I’m excited to seize all of the opportunities in front of me with my new position here at Spida, so I’ve decided to start with a little introduction about how I got involved in this industry and what has led me to this great company.
How So Many of Us Got Our Start in Construction
Back in the summer of 1979, I was looking for a job to support myself and pay my way through college. A close friend of mine was working with a framing crew who needed additional help. I decided that framing would be a great job as I could get paid while working on my tan (eyes rolling). While speaking with the framing crew leader, he asked me about my future plans. I told him my goal was to achieve a bachelor’s degree in business but, to accomplish that, I had to work to pay for college. I thought framing would be a great summer job until I could find something better. He warned me that if I started in the construction business, I would be stuck in it for life. I was thinking to myself I would only be in this for three months! Little did I know where it would lead, and I ended up loving it. I learned quite a bit about framing, cutting roof rafters, and ceiling joists over the next 3 years – finally a reason to use trigonometry! We also worked with I-joists and wood trusses, both floor and roof. It was a great learning experience for me.
In 1983, I married and went to work for a lumber yard/truss plant in south Ft Worth, TX, all while attending the University of Texas at Arlington. Dick Nesbitt (RIP) was the plant manager at the time and became my mentor to all things trusses, including truss design and the manufacturing process. I had no idea about “floor truss” machines and “roof truss gantries” when I started work there. I was especially intrigued by the component saws. Dick showed me how the sawyer would set angles and lengths by turning a crank! Automation by elbow grease – now those were the days!
Soon after I started working there, I was busy completing some truss designs in the office, when this short, eccentric, obnoxious, turquoise-covered, straw hat-wearing, cowboy wannabe came storming into our office. His name was Ronnie Wright. Ronnie was as loud as a freight train, and I think he lived in one too. He manufactured various truss machinery including truss conveyors, roller presses, and steel tables. Ronnie and I later became friends. He was a wealth of knowledge, and he shared a lot of his expertise on truss equipment with me. Undoubtedly, many readers are now thinking about their own mentors and friendships formed throughout their careers too!
From Then to Now at Spida
So began my life journey in the world of trusses. Now some 43 years, two plate suppliers, and four truss manufacturers later, I find myself still enjoying this business as much as I ever have and working for a great machinery company, Spida Machinery USA. Spida Machinery hails from New Zealand. I met Bevan Lines, Spida Machinery COO, several years ago, when Spida first came to the US to push the CSS saw (today’s Automated Apollo Saw). I worked for Truswal Systems at the time, which partnered with Spida Machinery that first year. An Alpine sales rep, Don McVogue, once told me that the key to success in any business was innovation. Well, Bevan and Spida brought some jaw-dropping innovation to the US that year with the introduction of the CSS. Once we sold one and took videos of the saw in action, it was smooth selling from then on. We sold 15 CSS saws in that first year. Some truss manufacturers loved the CSS so much they bought two! Almost all are still running 20 years later.
Mechanically, they are the best saws on the market – you won’t find many used Apollo Saws for sale. They complement any truss manufacturing operation regardless of size and can easily cut floor truss webs too! They are workhorses to be sure. Many of our customers love the CSS/Vector/Apollo Saws so much, they don’t replace the saws, they upgrade them. The computers that drive these saws eventually become obsolete and must be replaced, but Spida offers great upgrade pricing on Apollo Saws. The typical upgrades take only a day to install and can include new computer systems, servo motors, belts, benchtops, and all new wiring outside the saw motor.
The Automated Apollo can easily produce up to 3,000 board feet per day. Average days are around 2,400–2,500 board feet. The key is feeding the beast, and by that I mean, keeping full bunks of lumber close to the saw. If a sawyer is searching for or leaving the saw to find material, the saw is not producing. You can say that’s true for any saw.
As important as board footage production is, so too is waste utilization. I’ve seen Apollo sawyers keep a cart full of component drop-offs close by. They pull from the drop-off cart quite often and incorporate the once-wasted material into the cutting process. The Apollo Saw can use XML and comma-delimited files from all major plate supplier design software. The sawyer can pull batch jobs directly from the company network and start cutting immediately and can also enter the board metrics directly into the easy-to-use Apollo UI for recuts or special pieces.
The Apollo is very easy to train on, with sawyers learning quickly and finding the saw very easy to use. There are several modes to the cutting process that include flipping the board, so the saw stays in the same quadrant. Every sawyer has a different preference on how to flip boards and the Apollo handles all of them. The automated stop correctly sets the required board length every time, whether the cut has a centerline cut or an asymmetrical PAE, i.e., sliders and scissor bottom chords.
I have yet to see a sawyer who wasn’t like a kid in a candy shop watching as we install new Automated Apollo saws or install Apollo upgrades. Every one of them loves the saw and understands its potential and diverse cutting abilities. They become invested in the Apollo and take ownership of the saw like it’s their own. Chances are that if you don’t own an Automated Apollo Saw, one of your competitors does.
So yes, it’s true, I’m excited by the great products we have to offer at Spida, and I’m glad I’ve joined this top-notch company. When you’re ready to talk more about the Apollo, and anything else we’ve got, just give us a call for more details and availability!