Masonry Magazine April 1973 Page. 27
Building Product Profits
(Continued from page 13)
"In any comparable period since the great building boom that followed World War II," said George A. Christie, vice president and chief economist of Dodge. "One result of that surge was that profits of construction materials manufacturers increased almost twice as fast as profits of all manufacturing corporations during 1971 and 1972."
Coupled with 1972's strong demand for building materials was an improvement in the cost picture. Productivity, or output per man-hour, in the private, non-financial corporate sector increased 4.7%. This rise was significantly more than the long-run average of 3% annual productivity gain.
At the same time, labor rate increases were smaller than in the previous year. As a result of increased productivity and more stabilized compensation, the increase in unit labor costs showed the smallest annual rise since 1965.
Prices of building products were up an average of 6% last year. Most of that increase was due to the sharp rise in lumber and plywood costs. Price increases of most other building products were held to a range of between 2 and 3%.
Full year profits of firms in the product categories reported by Dodge were:
* Heavy Equipment (6 companies), up 47%.
* Aluminum (3 companies), up 47%.
* Forest Products (5 companies), up 45%.
* Glass (3 companies), up 42%.
* Gypsum (2 companies), up 33%.
* Multiproducts (6 companies), up 30%.
* Cement (7 companies), up 26%.
* Coatings (3 companies), up 19%.
* Controls (4 companies), up 18%.
* Iron and Steel (4 companies), up 16%.
* Electrical Fixtures & Fittings (3 companies), up 14%.
* Tools & Hardware (4 companies), up 11%.
* Heating & Air Conditioning (3 companies), down 9%.
PCA Broadens Research Services to the Trades
The $20 million research laboratories of the Portland Cement Association now are available for research services other than those directly related to cement and concrete.
Under the broadened policy, staff and facilities of the Cement & Concrete Center in Skokie, III., will be available for specialized consulting services, material evaluations, structural testing, fire testing and other special testing of construction materials.
Construction Industry To Hold Conference
Representatives from all segments of the construction industry will meet in Washington, D.C., June 3-6, at the Statler-Hilton Hotel to discuss major industry problems and their solutions at the 1973 Construction Industry National Conference sponsored by the Council of Construction Employers, Inc.
The three-day program will cover economic stabilization, labor law reform and construction industry political action. Also included will be discussions of current legislative issues affecting the industry, collective bargaining and the Occupational Safety & Health Act and its administration. More than 1,200 members of the construction industry are expected to attend.
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masonry
April, 1973
27