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Permanent bracing, what’s the big deal? I was recently on a jobsite talking with the Superintendent. The topic quickly turned to the trusses overhead (imagine that!) and I asked if he had a set of the Truss Design Drawings that came with them. He said he did and that they were in...

Recently, several people I know were asked to participate in satisfaction surveys. Though their situations differed, all of the surveys were motivated by good intentions. Even so, the results were mixed. As an outsider observing them, I’ve been struck by the things, both good and not so...

Before I launch into this month’s musings, I would like to thank everyone who has responded so positively to my writing. My hiatus from writing and publishing articles occurred when my primary outlet decided all of their article-writing should be done in-house. Not that I needed one more...

On behalf of all the self-proclaimed industry expert consultants (SPIEC) in the component manufacturing (CM) industry, I would like to state a rebuttal to a published article “Confusion is Starting to Confuse Me” written by Carl Schoening in the May 2016 issue of The Advertiser....

The sweet spot of wood component supply is high dollar, high density housing. Beneath expensive finishes are complex structures, and the opportunity to gain significant value. With advanced whole house software, CM’s are able to model the mechanical systems as an integral part of the...

Customers, vendors and friends know that I have taken considerable personal time recently, few know the reason why. While the seeds were planted nearly six years ago, our family embarked on a journey that started three and a half years ago. It all began with a friend, an international hosting...

Often component manufacturer facilities’ owners and managers state how floor truss fabrication is generally more straight forward and simpler to train when compared to roof truss fabrication. The guidelines are easy to follow and drawings generally do not require special rotation or...

The concept of resilience — the ability to withstand and recover — is not new. For the built environment, techniques to improve resilience have evolved over time and vary based on factors such as natural or man-made types of hazards, building occupancy, building importance, building...

Isn't it interesting how time changes meanings? A couple of decades ago we coined the phrase "multitasking" to justify, even encourage, having our plates over loaded. Instead of acknowledging our inability or unwillingness to finish one project at a time, we adopted a new...

We better learn mono-tasking (and forego multi-tasking) if we are to excel at component design.  Experts tell us that even a 2-3 second interruption can double the number of errors in an assigned task.  Ouch!  Every designer knows the painful personal toll of errors, and every...