Advertiser Forum: Employment: Livelihood or Commodity? Anna Stamm Last month’s article by Thom, “The Cost of Convenience: How Offshore and Remote Design are Undermining the Future of the Truss Industry,” generated a fair amount of feedback, and that feedback was generally fair. But, let’s unpack some additional dynamics. The central... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 6
Home Building Technology, Part VII: Carol Sanford’s Quantum Leap Joe Kannapell, PE Carol Sanford came of age during the 1920s, inspired by his inventive father, during one of the most inventive periods in American history. He grew up in Canton, OH, then a center of steel and stamping industries. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati and an architectural school in... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 10
Beyond the Booth: Real Conversations, Real Solutions at BCMC 2025 Wendy Boyd In the world of frame and truss manufacturing, there aren’t many events that gather the industry in quite the same way as the annual Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC). It’s a touchpoint – not just for showcasing machinery and equipment, but for sharing ideas,... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 17
The Time for Improvement is Always Now Todd Drummond The summer build season is upon us, so the familiar daily time constraint challenges are back. Yet this summer build season is not like the past few years. In many regions, sales are not as strong, so margins are dropping to keep the sales volume needed to remain profitable. During the winter... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 24
How Will the Changes to ANSI/TPI 1 Impact Your Truss Builders and In-House Inspectors? Glenn Traylor As we migrate from ANSI/TPI 1-2014 to ANSI/TPI 1-2022, it is important to discuss and be aware of Chapter 3 updates. These changes impact QC inspections and should be understood by your in-house QC inspector and your truss builders. The changes are in two categories in Chapter 3 — a... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 31
Seven Decades of Construction Innovation Edmond Lim, P.Eng. There has been a lot of attention paid to solving the global housing and affordability crisis. The component manufacturing and modular housing industries have been innovating for over seven decades. Much of the innovation has been successfully commercialized as evident in the annual volume of... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 40
Automation is Here, and It Doesn’t Need a Supervisor to Nudge It Along Steve Shrader In an industry long defined by hard work and incremental improvement, a new chapter is being written. But not everyone seems to realize it. Some are still telling companies to squeeze more productivity out of crews by reorganizing work paths, tracking stopwatch data, and optimizing jobsite... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 48
To Precut or Not to Precut? That is the Question Casey Harless Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking through a component manufacturer’s facility. As you do this, some will see a facility with a relatively well-automated wall panel line, in which full sheets of OSB, gypsum, ZIP, etc. are being applied to the wall in line and the router on the... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 56
Striking Gold with Posi-Strut in Carson City Landon Boucher A large part of what MiTek’s Design Engagement team does involves meeting with Structural Engineers, Architects, and Real Estate Developers to advance the use of components. We guide them on best practices early in design so that when construction documents arrive at the truss... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 62
Precision Equipment Manufacturing Announces New Truss/Wall Panel Step Deck Trailers Bryan Shinn Precision Equipment Manufacturing now offers 46’ Non-hydraulic and 48’ Hydraulic Truss/Wall Panel Step Deck Trailers. These Step Deck Trailers complement our existing Standard, Extendable, and Gooseneck Truss Trailer offerings. From a 26’ Gooseneck to a 53’ Truss Trailer... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 68