Using the DMAIC Lean Method to Accomplish Improvement and Take the First Steps to New Goals Keith Parker We’re now at the point where everyone is on board with the idea of change. Management and staff have indicated a willingness to take steps to improve. So how do we proceed? What processes learned from Lean Manufacturing can we use to make progress? As discussed last month in the 5th... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 80
Standards of Performance – for Smarties Writing Standards of Performance (SOP) isn’t like writing a job description, but a job description should be used for guidance. SOP is a performance measurement document that identifies the employee’s expected level of performance. When you have a realistic SOP, your employee and... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 91
Holdown Anchorage Solutions Paul McEntee A couple years ago, I did a post on selecting holdown anchorage solutions. At the time, we had created a couple engineering letters that tabulated SSTB, SB and PAB anchor solutions for each holdown to simplify specifying anchor bolts. About a year later, a salesperson suggested we tabulate SSTB,... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 94
The Last Word: Total U.S. Housing Starts Joe Kannapell, PE This isn’t the last word on housing, but only my perspective after nearly 50 years of observation. If I could have chosen any time to have started in this business, I would choose the last five years. It certainly wouldn’t have been in the turbulent 1970s (when I started) or the... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 103
Advertiser Forum: The Risks and Rewards of an Open Forum Anna Stamm When I wrote my first Advertiser Forum column, for the December 2015 issue, I concluded with the following statement, which is as true today as it was then: So we can’t promise that you’ll agree with everything you read here. We can’t promise that everyone will read... Read More February 2018 Issue #10223 Page 4
IBS / NAHB 2018 Joe Kannapell, PE Knowing that our future depends on builders is reason enough to attend their best exhibition, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders Show (IBS). Understanding the technology that they adopt, the changes impacting them, and the shape of their new products helps us... Read More February 2018 Issue #10223 Page 6
Floor Truss Chord Splicers & Floor Truss Finish Roller Presses Sean Hubbard When I decided to conduct this 12-month series of product comparisons last fall, I knew it would be a year-long commitment of my time and effort. Then and now, however, I also was convinced that it would provide useful information in a format that allows for direct comparisons on specific... Read More February 2018 Issue #10223 Page 12
Protect Yourself by Understanding Design Responsibilities Shawn Overholtzer ANSI/TPI 1 is the National Design Standard that establishes the minimum requirements for the design and construction of metal-plate-connected wood trusses. Chapter 2 defines the design responsibilities. As a truss technician or a component manufacturer, you are not responsible for specifying the... Read More February 2018 Issue #10223 Page 16
Three Key Obstacles to Overcome to Improve Your Operations Todd Drummond Every consultation is different, yet some things remain the same. People are creatures of habit, and some of the issues that are dealt with during the consultations are very similar. Three key obstacles or areas are so common that I have yet to find a company not struggling with each of... Read More February 2018 Issue #10223 Page 30
Is There Such Thing as Too Much Pressure? Glenn Traylor Too much pressure is not only a problem in our lives, it can also be a problem in our plants. One of the most important issues when manufacturing quality trusses is plate embedment. Without proper embedment, the connector plate cannot adequately transfer load forces through the members down to... Read More February 2018 Issue #10223 Page 36