It is common for truss plants to be owned at least in part by a lumber yard. This relationship should, at least in theory, provide for a great business relationship. The lumber yard can focus on relationships with the builders, home owners, and developers knowing that they have a dedicated manufacturing facility ready to service their clients. And the truss plant can focus on manufacturing and delivering quality products, with the knowledge that the lumber yard will act to provide sales and marketing.
Ideally, having common ownership between the lumber and truss divisions provides the cooperation to optimize the opportunity for both entities. The truss plant can design and manufacture value-added components that make the framer’s life easier – and construction faster – while simultaneously providing an increased value product for the lumber yard to sell and generate profit. It’s truly a win-win-win situation.
However, I have witnessed exactly the opposite of this in large operations that own both lumber yards and truss plants. Rather than eagerly welcoming more items to provide as part of the value-added truss package, the lumber yard actively discouraged the truss plant from providing more than was necessary so that they could maximize lumber sales. In effect, they would rather sell a $50 pair of rafters than a $100 valley truss.
Simple common-place items like valley sets were left to be site-framed. Large areas of the roof layout would be cross-hatched to show over-framing to be done on site by the framer. While the over-framing area on the layout could appear significant, a visit to the job site can quickly reveal that the voids to be site-framed could represent days or weeks of work to the framer filling in the roof lines. I once had the VP of construction for a large, upscale home builder comment that he didn’t care what the cost was in the truss package, he needed more components to help cut down the framing time. He knew that savings on the site labor side, and the benefits of faster closings, would more than offset the additional component costs.
Truss companies spend a significant amount of time developing a 3D CAD model of a building. Once that model is created though, it’s a relatively minor amount of additional work to add in components beyond the basics, and every one of those components will save time in the field. If you are a truss designer, talk to your salespeople, or the associated lumber yard sales staff, about the additional components you could provide that your framers will love, and that may set you apart from your competitor down the road. Depending on the region you are working in, common add-ins to consider might include:
- Valley sets
- Lay-in gables
- If not lay-in gables, at least drop the flat chords of your step-down hips
- Complete dual pitch corner sets
- Gable end ladders
- Top chord bearing details at beams to eliminate the need to supply and install hangers.
I am sure there are other components that you are supplying – please send me an email to let me know what else I should have on this list.
Yes, your truss quote will have a higher bottom line number than your competition, but time saved on site will more than offset that cost. Salespeople need to educate their customers on the benefits of increasing component use. This was true 30 years ago and, with the skilled labor shortages today only set to get worse in the coming years, it will be even more true tomorrow.