Business Logistics

Editor's Message: What Will Your Company Do Tomorrow?

How often do you contemplate your scope of work (SOW), as it’s formally defined in ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 2? That standard was originally published in 1995 and has essentially become law with its adoption into the International Residential and International Building Codes. 

CM Perspective: Your Customers Want Wall Panels (whether they know it or not)

Annandale Millwork & Allied Systems ventured into the components industry differently from most manufacturers as our original business centered on doors and millwork. We diversified into wall panels in the early 1980s and eventually into roof trusses. From the beginning, we’ve always looked to use innovative processes to solve common construction problems.

Parting Shots: Spreading Joy

Advantage Truss Company in Hollister, California, had a record year in 2018. They supply exclusively to custom home builders in their market and bid over 1,000 homes last year for the first time in their company’s history (they completed 625 homes). As part of their outreach to the surrounding community, they participate in a local “Lights on Christmas Parade.” Their 2018 entry got a lot of attention.

Faces of the Industry: Justin Donecker

General Manager  •  Engineered Truss Systems Inc.  •  Garden City, Kansas

BIM Ensures Big Project Is a Huge Success

$270 million project required 9,250 floor trusses, 1,580 roof trusses, and zero call backs

OSHA Is Regulating Regularly

SBCA is a CM’s best source for understanding the impacts of rulemaking

Sweating the Small Stuff

As hiring remote truss designers becomes increasingly common for the component manufacturing industry, ensuring those same designers don’t feel like they’re alone on an island (even if they actually are) needs to be an important factor in your plan. Finding strategies to help all of your employees feel valued and included isn’t a new concept, but shifting the approach for your remote team members can go a long way to establish a solid foundation in your design department.

Teaming Up for the Trades

The Baltimore Carpentry Task Force brings students together to explore construction careers

Rely on Relatable Recruiters

Past interns are a great fit to attract students. Recently Big C Lumber held a plant tour for 39 students from eight different schools that are in the Michigan Construction Trades course offered through the St. Joseph County Board. After the tour there were at least ten students that showed interest in working at Big C Lumber. That’s a quarter of the students in the tour!

The Original Offsite Framing Solution

You may have noticed the emergence of a new phrase to describe the use of components in certain parts of the country. A method referred to as “offsite framing” is catching on in California, Florida, and other areas of high volume housing production. New techniques always produce mixed emotions of fear, uncertainty, opportunity, excitement, and more.