Do you know that you should never remove your grade stamps throughout the manufacturing process? The old joke, “can I be arrested for removing a mattress tag?”, is alive and well on the internet. The threatening language still confounds the naive. But, if you’ve lawfully...

The component industry continues to weather economic uncertainty, but history tells us that construction will help lead the recovery after this pause. When demand returns, it often returns quickly — and manufacturers who have not prepared can find themselves scrambling to keep up. That...

Component manufacturers are operating in a market with little room for waste. Housing demand is difficult to predict. Material prices shift quickly. Labor is expensive and difficult to find. Customers still expect competitive pricing, dependable schedules, and fast turnaround. Those pressures...

Are you ready to see JAX-XL retrieve materials for a lumberyard the way JAX retrieves lumber for a truss plant? In our BCMC booth, you’ll be able to track the movement of lumber and sheet goods from bunks to staging areas live on a monitor via 3D digital twin technology, all without manual...

For years, component manufacturers have faced a classic operational dilemma: choose the high-volume speed of traditional batch cutting on component saws or opt for the simplified material flow of cut-by-truss on linear saws. Because linear saws could “stretch”/optimize lumber, this...

Do you prefer using a linear saw or a component saw? Both saws can cut lumber cleanly, so other factors need to be considered, especially when batching your cutting. Often, batching decisions are made solely on cutting quantity. While this is a very important factor, the decision is more...

When one of the largest truss companies came to see JAX The Wood Retriever picking for three saws, they asked, “Why not five saws?” Watching our one gantry doing a good job, it became obvious that the JAX system could operate with more than one JAX gantry, like a roof truss...

For component manufacturers who rely on machine stress rated (MSR) lumber in their day-to-day operations, the annual MSR Workshop continues to distinguish itself as one of the most valuable events on the industry calendar. The 2026 Workshop, held at the end of April in Orange Beach, AL, once...

Technology, like we observed at last month’s Annual MSR Workshop, is the main reason Southern Pine has surpassed Douglas Fir as the predominant truss material. But, making this challenging transition has taken the work of lumber producers and their truss plant consumers. What’s more,...

Purchasing the correct grade of lumber to match your design drawing requirements is only one step in selecting the right lumber. Previously, we’ve discussed lumber quality in “Who is Responsible for Lumber Quality in Your Trusses?,” but let’s expand that discussion with...