Walls & Ceilings magazine loves attending trade shows to see what new products are being introduced. As we’ve seen the attention towards products by R&D still focusing on labor, power tools have become more ergonomic, materials such as drywall has become lighter, steel framing assemblies offer faster ease of installation, lasers are self-calibrating and offer more bells and whistles, etc. But it’s talking to the manufacturers and contractors that offer us the best pulse on the modern contractor of the 21st century. While walking the show floors to talk with people, it seems that everyone wants to know how everyone else is doing.
In 2014, the industry made a larger climb in growth than in the past five years. Profit margins are up, contractors are bidding (and securing more jobs), distributors are selling more product.