Northwest Building Components Inc., a young Rathdrum manufacturer that makes roof trusses for homes and commercial buildings, plans to expand its operation to meet surging demand from Inland Northwest builders.


The companys production has doubled since January, and it has a backlog of orders, says John Mandere, president and co-owner.


Were astonished at the growth, Mandere says. Its been a wild ride. We dont know where its going.


Northwest Building employs 40 people at 13964 N. Ohio, just east of state Route 41 on the southern edge of Rathdrum.


A wooden truss is a framework of cut lumber, some of which is used as struts, and steel connectors, and is designed to support roofs. Workers use computer-aided saws to cut the lumber. Each truss is assembled using nail and staple guns. Workers tack on steel connectors with hammers, and a large press secures them in place.


The company recently bought a new gantry press system that will allow it to double production, says John Spiker, who owns the company with Mandere. The operation is adding a second 50-ton rolling press that uses pressure to secure steel connectors to cut lumber firmly.


Northwest Building Components sells its trusses in bulk packages for each home, and an average truss package is priced at between $3,500 and $5,000, Mandere says. A typical package has between 40 and 100 trusses-the range found in most single-family homes, says Mandere, who also owns a framing business called Mandere Construction Inc., of Rathdrum, Idaho.


Spiker, who isnt involved in day-to-day operations, says Northwest Building plans to hire up to 10 people by the end of the year.


New home construction is booming, especially in North Idaho, says Mandere. Residential trusses represent about 80 percent of the companys business, with the remainder in the commercial sector. Its clients include Greenstone Corp., a Liberty Lake-based developer and home builder; Vandervert Construction Inc., of Spokane; and Sullivan Homes Inc., of Spokane, he says.


Mandere declines to disclose the companys revenues, except to say business is very good.


Northwest Building is considering adding a third manufacturing shift, which would enable it to make trusses almost around the clock, Mandere says.


The equipment upgrades and additional personnel should reduce its three-week waiting period, he says.


Were hoping to get it down to two weeks, but with the way things are going, who knows? Mandere says. When we started last July, there was an eight-week wait for trusses in the market.


The company sells between 80 and 100 truss packages a month, and there are no signs that demand for its products is weakening, Mandere says. He adds that lumber prices are stable, and his main concern is the price of steel, which has gone up dramatically over the last year.


The companys plant includes two shops with roughly 13,000 square feet of floor space. It has plenty of room for expansion on its 10-acre site.


At some point we will add another building, Mandere says. It depends on how things go the rest of the year.


Mandere and Spiker, who launched Northwest Building components last July, say they originally set out to start a wall panel manufacturing operation, but found that making trusses would be more lucrative.


We looked around and found that the real need was for trusses, Mandere says. Our core business is making trusses, but we would like to move to other engineered wood products later.