Last fall, Panels Plus moved to a different location with more space, and I’m pleased to report that our staff was able to pull off this move with no interruption in business. Our customers continued to place orders at a record pace and our suppliers were able to send us the parts we needed in time to deliver our equipment on schedule. Since then, our operation has become more efficient due to the new building layout. We have been shrinking our backlog despite a 26% increase in incoming orders over this time last year. With our increased productivity, we can now deliver most equipment in four months.
As I look forward to the second half of the year, I have some concerns about our industry. Four of the five key indicators I watch are not favorable. I have read several articles regarding reduced business for builders and suppliers, and I hope this is not the case. It seems that the emphasis has moved from how many feet of walls and floors can be done in a week to what is the most cost-effective way to operate until the threat of recession has passed. Panels Plus can provide valuable information to help you set up the most efficient operation, ultimately helping to lower costs for your company.
Our team recently received valuable information from the field testing of our Automated Sheathing Station. The testing led to some software changes that will make the Automated Sheathing Station more flexible to accommodate the needs of each builder. These changes have been made to the Panels Plus software, and MiTek is in the process of developing an update to their ShopNET software as well, which is required to enable these features. The MiTek Production software package is required to take full advantage of the Automated Sheathing Station’s full capabilities. With this software change, we will soon be launching this product on the market.
To continue to grow our product offerings, Panels Plus has added a 90° Hydraulic Tilt Table in addition to our 75° table we already offer. The 90° Tilt Table allows walls to be rolled out vertically into rollouts where the walls can be picked and placed into vertical racks or further worked on in a vertical position.
We are still growing and plan to add another Regional Sales Manager to our team soon. We are looking for someone with experience in the building industry. It would be even better if they had experience building walls and floors with Panels Plus equipment. If you know someone that has these qualifications, gets along well with people, works hard, and likes to help people grow their business, please have them reach out to us at sales@panplus.com.