Wall Panel Technology, Part IV: Software Evolution Joe Kannapell, PE The creation of wall panel software is like the creation of all software – experienced insiders do it best. That was true with Gang-Nail’s AutoPan in the 1970s, which Joe Cotton developed while building wall panels for his homebuilding business. It was also the case with Ted... Read More July 2024 Issue #16300 Page 10
Increase Your Market Share By Adding Floor Truss Manufacturing Wendy Boyd If you’re in the business of roof truss manufacturing and you’re looking at ways to increase your market share, it’s time to consider adding floor truss manufacturing to your operation. Recent research shows that the global floor truss market is anticipated to rise at a... Read More July 2024 Issue #16300 Page 17
Time to Make Time for a Feed The Beast Plant Tour! Edmond Lim, P.Eng. We’ve reached July and BCMC in Milwaukee, WI is only three months away. Whether you’re planning on traveling to Milwaukee or not, I highly recommend that you take the time to make time to attend our upcoming Feed the Beast truss plant tour! [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full... Read More July 2024 Issue #16300 Page 42
Obtaining Financing is Crucial to Maintaining Growth Carl Villella Credit has been tightening in our industry over the past year, making it challenging to obtain financing for new or used equipment. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March of 2023, followed by the failure of First Republic Bank in May, caused a seismic shift in our... Read More July 2024 Issue #16300 Page 55
Design, Innovation, and Software Combine for Perfectly Sheathed Walls Wendy Boyd We take pride in actively working with industry and our customers to ensure the machinery and equipment we manufacture is fit for purpose, effective, and continuously improving. One such example of this is in wall sheathing. While machinery for sheathing wall panels has been around for a number... Read More June 2024 Issue #16299 Page 17
Automation Elements That Can Benefit Any Size Truss Plant Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Do you think your plant is too small to be able to capture additional efficiencies? Or, maybe you’re satisfied with the growth your plant has experienced and you think you’ve attained an effective production system. Whether your plant is small, large, or somewhere in between, you can... Read More June 2024 Issue #16299 Page 42
The Interest Rate Watch Carl Villella If you are considering financing equipment at this juncture, you may be concerned about where interest rates are headed. You may be wondering if perhaps it might be better to wait until rates drop before you take that step to finance. Darrell R. Spence, an economist with 31 years of... Read More June 2024 Issue #16299 Page 53
Wall Panel Technology, Part II: Panel Equipment Proliferates Joe Kannapell, PE The demand for wall panel equipment after World War II was unprecedented, even to this day. Industrialization was in the air, and factory-built wall panels became the gateway, even before roof trusses. Most of the action was in the affordable housing sector, driven by the mobile home, modular,... Read More May 2024 Issue #16298 Page 10
How the Spida Wall Panel Line Capitalizes on Efficiency Cullen Ellis As all prefabricated wall panel manufacturers know, you are always trying to predict the amount of wall panels required for your business daily. You need to know what their true cost is and when they will be delivered to your customer, and all of this needs to happen efficiently and on time.... Read More May 2024 Issue #16298 Page 17
How Do You Determine Fabrication Tolerances During Design? Glenn Traylor How does a component manufacturer determine what fabrication tolerances should be used during truss design? To answer that question, we first need to clarify what is meant by “fabrication tolerance.” Per ANSI/TPI 1–2014, the guidance is 3.3.2 Fabrication Tolerance. All... Read More May 2024 Issue #16298 Page 35