Industry News
As we reported last week, component manufacturers (CMs) across the country are witnessing “unprecedented increases, [80% since mid-April,] in softwood lumber costs in all markets amongst all grade and species combinations.”
At a trade show last fall, my business partner and I met a third-generation owner of a truss plant. He was in search of ideas, perhaps a fresh perspective, new technology maybe?
According to a recent EHS article about drug testing policies as they relate to the legalization of marijuana, “In a 2019 National Safety Council (NSC) survey, 81 percent of employers were ‘concerned’ about the drug having a negative impact on their workforce.”
The housing market has done surprisingly well during the coronavirus pandemic, but builders are concerned that a doubling in lumber prices caused by pandemic-induced mill shutdowns is adding thousands of dollars to the cost of new homes and could dampen the industry's contribution to an economic recovery.
Last week, SBC Magazine sent out an online survey asking component manufacturers to share their thoughts regarding the current lumber market.
In a sign that housing continues to lead the economy forward, builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes increased six points to 78 in August, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI).
With a fiscal calendar that ends in late June, Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. has had a wild 12 months culminating in pandemic-challenged society. And the results are impressive – record profits.
If there was any doubt that Home Depot sales would benefit from the stay-at-home, work-from-home environment ushered in by the global pandemic, they were erased by the retailer’s second quarter metrics.
In a recent SBCA Component Connection podcast, Margaret Whelan offers listeners a unique perspective on consumer demand, the risk of disruption, and opportunities of innovation in the component manufacturing (CM) industry.
