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Article
2006 November
- The industry’s focus on providing good field education has encouraged many manufacturers to send a jobsite package with every order delivered to a jobsite.
- Component manufacturers have provided nearly 400,000 WTCA Jobsite Packages to jobsite installers since the product was created in 2002.
- Two articles in this issue discuss the benefits of hosting plant tours, on the heels of a WTCA Board resolution encouraging hands-on education of the market.
Article
2006 November
- Glaize Components was approached by a regional building officials group to clarify temporary and permanent bracing issues.
- Scott Garber prepared for the presentation by reviewing BCSI and related B documents, which they also distributed to the group for reference.
- Mike Dellinger, Region III Vice President of the Virginia Building and Code Officials Association commented that the presentation was very helpful.
Article
2006 November
- Take the opportunity to explore a few new markets that have looked like they are available to exploit.
- Look for closely aligned businesses that would generate increased sales and might be a natural addition to your product mix.
- The planning and branding you set in place today will have a significant impact on your business in the future.
Article
2006 November
- The new version of BCSI is a 104-page full size book produced jointly by TPI and WTCA.
- IBC and IRC excerpts in B1 emphasize the use of a complete, accurate and approved set of Construction Documents.
- The Building Designer is responsible for the Permanent Building Stability Brac-ing (PBSB) for the building system. The PBSB includes all of the structural building components that make up the structural framework.
Article
2006 November
- SCORE is a new marketing program for WTCA component manufacturer members.
- To earn a SCORE certification, manufacturers must participate in programs like Operation Safety, In-Plant WTCA QC and Truss Technician Training.
Article
2006 November
- To address the challenge of finding skilled truss technicians, Chambers Truss has partnered with a local high school.
- Each semester, Coach Cash's drafting classes learn basic truss design and build a 3D home model.
- Since it began, the program has yielded many truss technicians for south Florida component manufacturers.
Article
2006 November
- WTCA-IL hosted a truss plant tour for the fire service personnel of MABAS division 10 at Neumann Distribution Centers in northern Illinois.
- Planning the flow, timeline, and coordination of a truss plant tour prior to group arrival is critical to its success.
- The tour also included a Carbeck presentation where many concerns and questions were addressed.
- WTCA-IL and MABAS 10 have laid the groundwork for a mutually beneficial relationship.
Article
2006 November
- The concept of adding value is becoming increasingly more important to component manufacturers.
- One way component manufacturers can increase their value proposition is by offering whole house services to their customers.
- Certain software packages and manufacturing equipment can help manufacturers deliver these services while increasing profitability.
Article
2006 November
- Use down time to reconfigure your plant to make the production process more efficient.
- Look hard at how you can have most of the benefits of full automation without spending the money to get it.
- A down cycle is a good time—really the best time—to install new equipment.
- It’s possible for plants to come out of a down cycle literally twice the company that they were before.
Article
2006 November
- In the building components industry, buyers’ key areas of focus are inventory, defective product claims, employees, and compliance with laws applicable to employees, environmental compliance and intellectual property.
- Expect the buyer’s first draft of the purchase agreement to be very buyer oriented.
- When advising the seller, full and early disclosure is encouraged.
- Heavy focus and spending too much time on the indemnification can send the wrong signal to the buyer.
Article
2006 November
- A building boom, steady influx of new building materials, and a shortage of skilled workers to properly install them are factors that have collided.
- Between 1955 and 2005, manufacturing, construction and mining jobs fell 25 percent.
- Nearly one in five construction workers were born outside the U.S. and it’s estimated that immigrants make up over 25 percent of the construction workforce in CA, NV, TX, DC, AZ, NY, FL and NJ.
- The U.S.
Article
2006 November
- Indications that the market is cooling down may temper some people’s enthusiasm, but I see it as an amazing opportunity for our industry.
- During the strong economic growth of the last decade, I believe our industry has forgotten to find new ways to market ourselves.
- To market our industry, the value we provide as manufacturers needs to be understood and effectively communicated to the customer.
- Use WTCA’s work in creating a support system for component manufacturers to convert it into a unique approach to marketing your company to b
Article
2006 November
- If knee braces are shown, the trusses must be designed for them using the loads provided by the RDP.
- In the Midwest knee braces are used in many post frame buildings for which an RDP is neither required nor involved.
- This rapidly forces the Truss Designer into the position of designing building elements that ought to be specified by the person responsible for the overall building design.
Article
2006 November
- Influenza (flu), much like the common cold, is a respiratory illness, and its primary symptoms do not involve nausea and vomiting.
- Symptoms like fever, aches, excessive fatigue, and cough are more common and intense with the flu whereas colds, in general, carry milder symptoms.