AI isn’t new, just in the national news lately. Recently, I visited a former student who did his PhD research on AI applications about 35 years ago at Texas A&M University. During our conversations, he shifted to the AI subject in his current work and suggested I try using...

MSRLPC President George Hamilton summed up this year’s MSR Workshop in three simple words: quality time together. “The Workshop has always been centered on networking and education but this year’s event was particularly focused on the opportunity for people to enjoy some...

Efficient troubleshooting minimizes downtime and disruption in the production workflow. It is critical to understand best practices for seamlessly troubleshooting equipment. Alpine® Equipment Support utilizes a six-step process for troubleshooting that helps find and fix problems faster,...

Spida Machinery specializes in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of various types of machinery for frame, truss, and component businesses throughout the world. With three remarkable, dedicated, and machinery-focused manufacturing sites across the globe, we bring together the best of...

Recently, when a building owner started getting leaks in the roof and noticed unusual variations in the ceiling, I was asked to do an inspection to determine the best way to correct a deflection problem. Upon inspection, it was very evident that the roof trusses had not been installed correctly...

Recently, while conducting an ANSI/TPI audit, a splice caught my eye. When I investigated further, I realized that the bottom chord of the truss I was investigating had a very short, 2” chord segment. I immediately assumed the truss builders had cut a short block to make up for a miss-cut...

May 1st means that early-bird registration has opened, so it’s time to start planning your trip to join us in Indianapolis for this year’s Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC)! As a member of SBCA’s BCMC Committee, I always have a personal stake in the success...

Last month’s article, “The Designer Shortage—Where Can We Find Them?”, offered some suggestions for finding new component designers. This month, I have some suggestions for training those new hires effectively. And bear in mind, as I mentioned last month, I think it is...

Years ago, truss design was focused on a simple calculation that determined the final forces that would be considered to be imparted on a truss component. These simple forces were used to determine the design. Things like snow, wind, and building materials weights were generally the only...

A challenge for the component industry is brewing no matter if you are located in an area where new home construction continues to be strong or your market is slowed by the combined effects of high interest rates and stubbornly high inflation. Be it single family or multi-family, new designers...