CMX 2004 - Plumbing & HVAC

Industry News
In Brief
(continued from page 7
set April 11 as the trial date for
Eco Manufacturing’s challenge of
Honeywell’s patent following a
hearing on Jan. 16. Eco, Lebanon,
Indiana, plans to re-file a motion
for summary judgement contending
that Honeywell’s trademark is
invalid. On Dec. 31 Eco also won
a ruling from the U.S. Court of
Appeals allowing it to move forward
with the manufacturing and
distribution of its EcoStat X-15
round thermostat released early in
2003. A federal judge had stated
in October 2003 that “The round
shape…cannot be protected by a
valid trademark…and was the subject
of a long-expired utility
patent…Honeywell is unlikely to
prevail on the merits of its trademark
claims …”
ICI construction up 5.7%
Statistics Canada reported in
January that total annual nonresidential
construction investment
in 2003 was $26.0 billion,
an increase of 5.7% over 2002.
In the fourth quarter, governments
continued to pump additional
funds into the sector
(+2.8% to $2.4 billion) while
businesses reduced their expenditures
(-1.9% to $4.2 billion).
Investment in industrial buildings
ended the fourth quarter
down 1.7% to $1.2 billion,
while investments in commercial
building construction fell 2.0%
to $3.0 billion.
Apartment owners refrubish
Apartment landlords have spent
millions on refurbishing their
apartment buildings across Canada
– and continue to do so. Those
renovations created about 30,000
jobs in each of the six years from
1995 to 2000, the Fair Rental
Policy Organization of Ontario
(FRPO) reported. Boardwalk
Equities, Calgary, Alta., Canada’s
largest apartment landlord with
31,000 units in Alta., Sask., Ont.
and Que., spent more than $300-
million since 1998, the firm
reported. The Canadian Apartment
Properties Real Estate Investment
Trust (CAP REIT) of Toronto, which
owns 13,500 rental apartments
and town homes in N.S., Que.,
Ont., Sask. and Alta., spent
$17-million in just nine months of
2003 after spending $17.5-million
in all of 2002. Ontario’s apartment
renovation boom began when rent
controls were reduced in 1987.
Capital expenditures in Ontario
rose to an annual average of
$1,178 per unit between 1995
and 2000. The previous average
was $368. This was from a survey
of 800 FRPO members.
Construction growth
will continue
The Canadian construction industry
is expected to record impressive
growth over the next two years,
reported Informetrica, economic forecasters
for the Canadian Construction
Association (CCA), in its annual construction
industry economic forecast.
Many sectors of the construction
industry are coming off a relatively flat
year in 2003. In 2004, the gross output
of the construction industry is expected
to rise by 4.5 per cent, while in 2005,
anticipated growth is in the range of 3.9
per cent. Growth is then expected to
moderate to two per cent by 2006.
With Canadian gross output just over
$1 trillion, the construction industry
will continue to account for just over 12
per cent of Canada’s GDP.
Following several years of strong
employment growth (4.6% in 2002 and
4.4% in 2003), it is expected that the
labour market will tighten in 2004.
However, employment growth will pick
up again in 2005 with an increase in the
construction labour force of 3.4%.
Non-residential on a roll
The figures become even more interesting
when breaking the industry down
Circle Number 109 for More Information
into its various sectors: residential construction,
non-residential building construction,
engineering, and repair construction.
Because of projected investment in
public infrastructure, non-residential
building construction is expected to
outpace on average most other construction
sectors over the next three
years with growth rates of 4.3 per cent
in 2004, six per cent in 2005, and 6.3
per cent in 2006.
Only engineering construction activity
is expected to outpace non-residential
growth in 2004 with a growth rate
of 7.5 per cent.
Much of the above growth can be attributed
to mega-projects such as
Voisey’s Bay in Labrador, hydroelectric
developments in Quebec and the oil sands
in Northern Alberta, the report stated.
With nearly 50 Beckett years
among them, “our group dynamic
and efficiency are terrific,” says
Garth Hunt of his team of 6.
For customers, that means
experience, expertise, and
reliability. “Customers don’t call
for a department. They call for a
person they know by name.”
1-800-665-6972
info@beckettcanada.ca
After earning his stripes in shipping,
Nathan Grieve was eager to
take on more responsibility and
now oversees the demands of
responsive and customer-focused
order fulfillment. His natural
successor? Kid sister Jessica.
They’re the heart of Beckett’s
customer service. “Beckett is about
respect,” says Nathan. “We’re with
family at work.”
Circle Number 110 for More Information
Circle Number 111 for More Info
www.plumbingandhvac.ca March/April 2004 – Plumbing & HVAC Product News 9