A Three Phase History of Inkjet Printers in the Building Components Industry Coby Gifford Those of us in the building materials and components industry have probably all seen inkjet printers mounted to our cutting equipment for labeling, framing layout, and other forms of marking. Let’s face it, nobody wants to get a package of cut pieces for framing a truss or a wall and have... Read More January 2021 Issue #13258 Page 58
New Year, New Stiles Solutions Chris Scott Happy New Year! We hope that 2021 sees you and your loved ones safe and happy, and your business increasing in output while maintaining your quality. We’re starting off this new year by continuing our conversation around Stiles’ partnerships and how you benefit from them. A close... Read More January 2021 Issue #13258 Page 69
How Can Equipment Choice Affect Long Term Success? Sean Hubbard Today’s equipment is ever evolving. Innovation has indeed added more complexity than ever for the building components industry. Capital expenditures should be planned and calculating rather than intimidating and emotional. There are several key steps entrepreneurs and businesses should... Read More December 2020 Issue #12257 Page 17
No Regrets! Ed Serrano Regret – a negative cognitive or emotional state that involves blaming ourselves for a bad outcome, feeling a sense of loss or sorrow at what might have been, or wishing we had made a different decision in the past. Regret originates in a comparison between outcomes of a chosen option and... Read More November 2020 Issue #12256 Page 63
Stiles Machinery Is Ready to Be a Part of Your Team Chris Scott College football paired with cooling weather makes Fall my favorite season. This year, the changing season is a little sweeter than most, given that 2020 has seen more adversity than any recent year – and change is exactly what we all need right now. Hopefully, the coming months will lead... Read More November 2020 Issue #12256 Page 73
Process Organization Technology for Existing Component Plants Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Every component manufacturer has actively implemented lean and best practices customized and optimized to their existing personnel, plant machinery, plant layout, yard layout, and plate supplier’s software. Most component manufacturers are operating as efficiently as possible within their... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 78
Spida PieceMaker Linear Saw — A Piece-Full Alternative Cullen Ellis I recently had the pleasure of helping our engineering installation crew install and commission the first Spida PieceMaker Linear Saw in North America. While more than 24 saws in the last 24 months have been sold and installed in Australia and New Zealand, this is the first saw to make its way... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 16
Call It What You Want! Ed Serrano Retrieval system, lumber feeder, lumber pack feeder – the name doesn’t really matter. So, what does matter? The speed matters, the size matters, and the options matter! Vekta’s PackFeeder /retrieval system/ lumber feeder is fast enough to feed two linear saws! ... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 60
TrueBuild® Batch – Maximizing Your Equipment Investment Tracy Roe Does this sound familiar? A truss fabricator makes the decision to invest in their business to increase capacity. They buy the latest and greatest automated saw, automated jigging system, or even a projection system. The new machinery is guaranteed to increase throughput versus what they are... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 58
Making Software ‘Simple’ Ed Serrano Price, speed, accuracy, footprint, service, and support. Those are the most common features considered when it comes to purchasing a linear saw. And, yes, they are important, but a linear saw is nothing but powder-coated steel and a blade until it’s told what to do. That’s why what... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 62