At BMC, it’s ready, set, frame

Henderson, Nevada – The 2015 BMC National Meeting Agenda included a roll call of LBM vendors displaying their wares and sharing their knowledge. But the biggest booth -- not counting the Orgill model store inside the convention center -- was BMC’s own proprietary Ready-Frame display.

The frame of a two-story house rising next to the computerized saw dramatically told one of BMC’s key stories for the sales meeting. Ready-Frame, introduced in 2014, is described as a “whole house solution” that brings precision, speed and efficiency to the job site.

Lumber is cut to precision, automatically labeled and delivered to the site to be assembled.

One attendee described the concept as homebuilding’s version of ready-to-assemble furniture. Kyle Schnitz, a sales manager at BMC, described it more as puzzle. “Each piece is labeled and the builder puts the pieces together on site,” he said.

A key piece of the Ready-Frame program is the precision saw, which in a certain sense as a printer. Ready-Frame Administrator Jeff Radich said there are 16 such computerized saws deployed throughout the BMC network of pro dealers. Proprietary software powers the precision cuts and labels them for installation.

Radich says there is no formal name for the computerized saw, but he affectionately calls it “the Mac Daddy.”

According to BMC, Ready-Frame “revolutionizes” the construction process. It also reduces waste and adds simplicity.

Held at the M Resort just outside of Las Vegas, the BMC National Meeting combines sales meetings, educational sessions, motivational speeches and a trade show of BMC vendors – from Andersen Windows & Doors to Weyerhaeuser.

While the Ready-Frame exhibit attracted visitors outside the resort’s convention area, the biggest indoor display was a model store set up by Memphis-based, Orgill, which provides hardware products for BMC. Orgill’s VP of Corporate Accounts Grady Gennings told HBSDealer that one purpose of the model store is to serve as an example of how BMC managers can merchandise and boost sales in small retail spaces.

BMC ranked in the top 10 of pro dealers on the 2014 Pro Dealer Industry Scoreboard, with 2013 sales in excess of $1.25 billion. The company was recognized as the 2014 Pro Dealer of the Year.

The company’s conference runs through Jan. 16.