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In the quest for site speed and safety, panelized systems for components, such as roof trusses and floor joists, are the natural progression from installing single frames. In the United Kingdom, these panelized systems are becoming increasingly popular for volume house builders and Social...

Over the past few years that I’ve worked as an engineer for Simpson Strong-Tie in Texas, work-related events have brought me to a few great beach destinations: Clearwater and Destin, Florida, to name a few. But tightly packed schedules always left me feeling like I didn’t get to...

You probably need to get away from the truss business for a while, and now is the best time to plan for it. Travel has never been cheaper. Facilities have never been cleaner or less congested. And you can book holiday plans now with little risk – hotel rooms and plane tickets are largely...

Every month, I encourage our advertisers, industry professionals, and others to write what they would like to say to you. That, plain and simple, is the purpose of the open forum program we began 5 years ago when I started at The Advertiser. And, you are invited to say what you would like to...

Once auto-jigging enabled 4-minute truss setups, some thought we could go no further. Not so, said our Canadian compadres. Their claim was hard to fathom, since our last Benchmark Test results seemed unbeatable. But it was worth investigation, even if the plant involved was 2500 miles away. So,...

As wall panel production techniques evolve, Spida is at the forefront of the industry in offering a range of machines to provide efficiently and accurately built walls. About 3 years ago, we introduced the first of the new generation of Spida wall panel extruders. This new generation is designed...

Many of us started 2020 with resolutions/goals both for ourselves and our businesses, but then our year was turned upside down with the Covid worldwide pandemic and other issues such as lumber prices topping highs we thought we would never see. While many LBM/component businesses are working at...

Last month’s article, “Are Your Deliveries Making the Right Impression,” talks about aligning your product so the installers’ first impression is a positive one. Let’s expand this further. I am sure you have noticed the freight trucks on the highway moving product...

Despite all the turmoil of the skyrocketing lumber prices, pandemic, and elections, the building industry is doing very well. Hopefully, your company is doing very well, and now your attention is focusing on potential growth for 2021. Most companies are looking for modest tweaks to their current...

Our industry has always been heavily reliant on information and details from our customers. Sometimes a customer is a homeowner, building designer, an architect, or even an engineer. A common constraint for many truss fabricators across the country is the lack of accurate or timely information....