Add to Your Value-Add

“There are a lot of ways a component manufacturer (CM) can bring value to their customer and the customer’s supply chain today than the roof truss,” says Shane Soule of ProTec Panel & Truss Manufacturing. “I think it’s important that every manufacturer look beyond that traditional product and explore more solutions to their customers.”

Shane was joined by Blake Schwieters of JL Schwieters and Bryan Dorsey of Innovative Construction Group (ICG) to share their experience offering more value-added products and services. Beyond roof trusses, Shane explored how floor trusses and roof trusses had helped ProTec expand their customer base and their participation in each project they took on.  “Open-web floors and wall panels were not popular in the markets I served, but over time we were able to prove to builders and framers that these products were really beneficial to the construction process and their businesses,” says Shane.

Bryan added that providing all the structural framing to a project created significant opportunities to offer additional value in the building design process. “It allowed us to go beyond just the plans they handed us and offer more efficient solutions for load paths and material usage,” says Bryan. “Not to mention our ability to weigh in on approaches that maximized our manufacturing capabilities and field labor productivity.”

Blake agreed that driving field labor productivity was an area where CMs can bring significant value to every construction project. “Everything we design and manufacture is done with the field labor in mind,” says Blake. “So whether it’s dormers, wall panels, or even stair cubes, we are looking for ways to leverage our production labor and manufacturing capabilities to maximize the efficiency and safety of the framers on the jobsite.”

All three agreed that while CMs have a lot more value to offer to the builder and framer, it’s important to adopt an incremental approach. “The housing industry is slow to change, so it’s important to understand what your customers need most and what they are open to trying,” says Shane. “Then you need to be prepared to hold their hand through the process of trying it.”

For example, they suggested that wall panels and floor cassettes (panels) are good products to start with.  These panelized products significantly reduce construction cycle times and do not require significant capital investment to begin offering to customers. However, you want a customer’s first experience with these products to be a positive one. “We always send out a crew to help the installers on their first few jobs,” says Shane.  Blake agreed that talking through the initial process and getting feedback from the field labor on how to improve the product, from design to batching on the trailer, can make a big difference on the long-term success of a product.

As those panelized products gain traction, there’s opportunity to add further value to them, whether it’s pre-drilling holes for electrical conduit or installing windows in the factory. It’s all about having ongoing conversations with customers and installers and identifying small, incremental ways to improve jobsite efficiencies and shorten the construction schedule. “One way to think about it is to see field labor as part of your research and development team,” says Blake. “Find out from them what works well and what doesn’t, and then let those ideas influence how you approach every product you offer.”

Offering value-add through the design process needs to follow a similar path. “It’s really about helping them develop a better building design approach that reduces misaligned incentives,” says Bryan. “We have the ability to connect the dots all the way from initial design through manufacturing to site installation. Most of the problems we encounter on a jobsite come from a disconnect somewhere in that chain and we can eliminate that disconnect.

Shane, Blake, and Bryan are proof today’s CMs have the capacity and expertise to offer incredible value to builders and framers. The challenge is that most builders and framers don’t fully understand this, and it’s up to the CM to reach out and open their eyes to the possibilities.