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Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- 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.
Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- 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.
Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- Converting structural steel to its cold-formed steel equivalent showcases the flexibility, efficiency and cost saving benefits of the product.
- Steel truss component manufacturers will generally have a difficult time competing with a non-pitched bar joist product at wide on-center spacings.
- Schools and assisted living facilities are good candidates for conversion.
Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- The grand opening of SBCRI took place on June 28 in Madison, WI.
- Attendees were amazed at the capabilities and potential of the new facility.
- Component manufacturers and suppliers agree that SBCRI is long overdue and will play a huge role in the future of the structural building components industry.
Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- The Extreme build helped Northeast Panel & Truss dispel misconceptions about wall panels and led their builder customer to embrace the product.
- The experience convinced Amedore Homes that wall panels are quality products that are also efficient and economical.
- The project couldn’t have been completed in the given timeframe without the use of wall panels, roof truss and floor trusses.
Article
2007 Sept/Oct
- Cold-formed steel is gaining respect and popularity in the industry thanks to challenging design projects and diverse construction applications.
- M-Truss worked on a luxury condominium project in Las Vegas that called for steel radius trusses and radius wall panels.
- Companies like M-Truss have been successful by demonstrating the bottom line savings of cold-formed steel in the ease of installation and reduced labor costs.
Article
2007 November
- The focus of this issue is jobsite handling, installing and bracing.
- Learn about a new educational tool on framing practices on page 30.
- The builder featured on page 42 embraced BCSI out of necessity.
- Polybagged with this issue is the annual Supplier Showcase and the supplier listing.
Article
2007 November
- Staff travel to chapters may be reduced. Instead, the use of Internet technology could be cost-effective alternative to live meetings.
- Staff will monitor recent changes in immigration policy and provide updates through SBC Industry News and Legislative Alerts.
- Component manufacturers were encouraged to keep up on the fire performance of wood trusses, information from Carbeck, and team up with staff on truss plant tours.
Article
2007 November
- You have a powerful tool at your disposal that can go a long way towards cementing a strong relationship with your lawmaker: your production facility.
- You have nothing to lose—start building these relationships today!
Article
2007 November
- Steven Spradlin of Capital Structures helped develop a Truss Technology Workshop entitled “Today’s Wood Framing Systems—Problems and Solutions.”
- He presented the TTW to a group of building inspectors from the Code Officials of Arkansas in June.
- Spradlin believes building inspectors would catch more framing problems if they had a plan of structural information for all residential inspections.
Article
2007 November
- A subcommittee was formed to look at how to better target TTWs for architects and engineers, building officials and contractors.
- If the broader construction industry is more educated about components, the products will be more widely accepted and used.
- The new plan offers TTWs to industry professionals at no cost. Quizzes for CEU credits can be purchased for $25 each.
- Other changes offer component manufacturers more options for viewing and administering TTWs.
Article
2007 November
- With BCSI, WTCA provides a high caliber safety and technical resource.
- The BCSI series has raised the bar on safety for the producers and the end-users of all manufactured products.
- One “small” accident resulted in a serious spinal injury and claims over $150,000.
- The unfortunate incident caused this builder to tighten its reigns on jobsite safety practices.
Article
2007 November
- This new bracing detail eliminates significant wood waste.
- Bracing is comprised of two parts—continuous lateral restraint (CLR) and a series of diagonal bracing members (“spaced at 20' intervals”).
- For every 16' piece of CLR installed, 4' of lumber is lost.
Article
2007 December
- This issue covers topics relating to quality assurance and manufacturing. Find a Recap of BCMC 2007 on page 64 and an exhibitor directory on page 71.
- Turn to pages 24 and 30 for updates on In-Plant WTCA QC and TPI’s 3rd Party Inspection service.
Article
2007 December
- The final WTCA Board Meeting of 2007 was held on October 5.
- Winners of the 8th Annual Membership Drive were honored at the meeting and outgoing Board Members recognized for their service.
- A social hour and the Top Chord Club Dinner followed the meeting.
Article
2007 December
- A 3rd party can assist with your QC program and be a valuable partner.
- Set-up location and representative sampling are two inspection criteria detailed in ANSI/TPI 1 that can be easily misunderstood.
- Being able to adjust inspection frequency as the production levels fluctuate is an efficient use of personnel’s time.
- By consistently logging QC data, one plant was able to lower their default settings to 5° because crews were plating at a lower plate rotational level.
Article
2007 December
- A new online resource for quality control inspectors makes learning the inspection process convenient and more efficient.
- Quality control teams get more out of in-person training sessions when they’ve pre-viewed the training modules.
- Online Inspector Training is included in the cost of In-Plant WTCA QC certification.
Article
2007 December
- Wood, like other structural materials, exhibits an inherent variability in strength properties from piece to piece.
- The design value is obtained by reducing the fifth percentile test result by a property reduction factor.
- The grading of lumber is not an exact science; a reasonable amount of discrepancy is to be expected between individual pieces graded by different graders.
- Cross-cutting stress-graded lumber into pieces shorter than the original piece is a common practice wherever lumber is used in construction.
Article
2007 December
- With the advent of component saws, bow and crook suddenly became an issue.
- There’s only so much the saw manufacturers can do to compensate for crooked lumber.
- We’ve all likely witnessed the snail’s pace of a complicated truss setup on a manually jigged pressing table.
Article
2007 December
- One Idaho manufacturer struggled with analyzing job costs with its existing system.
- Building Components of Idaho now determines the true costs of different jobs; this data ties directly to the general ledger.
- An incentive plan helped the company with accurate labor tracking and contributes to employee reviews.
Article
2007 December
- Being involved with the WTCA Board benefits individual companies just as much as the collective industry.
- Board members say participation helps them keep up with the latest trends and news in the industry.
- Several companies have collaborated with one another to meet orders in an efficient way that makes customers happy.
- In times of need, Board members say the first people they call for help are friends they’ve met at meetings.
Article
2008 Jan/feb
- This issue focuses on wall panel manufacturing. Turn to pages 20, 32 and 36 for wall panel-related articles.
- Two industry moguls leave the industry in 2008; check out their stories starting on page 44.
- Find out what’s going on inside SBCRI on page 42.
Article
2008 Jan/feb
- WTCA is developing a quality control program for wall panels.
- WTCA Wall Panel QC is being modeled after the quality control panel for roof trusses, In-Plant WTCA QC.
- A group of beta testers is providing feedback as the program is developed.
Article
2008 Jan/feb
- Planning ahead for big equipment needs can reduce interest rates.
- Check out Master Lease/Finance Agreements which allow for multiple equipment purchases over a period of time at a lower interest rate.
Article
2008 Jan/feb
- A professional business plan is the first step to the long-term success of a wall panel plant.
- The business plan should be a fluid document that is modified often.