INDUSTRY NEWS Nonresidential construction spending
down 0.4 percent in September Despite a fl urry of activity in residential con- struction spending, nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.4 percent in September, with outlays falling to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $559.4 billion, according to the November 1 construction spending report by the U.S. Commerce Department. Year-over-year, total nonresidential construction spending is up 2.6 percent, slightly higher than infl ation. Private nonresidential construction spending
slipped 0.1 percent for the month, but remains 8.8 percent higher than the same time last year. Public nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.8 percent for the month and is 3.6 percent lower than one year ago. Nonresidential construction subsectors posting
the largest decreases in spending for the month include religious, down 6.1 percent; health care, down 4.9 percent; commercial, down 4.5 percent; lodging, down 2.7 percent; and offi ce, down 2.1 percent. Construction subsectors that experienced decreases in spending year-over-year include reli- gious, down 16.8 percent; water supply, down 12.7 percent; conservation and development, down 6.5 percent; and educational, down 3.2 percent. Six out of 16 nonresidential construction sub-
sectors posted increases for the month, including communication, up 6.4 percent; manufacturing, up 3.5 percent; amusement and recreation, up 2.8 percent; conservation and development, up 2.8 percent; transportation, up 2.4 percent; and power, up 1.3 percent. One-half of the non- residential construction subsectors experienced increases in spending on a year-over-year basis, including lodging, up 25 percent; power, up 19.2 percent; transportation, up 11 percent; and offi ce, up 2.4 percent. Residential construction spending jumped
2.7 percent for the month and 19.2 percent higher compared to the same time last year. Total construction spending, which encompasses nonresidential and residential spending, was up 0.6 percent for the month and 7.8 percent higher compared to September 2011.
2,440,000 net tons (NT) of steel in September, including 1,886,000 NT of fi nished steel (down 9 percent and 8 percent, respectively, from August fi nal data). Year-to-date (YTD) fi nished steel imports, however, are up 18 percent versus the same period in 2011. Annualized total and fi nished steel imports in 2012 would be 34.0 and 26.3 million NT, up 19 percent and 21 percent, each, respectively versus 2011. Finished steel import market share in Sep-
tember was an estimated 22 percent and is estimated at 24 percent YTD. Key fi nished steel products with a signifi cant import increase in Sep- tember 2012 compared to August are standard rails (up 256 percent), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 63 percent), standard pipe (up 16 percent) and wire rods (up 12 percent). Ma- jor products with signifi cant YTD import increases versus the same period last year include reinforc- ing bar (up 48 percent), line pipe (up 40 percent), sheets & strip galvanized hot dipped (up 33 percent), plates—cut lengths (up 32 percent) and oil country goods (up 31 percent).
Steel Framing Industry Association approves certifi cation program for
RISE announces new Certifi ed
cold-formed steel connectors The fi rst ever industry program to independently certify that cold-formed steel (CFS) connectors consistently meet certain minimum manufacturing quality standards has been approved by the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA). In CFS construction, connectors are galvanized
steel straps, ties or angles typically used to hold structural elements of a building together, such as connecting the top of a wall to the roof trusses or attaching walls to the foundation. Connectors are considered "structural elements" that play a crucial role in the design of modern buildings, and help ensure that buildings are safe even when subjected to high winds and seismic forces. Manufacturers that participate in the SFIA
September preliminary steel imports
decline 9 percent versus August Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of
12 METAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS December 2012
program, titled “Manufacturing Compliance Cer- tifi cation Program,” agree to comply with the pro- gram requirements that govern the materials used to produce the connectors, protection against corrosion, manufacturing tolerances, and marking requirements. A third-party administrator audits each manufacturing facility twice a year to ensure these standards are met. With the approval of this program, the SFIA is now beginning to invite and encourage all companies that manufacture CFS connectors to apply for the program, and has made participation in the program a membership requirement. Selection of the third-party admin- istrator for this SFIA program is underway, with audits to begin in July 2013.
Solar Roofi ng Professionals Roof Integrated Solar Energy (RISE) Inc. has announced its newest Certifi ed Solar Roofi ng Professionals (CSRPs). RISE's board of directors has conferred the CSRP designation on the following indi- viduals for meeting established eligibility criteria, pass- ing a challenging examination and agreeing to develop themselves professionally to remain current with changes in the fi eld. The CSRP designation applies only to the individuals named. Companies are not certifi ed. The following CSRPs successfully passed a rigorous exam September 18 to obtain certifi cation: Dane Bechtholdt, estimator for Douglass Colony Group Inc., Commerce City, Colo. Kate Bechtholdt, solar division manager for Douglass Colony Group Inc., Commerce City Gabriel Chong, special projects manager for Sunetric, Honolulu Thomas Furey, president of Furey Roofi ng & Construction Co. Inc., Providence, R.I. Tony Huggins, environmental and energy solutions manager for Schwickerts Tecta America, Mankato, Minn. Joe Idacavage, president of Accredited Solar, Emerald Isle, N.C. Ben Kogus, solar business manager for GAF, Wayne, N.J. Dean Secchiaroli, regional manager for Eagle Rivet Roof Service Corp., Boston Jonathan Shick, building technologist for Allana Buick & Bers Inc., Honolulu Clinton A. Sockman, vice president of renewable energy for Advanced Roofi ng Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Brian Watson, western division sales manager for Champion Domestic Energies LLC, Scottsdale, Ariz.
William Baker wins 2013 AISC T.R.
Higgins Award William F. Baker, PE, SE, structural engineering part- ner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP in Chicago, is the 2013 recipient of the pres- tigious American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award. Baker is be- ing honored for his papers on “Stability Design of the Bow String Trusses of the Virginia Beach Convention Center” and “Applications of Structural Optimization in Architectural Design,” that were published in the pro- ceedings of the combined 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structures Congress and 20th Analysis and Computation Specialty Conference. The AISC T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award is
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