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FOR BLENKER BUILDING SYSTEMS,

TECHNOLOGY HELPS DELIVER

THE AMERICAN DREAM


CASE STUDY

Blenker Ingeniously Integrates 3D CAD Virtual Design and Digital


Pre-Assembly To Profitable Component Manufacturing Systems

Executive Summary:
Blenker Building Systems Profitably Integrates 3D CAD and Digital Pre-Assembly

Powered by MiTek SAPPHIRE software, Blenker Building Systems delivers a stunning array of structural
and building systems to an equally impressive geographic area.

Blenkers Envision. Home at Last program offers pre-priced, whole-house solutions, which are constructed
through a 3D CAD-based, virtual-home-design process.

To manufacture the components and assemble these homes profitably, all of Blenkers CAD design work is
fully integrated into SAPPHIRE Structure software, so it flows freely from the buyers imagination to the
cutting-and-assembly processes that fabricate the roof trusses, floor trusses, and wall panels for each home.

In 2011, Blenker built houses and components equivalent to 400 starts (each 1,600 square feet) or around
1,000,000 square feet of finished space.

The Companys entire waste disposal bill last year was just $486.

Blenker: We have leveraged digital pre-building and 3D walk-through technology, which is linked directly
and seamlessly to our manufacturing.

Blenker Building Systems has flourished in the


building downturn, and co-owner / president Jason
Blenker, who dramatically expanded the operation
passed on to him from his parents, has shown an
uncanny business sense and real guts in the
innovative marketing, fabrication, and delivery of
components systems, including roof trusses,
wall-panels, floor trusses, and even
whole-house kits.
Since overhauling the business in 2009, with
fully integrated CAD systems for his sales and
component-manufacturing operations, Jason and
his 56 employees operate a thriving business (with
expansive, six-state coverage) out of a 36-acre
facility in Amherst, WI. They have 120,000 square
feet under-roof; six trucks roar in and out of
Blenkers shop, racing to fulfill orders many for
trusses and building components specifically
configured for builders of custom and semi-custom

homes as Blenker Building Systems does their part


to help build nothing short of the American Dream.
Blenker Building Systems Wisconsin facility is
powered by a state-of-the-art, digitally integrated
design / assembly operation. With that capability,
Blenkers team profitably delivers a stunning array
of structural and building systems to an equally
impressive geographic area, including all of
Wisconsin, Michigans U.P., Iowa, Illinois,
Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Jason
Blenker who has been in the building and building
material supply business all his life is indeed, a
man on a mission, with lots on his mind. Yet you
may be surprised to learn that hes not preoccupied
with putting out fires. While other component
manufacturers and builders may be shrinking their
operations or playing defensive until theres a
housing turnaround, Jason Blenker is busy thinking
about and focusing on even more profitable growth.

Two Product Lines: Houses and Components

SAPPHIRE Leads Way To Profitable Growth


Profitable growth in home building? In the midst
of the Great Recession? Yes, and that growth is
possible, in large part, because Blenker has
automated their processes in a sweeping adoption
of SAPPHIRE Structure, a design-and-collaboration
suite from MiTek, North Americas leading
component manufacturer supplier. In 2004, Blenker
selected MiTek as his technology partner only after
a national search of competing component
manufacturing solutions, visits to 30 other truss
facilities, and dozens of lengthy interviews with
builders, architecture firms, homeowners, and other
component manufacturers.

Visit Blenkers facility today and


you will see lumber riding on
special rails to cutting stations,
where lengths are cut to tight
tolerances by MiTeks CAD-driven
saw systems. Components like the
ones above fit together in the field
as well as they fit together in the
3D CAD and BIM models.
The lumber and connector plates are assembled into
trusses, floor systems, and wall panels at multiple
assembly stations, before being trucked out. In
addition to floor, roof, and panels systems, Blenker
also finds time to market and manufacture (through
showrooms and via allied builders and developers)
top-quality doors, windows, trim, millwork, siding,
roofing products, hardware and cabinetry. And talk
about material operational efficiency! Blenker runs
such a tight, clean shop that their entire waste
disposal bill last year was $486, and Jason said that
fee was mostly for hauling away the shrink wrapping
that he couldnt otherwise recycle.

A $486 waste bill for the entire year.


Thats not a typo.
We actually have two product lines, Blenker
explained recently in a call from his truck, where
he was setting up a home expo for an Iowa fair.
Through our brand Envision. Home at Last...,
our company offers pre-priced, whole-house
solutions, which are constructed through a 3D
CAD-based, virtual-home-design process. Certified
professionals assemble the homes in the field once
we manufacture the components in our shop. We use
the leading green-building construction practices,
and one of our goals, which I believe we have
achieved, is to make the home-building experience
fun and enjoyable. To build and assemble these
homes as profitably as we can, all the CAD design
work is fully integrated into MiTeks SAPPHIRE
Structure software, so it flows freely from the buyers
imagination to the cutting-and-assembly processes.

SAPPHIRE Structure software is able to precisely


model every structure on a highly engineered
basis. Customization of the structure is rules-based
and changes or additions can be made up until
the minute of component fabrication. We have
leveraged digital pre-building and 3D walk-through
technology, which is linked directly and seamlessly
to our manufacturing, said Jason Blenker.

Blenker By The Numbers

For software, in addition to running MiTeks


SAPPHIRE Structure, Blenker also runs
Envisioneer, by CADSoft for their home-design
operations. Envisioneer exports MXF files that
can be imported without any further translation
by SAPPHIRE Structure.

Blenker Building Systems CAD design work is fully


integrated into SAPPHIRE Structure software,
so it flows freely from the buyers imagination to a
3D BIM image, above, that shows how the codecompliant structure should be assembled.
We carefully selected software that integrates the
home design and component manufacturing ends
of our business, Blenker explains, and its all in
service of one goal. To explain that goal, let me first
re-quote something I once heard from the founder of
Dominos Pizza, Tom Monaghan. He said he was not
in the pizza business, because lets face it, lots of
people can make good pizza. He said he was in the
on-time pizza delivery business. Whats that have to
do with trusses and component systems? Well,
candidly trusses are a commodity business, and its
virtually impossible to tell them apart once they are
in the field. So, its the extras that we wrap around
our component manufacturing processes that
position Blenker above the pack. We are not just

another truss shop, because we enhance both the


home-builder and home-buyer experience. We deliver
3D digital design and walk-through capabilities that
most homeowners would never see in their lifetimes,
unless they worked for a high-end architectural firm.
With that technology in support of our builders, we
really are allowing people to design a dream in a 3D
model, walk through it, and adjust it to their liking.
We then pre-build that structure digitally to work out
problems before we make the components. Thats
what MiTek calls Buildabilty. The next thing you
know, that persons dream home, just as he or she
envisioned it, gets delivered and assembled on
their lot, with a predictable cost and firm delivery
date. Think just any truss maker can do that?
No, they cant.

In 2011, Blenker built houses


and components equivalent to 400
starts, or the gross equivalent of
around one million square feet of
finished space. Not bad, working
from nearly a cold start just seven
years earlier.
With all we have going on, I should point out that we
attribute some of our success to the fact that we are
not just in the truss and home-building business. We
also do an enormous amount of market development.
Blenker exhibits at state fairs, home shows, and
other events. We have a plan selection service on our
websites. So we really are acting as an extension of
the builders sales agents, even though the builders
may not even know of us. If I get a live lead from
a home show and walk into a builders office who I
want to win as a new customer, and I offer him a sale
if he builds with our systems, 10 out of 10 times, Im
going to win that new business, Blenker explains.

About Blenker Building Systems

I had a fellow come to us recently who was ready


to go out of business, lost his suppliers, had health
problems in his family, and was ready to retire from
the home building business. Our ability to turn-key
so many areas of his operations including lead
generation revitalized his business and his sense of
purpose in life, Jason Blenker explained.

System custom builds to the specifications of the


individual builder with the option to provide your
own plans or use their in-house designers. They also
supply top quality doors, windows, trim, millwork,
siding, roofing products, hardware and cabinetry all
at one place.

Once the homes BIM model has been run through


SAPPHIRE Structures engineering, error check,
and code-compliance review, MiTeks software drives
the saws at the cutting-and-assembly stage, so roof
trusses, floor trusses, and wall panels for each home
are custom fabricated at production speeds.

Assembling the framing kit: After truss and panel


fabrication, the component package is trucked to
the job site, where it is assembled by a local crew or
by Blenkers experienced team. Since the structure
is highly engineered off-site, low-cost labor can be
used for assembly.

Open the door to Blenker Building Systems truss,


floor system, and wall panel facility in Amherst,
Wisconsin, and youre greeted with lumber riding
on rails en route to a computer-orchestrated cutting
station...and tiered sorting carts carrying finished
parts to assembly stations where roof trusses, floor
systems and wall panels come to life. This is what
they specialize in manufactured components with
complete design and engineering of trusses, floor
systems and wall panels. Panels are constructed
in a controlled environment using state-of-the-art
equipment so you can assure youre getting a straight
more precisely built product. Blenker Building

How it works. Once your plan has been


finalized and engineered to meet all the building
codes, production begins. After production, the
component package is then loaded and trucked
to your job site. It can then be erected by your
crew (minimum crew size is four) or by Blenkers
experienced erection crew. A crane is even
available to assist in the erection process.

About Envision. Home at Last...

Advantages.

Save time. Shorter start-to-finish


construction cycle time. A weathertight panelized shell can be finished in
days, as opposed to weeks.

Build green. All plans are fully engineered


before the first board is cut, eliminating
waste typically found on most construction
sites. Cut-offs and short lengths are
recycled.

Quality products. Panels are constructed


in a controlled environment using stateof-the-art equipment resulting in more
precisely built trusses, floor systems and
wall panels.

Increase profits. Panelization allows you to


build more homes year round without
having to hire more crews, which results in
less overhead, insurance and expenses.

More efficient. Order all your building


material at one place eliminating
paperwork and hassles.
More info: www.blenkerco.com

About Envision. Home at Last... is centered upon


helping home owners to build the custom home of
their dreams. Through a time-tested and proven
approach to building homes, we offer unmatched
value in 3-dimensional virtual home design,
industry-leading green building construction
practices, and top-quality building products which
provide customers with a fun and enjoyable homebuilding experience. We service Wisconsin, Illinois,
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and surrounding areas
through an exclusive dealer network. Come visit our
local showrooms where we can help you turn your
dreams into that reality you have been waiting for.
Whether it is a house in town, a cabin on the lake,
your retirement home, or your investment property,
we can assist you in the home building process
from the beginning.

Blenkers Envision. Home at


Last program offers pre-priced,
whole-house solutions, which are
constructed with components
designed and manufacturer using
MiTeks SAPPHIRE Structure.
The accuracy of the manufacturing
and framing is unrivaled anywhere
in the world.
More info: www.envisionhomeatlast.com

SAPPHIRE Structure can help limit time-aboveplate for your crews, lowering insurance costs
and cut framing labor costs, sometimes as much as
in half.

About MiTeks SAPPHIRE Structure


Available to component manufacturers, SAPPHIRE
Structure allows its users to create 3D models to
collaboratively manage the design-and-estimating
processes and help create buildable homes with
predictable costs. With the help of SAPPHIRE
Structures 3D model, builders can design, estimate,
optimize, and build a structure, while improving
cycle time, efficiency, and the bottom line.
SAPPHIRE Structure integrates with Blackpoint
through the accurate and efficient MiTek eXchange
File (MXF). MiTek is a Berkshire Hathaway Company
(NYSE: BRK-A). Learn more: www.MiTek-US.com.
Since MiTek and USP Structural Connectors are
the same company now, MiTeks SAPPHIRE Suite
offers a software solution, called SAPPHIRE
Supply, which can help specify connectors (like this
hurricane tie, above) anywhere in the structure from
the foundation to the ridgeline.

Summary of Key Benefits

Predictable should costs

Customization with speed and precision through a


single, shared BIM

Higher margins through precise structural framing


in collaboration with a prefabricated component
manufacturer

Accurate BOMs and version-control management

Optimized, code-compliant structures

More Labor-efficient structures

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