The U.S. economy starts the third quarter with some strong challenges that rattled the ongoing recovery in Quarter 2 and are likely to filter through to the next few months. Among them are lingering inflation, the prospect of several additional aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes, and...

A sign that could have appeared in any town has caused quite a stir. The message is direct: “Stimulate your ass to work—Every business in town is hiring.” [For image, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] For business leaders, it aptly voices their frustration when trying to compete...

Establishing a proper margin to maximize profits for your roof truss component sales is not as easy as most people think. Most do not have a clear understanding of how small changes make a significant impact on the company’s profitability. Making the most profits possible, no matter what...

In the day of a CM’s and framer’s life, lumber buying is considered the most enjoyable and easiest task to perform. Buying lumber is a huge ego booster. By your own admission, lumber is 40–50% of the cost of producing the finished product. I find it simply stunning how very...

People make the common mistake of thinking that if they have been doing something for a long time, occasionally have made improvements over the years, and they are working hard and consistently, then they are doing it the best way possible. But the truth is, approximately 80% of truss and wall...

Most, if not all, are now caught up in the summer building season to make serious money for their component divisions. However, far too many companies are allowing tens of thousands of dollars to be lost because of commonly accepted bad practices. Practices such as using non-precise labor...

Many of us have been in the industry long enough to clearly remember the pain of the ‘08 crash. Before the crash, everyone was very optimistic about their own growth potential because the building economy was on fire, which gave everyone a reason to expand their manufacturing capacity like...

Another year has come and gone, and what an invigorating year it has been for most companies. Net profits after taxes for most component manufacturers were in the high teens to mid-twenties—at least for those who do not allow for never-ending excuses. Once again, it is time to reevaluate...

Since the home building crash of ‘08, there has been a huge spike in mergers and acquisitions of wood truss and wall panel component manufacturers. With all the big players in the market, independents naturally have concerns about staying competitive. Believe it or not, independents still...

New building sales across the US are way up, which shows in the long lead times of the wood truss and wall panel manufacturing companies for new orders. However, too many of these manufacturers are not showing healthy profits despite the long lead times. Lead times greater than four weeks are a...