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February 2025 #17307 Page #108
Design Connections
Complex World of Truss Design Access Geordie Secord, Senior Recruiter TheJobLine.com – Canada
his month I’d like to discuss something that’s causing quite a stir in the component industry: how software suppliers are handling the explosion of remote work, and the sometimes blurry line between different types of designers – including their own design centers.
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The Traditional Gatekeepers The big players in truss plates and software – you know who they are – have always kept their software under tight control. Their traditional model is simple: you buy their connector plates, you get access to their software. But here’s where things get interesting in today’s world.
Supplier-Owned Design Centers: The New Power Move Here’s something that’s really shaking up the industry: plate suppliers running their own design centers. It’s a clever strategy when you think about it. These suppliers aren’t just selling plates and software anymore – they’re actually offering design services directly to component manufacturers. Why are they doing this? A few reasons are •
They can help out CMs who are struggling to find designers,
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They get to keep more of the pie by offering end-to-end solutions,
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It helps them understand real-world design challenges firsthand,
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It gives them another revenue stream beyond just selling plates.
The Competitive Dynamic But this move has created some interesting tensions in the industry. Think about it: suppliers are now kind of competing with their own customers’ design teams. Some CMs worry that supplier-owned design centers might get preferential treatment – better software updates, faster support, that sort of thing. There are also the communication challenges presented by significant time zone differences and language differences.
Remote Work Changes Everything... Or Does It? With remote work becoming the norm, you might think the distinction between an in-house designer working from home and a contract designer would be getting fuzzy. But from the suppliers’ perspective, there’s still a world of difference. Here’s the key: it’s not about where someone sits – it’s about who they work for. A remote employee working exclusively for one CM fits neatly into the traditional model. They’re using the software to design trusses that will definitely use that supplier’s plates. The supplier’s happy, the CM’s happy, and everyone knows where they stand. Continued next page
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