Advertiser Forum: How Much Do You Listen? Anna Stamm In late January, one of our contributors, Ben Hershey, posed a question on LinkedIn: “If you had to pick the top skill or trait in running a successful business, what would it be?” My immediate answer: “Listening.” Listening for Problems When you hear... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 6
Sixty Years of Machines, Part III: Table Presses Joe Kannapell More CMs are “doing it right the first time” via vertical presses, taking advantage of their flexibility and the quality of their production. But few realize that some of the most successful plants in our industry started with table presses. These presses have always had the... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 10
2020 Preview Chris Scott It’s been the time of year for reflection and forecasting, thinking about what can be learned from last year and what should be expected from the new year to come. The most successful of us are the best at applying those lessons learned and having the ability to anticipate upcoming changes... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 17
Possible 30 Days Savings for the Home Builder Using Wall Panels Todd Drummond Did you know that, even though setting wall panels saves an average of eleven days compared to traditional stick-framing of walls, the overall home completion can have an average savings of 30 days when wall panels have been used? For the home builders, every day a home is completed sooner can... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 29
Are You Creating a Culture of Quality? Glenn Traylor On a recent trip to Japan to observe construction manufacturing methods, I was struck by the amount of time a plant manager spends on the production floor. Comparing this Japanese methodology to our truss industry, our plant managers and upper management spend relatively little time engaged in... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 40
How Financing Can Work for You Ray Fedorko “Why should I seek outside financing for an equipment purchase?” “How difficult is it?” “What should I expect?” — These are just a few of the questions which can be answered by Carl Villella of Acceptance Leasing and Financing... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 47
Are Your Managers Equipped for Change? Ben Hershey Ask yourself this question, true or false: The most resistant group of employees in many component and LBM companies is the frontline employees? If you answered true, like most people you guessed incorrectly. It’s not our frontline employees who resist change the most, it’s the... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 50
Better Tools for Wall Panel Design Tracy Roe At Eagle Metal, our business has been built on relationships. We pride ourselves in listening and responding to the needs of our customers. Having served the component industry for more than 30 years with high quality connector plates, structural design software, engineering services, and... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 62
Maximizing Wall Panel Design Productivity and Accuracy John Croll As a wall panel designer, there are two critical performance metrics to hit: efficiency and accuracy. In a competitive component manufacturing landscape, maximizing designer productivity on both quotes and orders is paramount to running a successful business. Quickly generating an... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 68
Responsible Building at Pacific Wall Systems, Inc. Nancy Mansfield Whether your company is large or small, west coast or east coast, or anywhere in between, there are plenty of opportunities to practice responsible building. Established in 2007 and headquartered in Central Point, Oregon, Pacific Wall Systems is a family-owned enterprise with 80 employees and... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 73