A near certainty in the component business is that your customers will, to some extent at least, shop your price against your competition. Depending on the relationship history you have with your client, you may have the opportunity to match a lower price, but your competition will still be used...

Investing in new, or even used, equipment can be a game-changer, but the upfront costs can be daunting. Many vendors are requiring a 50% deposit with the order, even though lag times for delivery of the equipment can run up to nine months or longer. That means your cash outlay that could be used...

For many, the first thought that comes to mind when they hear the word “broker” is “middle man,” and extrapolating that into thinking that by using a middle man, the funding costs will be more expensive. It’s a false assumption. And it goes deeper than that. Some...

The U.S. economy started the second half of 2023 with a sense of resilience and more optimism than last year at this time. Inflation has been trending downward since its peak in June of 2022; the Federal Reserve hit the ‘pause’ button on interest rate hikes; the job market has been...

Determining the smartest time to buy machinery depends on various factors, including your specific needs, budget, market conditions, and the nature of machinery itself. When we have a conversation with our customers to help them determine their machinery requirements and decide whether it is...

The summertime build season is upon the industry. For most wood component manufacturers (CM), and other manufactured suppliers of building materials, the lead time of new orders typically easily exceeds four weeks. Inevitably, a salesperson will ask, “Hey, can you do me a favor? I have an...

Economic activity, as we see it here at Acceptance Leasing and Financing Service, is robust. If the current pace of funded deals continues as it has for the first six months of 2023, we will have a banner year, surpassing any year in our 30-year history. We are funding transactions from a...

Right now, many CMs are waking up to the increased pressures of a slowing home-building market, and all the capital investments they have made are just not going to be enough because all their competition has done the same. Now that the new build season is ramping up to full swing, the ones who...

For those concerned that interest rate hikes will continue, the Fixed Income team at the Capital Group believe the last hike of 0.25% in early May will most likely be its last of the cycle. Many economists share that perception. After 10 consecutive hikes by the Fed, inflation is cooling at...

Dramatic falls in lumber prices caused America’s biggest sellers of building materials to record in 2022 less than half the revenue gain they achieved the year before, Webb Analytics’ latest Construction Supply 150 (CS150) reveals. The group, which arguably accounts for two-thirds...