Joe Kannapell

Floor Truss Technology, Part VIII: Inside Floor Truss Details

Joe Kannapell

Builders have been testing the viability of floor trusses, and they are now considering the results. Many of them switched from I-joists only because they were forced to do so. Either they couldn’t get them, or they didn’t want to pay double the price. Yet today, as they are seeing...

#16294 Cover image
January 2024
Issue #16294
Page 10
Mark Mitchell

8 Reasons Building Materials Companies Need to Pay Attention to Offsite Construction

Mark Mitchell

Is offsite construction just a fad or is it going to become the new normal for the construction industry? Is it an untapped market for manufacturers and suppliers? If your business is selling building materials, does it even matter whether you sell to offsite facilities or companies that...

#14277 Cover image
August 2022
Issue #14277
Page 82
Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

Debunking the “Automation Takes Too Much Space” Myth

Edmond Lim, P.Eng.

Can you spot the Lumber PickLine in the satellite image? Contrary to the myth that it will “take up too much space,” a lumber PickLine can actually save space by utilizing existing truck lanes and by following existing forklift flow. For example, this outside PickLine has ample 35 ft...

#14274 Cover image
May 2022
Issue #14274
Page 54
Thom McAnally

Building Transformative Supply Chain Management Relationships

I am, or was, an off-site construction manufacturing turnaround guy. I believe in Lean and 6-Sigma in concept, but I also know that implementing them within a company is hard. Not allowing people to slip back into their old ways is even harder. Many programs go by the wayside once management...

#14273 Cover image
April 2022
Issue #14273
Page 78
Greg Watson

Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

Greg Watson

The term “MMC” may be heard more and more regularly these days, but what does it mean? Simply described, modern methods of construction centers around off-site construction practices, some of which may be innovative, allowing for mass production in a factory setting. As a...

#14273 Cover image
April 2022
Issue #14273
Page 107
Joe Kannapell

Sixty Years of Machines, Part XXVII: Optimization Redefined

Joe Kannapell

A new truss plant owner faced a daunting challenge: local home builders wouldn’t use trusses and apartment builders were driving tough bargains. The owner’s partner, Charlie Barns, 250 miles north in Dallas, couldn’t have understood since he was cranking out hundreds of trusses...

#14271 Cover image
February 2022
Issue #14271
Page 10
Sean Hubbard

The Benefit of Spida’s Lumber Optimization

Sean Hubbard

As the lumber commodity remains exponentially higher than the previous 5 years, we all question the sanity behind the market. We also ask ourselves: how can we remain competitive within our own markets? Lumber optimization begins at the forestry level, managing the plantations for 40 years or...

#13264 Cover image
July 2021
Issue #13264
Page 19
Katie Kormann

Set Up for Success: The Build Phase of Design, Make, Build

Katie Kormann

In the Design, Make, Build (DMB) approach to construction, we’ve focused on the importance of collaboration. By bringing together the component manufacturers (CMs) and trades with the designers and architects early in the Design phase, they can provide feedback on what is possible around...

#13264 Cover image
July 2021
Issue #13264
Page 60
Ed Serrano

Automating Production with a Direct Delivery System

Ed Serrano

If you Google images of “automated production lines,” the results are filled with pictures of robot arms and conveyor lines. What you won’t see – people. Why? Because in automated production lines, humans tend to touch the work in progress as little as possible. Why?...

#13263 Cover image
June 2021
Issue #13263
Page 58
Marc James

Championing the Design, Make, Build Approach to Construction: Improved Quality, Productivity and Safety in Using Off-Site Manufacturing

Marc James

The building construction industry faces several challenges created by traditional building methods. One of the bigger challenges is that each trade is largely siloed from the other trades on a project, which can lead to schedule conflicts and communication gaps. MiTek sees the Design, Make,...

#13262 Cover image
May 2021
Issue #13262
Page 63
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