Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/59042
68 • APRIL 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS HEAVY DUTY GATE LATCHES • NEW TAMPER-RESISTANT HARDWARE Consulting firm releases its Nonresidential Construction Index for first quarter 2012 NEW! NEW! RALEIGH, N.C. — FMI, the Double Drive Latch / 18 lbs. Walk Gate Latch / 8 lbs. More Security • More Convenience Durable Hot-Dipped Galvanized Steel Construction Is Made To Last. Pre-drilled To Be Bolted or Welded to 15 ⁄8" or 2" Gate Frames. *Distributors Wanted *Patent Pending Both Latches Tested To Over 2,000 lbs • Eliminates Drop Rods & Chains International Security Products 8511 Xylon Avenue North • Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 1-800-733-7422 • 1-763-425-9000 • Fax: 1-763-425-9006 Check out (and link to) some of the best web sites in the fence industry at World Fence News OnLine! www.worldfencenews.com largest provider of management con- sulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, has announced the release of its Non- residential Construction Index report for the first quarter of 2012. The NRCI gained 7.8 points over last quarter to 58.1 this quarter, FMI said, adding that, "This positive move to start the new year is not exactly the sign of a bull market for construction, but continuing confirmation that pan- elists believe that the construction ac- tivity is following the lead of the SWAN-BOND Fused-Bonded Wire slowly improving economy. There are good signs in hiring plans for 2012, as well as construction-put-in-place pre- dictions. However, panelists indicate that low project pricing and high com- petition are still driving the market place." Here are some highlight areas of the report: • Hiring: An increase of five per- centage points over this time last year. Forty-two percent of panelists indi- cated a zero to five percent increase in full-time direct employees. Addition- ally, fewer panelists indicated a reduc- tion in salaried employees. • Construction put in place: Ex- pectations for CPIP are positive but cautious, as 41.3 percent of panelists expect growth of .5 to 2.5 percent for 2012. • Overall economy: The compo- nent for the overall economy showed the strongest improvement of all index components, with a jump from 43.6 last quarter to 68.7 in the first quarter, a 25 point gain. This score reflects the improve- ment in many economic indicators in- cluding the unemployment rate. • Nonresidential building con- struction market where panelists do business: At just 54.9, the local mar- kets for nonresidential construction are inching ahead. However, panelist responses re- flect a perception that their own busi- ness is performing a bit better than the overall nonresidential construction market. This indicates that local mar- kets are still very competitive. • Cost of materials: Despite a slow economy, material costs continue to rise, with no panelists indicating ma- terial costs were lower than last quar- ter. The cost of materials component moved down nearly 5 points to 26.2. This factor is a continuing drag on the overall index and is likely to raise the cost of projects while lowering profit margins for contractors. • Cost of labor: The cost of labor TEMPORARY FENCE PANELS 3,000 + PANELS of 6 X 10 & 6 X 14 ARE IN STOCK 800-688-SWAN (7926) COMPARE AND SAVE ON WE SHIP COAST TO COAST www.swanfence.com 600 W. Manville St., Compton, CA 90220 improved just slightly to 41.5, indicat- ing little change over the score of 40 last quarter. However, no panelists in- dicated they were experiencing lower labor costs. • Productivity: Contractors are continuing to make moderate gains in productivity. However, at 52.9, this component is still too weak to offset rising costs for labor and materials. To download a copy of the full re- port, click on www.fminet.com. SECURITY FENCING INFORMATION RESOURCE WORLDFENCENEWS.COM