New WBC plant going full bore

By HEIDI DESCH / Hungry Horse News

Take a tour of Western Building Center's Building Components plant and it's hard to believe that there could be a slowdown in construction right now.

Workers at the plant in Columbia Falls are busy manufacturing roof trusses, pre-fabricated wall panels and floor trusses inside the new 41,000-square foot building on 13th Street West.

" We've had some downturn in the last few days, but we're still bidding projects," Plant Manager Don McGrady said.

In fact, since the plant's opening in June, there's been a steady increase in work. Just this month the plant brought up the total number of employees up to 36.

" We're busier now that we were at the start, but our name wasn't out there then," McGrady said. " We've seen a steady increase since then. This month will be our best month (so far)."

The plant recently completed the wall panels and trusses for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's new fire cache in Kalispell. On any given day workers are likely assembling the components for a new home " big or small.

WBC has long been a presence in the construction industry. Established in 1946 the company has 10 locations around western Montana. Including retail stores in Columbia Falls, Whitefish, Evergreen, Kalispell, Eureka, Libby, Ronan, Plains and Polson.

A MIX of technology and skilled workers is what makes the plant run smoothly.

State-of-the-art technology starts with CompuTrus Inc. software. WBC designers convert architectural plans into the detailed plans for cutting and nailing boards together.

Most of the manufacturing process is directed by computer. Plans are programmed by hand into computerized saws and large nailing machines.

Experienced sawyers and building contractors perform the necessary manual labor along the different lines. They follow the guidelines set out by the computer which leaves little waste in the process.

Workers assembling a wall place the boards on the conveyer. Then activate the computerized nail gun that will nail the whole thing together in around a minute.

Next the framed wall is sent down the line where the plywood siding is nailed down. Finally doors or windows are cut out, again with a computer guiding the saw.

It's a highly choreographed routine that builds each piece and part until it's finished.

A wall can be finished in a few minutes time, something that would likely have taken 20 minutes to complete on the construction site, noted McGrady.

The computers play a large role in directing the process, but it's the workers that really insure everything comes out correctly. If the nail machine runs out of nails in the middle of a project, the workers are there to add the missing nails.

" You still have to have the manual (labor) even though they say it's automated," McGrady noted.

Many of the workers have more than 10 years, sometimes much more, of experience in construction or components manufacturing. And that makes all the difference when it comes to a smooth operation.

" It's beneficial," McGrady said of the skilled workers. " They know what each board should look like."

The computer system is user-friendly " it requires little training to learn how to use it. What's important is having the skills to figure out how to get the job done.

McGrady relies on his workers' experience to ensure he doesn't have to be there to solve every problem that might arise.

Those working at the plant want to be there, too. In just eight days, McGrady received some 70 applications for those seeking jobs. Most of the folks working at the plant today live in Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse or Coram.

" Many of them have been swinging a hammer most of their life," he said. " They're just tickled to be working with a roof over their head this winter."

THE PLANT's location in Columbia Falls makes it ideal. The plant has partnered with the Stoltze Lumber mill to supply the plant with raw materials. This eliminates transportation costs in trucking the raw materials out of area for manufacturing.

Most of the finished products have been going to local building sites as well. The farthest orders so far have come from Havre and Idaho.

McGrady said he's actively marketing the products to more distant places, but the support of local contractors and builders has been beneficial.

" The whole community has embraced us. They know we're young, but we offer good service," he said.