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Article
2005 November
- An in-plant quality control program helps you quickly identify issues with a press or how someone is doing their job through the management information that the data provides.
- The program may take an investment in time and money, but monitoring the benchmarks and charts and catching a problem and solving it in a timely manner is well worth it.
- Proof of such a program can potentially help lower your insurance premiums.
- Certain U.S.
Article
2005 November
- Safety training can help your employees develop the skills they need to recognize and understand on-the-job hazards.
- Training should be developed for new and existing employees alike.
- Training records can be of great value when evaluating trends in injury and accident rates.
Article
2005 November
- The requirements for fire generally take precedence over those for sound.
- What is good for fire performance may not be good for sound performance. The reverse is also true.
- Determining sound ratings is a building designer or specialty engineering re-sponsibility, so be sure not to take on any design work responsibility that falls beyond your scope of work.
Article
2005 Sept/Oct
- Kendall Hoyd’s term as WTCA President is nearly complete.
- A time of transition and growth is upon WTCA.
- Activities such as research and testing, legislative work, participation in building code development, or training program development will increase the efficiency of WTCA members as the industry growths.
Article
2005 Sept/Oct
- Motor vehicle traffic crashes were the eighth leading cause of death among all ages in 2002.
- You can play a key role in reducing accidents by making sure that you and your vehicle are in suitable driving condi-tion—before getting behind the wheel.
- Beware of drowsy driving: 37 percent of drivers surveyed by the National High-way Traffic Safety Administration admitted to falling asleep at the wheel at some point in their driving career.
Article
2005 Sept/Oct
- Homeowners and building officials alike often wonder if damaged trusses should be replaced or repaired.
- If a truss is damaged or altered it does not need to be replaced but it must be repaired.
- It is important to repair a damaged truss because truss members can quickly become overloaded if a truss is damaged or altered.
Article
2005 August
- Bevel cutting can be a very dangerous operation in the truss plant especially since 90 percent of One Minute Poll respondents say they use a table saw.
- There are about six different methods of installing valley trusses that are used in the field.
Article
2005 August
- The Canadian-U.S. softwood lumber dispute causes business uncertainty and lumber cost volatility.
- Congress needs to hear from our industry every chance we get that we are in favor of an enduring negotiated trade agreement.
Article
2005 August
- After a long struggle to keep in compliance with covenants in their credit agreement and a failed recapitalization attempt, Trussway’s only option was to restructure the company financially.
- Their financial restructuring was completely via a five-month pre-packaged Chapter 11 filing process.
- Trussway’s financial storm dating back to 1998 has finally blown over, and the company is enjoying financial health, prosperity and growth in its core multi-family segment.
Article
2005 June/July
- A major WTCA initiative to conduct re-search and testing of structural component performance has been launched.
- The data derived from this work will help influence new building code enactment and may provide new marketing opportunities for component manufacturers.
- Stay tuned for more updates on this initiative in future issues of SBC Magazine.
Article
2005 June/July
- Hot weather combined with working in a truss plant means you should drink as much water as possible.
- Heat exhaustion is a common ailment and is easily treated. If ignored, it could be a precursor to heat stroke.
- Heat stroke is very serious and can lead to death.
Article
2005 June/July
- Dead loads are projected horizontally for truss design.
- Truss technicians must be clear on whether they need to adjust the input design dead load values for slope or if the software will do it for them.
- Slope adjustments become more critical with steeper pitches.
Article
2005 May
- Attention to posture, conditioning, avoiding obesity, alcohol, drugs, smoking, and minimizing stress will take help you in maintaining a healthy back!
- Truss plants have many awkward loads to lift and carry, so lifting care is very important.
Article
2005 May
- Consider this framework for evaluating our industry’s position in the competitive landscape of the construction industry.
- There are basic forces that govern industry competition: the threat of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers and custo-mers, and the threat of substitue products.
- Our industry brings value by providing a service/product bundle that lowers costs and raises quality.
Article
2005 May
- ANSI/TPI 1-2002 has several new provisions that you will need to get used to as you change over from the 1995 version.
- Some floor truss designs created with 1995 provisions may develop "chunk-out" errors when they are re-analyzed with ANSI/TPI 1-2002.
- Doubling the particular web or chord in that section will solve the problem.
Article
2005 April
- Our industry does not have any "Powerful People," but we can make a difference in our industry by meeting with our legislators locally. We do not need to be powerful to make a difference.
- Like the grassroots in your lawn, component manufacturers are many and mostly small, but in aggregate, our influence can be powerful.
Article
2005 April
- Bob Becht, "Mr. Truss Photo," takes digital technology to plant safety.
- Showing safety and health issues in a PowerPoint® presentation helps the staff create innovative policies to improve workplace safety.
Article
2005 April
- Three basic questions can help a homeowner determine whether or not a wall is load bearing.
- A carpenter or engineer should be consulted before a homeowner proceeds with a partition wall removal.
Article
2005 March
- WTCA meetings give you access to people with dozens of different ways of thinking about many of the exact same problems you face every day, at a very low cost, compared to consulting services.
- Get your MCA using the excellent management development tools a WTCA meeting provides.
- Gain the ability to better predict your future based on WTCA meeting discussions.
Article
2005 March
- Many employers won’t hire ex-felons.
- The industry has a chronic shortage of skilled truss technicians, so setting up a prison design department was the perfect solution for Stark Truss.
- The truss industry has several success stories of helping former felons reintegrate into life.
Article
2005 March
- Differential deflection is not a structural problem, but can be a significant appearance issue.
- Designing the roof or floor system to account for dead and live load deflections of adjacent trusses is critical to providing sound solutions.
- Strongback bridging can help distribute loads and reduce deflection issues.
Article
2005 Jan/Feb
- Are you seeing the same objections to wall panels that you had with selling trusses?
- Labor demographics today will drive wall panel sales much like labor savings drove truss sales in the 1950s.