How Wood Trusses Supported the War Effort and Helped Expand the Components Industry Joe Kannapell, PE For most of the 20th century, engineers did not study nor would they normally specify wood trusses. Wood was thought to be suitable only for houses and barns, so steel was the material of choice – except when there wasn’t enough steel. That was the situation the Army Corps of... Read More February 2025
What Can We Learn from the Demise of House of Design? Joe Kannapell, PE House of Design, which ignited the component industry enthusiasm for robotics, has tragically gone out of business, but not all is lost. We have learned that robots can pick plates very effectively among other benefits, but we also learned that fact 15 years ago from Jim Urmson’s TCT... Read More September 2024
The Little Machine That Could… Joe Kannapell, PE An ingenious machine that is used in nearly every truss plant has been reborn 40 years after its introduction. It could fit in the back of a pickup truck, it sold for less than $5000, and it made an immediate impact. Yet, few would know the inventor, Donald Bowser, and know that his technology... Read More June 2024
Two Tales: Survival or Not in the Component Business Joe Kannapell, PE One gentleman owned the best plant in a fast-growing town. The other worked for the best supplier in a fast-growing role. Both had what seemed to be unassailable credentials and both adapted well to changing market conditions. But only one would survive. Their tales tell a lot about survival in... Read More March 2024