SBC Industry News

Universal Forest Products, Inc. today reported record financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, the eleventh consecutive quarter in which the company has reported records in both net sales and net earnings.

FEA Canada/WOOD MARKETS’ 2017 annual survey of “top 20” Canadian and U.S. lumber producers featured mixed production trends despite a runaway lumber market in the U.S. With few mill acquisitions, almost all of the production gains arose from improvements at existing mills

Mike Karceski, president of Atlas Components, Inc. in Cherry Valley, Illinois, gave an SBCA presentation to building officials and building inspectors in the city of Danville, Illinois.

Recent data says members of Congress have, on average, more than 8,800 residential construction workers in their districts and more than 3.8 million people across the U.S. working in residential construction (RC) in 2016 – accounting for about 2.5 percent of the nation’s workforce.

Formulated to yield superior performance in threaded rod anchor and rebar dowel installations in cracked and uncracked concrete at elevated temperatures, the new SET-3G high-strength anchoring adhesive is the latest innovation in epoxy anchoring adhesives from Simpson Strong-Tie.

By choosing cold-formed steel (CFS) for the project, Augustine tapped into both the versatility and durability that are unique qualities of the product, which enabled them to maximize its use for 34,000 linear feet of non-load bearing (nonstructural) CFS walls and 38,000 linear feet of prefabricated load-bearing (structural) CFS walls

Tuscaloosa's Westervelt Co. says it is completing plans for a new lumber facility in south Alabama which is expected to employ about 100 people.

The World Trade Organization says its dispute settlement body has agreed to establish two panels to examine Canada's complaint about duties imposed by the United States on softwood lumber imports.

Softwood lumber exports from British Columbia to the United States plunged 20 per cent in March from a year ago, the federal government said, amid railway transportation problems.

The recent acquisition of Brohn Homes, a custom homebuilder based in Austin, Texas, is the sixth purchase as Clayton Homes adds to their effort to influence manufactured housing and corner the affordable housing market. 

Given the advancements that have occurred in the industry since 2002, it is time to consider what changes can be made to take advantage of new QC and Quality Assurance (QA) methodology.

Dense-blown cellulose is an important problem-solver for high-performance builders and remodelers. In a retrofit situation, when you blow the material into a leaky wall cavity, you can reduce infiltration losses at the same time you boost insulation values.

As the article below illustrates, eight years of economic expansion is having positive impacts on the housing industry, even in the ‘bubble markets’ that fell the farthest during the last economic recession.

Universal Forest Products is investing $6.1 million in a new manufacturing facility in Orangeburg County. The plant is expected to create more than 120 jobs during the next few years.

An enhancement to the Eliminate Tie Plate feature was added in Alpine’s IntelliVIEW version 17.02. In addition to eliminating the tie plate on top ribbons, this enhancement will eliminate the bottom tie plate as well. 

Simpson Strong-Tie has acquired LotSpec, a suite of software applications designed to optimize efficiency and productivity for production homebuilders' needs around construction document and option management solutions. 

Our readership may not realize how much truss use has become the “norm” when news articles talk about framing. Trusses are nearly synonymous with framing when construction is being discussed. To that end, we are is interested in reviewing the ways in which the media uses images of building components when it comes to building construction. We also need to explore how each member can leverage that in their local markets.

Just over a month after the Trump Administration announced it was going to place tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, we are beginning to see bilateral agreements and renegotiated trade deals taking place.

Lumber costs are often thought to be controlled by simple supply and demand.  We’ve recently published several articles addressing the supply side of this equation, but what about demand?