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Anna Stamm

Advertiser Forum: Expecting Change (Whether You Want It or Not)

Anna Stamm

The other day, I heard an “expert” on the television say, people will do anything they possibly can to avoid change. Even though I was preoccupied with whatever-it-was I had been doing, that jumped out at me and I started listening to that yammering in the background. This person was...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 6
Joe Kannapell

Sixty Years of Machines, Part X: Lasers Shine

Joe Kannapell

CMs are still debating lasers vs. auto-jigging, 30 years after their introduction. While both have been continually enhanced, their relative performance has remained consistent. However, lasers gained traction much faster, especially after one of the most productive plants, Ron Bergeron’s...

#12254 Cover image
September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 10
Cullen Ellis

Spida PieceMaker Linear Saw — A Piece-Full Alternative

Cullen Ellis

I recently had the pleasure of helping our engineering installation crew install and commission the first Spida PieceMaker Linear Saw in North America. While more than 24 saws in the last 24 months have been sold and installed in Australia and New Zealand, this is the first saw to make its way...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 16
Ben Hershey

Developing Strategy When Faced with a Pandemic

Ben Hershey

Our roles as managers and owners sometimes feels as though we are constantly changing over the past several decades, but how we planned and strategized sped up dramatically after the 2008 global financial crisis. Managers who understood the need to be a strategic leader and a disruption...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 26
Glenn Traylor

Are Your Trucks Loaded Correctly?

Glenn Traylor

Recently while traveling, I photographed a load of structural components being delivered to a jobsite. It was a little of a double-take to comprehend what was on the truck, because our products really shouldn’t be that curved when they’re designed to be flat. As shown in the photo...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 35
Todd Drummond

Better Profits with Effective Employee Retention and Growth

Todd Drummond

In the almost 20 years of my consulting services, TDC has witnessed that the highest performing companies with the highest profit as a percentage of sales, generally in the high teens to mid-twenties, are the same companies with very low employee turnover. However, it is far more than just...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 40
Tracy Roe

TrueBuild® Batch – Optimizing Your Equipment Investment

Tracy Roe

Last month, we talked about how, after investing in a new piece of equipment, you may need to make additional changes to a process in your operation. Typically, the desired result of an equipment purchase is increased efficiency, so your software needs to be as flexible as you are as a...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 56
Ed Serrano

Call It What You Want!

Ed Serrano

Retrieval system, lumber feeder, lumber pack feeder – the name doesn’t really matter. So, what does matter? The speed matters, the size matters, and the options matter! Vekta’s PackFeeder /retrieval system/ lumber feeder is fast enough to feed two linear saws! ...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 60
Shane Dittrich

Robotic – Automated Solutions for CMs

Shane Dittrich

Alpine & House of Design are Partnering to Bring the Latest in Automated Solutions to Component Manufacturers At a trade show last fall, my business partner and I met a third-generation owner of a truss plant. He was in search of ideas, perhaps a fresh perspective, new technology maybe?...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 64
David Boyce

Flying Trusses and Delivering Results

David Boyce

We’ve dubbed the photo on this month’s cover “flying trusses,” because that’s how it can appear when you’re delivering an outstanding product in a limited space. But space concerns have never stopped our team at Lowder. [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full...

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September 2020
Issue #12254
Page 74
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