CHANTILLY, VA — The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA) recently conducted its 2002 industry outlook survey. Twenty-two chapter executives participating in the survey said that the downturn in the economy is the primary factor impacting man-hours. According to SMACNA, most of the surveyed contractors predicted that man-hours for 2002 would be down slightly or remain the same as last year.

SMACNA also says that many of its members from different regions across the country are resuming construction projects that were on hold after Sept. 11. SMACNA contractors are also reporting that they plan to focus on their current market sectors instead of expanding into new markets.

According to the survey, several SMACNA chapters are concerned with the rise of business costs. This includes security bonds, lines of credit, overhead costs, and health care costs. Contractors also cited the lack of dependable sheet metal workers and journeymen as a problem for 2002. This concern was the number-one concern for SMACNA contractors responding to last year’s survey.

For more information, visit www.smacna.org (website).

Publication date: 03/04/2002