News
Furniture Orders Down in March
U.S. residential furniture factory orders in March fell 26% from the comparable month in 2021. Year-to-date orders dropped 21% compared to 2021. In March, 79% of participants reported monthly and year-to-date decreases. Furniture shipments grew 19% over March 2021, and year-to-date totals increased 4%. With shipments surpassing new orders, backlogs declined 4% from March 2021
April U.S. RV Shipments Rise
The RV Industry Association’s monthly survey of U.S. manufacturers reported that April shipments reached 57,043 units, rising 11.5% over the comparable month last year. Year-to-date shipments were up 14.1% from the first four months of 2021. See RV Industry Association
Canadian Building Permits Decrease in April
Canadian building permits in April dropped 0.6% from March to $11.7 billion (CAD) but were up 5.5% from the year-ago period. Residential authorizations fell 3.3% from March to $7.7 billion but increased 0.9% from April 2021. Single-family totals reached $3.6 billion, down 2% from March and unchanged from the prior year. Multi-family levels decreased 4.4%
Mexico Manufacturing in Positive Territory after 31 Months
The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Mexico Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in May was 50.6, up 1.3 points from April, entering positive territory for the first time in 31 months. Manufacturers reported higher export orders and hiring, but overall sales were down, and input costs had the second-highest spike since the history of the survey
April Industry Snapshot Report Available
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TFL Shipments Report Available to Members
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July Safety Report Now Available
The July Safety Report Is Now Ready for Members to Download
Fall Meeting Attendee List Published; Hotel Reservation Deadline Extended
The Fall Meeting attendee list is now available online, featuring representatives from more than 60 member companies. Rooms for the September 27-29 meeting at the Hyatt Regency Savannah must be reserved by September 9 to secure the discounted group rate. Current meeting details and hotel reservation information are available online. See Annual Meetings. More Info: Anna
Unilin Names New CEO
Unilin announced the appointment of An Nuyttens as CEO. She will join the company in mid-October, succeeding Paul De Cock, who will become CEO of Mohawk Industries on September 30. Nuyttens brings over 30 years’ experience to the role, most recently serving in executive positions at Solvay. Unilin is a global manufacturer of panels and
August U.S. Consumer Confidence Dips
U.S. consumer confidence measured 89.4 in August, a decrease of 0.8 points from the adjusted July reading, according to The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index. The index gauging current business and labor market conditions climbed 6.8 points in August to 121.2. The short-term outlook index for income, business, and labor markets slid 5.8 points to
U.S. New Home Sales Down in July
U.S. sales of new single-family homes in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 607,000, falling 10.5% from June and 6.3% below the comparable month in 2025. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new homes for sale in July was 488,000, representing a 9.6-month supply at the existing sales rate. This is 1.9% higher
July U.S. Construction Spending Weakens
U.S. construction spending in July reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2.16 trillion, decreasing 0.5% from June and 3.8% year-over-year. Total public and private residential spending declined 1.3% month-over-month and 7.3% from July 2025 to $871.21 billion. Non-residential spending totaled $1.29 trillion, 0.1% higher than June but down 1.3% from the same month last