropon 70% PVDF architectural metal coatings.

Washington, DC - Construction input prices fell 0.6% in September and are down 1.7% year-over-year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released recently. Nonresidential construction input prices fell 0.7% for the month of September and are down 1.4% compared to the same time last year.

Lewisville, TX – Metl-Span has compiled its annual list of Projects of the Month and is featuring them in its 2020 calendar. Gracing the calendar's cover is the Project of the Year: 54 Middlesex office building renovation in Bedford, Mass. Metl-Span provided approximately 16,000 square feet of 3-inch CF Architectural insulated metal panels in 24-inch and 36-inch widths.

Arlington, VA - Construction employment increased by 7,000 jobs in September and by 156,000, or 2.1 percent, over the past 12 months, while the number of unemployed jobseekers with construction experience reached a record low for September, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America.

Cleveland, OH - The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) has released a new series of video vignettes highlighting careers in the metal building systems industry. These 12 videos range from 40 seconds to just under two minutes and are now available on MBMA’s YouTube channel.