No two operations are the same. Software flexibility in managing your plant isn’t a luxury, it is a necessity. You need to manage everything from customers to deliveries, and you need to do it efficiently. And, you should be able to determine exactly how you want things done in a software...

The building construction industry faces several challenges created by traditional building methods. One of the bigger challenges is that each trade is largely siloed from the other trades on a project, which can lead to schedule conflicts and communication gaps. MiTek sees the Design, Make,...

“Make more eye contact,” Dick Marriott once told me after a sales call. Since then, I’ve been practicing the art. But, after Covid, people often avert their eyes when I encounter them. And their eyes are all I can see over their masks. Do they believe the virus can be...

In his article on page 39, Glenn Traylor uses an excellent Trumanesque phrase while addressing people in leadership positions — “In the truss business, the ‘puck’ stops with you.”  Of course, we all know that the phrase, “the buck stops here,” is...

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I am sure you have heard that statement before, and I am sure you, like 4Ward, have pivoted/changed a program/created a new product/etc. and then seen a competitor imitate it. It might bother you, but most of the time, they just do not have the...

At Eagle Metal, our TrueBuild® software gives you many advantages in efficiency, including for the critical, yet sometimes overlooked, process of scheduling. Our Job Management software gives fabricators the options they need to make scheduling as simple or as complex as they want it to be....

Alpine’s latest eShop Plant Management Software simplifies the user experience for shop employees and managers alike, while collecting robust production data to maximize operational decision-making. Plant Managers face difficult tradeoffs. On the one hand, they are responsible for...

In the spirit of working collaboratively to ensure project success, MiTek is championing the Design, Make, Build (DMB) approach to construction. This approach creates value-added relationships through the entire supply chain by encouraging integrated project delivery, wholistic design approach,...

The urge to follow our habits is natural for everyone, but sometimes it’s important to think about what exactly those habits are and if they really are something that we need/should do. For example, given the context of recent events, I am wondering how far beyond Oklahoma this car-washing...

Theory of Constraints (TOC) is not often clearly understood, and it can be confused with Just in Time (JIT). Below is a simplified explanation with some examples about TOC that many should be able to relate to their operations. TOC is an offshoot of lean manufacturing principles. Every...