and well in glulam tnarket

1/-|NE of the complaints often heard \-lin the building material industry is the decline of customer loyalty, as some buyers move from one supplier to another in search of the lowest price.

However, surveys of engineered wood suppliers reveal a surprisingly high percentage of long-term relationships between distributors, dealers and glulam producers that date back for decades. One wholesaler noted that "once you establish a strong connection with a laminator, you develop mutual trust and tend to stay with them a long time as a reliable supplier of glulam beams."

Distributors and dealers comment that they like to maintain contacts that have built up over the years because "if there are any problems, you know where to go to get them resolved."

Other distributors report that they don't shop around for different producers because they want to be a preferred customer when glulam supplies are tight.

Alliance Lumber, with three locations in the Phoenix, Az., area, has been buying stock and custom glulam beams from the QB Corporation for l5 years.

QB has been a major producer of glued laminated timber in Salmon, Id., for the past 25 years.

Alliance's Jim Ruminski said, "Phoenix is a'big beam' town with high demand for glulams, and we like the service and the quality products we get from QB." Alliance sells the a strong connection with a laminator, develop mutual trust and tend to stay with them a long time as a reliable supplier of glulam beams." glulams from QB to builder customers who use them in both residential and commercial construction.

Many of the QB glulams sold by Alliance are stock beams used in applications such as patio covers, garage door headers, and floor beams. "We appreciate the competitive price and on-time delivery we get from QB," Ruminski said.

Other beams are sold to contractors involved in school, shopping center, and general commercial construction.

"We're seeing increased demand for glulams each year," he added.

Builder customers often call on Alliance Lumber to provide specifications for special glulams when they have questions about the length, depth or width required.

Phelps & Sons, a major Arizona truss manufacturer, has been a consistent customer of Imperial Laminators, Eagar, Az., for six years because they get customized service and competitive prices from Imperial.

Imperial Laminators specializes in glulam headers and custom beams as well as design, engineering, manufacturing and pre-assembly of glulam trusses, timber bridges, and laminated log home packages.

Based in Cottonwood, Phelps & Sons produces roof and floor trusses and wall panels for residential and commercial builders. Owner Marvin Phelps said his company has stayed with Imperial Laminators over the years because Imperial manufactures glulam beams to their specifications in exact width, depth and length for door and window headers.

"We've never had an issue or problem with Imperial-they cater to our needs," Phelps said.

For example, Phelps & Sons can specify glulam headers from Imperial Laminators in 3-112" and 5-112" widths so they are flush with the width of the wall framing. "The glulams give us kiln-dried stability without the warp or twist you may get with green lumber headers," Phelps said.

Associated Roof Structures, Mesa, Az., has been buying glulam timbers from Imperial Laminators for about nine years. Associated's Jack Ramsey said his company stays with Imperial and a limited number of other laminators "because we get dependable delivery and competitive price on glulams."

Associated Roof structures special- izes in panelized roofs for commercial buildings and the glulams they purchase from Imperial are primarily 50 to 60-ft. support beams for roof trusses. "We're seeing a consistent demand for glulam beams," Ramsey said.

Nationally, the year 2004 set a record for glulam production. Over 400 million bd. ft. of laminated timber was produced, which represents the highest total on record.

The controlled l2%o moisture content of glulams helps reduce callbacks, and many laminators also produce cambered glulam beams to eliminate deflection.