Glenn Traylor

How Will the Changes to ANSI/TPI 1 Impact Your Truss Builders and In-House Inspectors?

Glenn Traylor

As we migrate from ANSI/TPI 1-2014 to ANSI/TPI 1-2022, it is important to discuss and be aware of Chapter 3 updates. These changes impact QC inspections and should be understood by your in-house QC inspector and your truss builders. The changes are in two categories in Chapter 3 — a...

#17312 Cover image
July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 31
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...

#17312 Cover image
July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 48
MSR Lumber Producers Council

MSR Workshop: Relax, Connect, Learn

MSR Lumber Producers Council

The MSR Workshop headed west to Idaho this spring to a resort destination that lived up to its reputation! The annual event hosted by the MSR Lumber Producers Council in late April welcomed 68 attendees, including five guests, to the Coeur d’Alene Resort for three days of networking,...

#17312 Cover image
July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 96
Steve Shrader

Is Your Downstream Crew Still Solving Problems Created Upstream?

Steve Shrader

Too often, systems that claim to be “automated” still rely on people to direct the flow. That reliance on people rather than true automation means you’re still solving problems downstream that were created by things happening upstream. A picker is still compensating for a...

#17311 Cover image
June 2025
Issue #17311
Page 46
Kathryn Pedde

Feed 2, 3, 4, or 5 Saws with the JAX Gantry

Kathryn Pedde

For the first time, a modern machine used in many other industries has proven itself in a truss plant. In other industries where it works in hundreds of plants, the JAX gantry transports tires, crates, and cases of Jack Daniels whiskey. In a truss plant, JAX moves 1 to 13 sticks of lumber from...

#17311 Cover image
June 2025
Issue #17311
Page 60
Glenn Traylor

Is Plate Substitution the Most Common Error By Confused Truss Builders?

Glenn Traylor

Generally speaking, ANSI/TPI 1 makes common sense and is very logical. However, there are several items that can be a little confusing because they seem to defy logic. When we upgrade lumber per ANSI/TPI 1 Section 3.4.2, we know that lumber strength needs to be maintained in order to meet the...

#17310 Cover image
May 2025
Issue #17310
Page 39
Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

Component Saws Are Messy Eaters!

Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

When you’ve got five or six 20” to 32” blades chewing through lumber simultaneously at even just 18 pieces a minute, you’re not just making a lot of truss parts—you’re creating a full-blown localized dust storm. So what do you do when you’ve got to...

#17310 Cover image
May 2025
Issue #17310
Page 44
Ed Serrano

Optimizing Every Inch: Why Space Utilization Matters in Frame & Truss Manufacturing

Ed Serrano

Imagine a factory floor where every square foot contributes to efficiency and productivity. That’s the power of lean manufacturing: a philosophy centered on maximizing value and eliminating waste. In the fast-paced world of prefabricated frames and trusses, space optimization isn’t...

#17310 Cover image
May 2025
Issue #17310
Page 62
Valerie Hansen

Tariffs, Countervailing Duties, and More: Optimizing Production Requires Optimizing the Inputs to Production

Valerie Hansen

On/off tariffs, the pending hike in countervailing duties, and Section 232 National Security Investigation (which designates lumber as a “strategic good” on par with automobiles, steel, and aluminum) stalk the wood frame construction industry. Collectively and individually, these...

#17310 Cover image
May 2025
Issue #17310
Page 112
Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

Giant Kanban!

Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

Kanban systems are designed for “just in time” workflow to optimize production efficiency and inventory levels. The Enventek Lumber PickLine is essentially a “Giant Kanban System” designed to improve lumber handing and to efficiently cull lumber away from the saws. Did...

#17309 Cover image
April 2025
Issue #17309
Page 46
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