SHOP FABRICATED VS FIELD FABRICATED TRUSSES

Metalite has been fabricating and installing cold-formed truss systems for nearly twenty years. We are a pioneer in the cold formed steel roof truss market. Our methods of site fabrication and installation have been refined during this period and are unmatched in our industry.

Recently, the cold formed truss business has been changed with the advent of the wood truss business model that has been introduced into our industry. As a result of the influx of wood fabricators into our market, many fabricators have begun shop fabricating trusses and shipping them to the jobsites. During the past five years, many of these fabricators and their suppliers have been misrepresenting the differences between shop and site fabricated trusses. The claim is being made that a site built truss is inferior to a shop built truss due to a lack of quality control in site built trusses.

The truth is that the quality of a truss has nothing to do with the location at which it is built. It is completely dependent upon the personnel who are doing the fabrication and the methods that are used in the process. In fact, there should be absolutely no difference in the methods of fabrication between quality shop and site built trusses. Our site built trusses are built in true jig layouts, with proper supervision and care, just as our shop built trusses.

This is, however, where the similarity ends. A site built truss as large as 100 feet in length can be fabricated and installed in one piece, whereas shop built trusses in excess of forty feet in length must be broken into two, three or more pieces to allow for shipping. These pieces must be re-assembled at the jobsite and, in essence, site re-built. A site built truss is also handled much less than a shop built truss. A cold-formed truss installed within a system is extremely strong, but as an individual unit it is extremely fragile. A site built truss is built in the jig, taken out and installed on the building. A shop built truss is built in the jig, taken out, stacked, loaded on a truck, shipped hundreds of miles, unloaded, restacked and finally installed on the building. Whatever quality control our competitors claim to gain in the shop is certainly negated by the excessive handling required by their methods.

Another important difference between Metalite and the majority of our competitors lies in the fact that we are not a just a truss fabricator. Metalite is a subcontractor specializing in the fabrication and installation of cold formed steel roof trusses. Our truss systems are fabricated and installed by our own experienced and well-supervised crews. Most of our competitors are truss fabricators by trade and are forced to subcontract out the installation labor to other companies. This practice can often lead to problems and “finger pointing” between the two companies. This will never happen on a Metalite project since the crews who fabricate the trusses are the same ones who are installing them.

Before making the critical decision on whom to trust on your next truss project, please take the time to investigate your choice of suppliers carefully. Ask pertinent questions such as “who installs your trusses”, and “how long have you been in the steel truss business?” You will not likely find a company with anywhere near the experience of Metalite and you will realize quickly that you cannot make a better choice than Metalite for your cold formed steel roof truss project.