The Evolution of Glued Trussed Joists Tuomo Poutanen I-joists dominate the joist market due to their high material efficiency and low manufacturing cost. However, this product has disadvantages, including difficulty in HVAC installations and the possibility of bottom chord support only. Therefore, the market would pay a considerable premium for a... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 86
Giant on the Prowl: What BFS’ IT Investment, Other Recent Moves Mean for LBM Craig Webb BFS says roughly 100 of its 550 facilities make or add value to products, from its ReadyFrame system and truss plants to window making and door shops. BFS’ presentations to analysts regularly emphasize the company’s manufacturing and value-added capabilities, which the company says... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 106
Lumber Briefs: When Everyone Agrees: Don’t! Matt Layman The last couple of years have served up ample opportunities to be reminded of the futility of following the herd. The industry is still reeling from its hypnotic inventory accumulation at the insistence of home builders’ demands to not leave them under supplied. Some of our members took... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 110
Questions Answered: Strong-Wall® High-Strength Wood Shearwall Karissa Louie In this follow up to our July webinar, Innovations in Strength and Versatility: Overview of the Strong-Wall® High-Strength Wood Shearwall, we answer some of the interesting questions raised by attendees. During the webinar, we discussed the new Simpson Strong-Tie® Strong-Wall... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 122
The Last Word: The Last Word on CM Disruption Joe Kannapell Is component manufacturing ripe for disruption? Two foreign-backed entities came to our shores and tried to do just that for six years: Katerra with billions and Blueprint Robotics with many millions. Both were going to teach us how to build better, but with entirely different approaches. Out... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 142