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General Design Information
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National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS) 2015 Wood Design Package brings together all required elements for design of wood structures in one comprehensive set, including NDS for Wood Construction, 2015 Edition; NDS Supplement: Design Values for Wood Construction, 2015 Edition; and 2015 Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS) Standard.
So much has changed in just a few short years for component manufacturers supplying single and multi-family residential construction projects. It’s no surprise that the legal landscape we face while operating our businesses in this volatile market has changed as well. As you refocus to take advantage of opportunities as the housing market recovers, I encourage you to consider these legal trends.
When PDJ Components opened its doors for a plant tour, it was an education for everyone.
One CM’s decision to reach out to a local community college is a win-win for all involved.
CMs share their perspectives on giving tours to students
“Think more about the problems customers face and figure out a way you can solve it by improving upon what you already produce.”
Early in the new year is always a great time to make resolutions on how to improve your life (and your business). Here’s a look at five powerful things component manufacturers (CM) can resolve to do in 2015.
- By conducting its own ASTM E119 floor assembly fire testing, SBCA has the data it needs to effectively fight the controversial IRC Section R501.3 code provision and help preserve CMs’ market share.
- SBCA has drafted template best practice language CMs should consider using in their TDDs, customer contracts and submittal documents to counter the efforts of the lumber industry to shift liability onto end users.
- Through Framing the American Dream and WorkForce Development efforts, SBCA is actively engaged in helping CMs successfully navigate today’s labor challenges and grow their businesses.
From BCMC 2012 Educational Session: “Preparing for the Future of Hiring”
Learn how one CM has perfected their Just-in-Time delivery approach.
Do you know how a crayon is made? How about a Hostess Twinkie? If you or your kids have ever watched Mr. Rogers, chances are you probably do.
Mr. Rogers has a great approach. “Will you be my neighbor?” is a simple question. Kids around the world (possibly including you) accepted his invitation and learned a great deal about life through his half-hour shows. One of the most intriguing and memorable parts of his show are the brief glimpses he gives us of the various facilities, laboratories and studios where things are made.
The below article is an update of the article, "Who's Mold Is It?" published in the January/February 2003 edition of SBC Magazine.
- Sometimes the benefit of building a relationship is just the sense of camaraderie, but other times, the value can be much more profound for your business.
- Having a close working relationship with your local building officials can not only help you better navigate code changes and jobsite inspection issues, it can help increase market acceptance of your products.
- Forming relationships with your state lawmakers is an easy process, and given their broad connections throughout your community, they’re good people to get to know.
- Manufacturing rough openings in a plant improves site placement accuracy efficiency dues to consistent framing every time.
- Componentized wall sections also significantly reduce jobsite waste and allow for the use of alternative header approaches and materials.
- Having the ability to deliver components just in time to urban jobsites alleviates the need for hard-to-find storage and staging areas.
- The focus should be on developing a system each company can continuously evolve in order to avoid becoming stagnant as the market improves.
- In order to bring in qualified people, initially, companies need to define, write out and fine-tune a recruitment process.
- You need to develop a pipeline of candidates and not wait for the need to arise.
- Even with its many benefits, innovative framing faces resistance. Prescriptive codes don’t directly promote innovative framing, and markets are slow to adopt for many reasons.
- The earlier in the process CMs can get in front of building designers, the greater their ability to influence the use of innovative framing techniques to design buildable structural framing.
- In order to get innovative framing ideas into the market effectively, you need to have your ducks in a row prior to approaching the building designer.
Don't miss all that this year's show has to offer in New Orleans!
The Baltimore Carpentry Task Force brings students together to explore construction careers
CMs are having success hiring more women in the shop
My grandfather was a general contractor, and my mother is one, too. I was toted around jobsites from a young age, and today the smell of fresh cut lumber and construction dust still brings me back to the good ol’ days.
Challenge yourself and your team to look for opportunities for improvement this winter so you can weather many winters to come.
Lean Six Sigma is a mountainous challenge, but there are some basic ways to prepare for the climb.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without all our employees. They’re the lifeblood of what we do.”
A little up-front effort can have significant downstream effects.
- CMs need to develop new strategies for hiring, given the tight labor supply to fill the jobs available in the SBC industry.
- There are a wide the range of jobs and great opportunities for advancement in the SBC industry; spread the word.
- SBCA's WorkForce Development site, wfd.sbcindustry.com, could save CMs a tremendous amount of time and money when hiring new employees.
SBCA Marketing Chair Jess Lohse ventured to Washington, DC for the first time last month for the SBC Legislative Conference and had a great time learning the ropes on Capitol Hill.
As we wrap up last year and plan for 2017, it’s important to assess what SBCA has done in order to set goals for the future. I recently joined the SBCA officers for a few days of doing just that, meeting the SBCA staff in Madison, Wisconsin. We shared ideas and discussed the challenges we’re facing—it was most enlightening. I want to highlight a few of the issues we discussed with the hope of getting everybody’s perspective as to how we move forward.