We once again are at the end of summer, patiently waiting for the high temps to subside, the leaves to start changing, and Fall to officially begin. With the arrival of Fall, we get a new school year, football, Halloween, and so much more. One of the Fall events I have always looked forward to...

Why did most of today’s saw technology come from small shops and not from large machinery companies? And how could just a handful of not well-known people, working in remote locations, make such a difference? Until recent years, they didn’t make much money. Most sold their businesses...

Entering the new Millennium, the linear fed saw needed to be reborn. Though CMs had boosted productivity with bolted-on improvements to their Metra-Cut type saws, they still couldn’t keep up with automated component saws. Yet they remained an essential part of the saw shop, even though...

Every year, I assist with, on average, 20 plant upgrades. Although each one is unique, they have certain things in common. Most importantly, these component manufacturers have agreed that they want to capture greater efficiencies and maximize their production with customized and optimized best...

Before the Cyber Saw was introduced, I saw its PLC “brain” control the machines on a GM assembly line. From the conference room at General Electric’s PLC factory, I was able to watch a live display of the automation systems it powered. While most were “Greek” to me,...

As the lumber commodity remains exponentially higher than the previous 5 years, we all question the sanity behind the market. We also ask ourselves: how can we remain competitive within our own markets? Lumber optimization begins at the forestry level, managing the plantations for 40 years or...

As prefab manufacturing continues to have a spotlight thrust upon it, new factories are popping up nationwide. If you have ever been a part of a new factory startup, you probably have the scars to prove it – mentally, emotionally, and physically. Every new factory startup is a lot of work...

An automation battle was brewing in the late 1980s, but the first skirmish wasn’t over machinery. It was over software. Software that would minimize more than just the manual labor, but also the “thinking” done by machine operators. The time finally arrived when, after decades...

Spida Machinery is a Global business, drawing on all our production centers for the best of ideas, production diversity, research, development, and supply. While Frame, Truss, Wall builders, and Component Suppliers in different countries are navigating their own patch of turf for future...

If you Google images of “automated production lines,” the results are filled with pictures of robot arms and conveyor lines. What you won’t see – people. Why? Because in automated production lines, humans tend to touch the work in progress as little as possible. Why?...