the Full Case Study to Read their Story

STARK
TRUSS COMPANY, INC.
A CASE STUDY BY MITEK
• SAPPHIRE™ OFFERS THE ABILITY TO COLLABORATE WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS ON
ANY PROJECT.
• 3-D SECTIONS SHOW CREWS HOW TO FRAME UP THE STRUCTURE
• MITEK’S SOFTWARE SUITE HANDLES EVERYTHING FROM CAD DESIGN TO QUOTES,
AND DRIVES THE SAWS AND ASSEMBLY TABLES.
• COLLABORATION WITH SAPPHIRE OPTIMIZES THE STRUCTURE, RESOLVES GAPS,
AND IMPROVES ACCURACY AND EFFICIENCY OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS.
Stark Truss Uses SAPPHIRE™ to Drive
Collaboration, Service, and Profit
Executive Summary
Stark Truss Company, one of the nation’s largest privately
owned component manufacturers, has adopted MiTek’s
SAPPHIRE™ software to drive its expansive business,
across 10 component locations. The SAPPHIRE
Structure module offers not only the ability to design in
CAD and 3D BIM [Building Information Model], but the
SAPPHIRE Viewer module allows Stark Truss to offer
a remarkable degree of better collaboration across the
entire supply chain. SAPPHIRE offers better efficiency
and a real differentiator to Stark Truss - that’s the ability
to collaborate with all the stakeholders on any project
Founded in 1963 by Abner Yoder,
Stark Truss Company currently
operates 10 component locations and
an I-joist plant servicing 20 states.
• SAPPHIRE offers a real differentiator to Stark Truss, and that’s the ability to collaborate with all the
stakeholders on any project.
• 3-D sections show crews how to frame up the structure. They save a great deal of time, and they really
make the assembly process go very smoothly
• MiTek’s software suite is the software that largely drives the business. It handles everything from CAD
design to quotes, and drives the saws and assembly tables.
• Collaboration with SAPPHIRE allows stakeholders to optimize the structure, and to resolve gaps and
inconsistencies, improving the accuracy, control, and efficiency of the construction process and its
related costs.
Stark Truss
Servicing 20 states, Stark Truss Company is one of the nation’s largest independent truss and wall panel
manufacturers. The family-run business was started by Abner Yoder in 1963. Abner Yoder’s two sons, Steve
Yoder, President and Javan now run the business. Together, the Yoder family has grown Stark Truss to include
not just wood trusses and wall panels, but steel trusses, LVLs, iJoists, and
prebuilt stairs.
Software and Design Services
As with any component manufacturer, all of Stark Truss’ markets are very competitive, and to win and keep
their customers’ business, Stark brings a great deal of added design services to every one of their customer
engagements.
Early Collaboration is Key
“One of the reasons we are able to offer these design
services so economically is that we use MiTek’s software
suite at all of our locations. It is the software that largely
drives our business. It handles everything from CAD
design to quotes, and of course it drives the MiTek saws
and assembly tables that we run at all of our locations.”
In addition to creating code-compliant designs and
structural engineering, SAPPHIRE offers a real
differentiator to Stark Truss, and that’s the ability to
collaborate with all the stakeholders on any project.
“Many of our lumber yard and builder customers are
already using Viewer as a regular part of their work
with us. They use it to verify framing details, resolve
inconsistencies, and tighten up their estimates. Builders
are demanding more services these days; that’s nothing
new. But they are also demanding more collaboration
capabilities too,” Javan Yoder explains.
“The drawings that we create in SAPPHIRE
Structure are exactly what the builders need
to submit to the building department. So we
hold the key to fast permitting, and that’s all
part of our standard wall and truss design
process.”
“Many of our lumber yard and builder
customers are already using Viewer as a
regular part of their work with us. They
use it to verify framing details, resolve
inconsistencies, and tighten up their
estimates.”
“Builders, engineers, architects…everyone involved wants
to see how the structure is loaded. With SAPPHIRE we are
able to share the CAD file for the structure – in a 3D BIM
[Building Information Model] – and the trades can view it
and comment, even though they might not have the software
or the expertise to create that design on their own. Plus the
drawings that we create in SAPPHIRE Structure are exactly
what the builders need to submit to the building department.
So we hold the key to fast permitting, and that’s all part of
our standard wall and truss design process.”
“To resolve complex issues, we print out 3D images in
color to show how the structure should be assembled. Our
sections show the house frame from different angles, and our
builders and their framing crews have become very reliant
on these images to show their crews how to frame up the
structure. They save a great deal of time, and they really
make the assembly process go very smoothly. To avoid having
to print everything out each time, we began pushing our
design file out through the SAPPHIRE Viewer software, so 3D
images can be viewed on an iPad or PC,” Javan explains.
SAPPHIRE Viewer is a software tool that shows a CAD image in 3D, and MiTek created Viewer to let builders,
architects, engineers, and lumber dealers to view and collaborate on house plans with their component
manufacturer using shared 3D models. With zoom and pan capabilities, SAPPHIRE Viewer helps everyone
involved in the truss and panel construction – from Stark’s sales reps to the architects, builders, and framing
crews – to visualize the project in 3D and correct errors, before the components are even produced. After the
components are manufactured, SAPPHIRE Viewer serves as a powerful field tool for the framing crews.
“We are seeing less experienced crews out there, at the same time we are seeing more customization,” Javan
added. “With a tool like SAPPHIRE Viewer, crew members of any skill level can visualize the frame correctly.
Plus, with SAPPHIRE Structure driving files to SAPPHIRE Viewer, everyone is also working from the latest upto-date version of the plans. In SAPPHIRE, the plans are always lot-specific designs, so strict version control
is part of the process. SAPPHIRE Viewer is so good for our processes,” Javan explains, ”I want to really drive
usage of it for all the stakeholders in the design and build process. It really sets us apart.”
About SAPPHIRE Viewer
SAPPHIRE Viewer is a free 3D software tool, and it is designed for builders, architects, and engineers to
collaborate with their truss or component manufacturer using a shared 3D model, the BIM. SAPPHIRE Viewer
is part of the SAPPHIRE Suite, and it has been built from the ground up just for residential building.
Collaboration with SAPPHIRE allows stakeholders to optimize the structure, and to resolve gaps and
inconsistencies, thereby improving the accuracy
control, and efficiency of the construction process
and its related costs. With SAPPHIRE Viewer, users
can quickly see SAPPHIRE models in “plan” and 3-D
views, using zoom and pan. They can also isolate
items to view in the model, such as a particular level
or layer. SAPPHIRE Viewer users can also print layout
sheets or plans in 3-D, and elevation views. As a key
part of successful collaboration, SAPPHIRE Viewer
users can add and track mark-ups and comments,
ensuring all parties are on the same page. Learn
more: http://www.mitek-us.com/SAPPHIRE_Viewer.
aspx
Collaboration with SAPPHIRE allows
stakeholders to optimize the structure,
About Stark Truss
and to resolve gaps and inconsistencies,
Founded in 1963 by Abner Yoder, Stark Truss Company
thereby improving the accuracy control, and
currently operates 10 component locations and an I-joist
efficiency of the construction process and
plant servicing 20 states. More info:
its related costs.
/www.starktruss.com/
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