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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 December
- This issue of SBC focuses on quality control and manufacturing. It also houses the BCMC 2006 Recap.
- Recent changes to the industry’s quality control standard are explained in this issue.
- The current state and future growth of the industry is summarized in “Economists Forecast End of Housing Correction.”
Article
2006 December
- The Board passed a motion to approve a new policy on “Dealing with the Press.”
- An update on WTCA’s work with NLBMDA was provided.
- The Board unanimously voted to approve the updated edition of BCSI.
- The next OQM is scheduled for February 21-23 in Jacksonville, FL.
Article
2006 December
- The 2006 IRC changes that apply to roof framing or roof trusses include: R301.5 attic loading; R802.10.2.1 snow loading; R802.10.3/R502.11.2 reference to BCSI; R802.3.1 rafter/ceiling joist connections; and R806.4 conditioned attic spaces.
- The 2006 IRC changes that apply to wall panels include: R302, R309 exterior wall; R317 unit separation; R502.2.1 load path through floor at braced wall lines; R602.3.2 wall plate splices; R602.10 braced wall lines; and R703 exterior wall covering and fasteners.
Article
2006 December
- Atlas Components invited Congressman Manzullo to its plant for a tour.
- A new WTCA Board resolution recommends that each chapter designate a Local Relationship-Building Chair and host two plant tours each year.
- WTCA staff is developing a detailed database of the professional organizations in their chapter marketplace.
Article
2006 December
- Chapter 3 in ANSI/TPI 1 is the section that defines the industry’s manufacturing quality control standards.
- Throughout 2006, a Project Committee has revised Chapter 3 to include feedback from component manufacturers.
- One significant change involves combining two previous inspection methods into one for increased efficiency.
Article
2006 December
- Your goal in reading this, I’m assuming, is to figure out the best kind of equipment to have in your cutting operation…the equipment that will produce the most accurately cut components at the lowest possible cost.
- The labor cost per part is all-important and can be the deciding factor in your automated saw decision.
- I’d ask every automated saw manufacturer I was considering to look at my cutting operation and recommend which type of saw would provide the quickest return on investment for my operation.
Article
2006 December
- A combination of high home prices, excess inventory and the tightening of monetary policy and has led to a steady decline in U.S. housing starts.
- The outlook for single family construction should improve by Q3 of 2007, but depends largely on the sale of existing home inventory.
- Because home affordability has de-creased in the last several years, the rental component of multi-family construction looks to be strong in the first half of 2007.
- The analysts’ consensus forecasts total U.S. housing starts at just over 1.6 million for 2007.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- Each year, the BCMC Committee sifts through attendee surveys, searching for timely and meaningful topics for the next show.
- Since industry codes are becoming more specific about responsibilities, many component manufacturers are creating their own technical teams.
- Incentive compensation is becoming more common in the industry because most employers are looking for ways to compensate their personnel for outstanding performance or meeting preset goals.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- Firefighters risk their lives to save life and property to carry on the traditions of protecting our homeland.
- Past fires have served as rules of thumb when making judgment calls about whether or not to enter a building; these rules do not always hold true, often resulting in firefighter injuries and deaths.
- Do everything you can to understand building safety issues from the firefighter’s perspective.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- WTCA has created an educational resource to address component manufacturers’ business and management issues called Management Notes.
- The first Management Note available discusses the necessity of non-divisible over width load permits per the California Highway Patrol.
- Future Management Notes will cover a range of topics from records retention to storm water management plans.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- This issue of SBC Magazine spotlights material handling and equipment. It also contains the annual Supplier & Professional Directory.
- Dakota Craft, a component manufacturer that has opted to cut costs by going green, is featured in the cover story.
- Idaco’s Gene Woloveke was interviewed for an article about automation early on in the industry.
- Other articles in this issue focus on immigration, considerations when evaluating material flow both inside and outside the plant, and a progress report on the rebuilding effort in New Orleans.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- These ratings are determined according to the ASTM E 119 test and designs documented by approved sources meet the requirements of the building code.
- A good place for a building designer to start is WTCA’s Fire & Wood Trusses web page: www.sbcindustry.com/fire.php.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- Each module presents the issues surrounding structural component performance under fire conditions in a fact-based way.
- The new format offers users the freedom to quickly and easily locate the topics they wish to learn more about and then customize their training by viewing only the modules that they wish to see.
- The CD makes a great giveaway to hand out at plant tours.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
Find out why BCMC is the best show for the structural building components industry!
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- Confidence can be a hindrance when venturing into the sale of a business; thus, consider hiring experts to help you make decisions throughout the process.
- Be wary of any consultants or advisors who take on too much ownership of the sale process.
- Investment bankers, certified public accountants and attorneys are examples of consultants you should consider during the sale of your business.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- Component saw feed rates generally similar, so overall production rates come down to set-up speed.
- For automated single blade saws, set-up time is not a factor because the single blade saw’s cutting head location is fixed.
- Batching similar parts can significantly increase production rates on a component saw, but batching will not make much of a difference with a linear saw.
- Linear saws tend to produce less wood scrap than component saws.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- Charlie Hoover has observed the hurricane damage of many storms: Hazel, Hugo, Andrew, Charley, Katrina and Wilma.
- In his experience, Hoover notes it is rare to observe a member failure. Instead, failures are typically caused by undersized connections or the absence of connections.
- The U.S. has transitioned from three major regional codes to the single International Building Code (IBC), reducing the number of different codified wind design methodologies.
Article
2006 Sept/Oct
- Pre-start checklists can be likened to regular maintenance on your car at a "quick lube place"—fast and necessary.
- Having all of the safety hazards in order while managing your maintenance scheduling means that pre-start checklists will actually save you time in the long-run, and they may even save one of your employees from a possible injury, too!
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.