As many Texas businesses begin to reopen in phases after the COVID-19 shutdown, one critical industry has maintained a heavy workload. The construction market has been booming in Texas, and while the pandemic has changed operating procedures and forecasts for everyone, its long-term outlook remains strong.
As construction crews have continued to work around the clock, Industrial Radiator has been right there to support them with cooling system service and replacement radiators. You can see some of our work on a Komatsu D475 radiator group for a Texas rock quarry featured in the March/April issue of The Cooling Journal Magazine. In fact, construction isn’t the only essential industry we’ve been supporting during the pandemic. See last month’s post for more examples of our cooling system service during the crisis.
The continual upgrade of our nation’s infrastructure is a big reason why we enjoyed a decade of virtually unhindered economic growth since the 2008-2009 financial crisis. At the start of 2020, the Associated Builders and Contractors reported a large backlog of contracted construction projects. They predicted a busy year, despite the understanding that another economic slowdown was inevitable.
That slowdown hit suddenly and unexpectedly when the coronavirus spread across the globe. As more countries battled the virus, and the U.S. became the epicenter of new cases, many industries were forced to dramatically reduce spending or shut down completely. Only now is business beginning to slowly return for those not protected by the Critical Infrastructure Sectors “essential” designation.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued executive order GA-14 on March 31st, which reversed restrictions that some local governments had placed on the construction industry. Thanks to the statewide order, most contractors have been allowed to continue working on projects as an “essential service.” Not all construction services are specified in the CISA guidance as essential, so learning what projects can or cannot continue and what extra safety measures need to be taken has been a challenging process for many commercial and residential construction firms.
Even for those who have been able to continue working, much has changed. There is a greater need than ever for reliable equipment and speedy maintenance service, with fewer resources available to get them. That’s why our team has focused on being flexible and making repair logistics as convenient as possible for our construction customers. We also have hundreds of aftermarket radiators for construction equipment available to buy online with nationwide shipping.
Industry forecasts will continue to change in the wake of COVID-19. Time will tell if the American Road & Transportation Builders Association prediction that public highway and street construction will rise 6% to $77.5 billion becomes a reality this year. Some construction sectors will likely see record growth despite, or even because of, the sweeping changes brought about by the current situation.
Technological advancements and other changes that were already under consideration are likely to accelerate as we emerge from this pandemic and work to rebuild. Industrial Radiator Service is proud to continue to serve those building the future and keeping our nation’s infrastructure strong.
Visit our radiator shop to find complete cooling systems for construction equipment, and contact us for more information about radiator, hydraulic and fuel tank repair.