An Extreme Plant Makeover in Pictures Edmond Lim, P.Eng. “Are you crazy? We are not going to move our saw! We cannot afford to shut down for weeks to turn things upside down.” Those are words I’ve heard more than once, but it turns out I am not crazy. Saws can be moved and the process improvement can be accomplished in days and not... Read More May 2024 Issue #16298 Page 46
Using AI to Find the Sweet Spot for Automation and Optimization Valerie Hansen Today, as an industry, we build faster, cut faster, design faster – thanks to technology and the automation it enables. The offsite construction industry is built on smarter design, more efficient fabrication. Whether in the office or on your plant floor, automation is very much a part of... Read More May 2024 Issue #16298 Page 69
Enhancing Truss Build Efficiency Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Enhancing truss builder efficiency will increase productivity and result in more truss production at lower cost. The most cost-effective way of enhancing truss builder efficiency is to put TVs up over each truss jig as a visual truss assembly aid. Enventek PlantOne TV/Projection is compatible... Read More April 2024 Issue #16297 Page 44
Batch Cutting vs. Cut By Truss Edmond Lim, P.Eng. What weighs more, a pound of muscle or a pound of fat? In truss jargon, the question would be: What produces more trusses, 200 pieces of batch cutting or 200 pieces of cut-by-truss cutting? The answer, of course, is that both cutting methods produce the same number of trusses. So what’s... Read More March 2024 Issue #16296 Page 44
Accommodating Your Catch-as-Catch-Can Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Catching and stacking lumber can make or break productivity at the truss build tables. In an imaginary world where money is irrelevant, a linear saw in front of each automated truss jig would be ideal, cutting pieces in order from, let’s say, 60 ft finger-joined lumber, and robots grabbing... Read More February 2024 Issue #16295 Page 42
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... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 10
Inspiration to Feed The Beast! in 2024 Edmond Lim, P.Eng. As we all plan for a productive and profitable 2024, I would like to celebrate three 2023 Feed The Beast success stories: a multi-million-dollar plant expansion, a complete saw shop makeover, and a plant renovation. All three of these projects implemented some or all of Enventek’s... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 42
Navigating Productivity Improvement Programs: The Vital Role of a Change Agent In manufacturing, continuous process improvement is critical to maintaining profits and quality. Transforming and enhancing operations, however, demands more than good intentions; it requires a dedicated change agent focused on ensuring the program is implemented and ingrained into ongoing plant... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 72
One Size Can Fit All Edmond Lim, P.Eng. 2023 was quite a year for Feeding the Beast of all sizes. That is a testament to the simplicity, utility, and robustness of our Process Organization Technology. The RetroC as a standalone auto-feeding component saw can anchor truss plants of all sizes from a single truss jig to over 10 jigs. A... Read More December 2023 Issue #15293 Page 38
A Lumber PickLine Buys Time Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Another BCMC is a wrap and it is clear that pent-up demand remains in the component industry for new automated saws. Longer than one-year machinery lead times are still with us, so what can be done in the meantime to mitigate the long lead times? Take a look at your existing automated saws and... Read More November 2023 Issue #15292 Page 40