I’m sure we have all been guilty of being bowled over by the latest new and improved gadget, whether in our personal lives or in our company. A new coffee maker promises the best cup you’ve ever had, a new set of golf clubs promises to immediately shave strokes off your game, and the new truss press or linear saw promises to make your plant more productive and improve your bottom line. To a greater or lesser extent, all these things may be true, but a key component for each gadget needs to be acknowledged.
The fancy coffee machine that will make you barista-quality espressos needs quality input – in this case good-quality coffee beans and pure water – to deliver great coffee to your cup. The new golf club may help a little on its own but will be more effective if you pair it with some practice on the driving range, or better yet get some professional instruction from a qualified instructor. And your wonderful new linear saw, automated jigging table, or laser projection system will not deliver optimum results without an efficient material flow to and from, proper operator training, and – at least in my mind most importantly – skilled designers to feed your production facility.
Equipment suppliers and production managers will rightfully talk about the importance of well-organized material flow to and from each manufacturing station. Time, and money of course, are saved by getting lumber to your saw as quickly and efficiently as possible. Getting accurately cut parts to your table in an organized fashion, without interruption to your assembly process, should also help production throughput. But how much thought have you given to the “equipment” that drives all this production. A 120’ assembly table with automated jigging and laser projection will probably be a significant seven-figure investment. The latest linear saw is likely to be mid six-figures. Don’t get me wrong, I think that modern equipment is an important key to building trusses efficiently and profitably, but if you neglect the front end of your operation, you do so at your peril.
More than once I’ve seen component plant owners happily discuss the wisdom of their multi-million-dollar investments in equipment, but express outrage when the design manager asks for four-year-old PCs being used in the design office to be replaced at a cost of less than $3,000 per workstation. In the dozens of component design offices I’ve visited over the years, it’s almost become comical to see the old, worn-out chairs and desks that designers are expected to work on 40+ hours per week. Aside from the productivity gains to be had from up-to-date computers, big bright monitors, and comfortable ergonomic workstations, what message does the design department receive when they are expected to work with outdated gear?
Aside from having decent equipment to work with, are you doing what you can to ensure that your technical department is well trained and current on both your design software and building code training? Your connector plate/design software provider offers virtual and in-class training, and the training can be conducted via zoom meetings or they may be willing to come to your location to provide training. Are you taking advantage of those opportunities to keep your people up to date and feeling like you are investing in them? Put another way, it’s easy to understand that your physical equipment – your saws, forklifts, truss press, trucks, etc. – need preventative maintenance to keep them operating properly and to prevent costly breakdowns, so how about your other essential asset – people. Ongoing investment in your staff will keep them working productively and make them less likely to seek greener pastures elsewhere.