MCA and its Members Poised for Success in 2015
by Jonathan McGaha | 8 March 2015 12:00 am
The Metal Construction Association (MCA) and its members, as well as the entire metal industry, have gained market share in recent years and are poised for more growth. According to the recent Consolidated Construction Study, commissioned by MCA and conducted by FMI Corp., Raleigh, N.C., a leading consulting firm for the construction industry, the metal industry has continued to gain market share over the past five years and is poised for growth over the next five years.
Percentage Change in Metal Share Position
Source: 2015 Consolidated Construction Study, FMI Corp., * 2014 numbers projected
In fact, over that time metal’s annual growth rate in share percentage is approximately 4 percent. This is especially impressive since the U.S. construction market has been particularly tenuous. According to FMI, MCA and its members have done “a tremendous job of promoting metal usage as a premium product at a time when owners and specifiers were especially cost-conscious.”
MCA Focuses Market Development Efforts in 2015
For more than 30 years, MCA has focused on one key strategy: to promote the use of metal in the building envelope through marketing, education and action on public policies that affect metal’s use. In 2014, the MCA board recommended that market development efforts be conducted at the council level, so that each industry segment- including wall panels, roofing, retrofit and others- can focus its energy on initiatives that will provide the most benefit to its business.
The gains in market share that the metal industry has realized in recent years give strong evidence that “the promotional and educational initiatives of the metal construction industry are having a real impact on the market,” according to FMI. MCA expects to accelerate growth in market share by focusing market development efforts on individual industry segments.
Service Life a Key Benefit Impacting Market Share
At the end of 2014, MCA announced new research findings that conclude that certain metal roof systems can last at least 60 years, meaning they do not require replacement during a commercial building’s service life. Most non-metal roofing systems require one or more full replacements within a typical building’s 60-year service life, which is costly and often adds to the solid waste stream in landfills.
The research study concluded that the expected service life of an unpainted 55 percent Al-Zn coated steel standing seam roof constructed today in a wide range of environments and installed using best practices can be expected to be in excess of 60 years, a value that equals the assumed building service life as described in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED v4.
FMI notes in the Consolidated Construction Study that nonresidential metal roofing products have continued to make substantial gains in the commercial, industrial and institutional segments- notably education and health care-despite funding issues. According to FMI, “the metal industry has done a very good job of selling the value proposition for life-cycle cost, energy efficiency, green building and durability-issues that matter to architects serving these segments.”
Thanks to the hard work of MCA, its members and the metal industry as a whole, metal is poised for success in the future.
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Jeff Henry is executive director of the Metal Construction Association. Henry has been engaged with MCA since May 2012 and has more than 25 years of experience in association management.
[SIDEBAR]
Get all the Benefits of MCA Membership for 50% Off
Now your company can take advantage of the many benefits available to MCA members, including access to the complete 2015 Consolidated Construction Study for 50 percent off the first year’s dues. This significant savings is available to first-time members only or companies who have not been MCA members for more than three years.
Furthermore, as of Jan. 1, 2015, the dues for many MCA membership categories have been reduced dramatically. For some membership categories, dues have decreased more than 40 percent in 2015. To learn more, go to the www.metalconstruction.org.
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