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Many of today’s Component Manufacturers are considering some measure of Lean implementations.  Most are based on a series of what are essentially isolated Kaizen-based waste reductions projects.  In selecting areas in their operations, a CM will look at the perceived...

In another article in the “How to Pick a Connector Series,” Randy Shackelford discussed the various considerations involved in selecting a joist hanger. So why is this article about truss hangers? A hanger is a hanger, right? Before I moved into the Engineering Department at Simpson...

I have been on many building product plant tours. Most of them are not very effective and are really missing an opportunity to gain new customers and more sales. Why Most Plant Tours Are Not Effective Plant tours are too often taken matter of factly and not as a serious marketing tool....

What does the 50 person turnout at this year’s BCMC 5k run/walk say about our 50+ year old industry? Are we more fit, or just more conscious of the value of fitness? Or, are we just being social, enjoying the company of friends, and following the BCMC agenda? Going back to our first...

“As a CM, how do I best convey my intended and assumed scope of work and overall responsibility to all parties involved in the construction of a project I am bidding? I don’t want to be held responsible for something I haven’t bid.” This is a terrific question and...

Defining success is not always as clear and concise as closing an equipment contract or for that matter a series of contracts, as we did this year at the BCMC. For Square 1 Design & Manufacture Inc., the BCMC 2016 was nothing short of a success. All credit is given to our staff for...

Many people have commented on the great articles Carl Schoening has contributed to this magazine. Because we don’t have his reflections on industry leaders in this issue, I’ve decided to contribute some of my own. While I am the first person to say “I’m no Carl...

It is an all too common problem for too many managers and sales staff; hours are spent wasting so much time trying to find up-to-date information for any given project being processed by the company. Ask yourself one simple question. How much time each day do you spend looking for information...

In the photograph, the side grain is shown to provide understanding of what constitutes a knot defect when the truss member is cut perpendicular to this face. Each dark line of grain indicates an annual growth ring. In the sections marked A, the face of a sawn member would not show any knots...

Part Two: One Example of a Solution Provided By Softright Last month, Part I of this series discussed the problem that our new program, Softright, is designed to fix. We focused on the issues that business owners have with integrating all of their internal systems. In this article, I’d...