Maimi Dade Portable Roll Formers

II.{DUSTRYI.{EWS
coil they buy to put on that machine,
saysMark Hendricker of JM Metals, a
Fort Lauderdale company that manufactures roofing panels on several inhouse machines and does no onsite
ro11forming. "The product coming off
their machine isn't tested. There were
some upset people at that meeting, but
we just want everybody on an even
playing field. There's a lot of great guys
out there, real professionals, with
portable roll formers. We've also got a
lot of people after the storms rolling
their roll former in from wherever and
selling their stuff as the same thing as
those who have testing."
Gascon saysMiami-Dade has had a
similar program in place for the shutter industry for about 10 years and it
has worked.
"A lot of people view this as government putting up another hurdle, more
taxation, but it's really a process
designed to control quality," Gascon
says.
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The surface transportation and energy
bills that President Bush signed into
law in mid-August should both provide
a modest but sustained boost to several
categoriesof construction, according to
Ken Simonson, chief economist of the
Associated General Contractors of
America. Federal aid to state highway
spending will rise by $1-2 billion per
year from current levels,starting immediately. Most of this money will go into
highway construction, although some
will show up in transportation structures such as port and intermodal facilities. Tiansit facilities also will receive
additional funding. The energy act provides tax incentives and reduces some
regulatory roadblocks to construction
of various alternative energy generation
facilities and to equipping or retrofitting structures with energy-efficient
systems.The amount of construction
these provisions will trigger is hard to
predict, as it depends on the relevant
after-tax current and projected prices.
The added spending on highway
construction may worsen widening
cement shortages.New Mexico and
South Dakota joined the list of 30 states
and the District of Columbia where
shortagesor tight supplies have been
reported to AGC or the Portland
Cement Association this year.
Another key construction material is
steel.The Wall StreetJournal reported
in August that Mittal Steel,the world's
largest producer after its takeover this
year of International Steel Group, saic
its "cost of producing steel rose 40 percent during the [second] quarter, n'hile
selling prices increased 19 percent on
average.lMittal] sayssteel is norv
'entering
a new paradigm'with prices
rising between $30 [and] $60 a ton, or
roughly 7 percent to 15 percent, in
North America for third-quarter
orders."
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The American Iron and SteelInstitute
has joined The Metal Initiative, a coalition of metal construction product
manufacturers and suppliers createdto
communicate the value of metal roofing
and siding for commercial applications.
'AISI
is pleasedto be a part of The
Metal Initiative and to support its goal
of targeting high-profile builders and
owners to help establish the value and
long-term benefits of the use of metal
in the commercial roofing and wall
markets," saysAndrew Sharkey,AISI's
president and CEO. "The lack of awareness of significant product advancesin
durability and coatings has hindered
growth in this segment, so we seethis
as an opportunity. The Metal Initiative
will help promote a market-focused
strategy by working in partnership with
customers in a plan for market
growth."
Robert |ohns, director of marketing,
sheet mill group for Nucor
Corporation and chairman of AISI's
Construction Market Committee, says
the decision to join The Metal Initiative
reflects the industry's long-term commitment to support steel roofing and
siding markets. "Today, more than ever,
construction decisions are based on
value. We believe that the industry has
an obligation to ensure that owners,
architects, engineers,contractors, and
specifiers fully understand the many
compelling features and benefits of our
products so that they can make
informed buving decisions."
For more on The Iletal Initiative,
visit rsnl'. themetalinitiatire. com.
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Economist Dr. Barry Ausmus will provide the keynote addressduring the
1006 International Roofing Expo in Las
Vegason February 14-16.
Ausmus will kick off the event on
February 14 with his address,The Best
is Yet to Come, at the iv{andalay Bay
Convention Center.
Free to all show participants, the
addressis the headline event for the
Expo's educational conference program
consistingof 50 technical,business,and
rvorkplace safety sessions.Courses will
be submitted for continuing education
credits with RCI, AIA, and Florida's
DBPR/CILB.
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In 2004,the FederalTrade Commission
distributed letters to severalcompanies
in the reflective insulation and radiant
barrier industries alerting them that
they are reviewing marketing materials
on the industry to seewhether they
comply with the requirements of the
FTC's Rule for Labeling and
Advertising of Home Insulation Rvalue Rule (16 D.F.R.Part 460) and
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MNTATROOSINGBOCTOBER/NOVEMBER