When you look out the window at the constantly evolving building industry, not only in the US but around the globe, you see change, innovation, and entirely new ways of marketing and selling your product which have sprouted up like freshly planted corn. Yes, there are plenty of weeds also,...

When I read about Hilton taking their “first” step into modular, in another publication a few weeks ago, it hit me.  My dad, a commercial modular pioneer, always told me that what was once old is new again — and that was never more true than thinking about this step and...

At the American Wood Council (AWC), we celebrate the role wood products play in our lives every day. However, once a year, the rest of the nation has the opportunity to join us and commemorate the importance of forest products during the third week of October. During National Forest Products...

Part XIV: Whole House Launched Pacing nervously outside the truss office, our best software “brain” was physically sick. Another failed demo could end his career. He worried because, after 6 frustrating years, our $50 Million OptiFrame program may not be ready for primetime. And...

October is right around the corner and that means cooler weather, Halloween, turning of the leaves, football, and the BCMC. As much as I would love to talk to you about all of these things, this article will stick to the most important and my favorite one….football. Okay, after a...

One of the most important effects of the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) is that it brings people together in one place for a few days each fall. In this digital age, being in the same building with this many friends and colleagues presents countless opportunities! From...

So, there is an interesting discussion by some in the CM Industry to create a universal truss software standard. In some circles, this “standard” is merely an effort to integrate and simplify.  Others worry it is an effort to monetize design software, and to some this...

Why aren’t your trussers designing walls and EWP too, as we said they would twenty-five years ago? To pave their way, we would deliver more intelligent (“IntelliBuilt”) and optimized (“OptiFramed”) software, and builders would provide flawless “BIM”...

Part XIII: The Unfinished Whole House By purchasing Alpine, ITW/Truswal strengthened their chances of outflanking MiTek/TrusJoist in building the whole house. At the time of this acquisition in early 2006, we at MiTek had poured many millions into our efforts and had little to show for it....

On July 1, Square1 Design and Manufacture, one of America’s leading frame and truss machinery providers, joined forces with Spida Machinery. We are thrilled at this merger as it means we are now offering the most compelling mix of machinery, software, and service to the frame, truss, and...