The Last Word: Removing the Achilles Heel of Jigging Joe Kannapell Until recently, vertical members have been the bane of all jigging systems, whether they occur on the perimeter or the interior of trusses. And they are found more than ever on apartment and residential designs. Handling these members without human intervention has been the Achilles heel of... Read More March 2024 Issue #16296 Page 146
Big Changes are Coming to Our Industry Todd Drummond The winter months are normally the time to make changes to your processes within your area of influence. Depending on how your company is structured for decision-making, your influence and actions to stay competitive in the face of ever-increasing challenges will determine the long-term... Read More February 2024 Issue #16295 Page 24
WTS and HoD Team Up to Bring Innovation to the Industry Joe Halteman Wood Tech Systems (WTS) has traveled thousands of miles and spent several years researching robotics while trying to find the best fit for the North American wood component industry. There have been many challenges in our industry when it comes to integrating robotics, but the biggest one in my... Read More December 2023 Issue #15293 Page 50
The Last Word: Can Crooked Lumber Defeat Robotics? Joe Kannapell A robot visited the BCMC Show floor again this year, and, for the first time, really showed its stuff, picking truss plates like there was no tomorrow. And its dynamic demo couldn’t be missed, as House of Design (HoD) positioned their Nail Plate Picking Cell right at the exhibit’s... Read More October 2023 Issue #15291 Page 134
Unleashing the Potential: Robotics in the Building Industry and Manufacturing Ben Hershey & Mike Ruede, Jr. This year, you can start your BCMC experience with an exciting panel discussion led by 4Ward Solutions Group that features four of today’s most significant robotics manufacturers: House of Design, Trussmatic, Brave Control Systems, and Randek. The panel discussion will take place Tuesday,... Read More September 2023 Issue #15290 Page 40
The Last Word: The Last Word on Seventy Years of Service Joe Kannapell As we celebrate SBCA/WTCA’s forty years, let’s also recognize the entrepreneurs behind them, especially these twelve who made outstanding contributions. While each of them added something unique, their work was interrelated, and formed the foundation for today’s truss industry.... Read More September 2023 Issue #15290 Page 139
The Last Word: Two Titans: Denig and Toombs Joe Kannapell With the recent passing of Tom Denig, which was not long after Gene Toombs’, we should take a moment to reflect on their stunning success, gained while working separately and together. They both took over highly technical companies in the early 1990s, Denig at Trus Joist and Toombs at... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 136
The Last Word: The Rise of the Floor Truss Joe Kannapell Among the first advocates for floor trusses were two men who would later create an acclaimed component plant. Dwight Hikel and Chris Ditzel made early inroads at Fort McHenry Lumber, such that Ditzel declared in 1972, “I think we will be eventually doing 2-1/2 times the volume in floor... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 132
6 Reasons to Talk to Spida Machinery Wendy Boyd Spida Machinery specializes in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of various types of machinery for frame, truss, and component businesses throughout the world. With three remarkable, dedicated, and machinery-focused manufacturing sites across the globe, we bring together the best of... Read More June 2023 Issue #15287 Page 17
The Last Word: The Component Industry Comes of Age Joe Kannapell It’s worth recounting the 25 productive years that culminated in the establishment of WTCA/SBCA. Thanks to the leadership of some outstanding men, and their early embrace of technology, the component industry came together to claim its rightful place in the building industry, but it... Read More June 2023 Issue #15287 Page 128