Hello
,
The roofing industry has been marked by serious supply-chain issues and widespread pricing volatility the past few years. And while some sectors have begun to show signs of recovery, these issues will surely linger into 2023. But there is some good news!
According to ABC.org, construction material prices are up 17.4% from a year ago, but there is evidence that inflation may have peaked as July saw input prices fall by 1.8%. This amount may seen insignificant on the surface, but it should yield optimism as prices fell in 8 of 11 subcategories of construction materials.
Material shortages still
appear to be in a constant state of flux. Some shortages, like Poly-iso, are seemingly ending while others, like plates, fasteners, and low-rise foam persist far longer than anyone could predict. And with large projects cancelling or delaying, and distribution cancelling duplicate orders, manufacturers are now facing new challenges with inventory and production.
While no one can say for sure when construction economics will return to pre-pandemic conditions, many negative trends seem to be reversing course. And the roofing industry has proven itself to be quite resilient during these uncertain times, providing another reason for optimism moving forward.
We are grateful at United
Asphalts that we have managed to maintain pre-pandemic order fulfillment rates amidst extreme volatility in the petroleum market. Managing increases in freight costs nationally and widespread labor shortages has been a struggle. But recently, we have been able to hold our pricing with no increases announced which we consider very good news.