Our Article Library

Over the years, I have walked through more manufacturing facilities than I can count. I have looked at production lines, equipment, material flow, workforce, leadership, automation, safety, quality, inventory, scheduling, and just about every other part of an operation. Recently, I was reminded...

In 1919, Walter Gropius founded an art and design school in Germany that merged fine arts with craftsmanship and mass production. He established a cross-disciplinary approach and a philosophy that form follows function which has shaped modern architecture, furniture, and graphic design. An...

As the fourth quarter gets underway, component manufacturers and truss builders are assessing annual balance sheets and planning strategic investments for the coming year. In an industry driven by continuous innovation — from automated truss assembly tables and automated saws to advanced...

It had been a while since my last visit to BCMC, and I went to Columbus looking forward to catching up with people, seeing what was new, and spending some time around the equipment that keeps our industry moving. I eventually found nearly everyone I hoped to see, although finding my way around...

There is a quiet transformation happening in the management offices of North American truss plants. When owners and general managers audit their design rooms, they usually look through a single tactical lens: Today. On paper, the immediate challenge seems straightforward. You scan the queue, see...

The American Wood Council (AWC) has a new edition of the Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS) on the shelf. The 2027 edition cleared its final hurdle, earning approval as an American National Standard from ANSI and a spot in the 2027 I-Codes. For engineers working in high-wind...

When the top or bottom chords of a truss are subjected to large forces, or when load application or hanger requirements necessitate a wider chord member, designers sometimes use stacked chord members, where two chord members are placed one above the other. [For images, See PDF or View in...

In Truss Studio™, the Bearings dialog does more than define where a truss is supported—it directly influences how loads are generated, particularly wind loads on the bottom chord. Adjusting bearing location or type can change how the software interprets exposed versus supported...

In the span of less than two weeks, the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA) went from a packed trade show floor in Columbus, Ohio to a 3,000-square-foot, two-story duplex standing on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Those are two very different settings. But together, BCMC...

I recently talked with Lenny Sylk and Dick Rotto, two of the most consequential figures in component manufacturing. They are men whose legacies are worth knowing, even a half century distant from their industry-founding work.  Both were consummate entrepreneurs, with the guts to start...