Construction Industry News

The Dodge Momentum Index moved 4.1% higher in September from the revised August reading of 137.9. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. Details here.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Diesel Laptops, diesel diagnostic software and hardware provider, has announced they will be offering a limited-edition Awareness Pink Laptop as an option with select diagnostic kits. For every Awareness Pink Laptop sold in October, Diesel Laptops will donate $100 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Details here. 

We love a good report. And you probably do, too, but we know the idea of sitting down with a 35+ page survey in the midst of your hectic schedule is often laughable. That’s why we’ve broken down the top takeaways from four of the industry’s most recent reports below.   

 “Some major advanced economies have struggled to generate growth momentum, including the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia. In China, where the authorities are stepping up investment in infrastructure to prevent a continued slowdown, growth will remain positive, contributing to a slight acceleration in growth in total output in the emerging markets.” Details here. 

US LBM Holdings LLC, a distributor of specialty building materials in the United States, has acquired Forge Lumber, which operates locations in Cincinnati and nearby Kentucky. Details here. 

JLG Industries Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company and global manufacturer of mobile elevating work platforms and telehandlers, has announced a new podcast series on JLG DirectAccess. The series kicks off with a 15-minute podcast detailing the updates to ANSI A92, which take effect Dec. 10, 2019. Details here. 

Spearheaded by the National Center for Construction Education and research, (NCCER) and Build Your Future (BYF), the seventh annual ‘Careers in Construction Month’ is in full swing this October. The celebration was launched to increase public awareness, inspire the next generation of construction craft professionals and make an impact on the perceptions of a career in construction. Details here. 

Bomag Americas Inc. and SMS Equipment Inc. have announced their cooperation for the sale and support of Bomag compaction, milling, paving, and reclaiming/stabilizing equipment for roadbuilding and other construction market segments throughout Canada. Details here. 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has finalized its June 27, 2017, proposal to revise the construction and shipyards standards. Details on the new rule here. 

Under the current enforcement weighting system, OSHA weights certain inspections based on the time taken to complete the inspection or, in some cases, the impact of the inspection on workplace safety and health. Details here. 

Miron Construction Co. Inc. was recently awarded two 2019 BUILD Wisconsin awards from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Wisconsin. Get the project details here. 

For the first time, Professional Women in Construction (PWC) has included a man among its honorees of industry professionals for their outstanding careers and contributions to empowering women in the AEC industry. The PWC Board of Directors historically bestows this award to women and, after careful consideration, they selected Richard Wood, chief executive officer of Plaza Construction as the first male among  their 2019 Honorees for his role in helping women in construction to advance and achieve their careers.  Find out more about his contributions here. 

During the month of October, you can see for yourself during the ‘Dream It. Do It.’ Minnesota Statewide Tour of Manufacturing. During the statewide event, businesses open their doors for tours during Minnesota Manufacturing Week. Details here. 

In construction, conflict over data ownership and transparency often results in duplicate data entry and negative impacts to productivity. A new study by Dodge Data & Analytics in collaboration with construction technology provider e-Builder, a Trimble Company, reveals the unintended consequences of increased adoption of project management software by project owners and the impact it has when contractors use their own, disconnected software workflows. Details here.

Bidder, the California-based technology startup that connects Latino immigrant workers with United States construction jobs was recently selected by Techcrunch as a Top Pick in Social Impact for 2019. The company has recently expanded their altruism portfolio by hiring remote account managers in a country where its citizens live under a dictatorship, have little to no access to jobs, and are fleeing at alarming rates. Details here. 

United Rentals Inc. today announced Mick Ebeling, Founder and chief executive officer, Not Impossible Labs, and Paul McDonnell, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, United Rentals, as keynote speakers at the 2019 Total Control & Innovation Conference, an event for executives and professionals in the construction and industrial sectors. Details here. 

Drop in public works following a strong July breaks the three-month string of total construction gains. Details here. 

Design billings may be down, but jobs are another story. According to the AGC’s analysis of U.S. Labor Department data, construction jobs increased in 39 states from August 2018 to August 2019, and in 29 states from July to August of this year. Details here. 

Federal funding for fiscal year 2019 ends September 30. Luckily, a Senate committee recently approved the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) appropriations legislation, which would allow for $86.6 billion in transportation spending. Where’s it all going? Find out here.