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Article
2005 August
- The Canadian-U.S. softwood lumber dispute causes business uncertainty and lumber cost volatility.
- Congress needs to hear from our industry every chance we get that we are in favor of an enduring negotiated trade agreement.
Article
2005 August
- After a long struggle to keep in compliance with covenants in their credit agreement and a failed recapitalization attempt, Trussway’s only option was to restructure the company financially.
- Their financial restructuring was completely via a five-month pre-packaged Chapter 11 filing process.
- Trussway’s financial storm dating back to 1998 has finally blown over, and the company is enjoying financial health, prosperity and growth in its core multi-family segment.
Article
2005 June/July
- One of the three educational tracks for component manufacturers will spotlight customer relations: Building Relation-ships for Business Growth.
- Industry veterans Mike Ruede, Joe Hikel and Craig Plummer will each present one session within the track.
- BCMC sessions and the concepts covered within them are created by component manufacturers for component manufacturers.
Article
2005 June/July
- Thirty states, Washington DC, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the National Park Service and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted the IBC.
- Twenty-seven states, Washington DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted the IRC.
- While monitoring state, regional or local code activities may sound as fun as watching paint dry, the effect of bad code adoption can be profound.
- Our industry goal is to facilitate an effective monitoring process. The more knowledge we have, the more power we will have in shaping our industry’s future.
Article
2005 June/July
- WTCA recently became a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
- ALEC is made up of over 2,400 current state lawmakers.
- ALEC’s task forces give private enterprise a voice with lawmakers through drafting model legislation.
Article
2005 June/July
- This issue of SBC Magazine focuses on Legal & Legislative issues.
- The majority of the building components industry feels they have little or no control over things like the transportation regulations.
- Can local advocacy be worth the work? One WTCA chapter believes it is. Read Adventures in Advocacy to learn how they rallied for change.
Article
2005 June/July
- WTCA has created a spreadsheet program that is essentially a comprehensive CODE CALCULATOR.
- The goal of TLG has been to provide a standardized format that can be used:
- To quickly and easily define the loads to be applied to trusses and structural building components.
- By jurisdictions that require loading summary pages to be produced as part of the construction project submittal process.
Article
2005 June/July
- How does a man with no interest in politics end up hosting a plant tour for Senator Chuck Grassley?
- The benefit of being involved is there may come a time when you will get a chance to have a direct voice and make a difference.
- There are great opportunities to get involved in local political activities and serve on committees that are looking into issues that are vital to our industry.
Article
2005 June/July
- Trussway provides a perfect industry business case study on the high energy acquisition craze of the 1990s, what can go wrong and what one can learn from it.
- Centralization, thought to be a cost savings business approach, can potentially hurt a company’s customer service.
- Listening to and serving customer needs fully is always a great business strategy.
Article
2005 June/July
- The benefit of belonging to an association is that it is the one place where a group of competitors can work to positively protect and advance the industry in which they are involved.
- The detriment of belonging to an association occurs when anti-free-market activities begin to take place.
- Knowing where competitors can collaborate and where not to tread is extremely important.
Article
2005 June/July
- A major WTCA initiative to conduct re-search and testing of structural component performance has been launched.
- The data derived from this work will help influence new building code enactment and may provide new marketing opportunities for component manufacturers.
- Stay tuned for more updates on this initiative in future issues of SBC Magazine.
Article
2005 June/July
- Hot weather combined with working in a truss plant means you should drink as much water as possible.
- Heat exhaustion is a common ailment and is easily treated. If ignored, it could be a precursor to heat stroke.
- Heat stroke is very serious and can lead to death.
Article
2005 June/July
- Dead loads are projected horizontally for truss design.
- Truss technicians must be clear on whether they need to adjust the input design dead load values for slope or if the software will do it for them.
- Slope adjustments become more critical with steeper pitches.
Article
2005 May
- Two new chapters were welcomed to the WTCA family: MTMA & WCMA.
- Bob Becht was nominated as the 2005/ 2006 Secretary and five other individuals assumed new posts on the board.
- At the August OQM in Denver, members will provide video testimonials, with a focus on WTCA publications.
- New tools are in the works to help members sell the benefits of membership.
Article
2005 May
Talking Points: • WTCA staff is very interested in assisting our membership with developing relationship with both state and federal lawmakers. • It is very important to establish these relationships in the lawmaker’s district as well as in DC. • When meeting with your lawmakers it is important to be yourself and talk about what you know and avoid the three Ts.
Article
2005 May
- The goal of Quick Response Manufactur-ing (QRM) is to allow for efficient manufacturing while producing customized products.
- The key to remaining competitive is reaction time and speed.
Article
2005 May
- The IRC and IBC codes allow for buildings to be built based on specific rules.
- The use of trusses fit right into these prescriptive requirements.
- It is important to have an understanding of the prescriptive requirements so that one knows when the load paths become complex enough that a more detailed look at the flow of loads to the foundation is needed.
Article
2005 May
- The U.S. lumber producers are in general the high cost producers when compared to their foreign counterparts.
- The softwood lumber tariff creates a two-tiered lumber market that allows Canadian component manufacturers to buy lumber cheaper than their U.S. counterparts, creating a competitive advantage when shipping to the U.S.
Article
2005 May
- The editorial focus of this issue is Design & Engineering Advancements.
- The market continues to drive component manufacturers to take on more building design functions.
- The truss manufacturing business is very challenging, yet has the ability to also be very rewarding through helping people and seeing the fruit of one’s labor.
Article
2005 May
- Positions in the Stark program at Marion Correctional Institute (MCI) are coveted among inmates.
- Inmates that participate in the program are promised the opportunity of a fresh start after they get out of prison.
- Stark leadership believes that the program addresses a chronic shortage of truss technicians in the industry while providing felons a chance to learn a valuable skill to apply as they reintegrate into society after their release.
Article
2005 May
- Whole house design continues to be the talk of our industry. What does it mean to your business?
- Today’s builders are actually land developers; the sooner they are done developing the sooner they get a return on their investment.
- Builders are increasingly asking for turnkey solutions to their primary land development problem: housing.
Article
2005 May
- Ronnie Wright was a bigger-than-life presence in the industry.
- Wright’s equipment was innovative and built to last. His commitment to quality and durability remain a lasting legacy.
- Friends, customers and family remember Wright’s humor, compassion and his one-of-a-kind personality.