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A few years ago, my neighbors left their teenage daughter home alone on a Friday night…so of course she had a party. It wasn’t the kind of epic party you see in the movies, but it was fairly loud around their pool that night. I wasn’t surprised by any of that, but the surprise...

For most of history, wood structures had been constrained by their connections. Nailed or bolted joints could only carry about half of what the wood could. As a result, our most abundant natural resource went mainly into homebuilding, where spans were short and stresses were low. That began to...

This year’s BCMC theme is “No Slowing Down” and that sums up the activities at Spida! We’re now in full production mode with the exciting task of putting together our booth for the next Building Component Manufacturers Conference being held September 12–16 in...

The article I published in April, Record CM Building Industry Net Profits are Coming to an End Sooner Than Most Believe, predicted that the construction industry would start seeing negative market changes around August of this year. Wow, was I right about calling that one? The continued...

With high lumber costs and volatile pricing, it is very reasonable to look for options to normal resources. Many fabricators and lumber manufacturers have been experimenting with using non-regular channels for lumber, including some choices that have created problems and issues with their...

With component lead times being extremely long in our industry today, every manufacturer is scrambling to increase capacity. Some need more space, some need additional equipment, some simply need a labor force that is willing to work all day every day. Mostly, these needs can be met with capital...

Although devices have become far more intelligent over the last decade, during which microprocessors have penetrated deeply into the world of manufacturing and provided a wealth of diagnostic and operations information, the real value of this information only materializes once a customer is able...

In today’s volatile economy, there is comfort in knowing the significant housing backlog will rely on the components industry to keep on supplying. Trusses are the original off-site construction industry begun more than 60 years ago, and the number of truss plants and capital investments...

On June 15th, the Federal Reserve Bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the third time this year. It was its biggest increase since 1994. The Fed raised rates by three quarters of a percentage point, and indicated that further increases would follow in July. Nonetheless, Fed chairman...

With the Great Resignation, Great Reshuffle, or whatever the name-de Jour is this week, people have been changing jobs mostly to make more money. Some left to reset stress levels or find work-life balance. Sure, some are changing to go remote, or go to their perfect place and be remote. Most...