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Can designing with lateral resistance in mind improve production QC?
- When analyzing a girder truss, the Truss Designer needs to keep in mind the assumptions the truss analysis program makes regarding reaction capacities.
- It is the Building Designer’s responsibility to verify the capacity of the bearing surface, but the Truss Designer must ensure that the truss-to-bearing connection has a chance of being made without crushing.
- The article provides a series of concepts to use if a truss needs to be designed without knowing the bearing surface type and its feasibility of providing adequate support for the trusses.
- Field splices provide a means of connecting two truss sections together creatively at the jobsite, to allow manufacturing, shipping and installation greater flexibility in serving customer needs.
- A field-spliced truss should be designed as one component so that the proper load transfers at the splice.
- Correct installation is important to avoid increased deflection of the field-spliced truss and potential long-term serviceability problems.
Most holiday trees have probably been taken down by now, but when we received these photos from Sun State Components, we just had to run them. A few years ago, a production manager at the Surprise, AZ, facility created these ingenious truss ornaments from balsa wood and silver gum wrappers. “We wanted to add something unique to our tree and customize it for the truss industry,” said Davi-Ann Farmer, Engineering Department Manager at Sun State. She added that these ornaments are a favorite every year, and always receive comments from customers.
Congratulations to Truss Systems Hawaii, Inc. whose photo received the most votes in SBC’s Online Photo Contest.
Mike Boswell—production manager of Plum Building Systems—and Chris Lambert—a general manager with Builders FirstSource—both understand how critical it is to cultivate a safety culture that empowers their employees. One way they accomplish this goal is by proactively measuring the success of their safety programs with the often underutilized practice of near-miss reporting.
Chris Cozart of Builders FirstSource, John Holland of Clearspan Components, Greg Dahlstrom of Villaume Industries and Jason Hikel of Shelter Systems—all members of SBCA’s IT committee—used their BCMC presentation to cover several aspects of managing your company’s technology needs: change management, effective documentation, cybersecurity and industrial hardware.
Dan Morris—a field service engineer at Apex Technology—and Kelly LaBlance—a technical manager with Builders FirstSource—are both convinced that developing and maintaining a design QC process has helped their companies. Their expertise in analyzing designs and finding creative solutions to solve or even prevent problems was on display as they guided BCMC attendees through common design mistakes and the issues they cause in the field.
Using components to solve old challenges in new ways means time and cost savings for builders and framers—and an expanding business base for component manufacturers.
This issue is full of some of the most valuable nuggets of advice presenters and attendees discussed at BCMC.
You have a lot more to offer the component manufacturing industry than you think. Beyond the skills and experience that allow you to do your job well, you have knowledge and a unique perspective from which other component manufacturers (CMs) could benefit. The pages of this issue are filled with tips, tricks and lessons learned, shared by speakers and attendees alike during the education sessions at BCMC this past October in Knoxville.
Below are the draft submissions by SBC Magazine Gold Advertisers for the BCMC SBC Extra email to our subscribers. Please review and, if you decide you would like to, send your revised final submissions by next Wednesday, September 25 by 3:00 pm CST. Please contact Sean if you have any questions.
Thank you for your interest in SBC Magazine and the information it provides on behalf of SBCA members and the structural building components industry at large. Please indicate which of the following email communications you would like to receive (you will be able to opt-out at any time):
Read about our various Legislative conferences:
- Storming the Capitol: Bringing Focus onto the Components Industry
- Hitting the Hill: Sharing with Congress Our Industry's Perspective
- Building Powerful Connections: 2011 SBC Legislative Conference Recap & Talking Points
- NASCongress: 2010 SBC Legislative Conference Recap
- SBC Legislative Conference Recap: The Do-Everything Congress
- 2008 SBC Legislative Conference Recap
- 2007 Legislative Conference: Building New Partnerships
- 2006 SBC Legislative Conference: Building Relationships
- 2005 SBC Legislative Conference - Building Momentum!
- 2004 WTCA Legislative Conference Recap: Banding Together for Booming Voice
Housing starts and building permits are leading monthly indicators of residential building activity. Building permits are issued by building departments, signaling a green light to begin construction, and they indicate future construction. Housing starts reflect the number of homes, apartment buildings or townhouses on which construction began in a given month.
U.S. Starts & Permits
In the U.S., housing starts and building permits are reported monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (a division of the Department of Commerce). New housing construction data are collected by the Census Bureau in a series of surveys driven mainly through permit offices.
- Each report is released around the 15th of each month.
- The data is made available to the public on the Census Bureau's website.
- Each report is broken out by region: East, Midwest, North and South.
- Building permits by state are reported by the Census Bureau, but housing starts by state are not. This data can be purchased from the National Association of Home Builders.
- Delton Alderman and Urs Buehlmann are research scientists for the USDA Forest Service in Princeton, West Virginia. View their housing analysis’s which provide observations on U.S. housing statistics recorded.
Reports
- This Month's Housing Starts Report
- U.S. Housing Starts Chart: 2003 - Present
- U.S. Housing Permits Chart: 2003 - Present
- U.S. Housing Starts & Permits Chart: 2003 - Present
Canadian Housing Starts
In Canada, housing starts are reported to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). CMHC is Canada’s national housing agency established as a government-owned corporation in 1946.
- The report is released around the 10th of each month.
- The data is made available to the public at the CMHC website.
- Each report is broken out by province: Alberta, Atlantic Provinces (Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island), British Columbia, Ontario, Prairie Provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta) and Québec.
- Unlike the U.S., CMHC does not track building permits.
- CMHC Report: Demographic and Socio-economic Influences on Housing Demand
- CMHC Report: Recent Trends in Canadian Housing Affordability and Core Housing Need
Reports
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find housing starts or building permit data specific to my state?
Due to its method of collecting data, the Census Bureau makes permit data available to the public, but not housing starts data. While the U.S. Census Bureau does track it, it is not made available to the public. You can buy it from the National Association of Home Builders.
What does SAAR mean?
Most housing starts data you see are shown as a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate, or SAAR. Seasonally adjusted figures are helpful because they attempt to remove seasonal variations in data and allow you to easily compare figures monthly. SAAR is calculated by dividing the unadjusted annual rate for the month by its seasonality factor and creating an adjusted annual rate for the month.
I'm looking for annual housing starts from past years. Where can I find it?
The Census Bureau has a nifty list that goes back all the way to 1959!
Our Mission
The mission of SBC Magazine (SBC) is to inform those engaged in the structural building components industry, which includes the membership of the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA), in an effort to promote their common interests. Further, SBC strives to ensure growth, continuity and increased professionalism in this industry by staying abreast of leading-edge issues and serving as the industry's primary source of information.
Editorial Focus
The exclusive focus of SBC Magazine’s editorial content is on the products and issues of importance to manufacturers and distributors of structural building components. SBC’s scope includes information on regulatory action; handing, installing and bracing of products on the jobsite; raw materials; trends in building materials and building material distribution; building component research and testing; technical, engineering and design issues; building code news; economic forecasts; legislative activities; human interest; safety; risk management and contracts and industry best practices.
Article Submission Policy
The SBC Magazine editorial staff strives to maintain the magazine’s journalistic integrity. Because we want to provide objective industry articles to our readers, SBC does not publish submitted content that promotes a particular product, service, method, material, or business approach. This includes any submission that resembles editorial copy but is, in essence, advertising. The goal it is to provide science-based and appropriately referenced information, topical opinion points of view and key current industry specific articles to the broader structural building components industry and all those that are reading SBC.
Editorial Review Board Considerations:
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Has the topic been identified by our readers as an important topic?
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Does the article have applicability within the structural building components industry beyond a small and identifiable minority/subset of companies?
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Does the article contain enough valuable information to allow the reader to make a more insightful business decision within the realm of the structural components industry? (i.e., is there new and valuable “meat”?)
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Has the topic of the article been covered in recent articles?
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Does the article provide a balanced set of viewpoints regarding a key industry topic, method, material, or business approach?
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Are assertions made by the author properly sourced/cited?
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Is it clear to the reader how the author reached his/her conclusions (e.g., interviews, other publications, writer’s personal opinion)?
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Does the article avoid vague terms such as “many people think…” or “most would agree…”?
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Does the article allow the reader to thoroughly understand and assess the facts and draw conclusions or criticisms of the editorial content?
Article Submission Guidelines
Feature articles submitted to SBC Magazine should range from 800-1500 words. Articles should include visual aids such as graphs, pictures, figures or other pictorial representations of the text. We prefer electronically submitted articles in a PC-compatible format such as MS Word or PDF.
Please send articles to the Managing Editor. See above for editorial calendar and deadlines.
While we accept submissions from anyone who works with or has knowledge of structural building components, here are some specific areas to consider. Please note that any submissions become property of SBC Magazine.
Parting Shots
Turn to the inside back cover of SBC and you’ll see a section we call Parting Shots. Send us your industry-related photos, and we’ll consider them for print. Examples include interesting design projects, correct (or incorrect) jobsite practices, SBCA Chapter events and old photos that demonstrate historical industry events. All photo submissions are subject to art department review.
For SBC Advertisers/Industry Suppliers
SBC advertisers’ support of the industry helps us reach our goal of educating readers. Another way advertisers and other industry suppliers can educate readers is by submitting content that fits the guidelines of our Article Submission Policy. Suppliers are encouraged to submit articles for consideration or contact SBC staff with an article idea. Preference may be given to SBC Advertisers in terms of space reservation. Contact staff if you have an idea or questions.
For Engineers
Professional engineers seeking continuing education units are encouraged to submit articles for publication. Articles should be technical in nature and address engineering topics that relate to the design, manufacture, or installation of structural building components. If published, send your state’s CEU criteria to SBC staff and we’ll provide the necessary documentation to redeem your credits.
Policies for Republishing Article & Documents
REPUBLISHING SBCA COPYRIGHTED DOCUMENTS WITHOUT SBCA COMPENSATION: If any material from SBC's articles is copied for use for purely promotional and educational purposes and not for resale, then SBCA will provide permission for all of the specified article(s) provided SBC is given credit as source of the document and a link to our website is given as www.sbcmag.info.
REPUBLISHING SBCA COPYRIGHTED DOCUMENTS WITH SBCA COMPENSATION: If any material from our articles is copied and then used within another document for the purpose of generating income for another association or corporation, then SBCA, with the approval of the SBCA Executive Committee, will (1) sell the article and all of it can be included in the new publication in its original form; (2) will grant permission to copy and republish all or portions of the article with SBCA receiving a royalty for the sale of each new document published. The royalty will be agreed upon by SBCA and the party requesting permission.
For copyright requests, please contact SBC staff.
Invoices will be mailed upon publication of the magazine along with proof of placed advertising. If you have questions about your invoice, contact staff.
Payments: Net fifteen (15) days to advertisers in good standing. First-time advertisers who are not members of SBCA must prepay for initial insertion by the Materials Due deadline. Advertisers and their agencies assume liabilities for all content in their ads and for any claims arising therefrom. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement.
Finance Charge: Any accounts that remain unpaid after 30 days will be charged a finance charge of 18% annually or 1.5% per month and will forfeit the 15% On-Time Discount.
Cancellations & Short Rates: If, for any reason, an advertisement is cancelled after the space reservation deadline, the publisher reserves the right to repeat a former ad at full rate. If the advertiser has not previously run an ad, the advertiser will be charged for the cost of the space reserved. Advertising billed at contract rate, who fails to fulfill contract terms, will be billed at the actual frequency level earned. Contracts cancelled without placement of any advertising are subject to a 20% cancellation fee. Neither the advertiser nor its agency may cancel advertising after the closing date.
SBC Payment & BCMC Exhibiting: For advertisers who also exhibit at BCMC, all outstanding SBC invoices must be paid in full prior to trucks unloading exhibit materials at BCMC. Likewise, all companies that have any BCMC receivables outstanding shall not be allowed to advertise in SBC or exhibit at BCMC until all receivables have been paid in full.
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It is the consistent, loyal support of our advertisers that provides a strong foundation on which to continue building our industry's publication. For this reason, we strive to go out of our way to maximize every marketing opportunity possible for these supporters of the structural building components industry.
In addition to rate savings and recognition throughout the year in the magazine and at BCMC, advertisers will enjoy the following perks:
- SBC Industry News: This weekly email distribution goes out to the entire SBC Magazine readership, making it a great way to keep your company top of mind.
- Submit a press release or announcement to run as a Top Headline. This news item is also linked to your company's profile on the Sponsors page.
- A different advertiser is recognized every week, with frequency dependent on the program level. Sponsor’s logo will be included at the top of SBC Industry News with a link to their website. We will randomly cycle through all advertisers based on frequency level, beginning with 6x, then 3x, then 1x.
- Program advertisers receive the lowest pricing available on sponsorship ads that accompany this valuable communication vehicle—a great way to get your message out to our readers on a weekly basis.
- SBCA Webinars: Program advertisers will be promoted throughout the year as sponsors of SBCA’s weekly webinars.
- Supplier Webinars: This webinar opportunity provides suppliers to the structural building components industry with a platform to give a 30-minute webinar on a topic beneficial to CMs as they navigate current industry challenges and opportunities. Supplier webinars will run on Thursdays at 1 pm Central. Learn more here.
- Robust Presence on the SBC Website: In addition to your print ad, as a program advertiser you will also receive a free web ad that rotates throughout the site as well as the lowest pricing available on premium web ad locations. Plus, your company is listed on the Sponsors page of the SBC website. Each company links to a full description, contact information and copy of your web ad.
- Enhanced BCMC Exhibitor Listing: Program advertisers that also exhibit at BCMC get their company logo included with their exhibitor listing on the BCMC website. Advertisers are also noted in the BCMC Show Directory and Show Guide issue of the magazine.
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The Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) is the only show in the world like this! Gain face-to-face access to the structural building component industry's decision-makers under one roof as BCMC gathers a targeted audience of component manufacturers who look to you for answers to their business needs with their undivided attention for two days! Our concentrated show hours allow you to visit with existing customers, demonstrate your latest technology and gain highly qualified sales leads. Learn more about becoming an exhibitor.
First-Time BCMC Exhibitor Promotion
By combining these two powerful marketing tools—BCMC is the industry's top tradeshow and SBC Magazine is the industry's leading resource for information—you will complete your marketing plan and SAVE! Become a BCMC exhibitor and SBC Magazine program advertiser and save $1400 off your advertising program. Contact staff for more details.