Walk into most structural component manufacturing facilities across North America and you’ll see a familiar contrast: highly sophisticated design software upstream, increasingly automated assembly downstream — and somewhere in the middle, cutting processes that still rely heavily on...

In hockey, “Dump and Chase” is highly effective depending on how deep the puck is dumped into the opposing team’s defensive zone, and how hard the dumping team will chase and fight to get back possession of the puck. The strategy is to physically punish the defending team and...

Last month, in “Say Hello to AMT Robotics,” I introduced our Datum Squaring Table. This month, I’d like to focus on our HyperLeap Sheathing Bridge. You’ll find that our modular approach allows you to install the machine that best suits your current needs while giving...

Many of us have sought ways to help grow the next generation of builders, and I’m fortunate to work with a local program doing just that. The Bakken Area Skills Center (BASC) in Watford City, ND is committed to empowering individuals through career and technical education, fostering a...

Lunar New Year has passed, but its meaning continues to guide our work at Simpson Strong-Tie Viet Nam. Tet is a time of renewal, gratitude, and connection. Each year, our Viet Nam branch honors this tradition together in the office, reinforcing shared purpose and commitment. Established in 2012,...

One of the most effective tools available to component manufacturers to inform installers and framers of the potential hazards associated with the installation of structural building components is the Component Warning Notice (CWN). Developed by the SBCA, the CWN has emerged as an industry best...

When I’m frustrated by something, I’ll tend to keep thinking about it, like a problem to be solved. If I can figure out why I’m so irritated, then maybe I can learn from it (rather than only complain about it). Fictional Stories and Real-Life Budgets In the past,...

Structural building component manufacturers across North America often track metrics like walls, floors, and trusses shipped each day, labor hours per unit, machine uptime, and on-time delivery. These numbers are important, but they don’t tell the whole story. There’s a quieter...

Good people show up. They work hard. They care. Yet output still stalls, quality still slips, due dates still move, and managers still spend too much of their day answering questions, expediting work, and solving the same problems again and again. Because when work is unclear, effort gets...

When we launched JAX over 2½ years ago, we knew we were building something special even though JAX breaks no new ground in technology. JAX uses a proven industrial-grade material handling system combined with vacuum-operated lumber pickup heads, which can be configured in multiple ways to...