AAMA's Keynote Speaker Notes Positive Trends for Industry
June 12, 2012

Keynote Speaker Michael Collins discussed the current and future state of the fenestration industry during the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) 2012 Summer Conference currently underway in Oak Brook, Ill.

"A lot of companies I talk to are telling me they are up 15 to 20 percent, and I expect that [percent] to be higher in the next few years," said Collins, managing director of the Building Products Group of Jordan, Knauff & Company and a regular columnist/blogger for USGlass's sister publication, DWM magazine.

The commercial market is seeing positive trends in the form of power and energy construction, as well as strong forecasts for building in the manufacturing sector, according to Collins. However, he said many new construction projects that have been approved are being delayed due to lack of financing available to developers.

According to Collins, industry plant expansions were closely balanced by plant closures during the same period. Industry bankruptcies and business closures dropped substantially in 2008 through 2010, although they inched up again in 2011. Collins said he considers it a positive sign that many companies are being purchased out of bankruptcy rather than being liquidated.

On the residential side, Collins said the housing market still is up against some hurdles.

"[Future] homeowners still have difficulty obtaining mortgages," he said, which causes "an excess of homes for sale."
Still, Collins is optimistic. "We made it through the storm," he said. "It's now time to harvest the benefits of surviving a really tough downturn."