April 14, 2010
I am honored to have served for a couple of years as a member of the Board of Directors for the Metal Construction Association. Last week I spent a day on a plan to develop a Life Cycle Cost Analysis program so that several of the types of Metal Construction products can be included in a database that compares various building products over their expected service lives.
Currently, not many architects and owners have the service lives of construction products high on their selection check list. I predict that will change as more and more decision makers begin to account for the following requirements of a construction product, specifically what it takes to:
- Make a product
- Install a product
- Maintain a product
- Demolish a product
- Remove a product
- And store the remnants of a product that has exceeded its service
This falls under a general principle for which I have coined the phrase “Business Green.”
Business leaders have been practicing a version of “Business Green” forever. You can depend upon business leaders to make the best overall decision for the good of their respective companies. In past days, and currently, the cost of acquisition and installation of a product were and are the most important. In the future, several of the above listed requirements will become expensive enough so that the best overall decision for business owners will be to consider these costs as well.
This is just one of the issues with which the Metal Construction Association is working to increase the value of Metal Construction products.
Currently, the Metal Construction Association has initiatives in the following areas:
- MCA Councils and Committees develop technical information, manage external industry research, and create marketing initiatives.
- Producing and distributing technical materials that help educate architects, contractors, engineers, installers and building owners
- Monitoring and responding to critical regulatory issues and building code
- Engaging in industry-sponsored research on product performance and market
- Expanding metal’s presence in major markets by supporting marketing initiatives such as the Metal Roofing Alliance and The Metal Initiative.
- Enhancing metal’s presence in green building activities.
- Developing programs that certify roofing products and MCM fabricators.
- Sponsoring and exhibiting at METALCON International, the only annual international conference and exposition focused entirely on the use of metal in construction.
- Allowing members to use MCA’s Registered Provider status to qualify individual presentations for AIA/CES programs — a value of nearly $3,000 for members.
- Consistently communicating updates on industry issues electronically, in print and at national meetings.
- Offering access to experts on key topics through Webinars, at special MCA sessions as needed, and at MCA’s Annual and Semi-Annual meetings.
- Offering discounted exhibit fees for MCA members at METALCON International and the International Roofing Expo.
- Participating in industry initiatives and associations, such as the AIA, AISI, Cool Metal Roofing Coalition, MBMA, NCCA, NFBA, NRCA, RICOWI, SFA, and the USGBC.
- Supporting industry-sponsored advertising in print and online
- Offering opportunities for member visibility through MCA materials, a membership directory, design award programs, and MCA’s Web site.
- Creating opportunities for members to network with potential customers, industry suppliers, contractors, engineers, consultants and media at MCA events.
- Having a Members Only section on the MCA Web site that offers members full access to up-to-date reports on code work, technical bulletins, newsletters, audit reports, council and committee minutes, details of presentations made at MCA national meetings, and an online MCA membership directory.
Here is my plug for the week. If you are involved in any way with Metal Construction products, you need to invest in your industry and company by joining and becoming active in the Metal Construction Association. This group is doing important and meaningful work, but it needs broader participation from the practitioners of the industry.
Call or contact any of the following people to learn more about the Association:
Mark Engle – Executive Director of MCA
Jerry Hatley, Jr. – Membership Chairman for MCA
Or Contact me: Ted S. Miller – Director of MCA
Tool of the Week – We are going “Old School” two weeks in a row. I have been traveling for business professionally for about 35 years and this item has been one of my best organizational tools ever. I wish I had started this years earlier. When I start a new daily “Spiral Notebook,” which usually includes about 90 Days of Daily Pages, I go through it and list any outstanding issues and important telephone numbers on the back sheet of the new “Spiral Notebook.” You would be amazed at how many times this material is very handy.
That is it for this week. Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.
Thanks,
Ted S. Miller