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A Man Who Left His Mark: Honoring Edward Callahan, Jr.

Ed Callahan, Jr. passed away on January 20, 2013, one day shy of his 80th birthday.

From a McDonald’s Napkin to BCSI: Educating Customers on Proper Installation & Bracing

  • CMs deal with customers with a wide range of skill sets, including those who have drawn their house plans on a McDonald’s paper napkin. I wish I were making this up!
  • While CMs are not responsible for ensuring that customers brace jobs correctly, they can provide BCSI documents to help customers build a better building and stay safe.
  • The BCSI book and B-Series Summary Sheets are a CM's saving grace, especially if the customer plans to install the trusses on their own or not hire an engineer of record.

Holes & Notches in Trusses

  • A repair may not be needed if, after adding the holes, visually graded lumber still meets an adequate grade according to the appropriate grading criteria.
  • The Combined Stress Index (CSI) is the summation of axial and bending stresses divided by their respective allowable stresses, which represents the structural “efficiency” of the member; the CSI shall not exceed 1.00.
  • Coordinating with trades before construction is a good way to avoid holes and notches in trusses, and the costly repairs associated with them.

Parting Shots

Parting ShotsHigh school students from the North Orange County Regional Occupational Program (ROP) Building Industry Technology Academy (BITA) worked alongside construction professionals to build this green home in Southern California.

No Risk? Know Risk. A Fleet Safety Risk Management Primer

Take a few minutes to learn more about how to minimize one of your greatest risks as a manufacturer: truck liability exposure.

 

Assistance for the “Street Lawyer”

  • Ward shares an experience where a customer contract had the potential to severely damage a balance sheet.
  • Don’t be afraid to admit that you do not understand contract language; if you do not, seek out legal assistance.
  • SBCA’s ORisk program can help with contract fundamentals.

Transforming the Future of Framing Through Testing & Technical Evaluation Reports (TERs)

 

  • Challenging times force hard and bold decisions that are risky. The survival of SBCA, BCMC, SBC Magazine and SBCRI were dependant on risk-taking.
  • Private contract testing business through SBCRI led to the creation of the new and very valuable concepts of benchmark testing and code compliance tools called the Technical Evaluation Report (TER).
  • The SBC industry can easily be the center of the universe for providing the structural framework of all light-frame construction and offering great value in engineering innovation.

 

Don’t Be Lulled Into a False Sense of Safety

  • Safety training should never fall by the wayside, particularly when production picks up.
  • It’s important to make an effort to maintain good housekeeping practices, even when you think you’re too busy to do so.
  • Keeping your safety documentation up-to-date ensures you’re catching even the smallest concerns in your facility, and it helps you safeguard against serious safety issues.

Faces of the Industry

Name: Micah Green
Company: Cascade Mfg. Co., Cascade, IA
Position: Project Manager/Estimator
Years in the industry: 9

 

Building Codes, Building Relationships

From BCMC 2012 Educational Session: “Changing Codes & Planning Ahead”

Our Imminent Labor Shortage

From BCMC 2012 Educational Session: “Preparing for the Future of Hiring”

What to Measure & How

From BCMC 2012 Educational Session: “Metrics for Managers”

Getting Better Grades

From BCMC 2012 Educational Session: “Lumber Production, Grading & Design Values Part 2: From Stick to Truss”

What Do You Love About This Industry?

  • WorkForce Development will need to be a corporate focus as the economy continues to improve.
  • Showcasing the world of components, its unique characteristics and many career opportunities can be a powerful way to entice fresh faces into our industry.
  • SBCA’s WorkForce Development website, wfd.sbcindustry.com, is a great tool for posting jobs and reviewing resumes, with new site enhancements coming soon.

Optimization

  • Examine each operational area for changes that could help improve overall economics.
  • Make sure the design department is up to date on price changes of stock lengths of lumber, especially changes due to design value adjustments.
  • Factor customer needs into optimization, along with producing a more efficient truss using less material and plant labor.

Parting Shots

It was nothing but sunny skies (a first!) at the BCMC Build jobsite in New Orleans this October. In just one and a half days, a team of volunteers from the structural building components industry framed this three-bedroom home.

Embrace the City Slicker in You: Capitalizing on the Growth of Urban Living

If you do a web search for current trends in U.S. urban planning, article after article will discuss similar issues. Urban planners face new challenges as a result of the recent economic downturn, and subsequent sluggish growth. A few examples include: a higher percentage of renters over owners due to foreclosures and defaults; delayed housing purchases by Generation Y; a growing desire for alternative transportation choices and shorter commutes; all coupled with a decreasing availability of urban land.

Growing Up in the Business

 

  • SBCA President Scott Ward grew up in the business and credits industry pioneers for laying the foundation CMs can continue to build upon today.
  • As the housing market improves, CMs need to focus on bringing new and skilled labor back into the industry.
  • Technical schools, community colleges, high schools and wfd.sbcindustry.com are excellent resources for finding employees.