TORONTO, ON – It`s a new year and the economic indicators are more positive than they have been in quite some time. New construction is up, renovations are up. Even the Florida construction market is improving.

Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity projects the construction industry is expected to grow at a 3.6 percent annual rate this decade, the fastest clip of any sector. Construction is finally growing beyond that pushed by government stimulus.

An improving market leads to increased confidence and that confidence leads to spending or investing. If you`re making a living in the construction industry, 2014 is likely the year to grow your business through the purchase of capital, specifically, roll forming equipment.

There are plenty of options when considering roll forming equipment and nothing varies as much as the size of the investment. The important thing to remember is you have to consider your return on that investment. Before you get hung up on price, you have to figure out what you need and take into account some important considerations before purchasing equipment.

[One of the big things to consider is the flexibility of the machine," says Bob Repovs, CEO at Samco Machinery of Toronto. [You don`t want a dedicated machine that just does one thing. You want to get as much out of a machine as possible.

Flexible roll formers allow automated product, width, height, gauge and punch pattern changes.

[As an example, with machines for steel framing or roof panels, you don`t want a machine that produces just 2x4 studs or a single roofing profile. You want to be able to make studs with varying thicknesses and widths with different gauges on your steel framing machine. With your roof panel machine, you should be able to produce a variety of roofing profiles with a variety of gauges as well as metals. And it`s important that downtime is minimized by quick changeover capability."

Samco Machinery manufactures equipment for a variety of industries, including HVAC, garage doors, automotive, roofing and framing. Repovs says the demands of each industry overlaps with the others and the information they learn in one industry can be applied in others. That`s why the Samco staff includes 25 engineers.

[Our reps are out in the field providing solutions, providing customers with exactly what they need, not a machine off the shelf," Repovs says. [Machines are built for each customer."

This article was written by Jim Austin.