Plate markers, single tool bridges, and automated saws were just a few of the enhancements that filtered into wall panel shops at the Millennium. Their adoption was quickened by the consolidation of component manufacturers (CMs) and by the increasing pressure on all CMs by busy builders....

For seven consecutive decades, Triad wall panel and component nailing machines have led the industry in meeting the demands and needs of builders in the United States, Canada, and around the world. Today, Triad continues to meet the ever-growing needs of today’s builders by providing...

Toll Brothers imported an automated panel line commensurate with their luxurious homes, or so they expected. Perhaps because the European economy was ailing in the early 1990s, Randek from Sweden, like the Makron company from Finland before them, offered Toll an excellent deal. But Randek was an...

Automation within the building industry has been ongoing for decades but at a slower pace than other industries. So, what do we mean by automation? Let’s focus on two types: automation for building estimation and automation for roof truss manufacturing. Both will be discussed at the...

In today’s fast-paced frame and truss manufacturing environments, efficiency and waste reduction are paramount. Traditional production methods often fall short in meeting the demands of modern businesses, paving the way for Real-Time Optimization (RTO) and Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery to...

As automation and robotics are increasingly embraced, it makes sense to review examples of successful implementations from the pioneers of past systems. Interestingly, the first successful fully automated component assembly in the U.S. involved wall panels rather than trusses. However, in many...

Millions of dollars are being lost by many companies that don’t recognize they have a problem — Does your LBM company have more than $50 million combined sales? Quantified as a ratio of sales, according to Six Sigma case studies, the cost of poor quality, defined as waste,...

As a global pioneer in the building components industry, we’re looking forward to presenting our integrated solutions suite at the upcoming Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) | Framer’s Summit 2024. Our booth at the event will feature best-in-class software, automated...

What if the future of truss design isn’t just about developing better tools, but redefining the entire process from the ground up? On August 15, we publicly announced Paragon — a product that will change the way trusses are designed and built. A product that took years of...

The dream of having a single person model an entire structure was admirable, but developing the software to do that turned into a decade-long struggle. Five years ago, I chronicled the development saga in my series on Fifty Years of Truss Design, Parts XI – XV. As the story told, the...