CM Toolkit Search

BCMC 2006: Exhibitor Spotlight - Finnforest USA

  • Exhibiting at the BCMC show is a great opportunity to get to know potential new customers.
  • Engineered wood products become increasingly prevalent at BCMC in the last several years.
  • When a new product is unveiled at the show, Jim Gilleran says it drives atten-dee feedback, which in turn facilitates product improvement.

Builder Banter

Code Connection: Update on 2006 ICC Code Changes

  • 45 states plus Washington, DC use the International Residential Code.
  • A few changes to the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC) will impact manufacturers.
  • The first eighteen month code change cycle for the 2009 edition begins with the March 24, 2006 submission deadline.

Economic Environment: Construction Markets & Building Material Prices

  • Price increases for building materials have been very similar to increases in house prices in the last several years.
  • Mortgage rates are more important than wood prices in determining the cost of a home.
  • With the rapid rise in home prices during the past five years, it appears that most component manufacturers are sharing in the housing boom.

In Memoriam: Robert E. Mort

  • Robert E. Mort

Publisher's Message: Safety & Personnel

  • This issue of SBC Magazine is devoted to topics relating to personnel and safety.
  • The cover story reveals what Casmin Inc., a Florida component manufacturer, did to make a major league turnaround in the company’s safety record.
  • One feature article explores the "why" of the industry’s current shortage of skilled labor, for both truss plants and design departments.

Retirements: Jerry Robertson & Calvin Bole

  • Jerry Robertson
  • Calvin Bole

WTCA Update: What You Need to Know about Blue-Stained Lumber

WTCA Update: Get to Know the New 2006 WTCA Board Members

Automation Straight Talk: Where the Industry Is…Where It's Going…What It Means to You

  • This is the first article in a year-long series by Jerry Koskovich on automation.
  • It takes many, many years to perfect a machine, according to Koskovich.
  • As the industry progresses in automation, some suppliers may have to change in order to properly accommodate our needs.

More Than Magic: Safety Takes the Stage at Casmin

  • WTCA member Casmin, Inc. overhauled its safety program in the nick of time.
  • Casmin conducted a series of ergonomic assessments to help revise job descriptions and reduce task-related injuries.
  • Small changes made a big difference: a switch to composite strapping material, custom-cut anti-fatigue mats and employee-selected personal protective equipment.

Light Duty, Weighty Subject

  • When employees are injured and cannot continue to do their normal jobs, they are either sent home or placed on “light duty.”
  • It is important for light duty jobs to comply with physicians’ recommendations.
  • The key to successful recovery is to de-velop a program that makes employees feel valuable even if they are injured.

What Lies Ahead: WTCA Presidents Forsee Technology, Software in Industry's Future

  • Bob Ward feels we have become a much more technically diverse industry and, as a result, our companies have become more specialized.
  • The next advances in technology will further reduce labor and help us manage our businesses better, in John Herring’s opinion.
  • Lee Vulgaris said there’s a lack of field labor and construction expertise, so engineered components are here to stay.

Working For Your Workers?

  • Growth during a period of declining supply of workers in the manufacturing and homebuilding sectors has propelled the work force shortage.
  • Younger generations do not see that manufacturing or construction jobs are capable of fulfilling their career goals.
  • Our industry has many foreign-born citizens, and regardless of their country of origin, they seem to excel at building component manufacturing jobs.

Adventures In Advocacy: It's All About Who Ya Know!

Builder Banter

BCMC 2006: Exhibitor Spotlight - Viking Inc.

  • Viking noted that in 2005, 66 percent of its wall panel system customers and 75 percent of its revenue could be directly tied to exhibiting at BCMC or advertising in SBC Magazine.
  • Exhibitors can use the show to learn customer needs, improve their marketing plans, and fine-tune their products.

Code Connection: Referenced Standards

  • To comply with the provisions of the model code, a method or material must meet the requirements of the referenced standard
  • A Project Committee has been formed to evaluate the 2002 edition of ANSI/TPI 1.
  • WTCA is planning to propose changes to the I-Codes for the 2007 code cycle that will move in the direction of having the metal plate connected wood truss requirements currently included in the IBC and IRC also placed into TPI 1 so that both are consistent and ultimately most of the information about truss design and construction will be in TPI 1.