Global construction output this decade is on pace to outstrip that of the preceding decade by 35%, according to a report by Oxford Economics and Marsh McLennan companies Marsh and Guy Carpenter. The greatest share of that growth will come in China, India, the US and Indonesia, with construction as a whole posting gains that will top those in manufacturing and services.

Machine vision technology coupled with deep learning software can help manufacturers speed up their inspection process while ensuring they are accurate and meticulous, writes Donato Montanari of Zebra Technologies. "Thanks to deep learning, it's become easier for smaller organizations to set up, deploy and run machine vision systems without specialized staff," Montanari writes.

Orders for manufacturing technology totaled $560 million in August, while the 2021 total through August reached $3.55 billion, according to the Association For Manufacturing Technology. "The uniform growth in orders across industries seen earlier this year was reversed in August, when monthly growth across industries ranged from a decline of 16% to growth in excess of 400%," said Douglas Woods, president of AMT.

The Mass Timber Accelerator from the Boston Planning and Development Agency and Boston Society for Architecture will offer as many as 10 grants at $25,000 apiece, as well as technical support, for early-stage mass timber projects in Boston. Expanding mass timber construction "is a critical step to reaching zero net carbon building and zoning standards," the BPDA says.

Thirty-five percent of construction contractors expanded online training in the past 12 months, with over 75% saying that COVID-19 prompted the increase, according to a Dodge Data & Analytics report. "Despite the new requirements and challenges brought about by having to deal with COVID-19, the study findings demonstrate contractor commitments to their top safety practices," said Steve Jones, senior director of industry insights research at Dodge.

Private payrolls rose by 568,000 in September, with manufacturers adding 49,000 positions, according to the ADP National Employment Report. Skilled workers are difficult to find for dumbwaiter and lift manufacturer Matot, and even entry-level hires "are coming in with salary demands or hourly-rate demands that are higher than we've seen in the past," says President Jim Piper.

The Construction Industry Safety Coalition, which includes the National Roofing Contractors Association, wrote a letter to OSHA concerning COVID-19 mandates. The coalition expressed concern over how emergency standards, including mandatory testing for those who are not vaccinated, will be developed with little public comment and stated that the mandate will come with "significant implications" for the industry.

Worthington Architectural Millwork will spend $1.47 million to expand its operations in Orange County, Va., on a five-acre site shared with custom homebuilding company Seabury Moore. Worthington is a certified small, women-owned and minority-owned business specializing in high-end services such as residential cabinetry.

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We thought that 2021 would have the distinction of being our recovery year, but there are still far too many issues. The last quarter is going to be as dramatic as any we have seen. Join us for this webinar to learn more with economist Chris Kuehl.