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For Structural Building Component (SBC) manufacturers, 2025 presents a paradox. Demand for housing and commercial structures remains resilient, yet the cost of doing business is climbing. The resurgence of aggressive tariff policies—specifically on steel, aluminum, and Canadian softwood...

For many professionals, career growth stalls not because of a lack of talent, but because of geography. Dead-end companies with no advancement paths don’t have to fight to keep people when employees limit their search to commuting distance. The truth is simple: if you want to break out of...

Unlike software or construction projects where scope creep is often tied to timelines, in component manufacturing it usually shows up as added deliverables without added compensation. Here are some common examples: Extra trusses not on the original plans Maybe the framer calls and...

For the first time in U.S. model building code history, tornado design provisions for Risk Category III and IV buildings are given in the 2024 IBC. In fact, John ‘Buddy’ Showalter and Sandra Hyde have an excellent article on this, “2024 IBC Significant Structural Changes...

In early November, the Truss Plate Institute (TPI) was proud to announce the launch of our two new ANSI standards projects: TPI 2 – National Standard for Testing Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses and TPI 3 – National Design Standard for Bracing Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses....

A test lab is a building product manufacturer’s one-stop shop for engineering, manufacturing quality, and performance verification. Whether supporting new product development, regulatory submissions, or customer assurance testing, a test lab must have the right tools to get the job done....

Layout programs do a great job with truss-to-truss connectivity and load transfer. But the process is not foolproof and sometimes, loads need to be adjusted. Some applications don’t give you the freedom to make changes to loads after a truss has been analyzed. But Truss Studio does. With...

In today’s construction environment, direct collaboration between building designers and component manufacturers is largely nonexistent outside of the RFI process. The consequence of this is two-fold: one, building designers often don’t understand how structural components are...

Perseverance through tough times is what earns success, as proven again by two men in our industry named Ronnie. They logged a combined eight decades serving builders, surviving two severe recessions, enjoying several good years, and also facing tough transitions when their employers were bought...

With BCMC 2025 in the rearview mirror, I’d like to give a hearty Thank You to everyone who was able to connect with me in Omaha. From my perspective, it was a terrific show with ample opportunities to talk about this industry we’ve chosen. Seeing everyone face to face is always a...