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Taking a look at what some of the analysts are saying, it appears that the consensus is that the period of near-zero interest rates is not likely to return anytime soon. Going back to 1870, or roughly 60% of the time, the U.S. Treasury yields have been in the 3.5% to 5.5% range. Fed Chair...

You’ve likely been inundated with resumes and applications from independent offshore truss designers boasting software proficiency, estimating, takeoff, and design skills. Many highlight their experience with US and Canadian employers, often presenting themselves as part of a team of...

In last month’s article, Designing for Resiliency, I present some of my thoughts on how changing the design approach for wood trusses could aid in making future homes more resilient to the types of climate extremes that seem to be ahead of us. Whether you think that climate change is a...

Alpine visits BEDC’s Manila Campus Alpine and Building Engineering and Design Co. (BEDC) have entered into a strategic partnership to provide high-quality, cost-effective, and scalable design services to the component manufacturing industry. BEDC employs degreed civil engineers who must...

As MiTek has been hard at work to improve the way the building industry works by increasing the use of offsite components, we have heard from Architects of Record and Engineers of Record that they need more support to be able to specify components. In multifamily construction, there is a high...

Q & A with Steve Pryor, P.E., S.E., Senior Manager, Testing and Research Operations, Engineering, Simpson Strong-Tie As a research partner in the National Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) TallWood project, Simpson Strong-Tie participated in a series of earthquake shake...

Before SBCA “signed off” on 2022–2023 President Gene Frogale’s stellar leadership, he was already developing a new product to benefit component plants. Now, as he is working on an innovative insulated wall stud, the only evidence of his prior accomplishment, a large...

The holiday season is upon us (yes, really), and it provides ample opportunities to build camaraderie and team spirit at your business with a little effort and a little food. Making the Effort Many companies have some form of employee appreciation program, but those that don’t have...

Prefabricated wall panels made their first big impact under a government program in World War II. In 1942, the federal government began contracting with 50 existing prefab housing plants to deliver dwellings for 42,000 wartime workers. Since this work was highly repetitive and required rapid...

Let’s talk about the most recent installation of a full frame line for Spida Machinery in Pennsylvania. After working alongside the management of the Truss and Panel plant in PA for quite some time – initially talking about their wish list, moving through to budgets and capex,...