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When we talk about tolerances and adjustments to suit the manufacturing process, we acknowledge that building a metal plate connected wood truss is part art, part skill, and mostly perseverance. Plate embedment is very dependent on that process, and we are very dependent on plate embedment for...

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...

Elon Musk’s five rules for improving a process end with automation. That order deserves attention from every executive considering new equipment or software. When labor is difficult to find, costs are rising, and customer commitments are harder to meet, technology can look like the obvious...

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...

You’ve accepted an offer for a new job. Congratulations! But before you made that decision, how many opportunities did you actually consider? Was it the best opportunity available to you, or simply the first one that met your immediate needs? These are questions worth asking because...

A veteran designer recently laid out a hard truth about the component world that most general managers prefer to ignore. They pointed out that sales reps routinely make significantly more money in shorter periods of time, often with far less technical understanding of the product they just sold....

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....

The question posed in the title, “are you a clicker or a stickler,” encourages you to examine just how apt you are to “click through” the steps in front of you versus carefully reviewing each item. Moreover, you should ask – are people in my organization paying...

Imagine, if you will, two different component manufacturers (CMs) owned by the same parent company bidding against each other on the same project. Each location wants the order. As they compete on price, they drive down their own company’s revenue and gross margin. One location may win the...