In today’s truss plants, the cutting stage plays a more critical role than ever. What was once predominantly a repetitive, manual task has become a central driver of speed, accuracy, consistency, and efficiency across the entire operation. [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full...

On a recent sailing expedition, I could not help but marvel at how a floating breakwater is a passive lean solution used to tame chaotic waves similar to how the Enventek Lumber PickLine tames the chaos in material handling. Both solutions are strategically designed to be simple, cost effective,...

The construction industry in the United States has begun undergoing a significant transformation. Traditional on-site building approaches, characterized by manual labor, weather dependency, and fragmented workflows, are giving way to a more innovative, efficient methodology: off-site...

Let’s face it, nobody loves sheathing walls panels. Sheathing is heavy, awkward to handle, slows down your production line, generates a lot of waste, and depending on how you cut it, it can create a lot of air-born dust that can make your working environment unpleasant. However, it does...

In 2013, we took over a plant that ran only component saws with live decks, and we struggled to keep them fed. We arranged full bunks of lumber close to the feed decks, but that necessitated moving several bunks when we had to replace an interior bunk. When we replaced those saws with two linear...

Over the past several weeks, recruiting activity in the truss and wall panel design space has picked up in a way that’s hard to ignore. More design professionals are registering on The JobLine and exploring opportunities. The increase is not overwhelming—skilled candidates are still...

In this business, timing is everything. Whether you’re running a component manufacturing company or looking for your next job opportunity, the question often comes down to this: are you a buyer or are you a seller? A few years ago, my son-in-law’s family—who’ve run a...

I’ve had many conversations with manufacturers across the structural building components industry lately, and the topic that keeps coming up is automation. And it’s no surprise – automation is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s here, and it’s delivering real...

Anyone with any training in lean practice has heard of standard terms such as the Five “S” and “Just in Time.” What is not discussed often enough is that lean principles are based on healthy management and employee relations, which is the foundation of the...

A recent phone call has prompted me to address the issue of fixing gaps. There are some misunderstandings about what qualifies as a member-to-member gap, and the options to fix them are not always clear either. ANSI/TPI 1 recommends that members in a truss to touch each other when possible....