Seeing floor trusses for the first time, Dick Rotto immediately pursued an order, even before he had a floor machine or the know-how to build floor trusses. He and his young crew at Trussway had many questions though, as did every CM taking on this intriguing new product. What kind of table...

The word is out — component manufacturers design faster, reduce costs and waste, and build more with our trailblazing TrueBuild® software suite and connector products. Now, are you ready to learn more about what Eagle has to offer? If so, come see us at BCMC! Our industry’s #1...

As a component manufacturer, you enable better building. As a partner to CMs across the country, MiTek does the same — from advanced design software and automated production equipment to innovative and integrated technologies that lead to a more profitable and stable future for your...

Exhibiting in booth 410 at the Building Component Manufacturers Conference and Framers Summit (BCMC FS) on September 20–21 in Indianapolis, Alpine will be highlighting the latest advances designed to make component manufacturers more profitable and competitive. There will be four stations...

My favorite place to meet with a customer is on the job site. Always has been. I started in this industry approximately 20 years ago as a young truss salesman for UFP in Southern California. My training consisted of building trusses in the yard, creating estimates, and completing engineering...

The National Design Standard for Metal Plate Connected Wood Truss Construction, ANSI/TPI 1-2022 has been updated to require a design load check that accounts for a Person Loading of a roof truss chord without structural wood sheathing. As discussed in the ANSI/TPI 1 Commentary, this loading...

The advent of floor trusses gave us new insights that continue to be refined today. They also gave us a peek into whole house design with the promise of a fully componentized house. For the first time, they challenged us to build something that people could live on top of, rather than just...

If you knew now that a promotion or career move would eventually lead to divorce and ruin your relationship with your children, would you think it was worth the sacrifice? When I’m doing a consultation and ask this during my employee best practices training, everyone thinks this question...

ANSI/TPI 1 is a practical guide to manufacturing metal plate connected wood truss. It considers rational expectations and reasonable manufacturing capabilities that help ensure a sound product. Due to the nature of wood, cutting equipment and processes gaps do occur. These gaps can cause...

As I approach four decades in this industry (!), the list of building code and design requirements that seem odd to me continues to grow. I am the first to acknowledge that the primary goal in designing a home is, and should be, occupant safety. But there are some requirements and...