A Brighter Build for PEI's Newest Prefab Wall Plant 

The Challenge: A Bright, Clean Space in a Sawdust-Heavy Environment

When Island Structural set out to expand their space, steel siding was the original plan, but the team was trying to solve two problems at once.

“One of the issues we wanted to solve was something that was very bright to make the work environment more inviting, and also something easy to clean, as there is a lot of sawdust in the area,” says Duane MacDonald, President and Dealer-Owner of Callbecks Group of Companies. “We wanted something easier to clean up as part of regular maintenance, and Trusscore [could] give us that.”

Keeping sawdust under control isn’t just a housekeeping issue for a truss and wall panel plant, it’s a safety one. The team needed walls that could be blasted clean with an air gun on a regular basis without holding onto dust, and that wouldn’t show damage from the daily bumps and knocks of moving material through the shop.

“With our manufacturing there is a lot of sawdust, so we need something we can use an air gun to blow dust down from and keep things tidy, clean, and safe, so there is no fire hazard of dust collecting,” Duane explains. “Steel siding would have exposed screws that collect dust and could be dented easily in moving things around. Trusscore is more durable in that sense. If something bumps it, it’s not going to dent.”

That difference comes down to how the panels are fastened. Trusscore Wall&CeilingBoard panels interlock edge to edge, so screws sit hidden inside the seam instead of sitting exposed on the wall face. Steel siding is fastened from the outside, and every one of those exposed screw heads is a spot for sawdust to collect and, over time, a place for rust to start. With no exposed fasteners, the wall stays smoother, cleans up faster with the air gun, and holds up better against the daily bumps and knocks of a working plant.

The Solution: Durable, Bright, and Built for a Dusty Job

Trusscore wasn’t a new discovery for the team. Island Structural’s parent companies have sold and installed the product for years across a range of applications, from garages and food prep areas to dairy barns. “We have had great success with the product,” Duane says. “Our owners have even used it in their own homes.”

That track record made the installation itself a smooth process. Panels arrived pre-cut to length, leaving the crew to make cuts only where needed around doorways, and the job moved faster than the team expected. “Installation went very well,” Duane says. “Our installation process went a lot quicker than we had planned, and we get a lot of really good comments on how bright the space is.”

Island Structural’s staff completed the interior of the wall panel plant themselves, led by a red seal carpenter who manages the facility. The 440-linear-foot installation took roughly 8 to 9 days, including one 160-foot wall, a straight run with no openings to work around, completed in just two days.

The Outcome: A Warehouse That Doesn’t Feel Like One

With the walls finished and the plant ramping up toward production, the difference in the space has been immediate, especially in a building type that’s typically dim and utilitarian. “The walls provide a bright environment for the typically dark warehouse space,” Duane says. “It livens up the facility, adding energy to the space.”

For other truss plants and industrial facilities weighing the same decision Island Structural faced, that track record speaks for itself. Trusscore has been growing the business, Duane says, and everyone who has installed it has been happy with it and recommended it to others.