President's Message: Driving Efficiencies Within Our Businesses
Optimizing Operations for Organizational Growth
Reading and listening to economists discuss the construction industry in 2025 has left me feeling overwhelmed. It’s starting to make me believe the old saying about economists — that they were created to make weather forecasters look good. There are many mixed messages about home affordability, financing costs, and the steady increase in business volume throughout the year. So, what does this mean for component manufacturers (CMs)?
First and foremost, we must focus on driving efficiencies within our organizations and help builders identify cost-saving opportunities. As this industry knows, using components can provide more predictable pricing while reducing jobsite waste. On its website, SBCA provides great resources and information on the benefits of utilizing structural building components, plus data from SBCA’s build on the National Mall for HUD’s Innovative Housing Showcase and the Framing the American Dream studies.
Another way to focus on driving efficiencies within our own companies is by participating in SBCA at both the national and local levels. SBCA Chapters, which are at the local level, are an accessible and advantageous way to improve your business and employees, and in turn the overall industry. We are all striving for the same goals and that is for builders and framers to use trusses and wall panels. To do so, we need to advocate, educate, and collaborate. SBCA gives us the tools to do just that while being the voice for and shaping the future of this industry. It can be easy to get hyper-focused with tunnel vision, honing in on our own operations without thinking of anything beyond our local area, but being part of a local SBCA chapter broadens the horizons, providing insight into the local and national markets, and the successes and challenges, which help us all be better and do better. It is important to understand external factors, trends, and challenges for not only ourselves, but also for the overall construction industry.
At the national level, there are a variety of events across the country this year. We just wrapped up our first OQM of 2025 in Charleston, SC, and are excited for the remainder of the year. If you missed Charleston, be sure to check out the rest of the events for 2025, with the next OQM in Washington, D.C., on June 4-6, BCMC in Omaha, NE, on September 29-October 3, and the last OQM in Napa Valley, CA, on December 9-11. These events provide fantastic opportunities to connect with people from all over the country, attend education sessions and panels, and stay up to date on SBCA and industry happenings.
Additionally, now is an excellent time to conduct a business check-up. Start by reviewing any recent code changes in your business markets and ensuring your team is fully educated on these updates. SBCA’s Technical Director, Greg Greenlee, P.E., has written multiple articles on the recent IBC and IRC code changes affecting our industry specifically (see page 20 and also the Nov/Dec 2024 SBCA Magazine issue for more on this).
Next, evaluate the training your team is receiving and take advantage of the valuable education and training resources SBCA offers, such as TTT, Operation Safety, Combustible Dust Housekeeping, and In-Plant Basic Training. To provide further value to its users, members, and beyond, SBCA has implemented a new Learning Management System (platform) for its education and training programs. The goal is to make these programs accessible as an effort to expand knowledge, drive innovation, and reach new audiences, ensuring continued engagement and industry growth.
SBCA has also created a new program, Quality Bootcamps, yet another outlet for enhancing your team. This program will take place in each region of the United States in 2025, where two-day, in-person bootcamps will focus on training employees, from front-line production workers to upper management. With the content geared towards management and quality inspectors, it will cover the various tools and resources available to CMs who seek to improve the quality of products coming out of their plants. Visit www.sbcacomponents.com/quality-bootcamps to see when SBCA will be in your region.
Finally, assess your jobsite packages to ensure they include the proper BCSI documents. These steps will not only enhance your operations but also set you apart from your competitors. Recently, with the release of the Component Warning Notice (CWN), the Component Warning Notice Sheet, which is comprised of safety information for installers on the job installing components, has been included in standard Jobsite Packages. The CWN Sheet is one part of a three-pronged Component Warning Notice series of tools. Learn more on page 33 and at www.sbcacomponents.com/CWN.
But the association is more than our source of information and tools; it is also a support system with the SBCA Foundation. I’d like to take a moment to share my heartfelt sympathies for anyone who has been impacted by a natural disaster, and more recently the hurricane that went through North Carolina and the fires in California. It is in times like these that we need our friends, family, and support. The SBCA Foundation’s Hardship Grant is a way to provide aid to SBCA and NFC members, and their families, for times such as these. If you, or someone you know has been affected by these disasters, please encourage them to apply or nominate them yourself at https://sbca.foundation/.
We all are working towards a better, more sustainable future for our industry, doing our best in our own businesses. Together, with the help of the association, its members, and leadership, we can promote and advocate for the use of components in the construction industry, while providing high quality solutions in our own businesses. As we all succeed and progress, so does this industry. After all, a high tide raises all ships.
Jeff Taake, SBCA President