Todd Drummond

Lean Manufacturing Only Works with the Best Employee Management Practices

Todd Drummond

Anyone with any training in lean practice has heard of standard terms such as the Five “S” and “Just in Time.” What is not discussed often enough is that lean principles are based on healthy management and employee relations, which is the foundation of the...

#17313 Cover image
August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 26
Ben Hershey

What a Flight on Japan Airlines Taught Me About Visual Safety Culture

Ben Hershey

On a recent trip from Seattle to Vietnam via Tokyo, I flew on Japan Airlines and was struck by more than just the exceptional hospitality. What stood out most was their disciplined safety culture, specifically how their flight attendants conducted safety checks. As they walked the cabin before...

#17313 Cover image
August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 52
Thom McAnally

Designer Hiring Blues in the Summer

It’s August. The heat is relentless, the humidity unforgiving, and your design team is running as hot as a NASCAR pit crew in Alabama. Project timelines are tight, customer expectations are high, and every minute counts. So when someone suggests bringing in a new designer, it can feel like...

#17313 Cover image
August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 98
Geordie Secord

Design Connections: Onboarding Designers: What They Really Need to Know

Geordie Secord

When a new designer comes on board—especially one with experience—there’s a good chance the onboarding process involves setting up their computer, pointing them to the right network folders, handing them a relatively simple job, and giving them a vague suggestion to “jump...

#17313 Cover image
August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 104
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Last Word: Finding Your Place in a Great Industry

Joe Kannapell, PE

Touring two plants in July, I couldn’t help wondering which would be a better place to work in the current slowdown. Both are privately owned businesses that are being managed by second-generation owners. Plant “A” is in a stable, rust belt market, and plant “B” is...

#17313 Cover image
August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 176
Wendy Boyd

Beyond the Booth: Real Conversations, Real Solutions at BCMC 2025

Wendy Boyd

In the world of frame and truss manufacturing, there aren’t many events that gather the industry in quite the same way as the annual Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC). It’s a touchpoint – not just for showcasing machinery and equipment, but for sharing ideas,...

#17312 Cover image
July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 17
MSR Lumber Producers Council

MSR Workshop: Relax, Connect, Learn

MSR Lumber Producers Council

The MSR Workshop headed west to Idaho this spring to a resort destination that lived up to its reputation! The annual event hosted by the MSR Lumber Producers Council in late April welcomed 68 attendees, including five guests, to the Coeur d’Alene Resort for three days of networking,...

#17312 Cover image
July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 96
Anna Stamm

Advertiser Forum: Renewed Respect for Construction

Anna Stamm

When I heard the nightly news would have a feature on the return of shop classes to high schools, my interest was piqued. Listening to the report, it was refreshing to hear the students’ excitement for the good job opportunities that would be available to them after graduation. Apparently,...

#17311 Cover image
June 2025
Issue #17311
Page 6
Todd Drummond

True Employee Motivation and Satisfaction

Todd Drummond

When discussing employee staffing issues during consultations, wages and long-term employment are inevitably part of the conversation. After decades of advisement, it is no longer a surprise to me about the disconnect between what executives think is most important to the employees versus what...

#17311 Cover image
June 2025
Issue #17311
Page 30
Thom McAnally

The Cost of Convenience: How Offshore and Remote Design are Undermining the Future of the Truss Industry

Over the past two decades, the truss industry has quietly engineered a crisis of its own making. In the pursuit of flexibility and cost efficiency, companies have embraced remote designers and offshore design firms. Although these shifts solve immediate staffing needs, they’re slowly...

#17311 Cover image
June 2025
Issue #17311
Page 82
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