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All Politics Is Local Politics

  • WTCA component manufacturers joined with Florida Building Materials Association (FBMA) to participate in a Joint Legislative Conference. 
  • The two groups met with state lawmakers to discuss issues affecting their combined industries and impacting Florida’s residential housing market. 
  • WTCA and FBMA staff created talking points for the members to use when meeting with their lawmakers.

Storming the Hill

Case Study: The Importance of Reviewing Customer Contracts When Selling Turnkey

  • Perfecto Truss learned the hard way that customer contracts play a big role in the risks by component manufacturers selling turnkey. 
  • Perfecto did not protect itself from performance risk or sufficiently define its scope of work in the subcontract with the general contractor. 
  • This one contract with a large multi-family project caused Perfecto to lose millions in company equity.

Publisher's Message: Good to Hear from You!

  • The focus of this issue is Material Handling and Equipment. 
  • The annual Supplier Listing begins on page 84. 
  • Consider in-plant safety with articles on pages 7 and 72.

BCMC 2007: Educational Sessions Offer "New Possibilities"

  • There are 12 educational sessions for attendees to choose from. 
  • Session themes include design, steel, wall panels, self-improvement, personnel and accident investigation. 
  • Early-bird registration deadline is August 25, so register now!

WTCA Update: In-Plant Basic Training

  • Ten core modules of In-Plant Basic Training will be released in October. 
  • The course targets employees that are new to the industry, and will be available in English and Spanish.

How to...Schedule Breakdowns Through Preventative Maintenance

  • A few seconds saved per truss can lead to substantial savings by the end of the year. 
  • It may only take an hour to fix the ma-chine, but you have lost 14,400 seconds of time for a crew of four assemblers. 
  • Weekly machine evaluations and scheduling breakdowns make it easy to keep track of your long-term maintenance plan and are an excellent way to keep production moving right along.

Environmental Components: Fueling the Cause for Wood Energy

  • The wood residue produced by the industry has monetary value. 
  • Dry wood residue can produce one million BTUs for about one-third the cost of one million BTUs of fossil fuel. 
  • When misconceptions about wood energy are overcome, the result is decreased fuel costs and additional revenue sources for manufacturers.

Estimating Labor with Averages Not Sufficient

  • Most truss shops use one of four factors that work "on average" to estimate labor. 
  • Labor estimates based on averages do not take into account complex jobs. 
  • In the truss industry, the Houlihan Method is one example of lean manufacturing. 
  • Employing proper time standards provides a solution to estimating labor.

Automated Material Handling

  • The challenge of automating material handling compared to other industries is the variation from component to component. 
  • Getting lumber to the saw is generally the most labor-intensive, time-consuming, and error-prone part of material handling. 
  • A straight line approach from the saw to the build tables with the conveyor running parallel to the press table is ideal.

Sealing Truss Placement Diagrams: A Follow Up to "Standing Up & Being Heard"

  • The topic of whether truss placement diagrams (TPDs) should be sealed continues to be misunderstood. 
  • The TPD should not to be viewed as an engineering document; it is provided to help the installer locate the trusses within the structure. 
  • A TPD is generally not prepared within the typical duties of an engineer and is therefore not typically prepared under the engineer’s direct supervision. 
  • Truss Designers are counseled to only undertake Building Designer responsibilities under a special set of circumstances.

The Truck Stops Here! Sorting Out Responsibility & Training

  • Proper training and management of truck drivers is a way to reduce risk, streamline operations, and enhance your reputation. 
  • TRUCK is a new fleet management and safety program designed to train drivers about their responsibilities on the road and at the jobsite.

Dust in the Wind

  • Wood truss operations produce sawdust, which is a form of particulate matter often categorized with sawmills and furniture manufacturers. 
  • By quantifying the sawdust you actually produce, you can prove baghouse system requirements unnecessary. 
  • One method to determine quantity is to calculate a source’s potential to emit (PTE) with an emissions factor.

Structural Building Codes Matter

  • If you are aware of current code language, you can take advantage the opportunities presented to your company. 
  • Code language must be understandable to all parties in the marketplace in order for uniform enforcement. 
  • Monitoring code issues on a local level is critical to strengthen our industry’s collective influence on building codes.

Steel Style

  • Southern Components, Inc. donated the first known set of cold-formed steel components for an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project. 
  • An insulated foam product was used in the home’s steel wall panels. 
  • SCI worked with a new builder customer on this project, and hopes to do more business with them the future.

Supplier & Professional Directory for the Structural Building Components Industry

Publisher's Message: It's Show Time!

  • This issue of SBC contains the BCMC 2007 Show Guide starting on page 50.
  • Learn about how to increase cold-formed steel truss market share with some tips from Cascade Mfg Co on page 24.
  • Read "Record Retention—Reason & Risk" on page 28 for an update on how long you should keep important documents.
  • New methods for determining bracing requirements for wood trusses are examined on page 94.

WTCA Update: Cold-Formed Steel Council Gels

  • CFSC is nearing the completion of a cold-formed steel version of BCSI.
  • The Council has established addition priorities that include the development of a standard design responsibilities document.