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Builder confidence remains flat
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose one point to 47 on the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released March 17. “The March HMI mirrors last month’s sentiment, as builders continued to be affected by poor weather and difficulties in finding lots and labor,” says NAHB Chairman Kevin Kelly, a home builder and developer from Wilmington, Del., in a press release. “A number of factors are raising builder concerns over meeting demand for the spring buying season,” adds David Crowe, NAHB chief economist. “These include a shortage of buildable lots and skilled workers, rising materials prices and an extremely low inventory of new homes for sale.” Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 30 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospective buyers as “high to… Keep Reading
W.S. Tyler reaching out to producers with pre-1997 equipment
Producers who own W.S. Tyler or C-E Tyler vibrating screens manufactured before 1997 are eligible for a free machine inspection and consultation when they register their vibrating screens for the Tyler Classic Service Program. According to a press release, the holding company that owned W.S. Tyler in 1997 sold seven manufacturing plants to different buyers. The contact information and technical specifications for many producers who owned W.S. Tyler and C-E Tyler machines were lost during this transition. W.S. Tyler is now reaching out to find those unknown producers so it can work with them to ensure their equipment is still operating effectively and help them with maintenance-related issues. “We’ve been receiving phone calls from customers who found us through the Internet because they simply didn’t know where to turn when sourcing parts and service for their pre-1997 Tyler machines,” says Douglas Lima, W.S. Tyler service manager. “The Tyler Classic Service Program is our proactive effort to find them and provide the service they need.” According to W.S. Tyler, the Tyler… Keep Reading
Superior adds business development manager for Latin America
Superior Industries Inc. hired Roland Duer to represent the company throughout Latin America. Duer accepted the position of international sales and business development manager. According to a press release, Duer joins Superior after more than 25 years of experience building relationships and developing opportunities. Most recently, he spent seven years at Condumex Inc. in Dallas. Duer was a project manager and later a purchasing manager there, coordinating the procurement of equipment, raw materials and supplies to support the needs and requirements of the Condumex/Carso Group companies and plants throughout Mexico. Keep Reading
Water reduction, better saleability benefits of washing system
W.S. Tyler President Karen Thompson walked members of the press through the features of the company's Hydro-Clean washing system during a March 6 briefing at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas. According to Thompson, the Hydro-Clean is available in three model sizes: a 350, 1,000 and 2,000. The now-portable unit operates from high-pressure waterpower and is effective removing clay, she says. Thompson also laid out advantages of the W.S. Tyler system over traditional log washers. "[The Hydro-Clean] can use 70 percent less water than a log washer," she says. "This offers a very small footprint, whereas a log washer is three times the weight of an HC 1000." Thompson referenced one aggregate producer during the briefing, Dun-Rite Sand & Gravel in New Jersey, that's improved the saleability of its material with an HC 1000. "Material is being sold much cheaper than it needs to be," Thompson says, noting that the Hydro-Clean is a system that can help to improve profitability and efficiencies for users. Immediately following the press briefing, W.S. Tyler hosted… Keep Reading
Vulcan names board member, completes sale
Grayson Hall was elected a director at Vulcan Materials Co., replacing Ann McLaughlin Korologos. Hall is chairman, president and CEO of Regions Financial Corp. McLaughlin Korologos is a former U.S. secretary of labor. According to a press release, Vulcan's 12-member board currently consists of 11 outside directors. In addition, Vulcan announced March 7 that it completed the sale of its cement and concrete businesses in the Florida area to Cementos Argos for $720 million. Keep Reading
NSSGA names Oklahoma association director state executive of the year
Jim Rodriguez, executive director of the Oklahoma Aggregates Association in Oklahoma City, Okla., was named NSSGA’s 2013 State Aggregates Association Executive of the Year. This marks the second time in six years Rodriguez has been honored with the award. According to a press release, NSSGA recognizes one of its state counterparts for exemplary partnership service to the aggregates industry each year. The award is bestowed to recognize the work of the state association and its executive director that has had a significant beneficial impact on the aggregates industry as an ally at the national level. “We were most impressed with Jim during his participation with NSSGA’s Strategic Planning Task Force in developing a plan that will focus the association on high priority issues, including passing a multi-year, well-funded surface transportation bill and pushing for balanced, effective regulations," says Michael Johnson, NSSGA’s president and CEO. "Jim represented the viewpoints of his fellow state association executives well and was a source of wise counsel.” Johnson says Rodriguez has also been a good partner in… Keep Reading
Acquisition expands Kaman’s footprint in fluid power, automation
Kaman Distribution Group, the distribution segment of Kaman Corp., is acquiring B.W. Rogers Co. The transaction is expected to close early in the second quarter. According to a press release, B.W. Rogers is a distributor of fluid power products, including hydraulic hoses, fittings, pumps, motors, cylinders, valves, pneumatics, machine control and automation products. B.W. Rogers distributes Parker Hannifin motion and control products and operates from 21 locations across seven states, from the Northeast to the Midwest. The transaction excludes operating assets and associated liabilities related to the sale of certain products, tools, equipment, supplies, accessories and components to the automotive industry, which B.W. Rogers will continue to own and operate. "The acquisition of B.W. Rogers is the largest to date in our distribution segment and we are excited about the potential of our combined companies," says Neal Keating, Kaman's chairman, president and CEO. Keep Reading
Nonresidential building plans soften in February
The Dodge Momentum Index slipped 2.6 percent in February compared with the previous month, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. The momentum index is a monthly measure of the first report for nonresidential building projects in planning. February’s decline brought the momentum index to 116.5 – down from January’s revised 119.7 but still nearly 20 percent above the February 2012 reading of 97.4. The latest month’s retreat is expected to be a brief pause in a broader upward trend, McGraw Hill Construction says. Weak employment growth in December and January raised concern that the U.S. economic expansion was losing momentum, the firm adds, dampening the planning environment for commercial and institutional buildings. The February momentum index saw contraction in both its main components, McGraw Hill Construction adds. New plans for commercial buildings dropped 1.7 percent while institutional building fell back 3.7 percent. On the commercial side, declines were reported across all major building types. Even so, there were a number of new commercial projects that… Keep Reading
MSHA: Spring the time to remind employees about safety
Fifty-eight hundred of the 12,000 metal and non-metal mines MSHA oversees close in the winter when snow and freezing temperatures make operations difficult or impossible. Most of these intermittent mines are crushed stone operations, the agency says, but the operations also include limestone, granite and other stone operations. The arrival of spring means many of these surface mines are about to reopen. To prepare these mines for the coming year, MSHA issued a safety-related reminder today, pointing out that spring is a busy yet potentially dangerous period because employees are returning to work and preparing equipment for use after a few months away from the job. So, MSHA says, there's no better time than now to brush up on procedures that will carry operations through the summer and keep employees safe. And although overall injury rates have declined over the years, MSHA reminds operators that annual injury rates typically peak around this time of the year. See the chart for further details. Keep Reading
