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Often component manufacturer facilities’ owners and managers state how floor truss fabrication is generally more straight forward and simpler to train when compared to roof truss fabrication. The guidelines are easy to follow and drawings generally do not require special rotation or...

The concept of resilience — the ability to withstand and recover — is not new. For the built environment, techniques to improve resilience have evolved over time and vary based on factors such as natural or man-made types of hazards, building occupancy, building importance, building...

Isn't it interesting how time changes meanings? A couple of decades ago we coined the phrase "multitasking" to justify, even encourage, having our plates over loaded. Instead of acknowledging our inability or unwillingness to finish one project at a time, we adopted a new...

We better learn mono-tasking (and forego multi-tasking) if we are to excel at component design.  Experts tell us that even a 2-3 second interruption can double the number of errors in an assigned task.  Ouch!  Every designer knows the painful personal toll of errors, and every...

“I am new to the component manufacturing industry, what are some of the industry’s ‘Gotchas!’? Thanks for this Question. There are several ‘Gotchas!’ that come immediately to mind. Perhaps the one most often cited is not having, and sticking with, a...

SBCA Chapters will always hold a special place in my heart and I love an opportunity to sing their praises. Well, the Truss Manufacturers Association of Texas, a.k.a. TMAT, has really done something worth praising – it just raised a bucket of money for charity! Showing Texas Pride In...

“Structures are connections held together by members” (Hardy Cross) Take a quick look at a truss design drawing, and you will see a reaction summary that specifies the downward reaction, uplift and a horizontal reaction (if applicable) at each bearing location. Some people are...

Okay, I have finally had it. I have been reading articles for months and finally reached a tipping point. I cannot sit quietly any longer. So, I’ll start by saying I have been in this industry a very long time…..and on all sides of it. I have worked as a carpenter installing...

Did you know that it is possible to achieve greater than $3 million in sales on one build table, even with severe seasonal fluctuations causing winter sales to be nonexistent? I define a build table as one build group of three to four assemblers building roof trusses. Did you know an automated...

The growing attraction of owning attached, close-in housing is a winning trend for componentization. Higher densities shift the labor equation in our favor, both in-plant and out on jobsites. Maximizing the “cube” of structures via open webbed floor and attic room trusses leverages...