Too often, systems that claim to be “automated” still rely on people to direct the flow. That reliance on people rather than true automation means you’re still solving problems downstream that were created by things happening upstream. A picker is still compensating for a backup in the last crew. Your team is manually sorting parts to match a bundle. A supervisor is still playing chess with last week’s mistakes. And when people are left to solve yesterday’s problems, what you have isn’t automation. It’s just rearrangement. [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]
This isn’t a criticism of great equipment. Plenty of systems are fast, precise, and well built. But the question isn’t how fast they move. It’s whether they know why they’re moving at all. Ask yourself this: Is your investment still pushing parts through the plant -OR- is it pulling them based on final delivery and build schedule?
True automation doesn’t begin when the blade spins. It begins when the job is analyzed, sequenced, and logically prepared based on delivery phase and jobsite requirements. With software like CAMBIUM, smart production starts with:
- Analyzing every job by construction phase
- Reverse-engineering production from the delivery bundle back to raw material
- Optimizing and sequencing parts with live, logic-driven flow control
- Communicating across departments using cloud-based software instead of clipboards.
This is what “pull-based” production looks like. The system doesn’t just cut.
An automated system doesn’t ask, “What next?”, because it already knows what needs to be delivered, to whom, and in what order.
Let’s Talk Numbers, Not Guesswork
Real automation is measurable. When logic drives production instead of labor, the results speak for themselves. Consider a system that includes Hundegger’s TD-II saw, the WoodRanger, and a smart TACTical distribution layout. When you automate the logic and not just the motion, here’s what you get:
- 9 parts per minute
- 5.5 board feet per part
- 2,970 board feet per hour
- Over 23,000 board feet in a shift
- All with one operator.
That’s not because we trained a picker better. That’s because the system is pulling the job through, using intelligent sequencing and material logic.
Smart Doesn’t Mean Fancy—It Means Logical
Yes, robots placing sheets with millimeter precision sounds futuristic. And in some operations, it makes sense. But in truss and component manufacturing, success doesn’t come from bells and whistles, it comes from who owns the logic.
If your floor layout is optimized for walking, reaching, scanning, and sorting, you’re solving for labor. If your floor layout is optimized for pulling bundles from build schedule backwards, you’re solving for scale. Automation is a logic problem, not a layout problem. And logic doesn’t call in sick, take lunch breaks, or guess what bundle comes next.
The Real Question for 2025
As vendors flood inboxes with claims about optimization, efficiency, and modernization, you should pause and ask:
- Is this solution pulling the job through or is it just pushing it faster?
- Is this software making decisions or is it relying on someone who remembers what worked last week?
- Is this truly automated or just mechanized?
In 2025, the smartest investment isn’t in equipment that moves. It’s a system that thinks for itself.
From Virtual Bundle to Physical Reality
This is the core of smart off-site automation. With Hundegger’s logic-driven workflow, you don’t just build parts. You build the bundle.
Digitally pre-assemble the bundle:
- CAMBIUM evaluates jobsite needs and construction phases
- Parts are grouped by delivery logic and build order
- A digital twin of the bundle is created, including stacking plan and load-out sequence.
Optimize lumber selection and cutting order:
- Software selects the most efficient lumber from inventory
- Cuts are sequenced in the same order the bundle will be physically stacked.
Physically build the bundle in real time:
- The saw, buffer, and conveyors follow the digital twin
- Each part is cut, sorted, and stacked in order
- The final result is a site-ready, phase-correct package with no re-sorting required.
This is not just faster production. It is smarter production. Hundegger’s CAMBIUM software truly automates the process and allows you to create nicely optimized, organized, ready-to-ship bundles, completely cut AND stacked by the Hundegger’s TD-II saw.
When you’re ready to explore how automation not just equipment can transform your operations, we’ll be glad to show you what’s possible.