What Can We Learn From the Timber Products Inspection BCMC Challenge?

“Since its inception in 1980, the mission of BCMC is to educate and inform, as well as encourage the growth of the component manufacturing industry. Over the course of its history, the show has welcomed exhibitors from all over the world to showcase the cutting-edge technologies, state-of-the-art processes, and innovative products and services that support a multi-billion dollar industry and drive evolution in the way buildings are framed.” – Structural Building Components Association (SBCA)

On October 9^th and 10^th, Timber Products Inspection supported the industry by providing the Annual BCMC Challenge. Several years ago, this contest was created to evaluate the potential need for education and to invite truss industry leadership to test their skill and acumen of the ANSI/TPI 1 standard by utilizing a truss that illustrates many of the requirements and tolerances established in the industry standard. Each participant was tasked with inspecting the sample truss and listing the problems they found. Participants scored one point for each non-compliant issue found and minus two points for items identified as non-compliant but that were compliant utilizing the tolerances established by the truss standard. [For photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]

What we found this with this year’s challenge forms the results of our non-scientific poll:

1. There are a few industry leaders, like our challenge winner Tasha Brooking, who completely understand Quality Assurance and clearly possess the knowledge necessary to fabricate a compliant truss.
2. Many folks are aware of the ANSI/TPI 1 standard, but they do not understand the benefits of following that standard.
3. A small handful of attendees were not aware that “QA” was something they should be doing.
4. Many plants do not utilize a third-party inspection service, but they are considering taking the steps necessary to establish a program.
5. Some plants do not have a written quality assurance program within their manufacturing facility, but they still claim they make a great product.
6. Some plants rely totally on electronically recording data and inspection information, but they do not close the loop by providing training and education to their employees. The only interaction with an outside observer is with the single in-house inspector.
7. Some plants did not realize the benefits of having a trained QA expert regularly visiting their plant to focus on QA.
8. A small handful of plants stated that their standards are much higher than the industry standards. Kudos to them. However, they have not incorporated their plant’s tolerances to their tailored program and simply utilize the ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 3 requirements.
9. A small handful did not know they can add requirements that can be included into their quarterly or monthly third-party audit and their in-house inspections. For example:
   1. Measuring and recording heel to peak measurements.
   2. Measuring and recording squareness of attic frame rooms.
   3. Measuring and recording overhang discrepancies.
   4. Measuring and recording girder nailing when done in the plant.
   5. Evaluating design considerations as it relates to manufacturing.
   6. Measuring and recording truss to truss variations.
   7. Review of material receiving procedures, segregation, marking, and process methods for all raw materials.
10. Many are not familiar with grade stamps, how to read them and what they mean.
11. Some are not aware that ultimately their plant needs to qualify their lumber regardless of grade stamps.
12. A small handful are not aware that No. 3 lumber is severely limited in the use of components in regard to chords.
13. A smaller group are not aware that their lumber, all of their lumber, needs to be graded.
14. A few were surprised that a member-to-member gap can be remedied by using an approved metal shim and attachment per the truss standard.
15. Almost all agreed that taking the challenge improved their knowledge.

The Challenge Winner

Special thanks to Baird Quisenberry and Carl Schoening of Eagle Metal Products and the “We will get it right Eventually” truss company for fabricating of our challenge truss!

The Timber Products Inspection BCMC 2024 Challenge winner is Tasha Brooking, President of Quadd Building Systems located in Remington, VA!

Ms. Brooking earned the highest score by identifying the most ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 3 non-compliance issues while not mis-identifying acceptable tolerances. She really understands the key to building a great truss and a successful business!

Joining us for the presentation of the Yeti cooler to the winner are Glenn Traylor, Tasha Brooking, Greg Shifflett, Tyler Rhodes, and Joe Kannapell.

The Bottom Line

Bringing outside consultants into your plant or going outside of your plant and attending BCMC can help a truss fabricator improve their business and reduce their risk by helping you educate your plant employees. A good consultant can save you money. An inexpensive investment is a quarterly visit by a qualified auditor. It pays for itself year after year, and you get a highly recognized certification that you are a qualified supplier, which will further help you differentiate your plant in the marketplace. Proper QA will make you a winner, too!

An ANSI/TPI 1 3rd Party Quality Assurance Authorized Agent covering the Southeastern United States, Glenn Traylor is an independent consultant with almost four decades of experience in the structural building components industry. Glenn serves as a trainer-evaluator-auditor covering sales, design, PM, QA, customer service, and production elements of the truss industry. He also provides project management specifically pertaining to structural building components, including on-site inspections and ANSI/TPI 1 compliance assessments. Glenn provides new plant and retrofit designs, equipment evaluations, ROI, capacity analysis, and CPM analysis.