At the June SBCA Open Quarterly Meeting (OQM), we had the opportunity to see the latest in truss robotics and hear about a formerly overlooked engineering issue. While both experiences were worth the trip to Seattle, it was equally rewarding learning about an unfamiliar market and meeting many new people. Only a few weeks after the event, I’ve already been able to put to work some of what I’ve learned.
The Burgeoning Use of Robotics
Two of the 10 North American robotic truss systems have been installed in the Seattle metro area, which seems to bode well for its long-term prospects. Recent data, though, shows a precipitous drop from Seattle’s average level of housing starts. This accords with a similar trend that was in play in the housing markets in Austin, TX and Washington, D.C., where last year’s OQMs were held. Seattle, like Austin and Washington, typically ranks in the top 15% of the nation in housing starts, so it will be good to find out how local component manufacturers (CMs) are handling their current downturn.
On my first stop in Seattle at Louws Truss, I found that B.J. Louws was continuing his aggressive pursuit of labor-saving technology despite the market. Ever since B.J. took over the business from his father in 2011, he has consistently sought the best equipment and its best arrangement within his plant. He was among the first to achieve considerable success by feeding a gantry line directly from the outfeed conveyors of three linear saws. Yet, when the House of Design (HoD) robotic line was introduced, B.J. didn’t hesitate to upend his operation to accommodate it. And when HoD fell on hard times, B.J. again revamped his production process with the help of Sawtooth Robotics. Next up, B.J. is in the process of reworking his junk table to take advantage of pre-plating.
The Overlooked Engineering Issue
For the first time, the 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) has addressed the connection of guard assemblies to floor framing members, which had previously been left to the builder or his framer. Typically, these are handrails that border stair openings that must be designed to withstand a concentrated load of 200 pounds applied vertically downward and horizontally outward, which may apply a torsion to floor framing underneath these railings. While this code concern may seem inconsequential to many, it suddenly confronted Howard Gauger, SBCA Board Member and VP of Component Design for R&D Thiel, now part of QXO. Howard explained that his Chicago market was among the first to enforce this provision of the 2024 Code. When the new code is adopted in other large metro areas like Chicago, CMs will likely see similar enforcement challenges.
While stairwell railings can occur in nearly any dwelling, they generally occur more often in townhomes, which now account for nearly half of housing starts in many markets. New townhomes typically have three or even four staircases stacked on top of one another in units as narrow as 16’ in width. In order to provide more openness in these units, the tops of stairs may be left open or partially open as shown. However, builders have generally worked around this provision by providing knee walls or only short sections of railing, and have attached handrails to the party walls. Nevertheless, the knee walls still must be properly strapped to the framing below, which usually consists of LVL beams.
Fortunately, the professional engineers from our two industry associations were well prepared to assist in complying with this issue: SBCA’s Technical Director, Greg Greenlee and TPI’s Executive Director, Jay Jones. At our previous OQMs, both described the challenging consensus-driven code change process that they monitor continually. These new guard rail attachment provisions were first introduced in 2021, went through code hearings throughout 2022, and were basically solidified in late 2022. Not long after Howard confronted the issue, SBCA issued Code Summary Report (CSR) No. 2601. This helpful and thorough document provides details to address the most common framing issues, such as this detail to address floor trusses bearing on an LVL beam.
Networking and Tours
On Wednesday, attendees were given the unique opportunity to see inside the Builders FirstSource’s (BFS) plant in Arlington, WA. This open-sided, well-equipped plant with large paved yard surely has solidified BFS’s capabilities in the minds of its competitors. The most eye-opening experience for many was seeing several crane-equipped trucks in their yard, each costing about $200,000, and learning the ongoing challenge of timing their arrival with framing crews.
Learning that BFS operates four plants in the region, and that The Truss Company operates three, with most of these seven sites having been acquisitions, points to the great potential that this area has for these companies and for our industry. Likewise, this explains the considerable investment both B.J. Louws and The Truss Company have made in upgrading their robotic truss systems, and why visiting this venue is also a good investment for the 100+ industry associates who traveled to this location. Yet, we also learned that these local CMs currently face a very challenging near-term market and they did not gain much solace from Wednesday’s economic forecast. But the consensus of the Seattle market seemed to accord with that of many of the 40 CM attendees. However, discovering the state of the component industry, and learning how to deal with it, is the main reason to attend the SBCA OQMs.