http://nfsa.org/blog Some thoughts from NFSA Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:37:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Many of our readers live in homes protected by residential fire sprinklers. In an effort to determine what credits for having fire sprinklers are given by insurance carriers, we ask that you take this short survey. NFSA is having discussions with several large insurance carriers and is seeking credits in ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/07/19/homeowners%e2%80%99-insurance-credit-%e2%80%93-how-much-are-you-saving/ Results are in from the latest Contractor Backlog Survey. Results as of May 15, 2010 appear to be a bit more optimistic than those as of September 2009. We have also had reports from a few suppliers that say they’ve seen some improvement in business this year. Please report any ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/06/16/nfsa-contractor-backlog-survey-results-comparison/ One of NFSA’s member contractors recently set about to inquire of their insurance agent the affects of seeking coverage for the installation of fire protection systems in “residential” applications.  The following is the scenario outlining what they learned.  This leaves open more questions than were answered with many unknowns, especially ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/05/13/new-nfsa-insurance-blog-begins-this-month/ The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index rose earlier this month to 60.4, its highest level since June 2004.  This marked the ninth consecutive monthly rise for this index.  In addition the index’s new orders metric, a measure of future demand jumped considerably from 61.5 in March to 65.7 in ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/05/13/manufacturing-indices-on-the-rise/ The Economy – The Fire Sprinkler Roundtable The NFSA Board of Directors meeting in mid-April that was held in conjunction with our Annual Seminar in Chicago did not suggest that an economic recovery for our industry was imminent.  As backlogs continue to shrink, all the companies represented on our councils continue ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/04/30/working-smarter/ We are getting reports from the field that several large general contractors in the Midwest are requesting “new” bids on contract prices previously agreed to.  In some cases the fire sprinkler drawings have been completed yet all subcontractors have been told to review their bids.  This practice is without precedent ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/03/19/rebidding-previously-awarded-jobs/ January was not a good month for the equity markets here and abroad.  Your 401K’s may have lost as much as 15%. February is starting off on a much more positive note …but as you all know a paper loss is not a loss until you sell. Field reports on new ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/02/19/the-economy-watching-and-waiting/ I have just returned from meetings in the Midwest and New York City and reports from our contractors and suppliers are not good. While there appears to be a general consensus in both the printed and electronic media that the general economy has “turned the corner” it is evident that ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2010/01/20/still-mired-in-recession/ The last issue of Grass Roots, which was sent electronically to most of our readership, contained a “blog” link which as we write this issue was relatively quiet.  Perhaps everyone agreed with what was said regarding the present state of the sprinkler economy. Let’s see what this month brings. While ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2009/12/22/the-economy-the-fire-sprinkler-industry-roundtable-december-2009/ This is the first of a series of articles on the present state of the economic climate existing in the fire sprinkler industry that will enable our readers to “blog” a response. Reports from the field are not encouraging and paint a very bleak picture going forward.  The results of the ... http://nfsa.org/blog/2009/11/17/the-economy/