SBCA Innovation Grant Spotlight: Shelfmark

The 2026 SBCA Innovation Grant has four recipients, and SBCA is excited to spotlight each one leading up to BCMC in Columbus, Ohio. There, attendees and exhibitors can see these innovations firsthand on the show floor.

This week’s Innovation Grant Recipient Spotlight features Shelfmark.

Shelfmark’s Truss Visual Inspection platform applies artificial intelligence and advanced computer vision to automate quality inspections within truss manufacturing environments, including highly customized settings where each truss may be unique. Without relying on design files or predefined templates, the system can identify missing plates, misaligned components, and other structural inconsistencies in real time. This reference-less approach can help manufacturers reduce rework, improve throughput, and prevent downstream quality issues.

“At its most simple, we install a system at the end of your truss press, inspect every inch of a truss as it rolls off of your line, and detect anomalies in that truss,” explains Pat O’Donnell, CEO of Shelfmark.

The Pittsburgh-based technology company began developing the solution after connecting with Stark Truss, an SBCA member headquartered in Canton, Ohio. Shelfmark combined its expertise in hardware, software, and machine learning with Stark Truss’s extensive knowledge of component manufacturing and quality assurance.

The system provides immediate feedback when an issue is detected while maintaining high-resolution images and historical inspection data for every truss.

“Think of this as not just your automated inspector, but really your traceability platform to know exactly what your company sent out into the world,” says Pat. 

Shelfmark’s interest in the Innovation Grant grew from its team’s experience at BCMC in 2025.

“Ron from our team was at BCMC last year, and he came back just raving about the experience and saying, ‘Look, if this is an industry that we're serious about, we have to have a presence at BCMC,’” Pat explains. 

After joining SBCA, Shelfmark saw the Grant as an ideal opportunity to become more involved in the industry and showcase a solution already operating in a manufacturing facility.

“We're excited to have something that's not just innovative, but innovative and implemented,” says Pat.

“Being selected as a 2026 SBCA innovation grant recipient means the world to Shelfmark; it is validation from the industry’s trusted leaders that our solution provides real value to the industry and its partners.”

Shelfmark’s Truss Visual Inspection platform will be featured alongside the other 2026 Innovation Grant recipients on the BCMC show floor’s Innovation Alley. Shelfmark will be located at Booth 206. The People’s Choice Innovator will be voted on throughout BCMC week on the show floor and announced during the Industry Celebration on Thursday, September 17.

Learn more about Shelfmark’s Truss Visual Inspection platform.