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Scheduling for purchases of materials, delivery and site logistics is important for quick installation of mass timber, according to industry professionals who discussed this topic during the International Mass Timber Conference at the Oregon Convention Center on Wednesday.

The roundtable, 鈥淣avigating Material Lead Times: Timelines for Design, Manufacturing, Procurement and Delivery,鈥� included Cory Scrivner, national sales manager for SmartLam North America (headquartered in Columbia Falls, Montana); Michael Ratliff, executive director of commercial sales for Timberlyne, (headquartered in Wayne, Nebraska); and Pete Kobelt, director of mass-timber solutions for Structure Tone Building Group (headquartered in New York). Heather Strong, senior director of WoodWorks, was the moderator.

Prior to the session, Arnie Didier, chief operating officer of the International Mass Timber Conference, said the 2024 noted mass timber鈥檚 speed of delivery, off-site manufacturing, and panel assembly with fewer people than traditional construction.

鈥淲hat mass timber is doing is training a smaller crew, and they are getting more efficient at it,鈥� Didier said.

During the session, Kobelt said the best method Structure Tone Building Group has found to deliver a mass-timber project is design-build. For public projects without technical design-build as an option, he said the firm still tries to infuse team assembly, communication, and education with the spirit of design-build.

鈥淏eing inclusive and bringing those important traits into the conversation early on is much easier to execute,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t yields much better value engineering and cost delivery.鈥�

Panelists agreed that the best time to select the project team and the mass-timber manufacturer is early in the process.

SmartLam is usually selected for a project around the design development phase, Scrivner said. For every project that SmartLam produces an estimate or responds to a request for proposals, the firm takes the architect鈥檚 renderings and produces a layout over them with the mass-timber panels and then goes over details and the project scope with the team. The first phase is design assist, wherein the manufacturer makes sure it has all the information in place. The second phase includes fabrication modeling and work with the engineering team on a geometry model. After that is set up, Scrivner said, the team starts implementing the mechanical, electrical and plumbing design as well as the special engineering for the connections. The fabrication model will have every connection detail that is then exported and shared with the rest of the team. Then the project team will start the procurement process for steel and screws for the connections.

Timberlyne鈥檚 most successful projects have been those when the firm was invited to join the team early in the process, Ratliff said.

Workflow can be a challenge with mass timber because most of the work takes place off-site, Ratliff said. Timberlyne does everything it can to make sure what is happening in the field matches what is happening in the machines, he said. The feedback from field workers will influence the workflow.

Because the bulk of construction takes place off-site, project management is critical. Periodic check-ins with the mass-timber installer are a good idea, Kobelt said.

To prepare the site for materials, the team should have a laydown area where materials, equipment and vehicles can be stored prior to construction, Kobelt said. A lot of that planning should be done before the installer arrives.

The production of panels must mesh with their arrival on-site, Kobelt said, and communication with the installer is critical.

If a material arrives damaged or becomes damaged on the site, Ratliff said the installer will decide for the team whether to repair or replace it.

When asked if a manufacturer would work with an architect and an owner before a general contractor is selected, Scrivner said SmartLam does have structural engineers on its team. Kobelt added that it is best to bring in the general contractor early to consider costs and set an informed schematic design.