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Article
2007 April
- The Iowa Truss Manufacturers Associa-tion (ITMA) is dedicated to teaching groups within its marketplace about components.
- Over several years, ITMA has exercised its networking capabilities by reaching out to the framing community and local fire service.
- By putting competitive issues aside and working together, ITMA has spread a positive message about building components.
Article
2007 April
- The Mid Atlantic Chapter of WTCA is using education to make a difference in the industry.
- Between presentations and plant tours, this chapter stays active year-round.
- Each attendee at the Atlantic Builders Convention received a copy of BCSI.
Article
2007 April
- The Give Kids The World Village is the destination that many kids with life-threatening illnesses dream of.
- In 1998, component manufacturers from all over Florida donated 21 sets of roof trusses for an expansion.
- The Village will be undergoing another expansion, and members of the WFTA (WTCA’s West Florida Chapter) and FBMA are joining forces to help with the expansion by donating products and materials.
Article
2007 April
- Bryan Hill stood before the California Building Standards Commission to defeat an amendment requiring truss placement diagrams to be sealed.
- WTCA staff realized that the Department of State Architects did not understand the professional liability that truss design engineers face when they seal layouts.
- In the end, Hill was successful in getting the requirement removed from the 2006 California Building Code.
Article
2007 April
- Many members have commented that WTCA has an excellent, responsive staff that completes a great deal of tasks to help advance our member’s interests.
- Neither a member-driven nor a staff-driven organization is best for the success of WTCA. It makes more sense to define the unique roles and responsibilities of the membership and the staff.
Article
2007 April
- Being involved with industry organizations at the local, state and national level is beneficial.
- Without WTCA and the component manufacturers that volunteer their time, manufacturers would be on their own to develop training programs.
Article
2007 April
- The required bearing length provided on the Truss Design Drawing is based on the lumber used in the truss.
- The bearing area for the wood wall or beam may need to be increased to prevent crushing of these members.
- Table 1 includes the maximum allowable reaction load that selected species of lumber used as wall plates can resist without excessive crushing.
Article
2007 April
- Plant workers at Schuck Component Systems play an incentive game called Safety Bingo.
- The safety pot starts at $100, and an additional $100 is added for each accident-free workday.
- The first person to get BINGO wins the entire pot.
- Safety Bingo has helped to drop Schuck’s reportable injury rate by one-third.
Article
2007 March
- A big part of personnel management is learning how to deal with all different personalities—even the difficult ones.
- Find out how Northeast Panel & Truss teamed up with OSHA to improve their safety record.
- Learn about automated saws that are designed with your safety in mind.
- Read about a charter high school in Ohio that rehabilitates troubled teens by teaching them how to design and build components.
Article
2007 March
- Contractors should install and brace trusses according to the Building Component Safety Information (BCSI) booklet.
- History has proven that truss instability and the variety of potential consequences due to this is typically the direct result of improper handling, installing, restraining and bracing of trusses.
- Most collapses will require a separate assessment by a professional engineer to determine the correct course of action.
Article
2007 March
- There is so much knowledge to absorb at BCMC that it can be a challenge to retain it all.
- BCMC is the ideal venue to regroup with your team, discuss future goals, and share new ideas learned during the show.
- Information learned at BCMC is most valuable when you are able to bring it back to your operation for immediate use.
- BCMC is a good environment for meetings because it is free of office distractions.
Article
2007 March
- The collaboration of FBMA and WTCA creates greater influence when advocating for legislative solutions.
- The associations’ scopes of work have been clearly defined as to not duplicate efforts.
- The relationship allows each organization to provide more value to their members without additional investment.
Article
2007 March
- The best economic solution is achieved when builders focus on developing land and component manufacturers design buildings, supply material and provide installation labor.
- In order for this model to thrive in the marketplace, CMs and builders must work together and share the same vision.
- CMs may want to consider providing concrete, framing materials, building design services and framing labor to their traditional product offerings.
Article
2007 March
- Stress in the workplace can negatively impact productivity and cause burnout.
- Become familiar with the common symptoms of burnout to address it before it spreads to other employees.
- Burnout can be prevented by varying tasks, keeping a sense of humor and tackling one thing at a time.
Article
2007 March
- Almost without exception, each of these automated devices or improvements have been designed to make the truss or wall building process more convenient, faster, more productive, more accurate, of better quality, and less costly.
- One of the virtues of automated saws is their ability to set themselves up without intervention by the operator.
- Is your insurance provider aware of the improved safety that certain types of automation brings to your plant? If he isn’t, you should be leaning on him to give you a break! It could be significant.
Article
2007 March
- ISUS is an charter high school for troubled teens in Dayton, OH.
- The students learn traditional subjects as well as career skills they can use when they graduate.
- ISUS students are taught how to design and build wall panels, and also participate in on-site construction.
Article
2007 March
- In May 2004, Northeast Panel & Truss was in danger of being placed on OSHA’s Site Specific Targeting (SST) List.
- With the help of Ron Coons, the company pursued SHARP certification to clean up its safety record.
- Coons doesn’t believe there are any drawbacks to participating in SHARP.
- In May 2006, the company achieved SHARP certification and rewarded employees with a picnic.
Article
2007 March
- Carter-Lee Building Components hosted WTCA-IN for a plant tour, showing them that joining forces is in everyone’s best interest.
- Steve Stroder thinks the downturn in 2006 woke some people up to the value of chapter participation.
- The chapter plans to focus on marketing their products and clarifying design responsibilities to building inspectors.
Article
2007 March
- Take preventative measures to safeguard your employees and protect your property from fire, like installing fire-resistant materials.
- A good fire alarm system is crucial for timely evacuation and accelerating firefighter response time.
- Good housekeeping practices, clearly marked exits and periodic fire drills will ensure an orderly evacuation.
Article
2007 March
- Empower your team by establishing good communication.
- Consider forming a senior management team to set goals, implement initiatives and delegate tasks.
- Establishing a safety committee is a great way to begin the path toward empowering a team.
- Retain good employees by offering benefits, especially health insurance.
Article
2007 Jan/Feb
- Look forward to improving economic conditions for the construction industry in 2007.
- Don’t miss wall panel manufacturing articles on pages 38 and 48.
- A new column, Build Strong Relation-ships, spotlights manufacturers forging new relationships with various professionals in the marketplace.
- WTCA-NY put together a productive day-long event to build relationships and provide education.
Article
2007 Jan/Feb
- Market research is systematic problem analysis, model-building and fact-finding for the purpose of improved decision-making and control in the marketing of goods and services.
- You can increase your chances of finding jewels of information at BCMC by using a systematic approach to ask all your staff members to share their findings when you regroup after the show.
- According to one Loyal Attendee, "it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the business, you can always learn something and pick up something new at BCMC."
Article
2007 Jan/Feb
- "Freshmen" lawmakers are excellent individuals to reach out to because they are just now starting to develop a relationship with their constituency.
- There are a number of new committee Chairs to begin building relationships with now that the Democratic party controls both chambers of Congress.
- The winter months are a good time to devote time to giving plant tours. Call your new member of Congress and invite them on a tour of your facility.