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Article
2006 March
- Exhibiting at the BCMC show is a great opportunity to get to know potential new customers.
- Engineered wood products become increasingly prevalent at BCMC in the last several years.
- When a new product is unveiled at the show, Jim Gilleran says it drives atten-dee feedback, which in turn facilitates product improvement.
Article
2006 March
- 45 states plus Washington, DC use the International Residential Code.
- A few changes to the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC) will impact manufacturers.
- The first eighteen month code change cycle for the 2009 edition begins with the March 24, 2006 submission deadline.
Article
2006 March
- Price increases for building materials have been very similar to increases in house prices in the last several years.
- Mortgage rates are more important than wood prices in determining the cost of a home.
- With the rapid rise in home prices during the past five years, it appears that most component manufacturers are sharing in the housing boom.
Article
2006 March
- This issue of SBC Magazine is devoted to topics relating to personnel and safety.
- The cover story reveals what Casmin Inc., a Florida component manufacturer, did to make a major league turnaround in the company’s safety record.
- One feature article explores the "why" of the industry’s current shortage of skilled labor, for both truss plants and design departments.
Article
2006 March
- This is the first article in a year-long series by Jerry Koskovich on automation.
- It takes many, many years to perfect a machine, according to Koskovich.
- As the industry progresses in automation, some suppliers may have to change in order to properly accommodate our needs.
Article
2006 March
- WTCA member Casmin, Inc. overhauled its safety program in the nick of time.
- Casmin conducted a series of ergonomic assessments to help revise job descriptions and reduce task-related injuries.
- Small changes made a big difference: a switch to composite strapping material, custom-cut anti-fatigue mats and employee-selected personal protective equipment.
Article
2006 March
- When employees are injured and cannot continue to do their normal jobs, they are either sent home or placed on “light duty.”
- It is important for light duty jobs to comply with physicians’ recommendations.
- The key to successful recovery is to de-velop a program that makes employees feel valuable even if they are injured.
Article
2006 March
- Bob Ward feels we have become a much more technically diverse industry and, as a result, our companies have become more specialized.
- The next advances in technology will further reduce labor and help us manage our businesses better, in John Herring’s opinion.
- Lee Vulgaris said there’s a lack of field labor and construction expertise, so engineered components are here to stay.
Article
2006 March
- Growth during a period of declining supply of workers in the manufacturing and homebuilding sectors has propelled the work force shortage.
- Younger generations do not see that manufacturing or construction jobs are capable of fulfilling their career goals.
- Our industry has many foreign-born citizens, and regardless of their country of origin, they seem to excel at building component manufacturing jobs.
Article
2006 March
- Having a reputation for being a good employer can often be your best recruiting tool.
- Some of our best employees hear about the company from word of mouth.
- Hiring a new employee may be a quick fix to a staffing problem, but by investing in your current staff, you reap long-term benefits.
Article
2006 March
- Phone lines, network cables and electrical cords can pose tripping hazards in aisles and walkways.
- Like nail guns and metal banding in the truss plant, some office related "tools" also pose a safety hazard.
- Using good old-fashioned common sense is the best way to be safe in any work environment.
Article
2006 March
- Many contractors see wall girders as an ideal solution because costly beams and field framing are eliminated.
- Wall girders must meet the provisions for wall construction in the IBC or IRC.
- The primary issue that must be considered is out-of-plane bending when some or all of a wall girder is exposed to wind pressure.
- No matter which approach is chosen with wall girders, it must account for all the applied loads, connections and permanent bracing.
Article
2006 March
- Current damage estimates for Hurricane Katrina are between $150 and $200 billion, four times the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
- Close to 250,000 housing units were destroyed in metropolitan New Orleans alone.
- By 2008 only about 100,000 of the housing units lost to Katrina will be replaced in Louisiana.
- Over the next three years, housing starts for the Gulfport-Biloxi and Pascagoula (Mississippi) areas will exceed pre-Katrina estimates by about 22,000 units.