The exterior components of a building — also known as the building envelope — are a key consideration for construction professionals. The choice of materials greatly influences construction and maintenance costs, ease of installation, durability, and sustainability.

Boosted by an increase in single-family housing starts and the rising need for storm-resistant products, the demand for roofing in the U.S. is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9% to reach $19.9 billion in 2021, according to a new white paper by The Freedonia Group, a leading international business research company.

Smart manufacturing is a powerful disruptive force with the potential to restructure the current competitive landscape and produce a new set of market leaders. Companies that are slow to adopt new technologies and processes could be left behind.

According to a market research report by BIS Research, the Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology market was estimated at $50 million in 2017 and is estimated to reach $8.23 billion by 2027.

3D printing has been identified as one of the major disruptive technologies of this century that has the potential to change manufacturing activities across various industries. 3D printing technologies can help companies differentiate their business and gain a powerful competitive advantage.

According to a report by BIS Research, the global heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) market was estimated at $172.37 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $208.55 billion by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 2.6% during the forecast period. A number of factors are at play:

3D bioprinting artificially constructs living tissue by applying layer-upon-layer of living cells. The deposition of live cells in combination with biological substances such as collagen, fibrin, and gelatin supports the growth of complete tissues and organs.

Microencapsulation is increasingly attracting the attention of various industries as a means to attain product differentiation and enhance product value. It is the process of encapsulating tiny core/internal phase material with shell material through advanced techniques.

The electronics industry is extremely dynamic as technologies, materials, and business models are continuously restructured to meet evolving consumer demand. The demand for miniaturized (i.e., smaller, lighter, and thinner electronics products), improved connectivity and computing power, faster data speeds, and most importantly, sustainability, is encouraging innovations in this industry.

Since the time the “electronic revolution” hit the telecommunication industry, the competition in the field has exponentially increased leading to furious investment and innovation, helping to give rise to the digital economy. The digital economy supported the development of many electronic appliances such as smart phones, watches, TVs, refrigerators, security systems, and of course, environmentally friendly electric vehicles.