Thursday April 25, 2019
WMA MEMBER NEWS
Jeld-Wen Delivers on Promise to Appeal
The latest moves in a legal battle between door manufacturers Jeld-Wen and Steves and Sons Inc. (Steves) took an expected turn recently, when Jeld-Wen walked forward its promise to appeal. The case, through which Jeld-Wen was found guilty of anti-trust violations, dates back to a complaint filed in June 2016.
BlueLinx to Announce First Quarter 2019 Results on May 8th
BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BXC), a leading distributor of building and industrial products in the United States, will release first quarter 2019 financial results on Wednesday, May 8th, with a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
INDUSTRY NEWS
The Flaws in Using Gross Margin as a Business Performance Benchmark
Companies can improve their profitability and accurately evaluate performance by focusing on the bottom line instead of on gross margins, WayPoint Analytics President Randy MacLean says. MacLean recommends using a “whale curve” to plot various business segments’ profits to foster more investment in profitable areas.
China’s Voracious Appetite for Timber Stokes Fury in Russia and Beyond
After sharply restricting logging in its own forests, China turned to imports, overwhelming even a country with abundant resources: Russia.
Below-Average Remodeling Growth Expected by 2020
Annual gains in improvement and repair spending on the owner-occupied housing stock are projected to continue decelerating through early next year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.
Door and Window Materials Show Mixed Prices
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its latest Producer Price Index (PPI) for March, showing changes among prices for materials used in glazing and fenestration manufacturing as mixed. Millwork overall is up 3.1% since March 2018 and 0.6% since February.
Wood Industry Loses 3,000 Jobs, Manufacturing Down 6,000
Despite the overall U.S. economy adding a significant 196,000 jobs last month, the manufacturing industry lost a total of 6,000 jobs.
Read more at Woodworking Network
How to Nail the B2B E-Commerce Experience
Business-to-business marketers should provide e-commerce solutions for prospects who are increasingly researching products and services on mobile and social and who are seeking digital ways to buy, Rakesh Jain writes. Marketers should adopt best practices from their business-to-consumer counterparts, such as offering high-quality videos, personalized recommendations, flexible delivery, chatbots and customer reviews, Jain recommends.
ECONOMIC NEWS
FANNIE: Home Sales to Stabilize This Year
“On housing, the recent dip in mortgage rates to their lowest level in over a year – combined with wage gains and home price deceleration – supports our contention that home sales will stabilize in 2019.”
Housing Starts Decline in March
Total housing starts fell 0.3% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.14 million units from a downwardly revised reading in February, according to a report from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Department that was delayed due to the partial government shutdown.
MBA Weekly Survey: Mortgage Applications Fall 3.5%
Mortgage applications fell by 3.5% from one week earlier on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 12, 2019.
GOVERNMENT NEWS
Department of Labor Revisits Overtime Eligibility
The Department of Labor (DOL) released a proposed update to overtime eligibility. As proposed, the salary level under which full-time salaried “white collar” employees qualify for overtime pay would change from $455 per week ($23,660 annually) to $679 per week ($35,308 annually).
CODES AND COMPLIANCE NEWS
BHMA Publishes Updates to ANSI/BHMA Standards
The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) released the latest version of the ANSI/BHMA 156.12 for Interconnected Locks and ANSI/BHMA 156.25 for Electrified Locking Devices, both approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Colorado Wants Local Adoption of IECC and New Regs on Products
A bill in Colorado will require local jurisdictions to use one of the model energy codes published within the last decade; another considers updating energy and water efficiency standards for some products.
Chicago’s First Building Code Overhaul in 70 Years Could Boost Housing Market: Experts
The new code adopts a lot of the standards in the 2018 International Building Code, which architects and designers are billing as a huge win for the industry. For one, architects will have to spend less time becoming acquainted with Chicago’s byzantine code.
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Technology is Key to Fulfillment and Flexibility
Warehouse management systems, robotics and voice technology are essential for speeding up fulfillment and operating a flexible supply chain, according to Karen Leavitt of Locus Robotics and Sudha Chandrasekharan of HighJump.
Read more at Supply Chain Dive
Why Supply Chain Technology Needs Blockchain
Blockchain is increasingly being discussed in the context of supply chain, but the focus is often on the replacement of existing applications such as tracking. According to Jon Kirkegaard, this is not where blockchain can be of the most value to the supply chain. The greatest need, and highest return on investment, lies with processes that can’t be automated using centralized technology.
Read more at Supply Chain Brain
GREEN NEWS
The Top 10 Green Buildings For 2019, Named by The American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment has announced this year’s recipients of its highest honor, the COTE Top Ten Awards. These projects have expertly integrated design excellence with cutting-edge performance.
Scroll through the USA Today image gallery
NYC’s ‘Green New Deal’ to Ban Glass, Steel Skyscrapers
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has introduced the city’s $14 billion Green New Deal as part of a plan to reduce greenhouse emissions 30% by 2030. Some of the measures are severe, including a ban on all-glass skyscrapers.
Read more at Construction Dive
REALTORS and Sustainability
Sixty-nine percent said energy efficiency promotion in residential listings was very or somewhat valuable.
Read more at National Association of REALTORS
SAFETY NEWS
Making Safety Personal
This resource is filled with engaging activities that can increase participation in safety and health programs by getting managers and workers thinking about and discussing what safety on the job means to them.
UPCOMING WEBINARS
WEBINAR: April 30, 2019 2:00 PM EST
US Housing and Nonresidential Construction: A Tale of Two Sectors
The trends of 2018 will not carry us through 2019. Economic trends are shifting at this moment, and plans for the rest of this year and for 2020 need to reflect the new reality.
Find out more in a webinar presented by Speaker and Analyst, Taylor St. Germain.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
New Expectations for Cost Information for Manufacturing Decisions
Financial information needs to step up with new approaches to reflect operational models, collect information that supports operational decisions, and support the creation of value.
Research: Why Managers Ignore Employees’ Ideas
Nurturing long-term views and opening up opportunities for managers to step-away from the immediate demands of the work can help ensure that managers promote creativity and innovation within their teams.
Read more at Harvard Business Review
Elevating Today’s Distributor from Sales Enabler to Doctor
By the time the distributor meets with the customer, her role has now shifted from seller to that of a “sales enabler.” The salesperson is now more of a guide, providing final specifics and updates about the product and then enabling the customer to make the purchase.
Read more at Industrial Distribution
Real Issues. Real Answers. Aging Out.
“Great people in positions throughout our company are aging out and retiring or leaving the industry. This includes people in sales, warehouse, operations, and more. We’re having problems recruiting new talent into our workforce—especially those in their 20s and 30s. Our pay and benefits are competitive, and once people come aboard, they tend to stay for years or decades. It’s a good place to work, but still we struggle attracting young talent. What can we do to attract new blood?”
