Jeff Vance, PE

Rethinking Shear Transfer at Floor Transitions

Jeff Vance

Still defaulting to rim boards at every floor edge? In modern wood-framed construction, it’s worth taking a closer look at several detailing options including ribbon boards or top chord bearing detailing. These options can simplify construction and reduce blocking material while still...

#17315 Cover image
October 2025
Issue #17315
Page 46
Alpine Team

New IFC Export: Better Collaboration and Visualization

Alpine Team

Alpine continues to innovate with the latest version of the IntelliVIEW Suite, now offering IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) export to improve collaboration, visualization, and accuracy in Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows. IFC export enables seamless data exchange across...

#17311 Cover image
June 2025
Issue #17311
Page 125
Stephen Keller, PE

Penetrating the Shallow Depth Floor Market: How Posi-Strut® Can Be Your Best Solution

Stephen Keller, PE

In today’s light-frame construction market, wood web floor trusses are commonly used in many multifamily projects. Builders, structural engineers, and general contractors often view wood web trusses as the default floor system for projects requiring 18 inches or greater depth. However,...

#17306 Cover image
January 2025
Issue #17306
Page 54
Geordie Secord

Design Connections: Building Information Modeling for the Component Business?

Geordie Secord

If I compare the truss layout and design software used in the early 1980s to what is available today, it’s mind boggling. Actually, comparing layout software wouldn’t be possible since the first layout software at our company didn’t show up until around 1989! Up to that point,...

#15283 Cover image
February 2023
Issue #15283
Page 84
Katie Kormann

MiTek is Improving Collaboration with Futuristic Technology

Katie Kormann

In its quest to transform the building construction industry through better building, MiTek is embracing futuristic technology to help improve the collaboration of value-chain partners. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have been used for entertainment purposes for many years, and...

#13269 Cover image
December 2021
Issue #13269
Page 58
Tracy Roe

What is Optimization?

Tracy Roe

Optimization is a crucial part of success and profitability in our industry. It is something that every component manufacturer works at daily in some form or another. At the same time, however, the word has so very many different interpretations that few have exactly the same approach. In this...

#13264 Cover image
July 2021
Issue #13264
Page 54
Chris Scott

Industry Software: What you need to know

Chris Scott

Software used to be an afterthought, using whatever software your truss plate provider had. In the past, most companies thought software was given to them for free with their machine purchase, when in actuality it was rolled into their pricing. Whether you used Comsoft’s Wall Builder...

#13263 Cover image
June 2021
Issue #13263
Page 65
Ben Hershey

Industry Ecosystems and the Future

Ben Hershey

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I am sure you have heard that statement before, and I am sure you, like 4Ward, have pivoted/changed a program/created a new product/etc. and then seen a competitor imitate it. It might bother you, but most of the time, they just do not have the...

#13261 Cover image
April 2021
Issue #13261
Page 46
Benjamin Tabolt

Championing the Design, Make, Build Approach to Construction: How Design Collaboration Leads to Greater Project Success

Benjamin Tabolt

In the spirit of working collaboratively to ensure project success, MiTek is championing the Design, Make, Build (DMB) approach to construction. This approach creates value-added relationships through the entire supply chain by encouraging integrated project delivery, wholistic design approach,...

#13261 Cover image
April 2021
Issue #13261
Page 71
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Last Word: Whole House Builders?

Joe Kannapell, PE

Why aren’t your trussers designing walls and EWP too, as we said they would twenty-five years ago? To pave their way, we would deliver more intelligent (“IntelliBuilt”) and optimized (“OptiFramed”) software, and builders would provide flawless “BIM”...

#11242 Cover image
September 2019
Issue #11242
Page 125
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