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Article
2006 March
- 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.
Article
2006 March
- 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.
Article
2006 March
- 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.
Article
2006 March
- 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.
Article
2006 April
- 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.
Article
2006 April
- 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.
Article
2006 April
- This issue of SBC Magazine focuses on grassroots activities within the industry and also houses the annual membership listing.
- The cover story features Boozer Lumber, a South Carolina component manufacturer with a new perspective on sustainability.
- Another feature honors the life of Robert Mort, Sr.
- The concept of "shear-out" is explained in this issue’s technical feature article.
Article
2006 April
- Hiring and training locally, also referred to as the "homegrown" method, has the greatest potential for meeting the industry’s need for technicians.
- Many potential technicians can be found in the local technical college, and some may start in the shop and work their way up.
- Component manufacturers have been successful with employing homegrown technicians; one reason is they come up through the ranks, and the pay is competitive with the typical salaries for these jobs in the industry.
Article
2006 April
- V.2 includes updated references to the IBC & IRC 2003 codes and ASCE7-02.
- A new delivery method simplifies navigation and course material downloads.
- A new feature provides all content in text format for hearing impaired users.
Article
2006 April
- The WTCA Board voted unanimously to pass a resolution changing the name of the association to "WTCA – Represent-ing the Structural Building Components Industry."
- A management committee resolution was passed to change the Wage & Benefit and Financial Performance survey policy.
- Two new technical staff members have been hired, and the number of professional engineers on staff has increased to four.
- The design of the research and testing facility is nearing completion.
Article
2006 April
- A user-friendly automated saw requires a willing learner to handle its operator-dependent functions.
- Most automated saws today have some form of production reporting, including a comprehensive picture of everything that is going on at the machine.
Article
2006 April
- Boozer Lumber has taken a humanistic approach to employee training to accommodate the needs of a changing work force.
- The training strategy is vastly different from the traditional cerebral and academic-focused leadership training.
- One significant element of Boozer’s training involves employees’ career-long journey to self-awareness.
- The company’s culture change has positively impacted its bottom line and has allowed Boozer to differentiate itself from the competition.
Article
2006 April
- The Western Component Manufacturers Association has taken an active role in educating local and state building officials in Oregon.
- Through its educational efforts, WCMA has begun to forge relationships with the building inspector community.
- In the last six months, WCMA has been invited to participate in several meetings with the inspectors, who have been very receptive to the manufacturers’ information.
Article
2006 April
- The future of the industry is cemented in the simple truth that by using trusses, manufacturers can design more complex roof lines than with stick framing.
- The industry is entrepreneurial.
- Past presidents noted the far-reaching effects that consolidation could have on the industry and its leadership.
- Development and involvement of leadership from the larger companies in the industry is essential.
Article
2006 April
- A new design check, initially termed “chunk-out,” appeared in the truss design process with the adoption of TPI 1-2002.
- The appropriate technical term for chunk-out is actually “shear-out.”
- Understanding shear-out requires defining the stress distribution around the plate and comparing the magnitude of stresses to the wood shear strength under the plate.
- Future finite element stress analysis and testing has been planned in order to define the nominal stresses associated with the shear-out condition.
Article
2006 May
- 38 percent of survey respondents indicated they attend BCMC to exchange ideas with other manufacturers.
- Many manufacturers take ideas from BCMC home and determine how they can be implemented.
Article
2006 May
- Toe-nailing has long been recognized in building codes as an acceptable means of attaching wood members to wood bearing walls.
- WTCA has submitted a code change proposal to the IRC regarding the truss-to-wall connection requirements.
Article
2006 May
- SNCMA joined forced with the Struc-tural Engineers Association of Southern Nevada (SEASoN) by forming a truss committee within the engineers’ group.
- Using teamwork, the two groups successfully resolved issues surrounding drag loads and uplift.
- Most recently, SNCMA and WTCA staff provided content for SEASoN’s design responsibilities document based on language in WTCA/TPI 1 Chapter 2.
Article
2006 May
- This issue of SBC Magazine is devoted to design and engineering advancements.
- The cover story highlights a design challenge that Pioneer Truss couldn’t pass up. Though the structure was small, the effort it took to design and build the trusses with ultimate precision for it was not.
- In February, BMC West graciously welcomed members of the fire service to its facility in the Portland area. Atten-dees seemed most impressed with the truss design software and the overall level of professionalism displayed during the tour.
Article
2006 May
- Most youth are unaware of careers in the truss manufacturing industry.
- Raising awareness about your company locally can bolster market share and promote employment opportunities.
- Consider becoming involved in builder trade shows and career expos to showcase products and employment opportunities.
Article
2006 May
- BCSI 1-03 booklet will soon be revised. Individual B-Series summary sheets will then undergo updates based on booklet changes.
- The new version will be reformatted into an 8.5x11-inch spiral-bound three hole-punched booklet. q The most significant changes will occur in BCSI’s two bracing sections, B2 on temporary bracing and B3 on permanent bracing.
- A change in permanent bracing perspective was developed when WTCA worked with the National Council of Structural Engineers Association on a code change proposal for the IBC 2006.
Article
2006 May
- Studies conducted on manual component saws, once the standard of the industry, found that operators were spending more time doing the manual set-ups than they were cutting wood.
- Almost anything you can automate will likely be an improvement over the manual production method you are currently using. The average saw operator will do three to four hundred set-ups per shift with an automated saw.
- It doesn’t do any good to have a saw that sets up in seven seconds if it takes much longer than that to get the wood moving through the saw.
Article
2006 May
- This event is one example of WTCA’s work to provide solid technical education on the fire performance of trusses.
- The goal of the tour was to listen to the concerns of the fire service about structural building components in modern building construction.
- The fire service was very impressed with the level of sophistication programmed into the truss design software, asking questions about how it could be integrated into the pre-fire planning process.