AISI Publishes New Cold-Formed Steel Research Report 

EIFS 2022 Industry Hot Topics

Spackle by Dave Coverly

People News

Werner Celebrates 100 Years

KEEN Utility Advances Women in the Trades through $1M Pledge

Construction Material Prices Are 23.7 percent Higher Than a Year Ago

FacadesXi Begins Full Operation and Gains Code Compliance

New Report Explores Architect, Contractor Relationship 

Werner Celebrates 100 Years

For a century, the Werner name has stood for innovative, quality products for home and jobsite productivity

Werner, a WernerCo brand, is celebrating 100 years of innovation. The Werner brand is commemorating a century developing leading-edge products that help people work faster and safer at home and on jobsites around the world.

Since the Werner name was founded in 1922, it has grown into a global brand with distribution in North America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. Werner’s extensive portfolio includes ladders, scaffolding, pump jacks, stages, planks, work platforms, accessories, and fall protection equipment, including harnesses, lanyards, anchors, and compliance kits. With an ongoing commitment to product innovation, the company holds over 600 patents and has received notable industry leading awards and accolades.

“The Werner name has achieved many milestones over the past 100 years. As a brand, it has always focused on innovation with the goal of helping the end-user achieve more,” said Brian Kagen, chief marketing officer at WernerCo. “It’s through the dedication and determination of our employees—past and present—that we have been able to build our legacy and provide customers with products and solutions they need to accomplish tasks on and off jobsites. We are excited to celebrate this significant event throughout the year. And as the Werner brand looks toward the next 100 years, we will continue to provide high-performing, innovative products that customers can depend on.”

KEEN Utility Advances Women in the Trades Through $1M Pledge

KEEN Utility launched the She Builds Grant Program to champion the next generation of tradeswomen. The program pledges $1 million in much needed product and financial support over the next five years to trailblazing nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada dedicated to the empowerment and education of women seeking a career in the skilled trades.

KEEN Utility announced the 2022 She Builds grants, selected by KEEN Utility and their fans, will go to Black Women Build-Baltimore, Girl’s Garage, Vermont Works for Women, Oregon Tradeswomen, and British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Trades Discovery for Women. Grants will help provide hundreds of thousands of hours in tradeskills education, expansion of workplace inclusivity training, as well as women’s specific safety footwear.

“Women are essential to the future of the skilled trades,” said Robin Skillings, vice president/general manager at KEEN Utility. “Supporting organizations that are deeply dedicated to the empowerment and advancement of women in the trades is critical. Through the She Builds Grant Program, we are solidifying our commitment to their future, and the growth of the trades, one step at a time.”

The She Builds Grant is funded through The KEEN Effect, part of KEEN’s larger mission to make Outside and the Trades accessible to all. KEEN has committed millions of dollars toward social and environmental justice since 2003.

A leader in women’s safety footwear, KEEN Utility is uniquely positioned to champion the cause of welcoming more women into the trades and encouraging skills acquisition. The Tradeswomen Tested collection from KEEN Utility enlists the insights of tradeswomen working in a variety of professions from initial conception all the way through final product release and incorporates on-the-job feedback into future designs. By creating more inclusive and adaptive footwear built for and inspired by women in the trades, the brand established early on that the future of the trades is diverse and demands support.

More information about KEEN Utility’s women’s specific styles can be found by visiting keenfootwear.com/work-tradeswomen-tested-collection.

Construction Material Prices Are 23.7 percent Higher Than a Year Ago

Construction material prices rose 0.8 percent in April and are up 23.7 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Nonresidential construction material prices rose 0.9 percent from March to April and increased 24 percent compared with one year ago. Softwood lumber prices are down 5.5 percent year-over-year and 17.7 percent from March to April. Iron and steel prices are up 25.3 percent year-over-year and up 1.2 percent for the month. Natural gas rose 16.9 percent from March to April and is up 243.2 percent since February 2020. Crude petroleum climbed 4.5 percent for the month and is up 113.4 percent since February 2020.

“There are some economists who believe that inflation has peaked,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Even if that were true, stakeholders should not expect dramatic declines in inflation in the near term given an array of factors placing upward pressure on prices: the Russia-Ukraine war, COVID-19, a shrunken labor force, elevated transportation costs and abundant demand for goods. Today’s PPI release indicates that producers continue to ask for and receive elevated prices for their limited production. These high input prices will continue to circulate through the economy as production continues, whether in the form of manufactured goods, buildings or infrastructure.

“According to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index, many contractors report that demand for their services remains sufficiently robust for them to pass along the bulk of their cost increases to project owners,” Basu continued. “But at some point, the economy could weaken to the point that purchasers of construction services become less willing to pay elevated prices.”

FacadesXi Begins Full Operation and Gains Code Compliance

FacadesXi announced that its new, state-of-the-art production facility is fully operational and is now capable of producing its full line of EIFS, stucco, water barrier coatings and specialty coatings. In addition, FacadesXi has successfully achieved certification in International Building Code and Residential Code compliance through IAMPO and Intertek. The new facility, located in San Antonio, is the most modern production facility in the industry. The plant leverages decades of industry expertise and advanced operational capabilities, which allow it to produce products that align with the sustainability goals of FacadesXi and their customers. In addition to the superior performance characteristics of their materials, FacadesXi products are produced with innovative, eco-friendly, and highly durable components, to meet the expectations of builders and consumers in today’s market.

“As we build our dealer network, the code compliance and production capacity in our new facility ensure our customers and partners that they are getting the highest quality materials, made in the U.S., from a company built on a service and quality ethos that is increasingly rare in the industry today,” said JoeMcClaran, COO of FacadesXi.

FacadesXi was formed in 2020 to create high-quality, best-in-class products that are priced to be competitive in today’s fast-moving construction environment. A key differentiator of FacadesXi is its in-house technical services capability, headed by vice president of Technical and Architectural Services, Tina Cannedy. “We have the ability to provide a level of project support and technical advisory services that are unique in the industry, and critical to safe, successful construction projects.”

Hands on and expeditious project support used to be a common practice in the exterior coatings and cladding systems industry, and FacadesXi felt the importance to bring this standard back to the industry for the benefit of their dealers and contractors, who are under increasing budgetary and scheduling pressure.

For more information, visit info@facadesxi.com.           

New Report Explores Architect, Contractor Relationship

A study published by the American Institute of Architects, in partnership with the Associated General Contractors of America, sheds new light on the relationship of architects and contractors and the needs of both professions.  

The fifth edition of The Architect’s Journey to Specification focuses on improving the working relationship between architects and contractors and explores how the parties align, differ, and depend on each other.

“This report is a first step towards fostering greater understanding between architects and contractors,” said AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer Lakisha Ann Woods. “Ultimately, we hope it will help them to improve their working relationships, achieve even greater success on their projects, and build a better world.”

Highlights from the report include:

• A majority of architects and contractors want to work more collaboratively for the benefit of all.
• Successful relationships benefit from mutual understandings and alignment about client advocacy and the purpose of substitutions.
• Transparency and communication are key to building more trusted working relationships for the benefit of all parties and the built environment.
• Earlier collaboration and more clarity around design intent is likely to set projects up for success for all parties.

“This report will help contractors and architects build stronger, more successful and trusting relationships with each other,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO of the AGC. “Everyone wants to see successful projects and understanding the concerns architects and general contractors have will help members of both our associations become even better collaborators.”

AISI Publishes New Cold-Formed Steel Research Report

The American Iron and Steel Institute has published a new research report, “RP 22-02: Structural Design for Fire Conditions of a Prototype Metal Building Using the New Proposed Appendix to AISI S100.” The report illustrates the application of an alternative approach for evaluating the performance of cold-formed steel systems under elevated temperature due to fire conditions. The research was funded by AISI and the Metal Building Manufacturers Association. RP 22-02 is available for free download at buildusingsteel.org.

“Performance-based design for fire conditions has been increasingly adopted for different structural systems over the last decade. This report demonstrates the effectiveness of existing and new fire protection design methods in metal building systems, which will assist in developing more innovative fire protection strategies,” said Vincent E. Sagan, P.E., senior staff engineer for MBMA.

RP 22-02 resulted from AISI’s Small Project/Fellowship Program, which identifies and provides funding for research projects that will significantly impact the reliability, performance and cost-competitiveness of cold-formed steel in construction. The research is conducted by project teams which include a student, an academic advisor from the student’s academic institution and an industry advisor. The research for RP 22-02 was conducted at Johns Hopkins University with industry input from MBMA, Nucor Buildings Group and Jensen Hughes.  

EIFS 2022 Industry Hot Topics

Ever since it became apparent that New York City’s updated building code would create a real disincentive for buildings to incorporate EIFS (by mandating prescriptive fire-blocking requirements in high-rise construction that go beyond the long-approved International Building Code). EIMA engaged Mercury Public Affairs, a high-powered public strategic communications and policy firm, to help advocate on behalf of the EIFS industry.   

Jake Dilemani and Alex Gleason both have extensive experience in helping clients navigate NYC politics, and they outlined the ways by which a political approach can help advance the industry’s agenda—especially since New York has inaugurated a new Mayor and City Council. By building relationships across the spectrum of environmental justice groups and community groups, EIMA will re-frame the issue in NYC by touting the climate efficacy of EIFS, and its strength as a proactive solution in reducing the city’s carbon emissions.

Along with the technical outreach of the American Chemistry Council’s North American Modern Building Alliance (where Stephen Sears is Chair and Bill Egan and Dan Martin of Jensen Hughes are participating on a consulting basis), the industry can report that the drumbeat towards the fire-blocking mandate has slowed down considerably.

More work needs to be done, and Mercury is interacting with EIMA members in NYC to help the industry navigate this situation.

Since the Biden Administration announced the National Building Performance Standards Coalition on January 21, EIMA was pleased to have Alex Dews, the managing director who oversees all programmatic work for The Institute for Market Transformation, speak at the meeting.

The coalition is a group of 22 state and local governments committed to exploring equitable building and retrofit policies by 2023, and the institute is playing a critical role in launching this effort. The National Building Performance Standards Coalition presents the opportunity to harness the momentum of recent movers and leverage past work across the country to normalize disclosure practices. Next-wave standards can align emissions, electrification, and equity goals with retrofit requirements, and Alex explained developments of this effort to the group.