Joe Kannapell, PE

Home Building Technology, Part VIII: The Engineering Advantage

Joe Kannapell, PE

Where is the best location to start a business — the easiest place or the toughest? Choosing the easiest means you may or may not “have what it takes” to succeed in the toughest markets. But, by choosing the toughest, you may “set yourself up” to market yourself...

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August 2025
Issue #17313
Dario Schmidt

Future-Proofing Off-Site Construction: Why Flexibility is Key in the Age of Value-Added Manufacturing

Dario Schmidt

In today’s rapidly evolving construction industry, manufacturers face a growing imperative to do more with less—less labor, less waste, and less downtime. Traditionally, dedicated machines have been used for specific tasks like cutting or marking. While effective for current needs,...

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August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 64
Marco Gagnon

Celebrating Growth at Element Equipment

Marco Gagnon

Element Equipment is one component of GOW Group, an end-to-end metal fabrication company that serves several industries. In July, we were thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of our new GOW office! [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] This was a far cry from our humble start in...

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August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 77
Joe Kannapell, PE

Home Building Technology, Part VII: Carol Sanford’s Quantum Leap

Joe Kannapell, PE

Carol Sanford came of age during the 1920s, inspired by his inventive father, during one of the most inventive periods in American history. He grew up in Canton, OH, then a center of steel and stamping industries. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati and an architectural school in...

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July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 10
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,...

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July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 17
Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

Seven Decades of Construction Innovation

Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

There has been a lot of attention paid to solving the global housing and affordability crisis. The component manufacturing and modular housing industries have been innovating for over seven decades. Much of the innovation has been successfully commercialized as evident in the annual volume of...

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July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 40
Steve Shrader

Automation is Here, and It Doesn’t Need a Supervisor to Nudge It Along

Steve Shrader

In an industry long defined by hard work and incremental improvement, a new chapter is being written. But not everyone seems to realize it. Some are still telling companies to squeeze more productivity out of crews by reorganizing work paths, tracking stopwatch data, and optimizing jobsite...

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July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 48
Casey Harless

To Precut or Not to Precut? That is the Question

Casey Harless

Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking through a component manufacturer’s facility. As you do this, some will see a facility with a relatively well-automated wall panel line, in which full sheets of OSB, gypsum, ZIP, etc. are being applied to the wall in line and the router on the...

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July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 56
Landon Boucher

Striking Gold with Posi-Strut in Carson City

Landon Boucher

A large part of what MiTek’s Design Engagement team does involves meeting with Structural Engineers, Architects, and Real Estate Developers to advance the use of components. We guide them on best practices early in design so that when construction documents arrive at the truss...

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July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 62
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Last Word: Discovering Excellence in Germany

Joe Kannapell, PE

In late May, I was fortunate to travel to Germany on a quest to discover processes that could advance the state of the art of component manufacturing. Driving 90 miles from Munich’s 6 million people, I passed several quaint villages with businesses bordering the Autobahn, each separated by...

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July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 170
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