Late last year, LIXIL made headlines when it announced the acquisition of Basco, a U.S.-based shower door manufacturing company.

How is the aging population changing product design? Builders and designers have been hearing from clients that homeowners now want to age-in-place, and they also want to renovate their existing homes to accommodate various generations living under one roof. The lack of housing stock and current mortgage and interest rates have contributed to this phenomenon. This shift in living has been a boon to the renovation industry, and it has given rise to innovations and building processes that elegantly combine technology and health benefits in the service of independence for elderly or anyone with physical challenges.

RainStick Shower co-founders Alisha McFetridge and Sean McFetridge share a longtime passion for water conservation. In 2019, the two began building the North American Market’s first water circulating shower. Supply House Times Chief Editor Natalie Forster sat down with Alisha McFetridge to dive into RainStick Shower’s backstory and plans for the future.

Watts Water Technologies held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in April to celebrate the grand opening of its latest training center in Fort Worth, Texas. The new 250,000-square-foot facility is customized for training, administration and manufacturing, and joins five other Watts Works Learning Centers across North America.

In the United States, bidet sales have grown steadily at a year-over-year rate of 14% to 15%. According to Stephanie Ewing, director, Wholesale North America for Bemis Manufacturing Co., specifying bidets is “becoming a market need driven by market demand. The pandemic started the trend of increased consumer awareness that a solution other than toilet paper was available, as well as an increased focus on hygiene.”

The decision to build the first CO₂-neutral ceramic production facility in Canada is a significant investment for a sustainable future for the global brand and a vital step for climate neutrality by 2045.

Eight important factors to consider when selecting and installing a residential floor drain.

Multiple generations living together under one roof, has challenged traditional ideas about space utilization and functionality.

A thriving plumbing business relies on a collaborative team spanning various functions. Facing challenges like labor shortages and limited resources, many contractors struggle to expand into new markets. Adding a franchise can accelerate growth, minimize risk, and unlock fresh opportunities by leveraging established systems and resources.

The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show marked the most successful show in its 60-year history this past February. Watch a few of the exhibitors talk about their product.

Joseph Cariola, a licensed plumber and operations manager at Feddon Mechanical, converted his garage into an in-law suite with a bedroom and bathroom to accommodate up to three people.

Hands-on training supported over 2,200 students in The Philippines, Mexico and Thailand.

Water scarcity and quality are widespread issues in the US. Embracing sustainability is crucial to the evolution of plumbing, with tried-and-true fixtures and new advances making a healthier, more water-efficient reality possible.

Andreas Nowak dedicated 19 years of service to both Geberit and the Chicago Faucet Co., leaving a lasting impact through his visionary leadership.

Selected as one of 33 projects in the U.S., the funding will be matched by Kohler investment to support the Electric Boiler & Microgrid project at its manufacturing site in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Customer segments serviced by Toronto-based Crownhill include public sector agencies, industrial products, consumer goods and e-commerce.

Report says plastic substitution and environmentally friendly packaging trends should provide a tailwind for carton growth over the forecast period.

Packaging solution automatically shortens cartons to match their highest point of filling and then glues a lid securely in place, reducing material usage and costs.

Whereas requests for the designation are typically submitted by brand owners, Metsä Board is one of the few material suppliers to get their paperboard grades proactively pre-qualified.

In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration obtained commitments from manufacturers to cease sales for food contact use of grease-proofing substances that contain certain types of PFAS.

Metsä Board will write down the costs of the pre-engineering, in total approximately EUR 8 million, treated as an investment, as an item affecting comparability in the January-March 2024 operating result.

PACT has developed a specially designed, corrugated crate that some customers have been able to use over one hundred times.

The investment has allowed the company to expand the size of the production space in La Chevrolière by 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) and has been made in response to an increasing demand for sustainable corrugated cardboard by existing and potential DS Smith customers in the region.

Industry-wide competition celebrates greatest achievements and innovations at SuperCorrExpo.

Both attractive and sturdy, this eco-designed packaging offers robust protection while opening impactful visual possibilities. Its sleeve openings and high-quality printing area break the mold of the traditional format.

Morrisons wanted to reduce supply chain and material costs and to improve the customer experience, aiding navigation for shoppers in-store and improving on-shelf availability in order to increase sales. 

The Acquisition will expand Mondi’s corrugated footprint in Western Europe and add complementary fiber-based products, focused on eCommerce and FMCG, to enhance its existing customer offering.

The upgrade comprises an extensive rebuild of paper machines PM2 and PM5, a new anaerobic treatment plant including an integrated cooling system, and upgrades to the pulp mill, the recycled fiber line and the energy recovery system.

Once you know your learning style, you can start to create real change within your company.

Planning ahead helps ensure you get the most out of the events you attend.

When I was the last of the three brothers to enter the family business, my dad said to me, “I owe you an opportunity, not a guarantee.”

It was still hot and sweaty in the midday sun just a couple of days after Labor Day in New York, and at first glance, you’d think we were out in the yard in the dead of winter.

A client called me awhile back because he wanted to know what my family did with the scrap metal from jobsites, and he wanted to know what the other companies I work with do on this matter too.

I’ll admit it. I’m not a giant fan of reading financials and management reporting.

There are only two types of companies I’ve ever worked with in my 18 years of being a consultant to the contracting industry.

It was working when I left!” 

What is finally going to fix things at your company? 

One of the most common things I see when I begin my work with a new contracting client is the resistance to train employees. 

Bad attitudes are everywhere, or so it would appear. In most cases, it is based on nothing other than your opinion. 

With every new consulting client, I begin our work by asking the following: “How are you judging your staff’s performance?”

You may think you are too small to have a fleet manager, or so big you need a full-time fleet manager, and neither of those things is necessarily true.

There’s an ancient proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

The Keltech acquisition will also begin a new partnership between Bradford White and Bradley.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal recently announced Uponor North America is the 2020 Manufacturing Sustainability Award honoree recognizing the commitment to conserving water, reducing waste, improving energy efficiency and empowering labor.

When HVAC work needs to be completed for agriculture applications in Ontario, Canada, Gleeson Plumbing & Heating has a reputation of delivering impressive results time and time again. 

The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) published a new technical report related to the break resistance of PEX pipe and tubing when fluid inside becomes frozen.

While forklifts were cruising the aisles of a warehouse in Grantsville, Maryland, a crew from BYCO Enterprises had to carefully retrofit that same space with 1,340 feet of gas line. 

Popular high-efficiency boilers tend to be more expensive at installation, but lower utility bills pay customers back over time. 

Uponor North America launched its new Complete Polymer Solution for commercial-piping applications in the U.S. 

E-motors are the ideal solution for better efficiency and reducing energy consumption.