RALEIGH, N.C. (February 17, 2014) – FMI, a leading provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, announces the release of the 2014 First Quarter Nonresidential Construction Index report. The NRCI shows a 7.5 point increase since the 2013 fourth quarter report, as well as a 6.8 point increase from Q1 2013. This is the highest NRCI score to date.

INDAIATUBA, Sao Paulo (Feb. 13, 2014) - The John Deere Construction & Forestry Division marked the completion of two manufacturing facilities in Indaiatuba-SP, Brazil. John Deere will manufacture its backhoe loaders and wheel loaders in one location and excavators, in partnership with Hitachi Construction Machinery, in the other.

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. (Feb. 12, 2014) – Brasfield & Gorrie announced that the company received national recognition from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). During an awards ceremon in Maui, Hawaii, Brasfield & Gorrie received six national Excellence in Construction awards, including four first-place Eagle awards and two second-place Pyramid awards.

ALEXANDRIA, VA. - The American Subcontractors Association (ASA) believes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed rule on occupational exposure to crystalline silica is “so fundamentally flawed” that the ASA called on OSHA to immediately withdraw it.

WASHINGTON (Feb. 12, 2014) – The growing trend of harnessing big data is expected to benefit exponentially equipment leasing and finance firms that invest in it early, according to a new research study released by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation).

(February 7, 2014) - Construction employment jumped by the largest monthly amount in nearly seven years in January, bringing industry employment to the highest level since July 2009, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that, at the current rate of growth, it would not take long before many firms begin having difficulty finding enough skilled workers to meet demand.

(Feb. 10, 2014) - KOBELCO Construction Machinery USA announced plans to donate $100,000 to the non-profit organization Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP) from the sale of five KOBELCO SK350 limited edition crawler excavators designed to support our troops. One of these machines will be on display in Silver Lot Booth 4408 at ConExpo 2014 from March 4 through March 8 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Portland, Ore. (Feb. 7, 2014) – Viewpoint Construction Software has acquired Maxwell Systems, a long time provider of construction software solutions built for contractors including takeoff and estimating, project management and accounting solutions. This acquisition provides Viewpoint the opportunity to extend and increase their ability to provide contemporary and mission-critical software solutions, including estimating, to a broader construction market audience.

(Feb. 5, 2014) Construction employment expanded in 192 metro areas, declined in 84 and was stagnant in 63 between December 2012 and December 2013, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that even with so many metro areas adding jobs for the year, only 20 metro areas topped previous construction employment peaks for the month.

(Feb. 3, 2014) - Total construction spending edged up 0.1 percent in December and rose by a modest 4.8 percent for all of 2013, as a robust market for apartments and single-family houses outweighed downturns in private nonresidential and public projects, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America.