IndustryIndices_DWM

Volume 13, Issue 5 - June 2012

Industry Indices

AAMA and WDMA Release Window, Door and Skylight Market Studies

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and the Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) have jointly released the updated 2011/2012 Study of the U.S. Market for Windows, Doors and Skylights. According to the groups, this report delivers accurate and timely information about window, door, skylight, and curtainwall market trends and product relationships for both residential an d commercial construction. Historic data for 2006 through 2011 and forecast data for 2012 through 2015 are also included as are forecasts based on projections of construction activity as of March 2012.

According to the study’s data, the demand for prime windows continued to remain slow in 2011, following housing activity in general, after falling from peak volumes in 2006. The demand forwindows in new housing decreased by 2 percent in 2011 though remains slightly ahead of 2009 levels. Demand in 2012 is expected to increase as the housing recovery begins to gain momentum. Meanwhile, windows used in remodeling and replacement fell by nearly 12 percent versus 2010. In total, the residential window market decreased by 9 percent.

Residential skylights experienced an increase of 2 percent from 2010 to 2011. The increase was driven by the continued strength of remodeling and replacement activity, which now represents more than 80 percent of the residential skylight market, according to the report. For 2012, the market is expected to grow 6 percent overall. Forecasts indicate continued growth through 2015.

Little change in the segmentation for interior door material types is expected over the next few years. However, significant volume is expected to return to the entry and interior door market as new construction rebounds. Further, nonresidential construction declined slightly in 2011, tempering growth in the nonresidential entry and interior door categories.
www.aamanet.org
www.wdma.com

100 Housing Markets on Improving List in May
The list of housing markets showing measurable and sustained improvement held virtually unchanged in May at 100, down from 101 in April, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI). The number of states represented on the list also held firm from the previous month, at 35 (including the District of Columbia).

The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. While 83 metros held onto their previous places on the IMI and 17 new ones were added to the list in May, 18 metros dropped from the list, for a net loss of one. The top three areas were Little Rock, Ark., Phoenix, and Boulder, Colo., while the bottom three were Burlington, Vt., Huntington, W.Va., and Casper, Wyo. Metros newly added to the list in May include such geographically diverse places as Phoenix; Bowling Green, Ky.; Bend, Ore.; and Lubbock, Texas.