Why are equipment sales booming when near-term housing starts are projected to be flat?  Possible reasons are: CMs know better and expect good growth and need more capacity. Some markets will grow well and others will contract. CMs buying equipment expect to do better on the same...

Not quite 20 years ago I interviewed for a position of managing a metal plate connected wood truss manufacturing plant for Anderson Lumber, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. For several years Anderson had been losing money from their truss operation and higher ups were searching for someone who...

What is the difference between companies which are stuck in the status quo and those which are transforming themselves into the leader in their industry? One significant difference is their focus on Continuous Improvement. By focusing on making things better—People, Projects, and...

We’re now at the point where everyone is on board with the idea of change. Management and staff have indicated a willingness to take steps to improve. So how do we proceed? What processes learned from Lean Manufacturing can we use to make progress? As discussed last month in the 5th...

Over the years, our industry has seen a lot of innovation in how we handle materials, how we manufacture, and how we take a house from an idea to a component using the computer. But, over the past few years, we have seen an acceleration in big ideas, disruption, and what we can do using...

To expedite the adoption of pre-built wall panels, shop labor must be significantly lower than site labor. That means replacing hand-nailing, measuring, cutting, and manhandling with practices that have been proven in truss fabrication. In addition, major builders and reluctant framers demand...

When this quote by John Ruskin appeared on a recent LinkedIn post, it led me to think about the best approach for a business considering changing suppliers.  It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s also unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money,...

The pace of today’s business requires agility and the ability to change. But beware, “change” can be difficult on you, your staff, and your company. Sometimes change is accomplished with small steps, other times you might have to destruct the very structures that have taken...

The pace of today’s business requires agility and change to maintain success. That is the reality of our situation. But be warned: “change” is difficult. Sometimes it requires tinkering, other times it means tearing down the very structures that have taken you to the point of...

How can we measure and improve employee productivity? It’s a common question now, one that I am often asked within the Component and LBM industry, but that wasn’t always the case. We’ve come a long way and learned a lot! Back in 1911, mechanical engineer Frederick W. Taylor,...