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Spec sheets for truss assembly machinery describe the press: tonnage, roller diameter, table length. They say less about the software, yet on an automated table the software decides where the pucks go, where the truss sits, how much of the table is in use, and what happens when the next truss...

In truss manufacturing, productivity depends on more than cutting lumber quickly — it depends on delivering the right material to the right table in the right sequence. Enventek’s SpeedStack software brings order to this critical handoff, helping plants combine the efficiency of...

Ask a designer why a shop avoids a particular web configuration and you may get a very specific answer. The production crew finds it awkward to assemble. A certain cut creates problems. The preferred alternative uses material the shop always has on hand. You may also hear, “That’s...

Silence. It’s one of the worst things a factory owner can hear Monday morning. Instead of the air compressors humming to life, saws calibrating, and forklift back-up alerts echoing throughout the floor, the only thing felt is the deafening reality of a stalled line. If you’ve...

In 1984, I read a book called “The Goal” by Goldratt & Cox; the theory of constraints articulated in the book was formative in my thinking as an Industrial Engineer. I was surprised to learn that my son’s co-op employer gave it to him as required reading a couple of years...

Need to improve your truss plant production? AI may be the answer for you. Using information and knowledge you already have, you can work with AI to streamline your production workflow with a few basic prompts. One of the best things about using AI is that no prior training is required....

It was great to attend another BCMC this year in Columbus, reconnect with so many incredible people from across the country and around the world, and see the projects and innovations that continue to drive our industry forward. For nearly two decades, I have attended this show in a variety of...

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit us at BCMC 2026! It was another great show, and we enjoyed the opportunity to connect with component manufacturers and showcase equipment and automation solutions designed to improve cutting, jigging, and truss production. [For all photos, See...

I recently talked with Lenny Sylk and Dick Rotto, two of the most consequential figures in component manufacturing. They are men whose legacies are worth knowing, even a half century distant from their industry-founding work.  Both were consummate entrepreneurs, with the guts to start...

Truss production has changed dramatically over the past few decades. What once relied heavily on manual jig systems, operator experience, and physically demanding processes has steadily evolved into a more connected, automated, and data-driven environment. Today, elements such as software,...