BCMC 2026 Preview: Equipment Solutions from Simpson Strong-Tie Simpson Strong-Tie Staff The 2026 Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) is just around the corner. Our team is eager to present the latest innovations at our booth this year, including cutting-edge equipment, software, and services. This year, we are proud to feature a range of advanced saws, including... Read More July 2026 Issue #18324 Page 151
Building a Culture of Quality Christine Wagner Quality is more than a requirement. It is a key driver of customer confidence, operational efficiency, workforce development, and long-term business success. As component manufacturers continue to focus on continuous improvement, employee development, and operational excellence,... Read More July 2026 Issue #18324 Page 160
Halteman quietly led out to pasture under guise that it’s a promising site for a truss plant Jay Halteman After nearly 40 years in sales in the structural wood component industry, and with countless trusses and wall panels behind him, Jay Halteman has nevertheless summarily been shown the door – and by his own two progeny, to boot. His long, tiresome and haggled-over retirement is effective... Read More July 2026 Issue #18324 Page 165
The Last Word: Tracking Labor After Houlihan Joe Kannapell, PE As discussed in The Last Word in May, “John Houlihan’s Contributions,” John Houlihan introduced a proven way to manage plant labor, applying his trade to plant systems as they were, rather than how they could be, which was reflective of his background outside our industry. When... Read More July 2026 Issue #18324 Page 188
Advertiser Forum: What a Knock Says Anna Stamm I don’t mind having solicitors from time to time, even though the neighborhood has a sign against it. In fact, when someone tells me they’re doing work on a neighbor’s house that interests me, I’ll have a conversation and get a quote. Why not? It’s not as if... Read More June 2026 Issue #18323 Page 6
Home Building Technology, Part XVII: The Reclamation of Southern Pine Joe Kannapell, PE Technology, like we observed at last month’s Annual MSR Workshop, is the main reason Southern Pine has surpassed Douglas Fir as the predominant truss material. But, making this challenging transition has taken the work of lumber producers and their truss plant consumers. What’s more,... Read More June 2026 Issue #18323 Page 10
Does Your Plant Understand “Qualifying” the Lumber Used? Glenn Traylor Purchasing the correct grade of lumber to match your design drawing requirements is only one step in selecting the right lumber. Previously, we’ve discussed lumber quality in “Who is Responsible for Lumber Quality in Your Trusses?,” but let’s expand that discussion with... Read More June 2026 Issue #18323 Page 19
Why We Treat Software as Core Engineering Brett Kinny Frame and truss machinery has always competed on mechanical engineering design, and it still does. But, when you ask a plant manager where the day-to-day pain and gains in their plant actually come from, increasingly the answer is software. Throughput, uptime, operator experience — these... Read More June 2026 Issue #18323 Page 29
NEXPLATE: Achieving F1 Pit-Stop Speed in Truss Production Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Affectionately dubbed 3.0, the latest generation of Enventek’s NEXPLATE injects Formula 1-style velocity to truss build tables. Building on the foundation of version 2.0 — which debuted last year at the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) in Omaha — NEXPLATE 3.0... Read More June 2026 Issue #18323 Page 38
Recognizing Achievements at the Triad/Ruvo Annual National Trade Show TRIAD / Merrick Machine Company Team Approximately 50 companies again made the trip this year, from across the US, Canada, and Brazil, to view Triad wall panel, sub-component, and stair manufacturing equipment as well as the Ruvo line of interior pre-hung door equipment at the Triad/Ruvo (Merrick Machine Company) National Trade... Read More June 2026 Issue #18323 Page 48