Business Logistics

Natural Disaster: How Zeeland Stormed Back

After a tornado decimated one of its Michigan truss plants, Zeeland took advantage of the unexpected chance to rebuild and grow.

Generational Shift in the Component Industry

Recognize the differences between age groups and play to their strengths for successful intergenerational management.

Insurance: Check Your Coverage

SBCA has partnered with Lockton and AmTrust to offer members both a comprehensive policy review and a new coverage option.

Labor Losses Open the Door for New Materials & Services

  • A quarter of a million people left the housing construction industry from 2002-2012, and many of them have found employment elsewhere.
  • Framers are feeling the effects of this exodus more acutely than most, prompting them to look for creative ways to do more with fewer people.
  • CMs can play a pivotal role in switching framers from sticks to components by offering installation training and expertise to new framing employees.

Getting the Big Picture: The Evolution of BCMC Over the Past Decade

This year, BCMC will celebrate its 35th show as it returns to Milwaukee, WI. We thought it would be a fitting time to take a brief look at how this annual industry tradition has evolved over the past 10 years. 
 

Why NFC Growth Is a Boon for Component Manufacturers

  • CMs engaged in NFC membership de-velopment efforts will find their work rewarded with better organized, safer, more effective and more reliable framing crews.
  • Framers engaged in NFC will learn component installation best practices from other framers, with the goal of creating more efficient, safe and profitable framing outcomes.
  • By actively growing awareness of and membership in NFC, CMs will expand their framing community connections and naturally expand market share and revenue growth. 

Preserving & Growing Market Share

  • By conducting its own ASTM E119 floor assembly fire testing, SBCA has the data it needs to effectively fight the controversial IRC Section R501.3 code provision and help preserve CMs’ market share.
  • SBCA has drafted template best practice language CMs should consider using in their TDDs, customer contracts and submittal documents to counter the efforts of the lumber industry to shift liability onto end users.
  • Through Framing the American Dream and WorkForce Development efforts, SBCA is actively engaged in helping CMs successfully navigate today’s labor challenges and grow their businesses.

A Good Partnership

True House & Apex Technology find the right fit for trusses & HVAC

 

Renewing the Dream

This fall, two houses will be built on adjacent lots in the community of Jackson, WI, a suburb just north of Milwaukee. While the neighborhood is unassuming, and the homes themselves are of average size (2,200 sq. ft.), their impact on the structural building component (SBC) industry will be significant.

The Benefits of Acquisition

  • Being purchased by their biggest customer allowed Plum Building Systems to forge an even more positive relationship with closer, more effective communication.
  • Building partnerships with other complementary organization can benefit everyone in the supply chain.
  • A collective commitment to service can produce a greater impact in the community when companies join forces.