The Last Word: The Last 50 Years in the Truss Business Joe Kannapell Comparing 2017 to 1967 doesn’t explain much about our last 50 years. These bookends of our industry’s experience show GDP growth, unemployment, and inflation at nearly identically low levels. Then, seeing today’s housing starts 7% lower than yesteryear’s might portray a... Read More October 2018 Issue #10231 Page 119
Advertiser Forum: Looking for the Joy in Waiting Anna Stamm Anticipation. Sometimes it generates excitement. Other times it enhances frustration. Is there a way to emphasize the “good” part of waiting and diminish the less desirable aspects? Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 6
Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design, Part II Joe Kannapell Part II: Leaps Forward in Computerization None of us would forget the strange sounds that signaled a new era in truss design: the pounding of the keypunch, the whirring of the card reader, and the ratcheting of the line printer that emanated from the 10x10 room in front of our drafting... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 8
Wall Panel Sheathing Stations Sean Hubbard September is here, so it’s time to wrap up our comparisons of wall panel equipment. Again I would like to thank all of the manufacturers who have taken the time to review the draft charts I’ve compiled and supply additional information and clarification. Their input across these... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 18
Banner Sales Year Should Help the CM Division Make Mid-Teens or More for EBITDA Todd Drummond New building sales across the US are way up, which shows in the long lead times of the wood truss and wall panel manufacturing companies for new orders. However, too many of these manufacturers are not showing healthy profits despite the long lead times. Lead times greater than four weeks are a... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 23
Does Your Lumber Have a Shelf Life? Glenn Traylor Just like some foods, lumber kept in the right environment will store for an indefinite length of time. But just like food, lumber kept in sub-par conditions will have a shortened storage period. If you’re not storing your lumber properly, you may have to question whether it can/should... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 32
Constructing a Roadmap to Operational Excellence Ben Hershey Part 1: Beginning a Journey of 7 Steps We all aspire to have a state of operational excellence in our organizations, but it is often much easier said than done. Although it’s often conceptualized as merely tweaking the current way of doing things, operational excellence is about... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 36
AIBD Welcomes New President, Fellows, and Recognizes Excellence Steve Mickley The American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) inducted Anchorage businesswoman, Karen Kassik-Michelsohn, FAIBD, of Michelsohn & Daughter, into the office of President at its Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Karen is a certified member of the organization and for over 30 years has... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 42
Solutions for Safer and More Efficient Truss and Frame Stacking Ed Serrano The increased acceleration of city infill and the popularity of apartments is creating the opportunity for frame and truss manufacturing to expand into mid-rise construction, an important growth area for the industry. However, with expansion comes a greater emphasis on quality manufacturing,... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 46
Increase Your Post Frame Sales Mike Momb Nearly every U.S. and Canadian metal plate connected wood truss manufacturer has one or more clients who either construct pole barns or sell kit packages. Not much excitement though in dealing with typical orders of usually anywhere from 4 to 10 trusses per building. Money can certainly be... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 56