Many people look for ways to update their homes to provide a sense of comfort and connection to the outdoors. Outdoor projects are currently flourishing, as people extend their living spaces to feel closer to their natural surroundings.

How is the aging population changing product design? Builders and designers have been hearing from clients that homeowners now want to age-in-place, and they also want to renovate their existing homes to accommodate various generations living under one roof. The lack of housing stock and current mortgage and interest rates have contributed to this phenomenon. This shift in living has been a boon to the renovation industry, and it has given rise to innovations and building processes that elegantly combine technology and health benefits in the service of independence for elderly or anyone with physical challenges.

RainStick Shower co-founders Alisha McFetridge and Sean McFetridge share a longtime passion for water conservation. In 2019, the two began building the North American Market’s first water circulating shower. Supply House Times Chief Editor Natalie Forster sat down with Alisha McFetridge to dive into RainStick Shower’s backstory and plans for the future.

In the United States, bidet sales have grown steadily at a year-over-year rate of 14% to 15%. According to Stephanie Ewing, director, Wholesale North America for Bemis Manufacturing Co., specifying bidets is “becoming a market need driven by market demand. The pandemic started the trend of increased consumer awareness that a solution other than toilet paper was available, as well as an increased focus on hygiene.”

Multiple generations living together under one roof, has challenged traditional ideas about space utilization and functionality.

Luxury bathrooms and kitchens have evolved, and the home improvement market is booming with IT-connected products. People want to control their heating, kitchen appliances, and plumbing products through apps.

Selected as one of 33 projects in the U.S., the funding will be matched by Kohler investment to support the Electric Boiler & Microgrid project at its manufacturing site in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Report says plastic substitution and environmentally friendly packaging trends should provide a tailwind for carton growth over the forecast period.

PACT has developed a specially designed, corrugated crate that some customers have been able to use over one hundred times.

Industry-wide competition celebrates greatest achievements and innovations at SuperCorrExpo.

Strategic move underscores Meyers’ commitment to expanding its footprint in the folding cartons sector.

Morrisons wanted to reduce supply chain and material costs and to improve the customer experience, aiding navigation for shoppers in-store and improving on-shelf availability in order to increase sales. 

The Acquisition will expand Mondi’s corrugated footprint in Western Europe and add complementary fiber-based products, focused on eCommerce and FMCG, to enhance its existing customer offering.

I got an email from a client the other day that instantly reminded me of how I once delivered “poop sandwiches” to my own employees.

Why is it that your staff isn’t quite as excited as you are when you discuss a new project, a new process, new policy or a habit you want to change?

“Hire willing people and provide them the skills — as opposed to hiring spoiled, experienced people with skills and behavior problems.” 

By the time you read this, most people’s New Year’s resolutions or goals will be a distant memory, and they’ll be back to doing the same things they said they weren’t going to do. 

You may think you are too small to have a fleet manager, or so big you need a full-time fleet manager, and neither of those things is necessarily true.

The Keltech acquisition will also begin a new partnership between Bradford White and Bradley.

No matter who you are, project management can be a challenge. 

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recently announced Uponor North America is the 2020 Manufacturing Sustainability Award honoree recognizing the commitment to conserving water, reducing waste, improving energy efficiency and empowering labor.

Located in Louisville, Kentucky, Zoeller’s state-of-the-art training facility, the Center for Excellence, has been drawing contractors, engineers and distributors in for product training over the past five years. 

Best practices for designing and installing PEX to leverage the benefits of installation efficiencies, job-site safety and profitability potential.

000
WTNT64 KNHC 100756
TCUAT4

Hurricane Milton Tropical Cyclone Update
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL142024
400 AM EDT Thu Oct 10 2024

...STRONG WINDS SPREAD ALONG THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA AS THE CENTER
OF MILTON NEARS CAPE CANAVERAL...
...400 AM EDT POSITION UPDATE...

A sustained wind of 83 mph (134 km/h) and a gust to 92 mph (148
km/h) was recently reported at a Weatherstem station in Marineland.
A sustained wind of 67 mph (108 km/h) and a gust to 73 mph (117
km/h) was recently reported at a Weatherstem station on South
Hutchinson Island. A sustained wind of 54 mph (87 km/h) and a gust
of 83 mph (133 km/h) was recently reported at buoy 41069 near Ponce
de Leon Inlet. A sustained wind of 54 mph (87 km/h) and a gust of 84
mph (135 km/h) was recently reported at Daytona Beach International
Airport.

This will be the final hourly position update for Milton since the
center of the hurricane is moving offshore of the east coast of
Florida. The next full forecast advisory for Milton will be at 500
AM EDT (0900 UTC).

SUMMARY OF 400 AM EDT...0800 UTC...INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...28.5N 80.7W
ABOUT 10 MI...20 KM NW OF CAPE CANAVERAL FLORIDA
ABOUT 35 MI...55 KM E OF ORLANDO FLORIDA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...85 MPH...135 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...NE OR 55 DEGREES AT 18 MPH...30 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...977 MB...28.85 INCHES

$$
Forecaster Reinhart/Mahoney

I was lucky enough to be able to take a week off from work at the beginning of July. Though we attended so many family functions and get-togethers, I almost felt I needed another vacation to recover from my first vacation. Ever had one of those?

When I first started working for Plumbing & Mechanical’s sister publication, The ACHR NEWS in 2014, I was often the only woman in the room at industry events. Those first few conferences were just a bit intimidating. In fact, it wasn’t until a HARDI annual conference that I first met other women in the industry — shout out to Colleen Keyworth, director of sales and marketing for Online-Access and immediate past president of Women in HVACR, for her immediate friendship then and for all the years since!

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the number of teenagers who have driver’s licenses have declined. You wouldn’t think this matters to the home service contracting industry, but it does.

Plumbing and HVAC contractors can help alleviate financial worries by offering multiple financing options.

Generosity is the new marketing. In this era of social media, charitable companies can earn an enhanced brand reputation as being a “good” company and will make people want to do business with them.

The construction industry is often associated with strength, resilience and tough work. However, there has been an alarming rise in mental health challenges. MCAA is taking that to heart with the first-ever public release of its suicide prevention video.

Energy independence, anti-dumping laws aid slow return to power.

Infrastructure will continue to be an issue in 2018 and beyond.

Meanwhile, the fate of the estate tax could affect small businesses for years to come.

NHC Audio Briefing not available

Don’t let experience turn into complacency and a lack of differentiation.

There’s no question that the demand for home improvement projects is red hot. 

Thermostatic mixing valves and common sense can help prevent injury and litigation.

As a backpacker, the most important item I carry in my backpack is water. I start each morning of a hike with three liters of water; two in my bladder and one in my bottle. The water bottle looks like any typical water bottle that people carry.

I called the plumber because there’s an immediacy to plumbing; and I’m old enough to know that it’s best for me not to touch pipes. To each his own trade.

Morris had me on the phone. It was 1974 and he was calling from Brooklyn, New York. I had a waxed handlebar mustache that year, and my workmates at the manufacturers’ rep were calling me Rollie Fingers because he was pitching for the Oakland Athletics in the World Series.

Most readers are familiar with the common phrase, “The errors of our ways.“ So why am I talking about the intention of our ways -- not errors – in this article?

People distracted by their cellphones are tripping, falling and hurting their heads and necks more often, with such injuries increasing “steeply” over a 20-year period, a new analysis has found.

Material handling consists of the moving, handling, and storing of materials in a facility using manual force, employee-operated equipment (forklifts), and automated equipment (conveyors). The handling and storing of materials inside a facility includes activities like:

This article is really about putting all of the concepts in the previous articles together to come up with what will hopefully be the most significant change in thinking so far.

Aqueous Film-Forming Foam has saved numerous lives with its effectiveness, but recent studies have revealed just how dangerous it is, chiefly due to the presence of PFAS.

In September 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along Florida’s southwest coast, bringing high winds, storm surges and massive flooding.

A dockworker strike that could affect up to 36 ports along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts would significantly impact the economy; the roofing industry would not be spared.

Confined space work is not limited to descending into compact areas, so it’s important to be prepared for safety both above and below ground.

While regulations exist to minimize dangers of toxic substances in industrial plants, there are additional methods that can be incorporated to effectively reduce air pollution in these facilities.

The industrial gas safety series will further provide partners and customers with the ability to protect employees and their facilities when working near both toxic and hazardous gases.