If I compare the truss layout and design software used in the early 1980s to what is available today, it’s mind boggling. Actually, comparing layout software wouldn’t be possible since the first layout software at our company didn’t show up until around 1989! Up to that point,...

In its quest to transform the building construction industry through better building, MiTek is embracing futuristic technology to help improve the collaboration of value-chain partners. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have been used for entertainment purposes for many years, and...

Optimization is a crucial part of success and profitability in our industry. It is something that every component manufacturer works at daily in some form or another. At the same time, however, the word has so very many different interpretations that few have exactly the same approach. In this...

Software used to be an afterthought, using whatever software your truss plate provider had. In the past, most companies thought software was given to them for free with their machine purchase, when in actuality it was rolled into their pricing. Whether you used Comsoft’s Wall Builder...

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I am sure you have heard that statement before, and I am sure you, like 4Ward, have pivoted/changed a program/created a new product/etc. and then seen a competitor imitate it. It might bother you, but most of the time, they just do not have the...

In the spirit of working collaboratively to ensure project success, MiTek is championing the Design, Make, Build (DMB) approach to construction. This approach creates value-added relationships through the entire supply chain by encouraging integrated project delivery, wholistic design approach,...

Why aren’t your trussers designing walls and EWP too, as we said they would twenty-five years ago? To pave their way, we would deliver more intelligent (“IntelliBuilt”) and optimized (“OptiFramed”) software, and builders would provide flawless “BIM”...

Just a couple of years ago, I went back to the commercial modular/classroom/mobile office plant where I had my first GM job in the ’80s. I was 27 then, am much older now, but one thing hasn’t changed much, technology. The stations had the same kind of equipment, home build when...

Part XI: A Whole House in the New Millennium We truss designers were outfoxed by an unlikely pair of moguls who knew nothing about truss design. Gene Toombs and Tom Denig, CEOs of MiTek and TrusJoist, without our prompting, announced in 2001 that their companies would join forces to design...

Eliminating downtime associated with Requests for Information (RFIs) when clashes or questions come to light during the building phase saves significant time, money, and – of particular interest in our current supply-constrained labor market – construction labor. Many in the...