SBC Industry News

To save money, Oden Hughes said it plans to build the complex using primarily light-gauge steel instead of lumber, with BlackSwan Steel fabricating about 80 percent of the framing for the four-story apartment buildings at its Houston facility and then trucking it to Austin.

The following is an opinion piece that provides analysis and support for the argument President Trump should walk away from renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

A new hinged roof connector by Simpson Strong-Tie makes it easier for modular builders to construct stick-frame roofs in the factory that will fold flat during shipping. Accompanying the launch of this new product, Simpson Strong-Tie has also released its new Connectors & Fasteners for Modular Building catalog.

2017was a rough journey for component manufacturers when it came to raw material costs.

The Federal Reserve will make subtle, hawkish, changes to its statement Wednesday to confirm what the market now expects: a rate hike is coming in March.

Now that several states have legalized the use of marijuana for some recreational and medical purposes, one of the biggest untapped markets for the cannabis plant itself — at least one variety — could be as a building tool.

The Canadian government has suggested it might drop its major international trade case against the U.S., if it gets a softwood lumber deal.

Atlas Engineered Products Ltd., a leading supplier of trusses and engineered wood products, yesterday reported its financial results for the second quarter ended November 30, 2017 (all amounts in are in Canadian dollars).

HUD announced on Thursday that it is launching a “wholesale review” of its manufactured housing rules as part of a “broader effort to identify regulations that may be ineffective, overly burdensome, or excessively costly given the critical need for affordable housing.”

Home Technology’s 200,000-square-foot facility doesn't show the chaos of a typical building site, and that's by design. Its owners, the residential developers and builders Great Gulf, believe that tech will transform the construction industry – a process that's been imagined by architects and builders for a century.

The North American Free Trade Agreement will probably be renegotiated successfully with only marginal changes, said a large majority of economists in a Reuters poll, despite the Trump administration's saber-rattling.

MiTek USA just announced that its SAPPHIRE Supply software solution has added new features and functionality for its lumber and building material “ProDealer” users.

A nationwide truck shortage is forcing thousands of shippers into a tough choice: postpone all but the most important deliveries, or pay dearly to jump to the front of the line.

Fire, disease, logging — these are mortal enemies to most trees. Yet the lodgepole pine seems to thrive after disaster, and that is a bit of good news for Colorado's high country forests devastated by the mountain pine beetle.

Katerra, a technology company redefining the construction industry, announced today an $865 million Series D funding round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund. The financing will be used to fund Katerra’s continued manufacturing expansion and for further investment in its R&D efforts.

Hancock Lumber acquires Mainely Trusses, a market-leading roof and floor truss manufacturing facility based in Fairfield, Maine.

The shortage of laborers for new home construction is a systemic problem that will not be resolved in the near future.  This presents a significant opportunity for component manufacturers who offer products that require less labor to accomplish the same framing solution.

Whether it’s roof trusses, wall panels or floor trusses, structural building components are framing solutions that require less labor to install and use wood fiber more efficiently. In essence, they are the perfect solution to address builder’s most significant pain points.

Editor’s Note: News below that David Emerson, Canada’s top softwood lumber negotiator, is stepping aside appears to be the final nail in the coffin for softwood lumber trade negotiations. It appears Canada has fully transitioned to a path of litigation.