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This month’s article returns to a topic begun last month in “Inside Early Truss Design”: the movement of design technology from the drafting board to the computer. During this period, the only tools available were engineering theory and painstaking manual work. Specialized...

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth at this year’s Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) in Columbus, OH. Our booth transformed into a component manufacturer’s shop floor, showcasing how MiTek’s connected ecosystem of automation, software, engineering, and...

Imagine, if you will, two different component manufacturers (CMs) owned by the same parent company bidding against each other on the same project. Each location wants the order. As they compete on price, they drive down their own company’s revenue and gross margin. One location may win the...

We had a great week at BCMC. It was good to catch up with customers, meet manufacturers who were seeing Paragon for the first time, and get our team together on the show floor. We had a lot to show this year, and watching people react to what we’ve been working on made the months of...

There is a quiet transformation happening in the management offices of North American truss plants. When owners and general managers audit their design rooms, they usually look through a single tactical lens: Today. On paper, the immediate challenge seems straightforward. You scan the queue, see...

The American Wood Council (AWC) has a new edition of the Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS) on the shelf. The 2027 edition cleared its final hurdle, earning approval as an American National Standard from ANSI and a spot in the 2027 I-Codes. For engineers working in high-wind...

When the top or bottom chords of a truss are subjected to large forces, or when load application or hanger requirements necessitate a wider chord member, designers sometimes use stacked chord members, where two chord members are placed one above the other. [For images, See PDF or View in...

In Truss Studio™, the Bearings dialog does more than define where a truss is supported—it directly influences how loads are generated, particularly wind loads on the bottom chord. Adjusting bearing location or type can change how the software interprets exposed versus supported...

Given the recent, unexpected passing of John “Chip” Dean, I thought it only right to begin this new series on Truss Design Technology with reflections I collected from him. Three years ago, knowing Chip’s background as an iconic truss designer and pioneer in our industry, I...

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, Alpine will showcase the latest innovations helping shape the future of component manufacturing at the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) and Framers Summit (FS), September 14–18, 2026 in Columbus, OH. At booth #845, attendees can...