“OBBB” and “AII” Inspiration to Feed the Beast! Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Both the US’ One Big Beautiful Bill Section 179 and Canada’s Accelerated Investment Incentive are designed to stimulate economic growth by encouraging businesses to invest in new equipment and technology by providing upfront tax relief. How’s that for Inspiration to Feed the... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 46
What a Flight on Japan Airlines Taught Me About Visual Safety Culture Ben Hershey On a recent trip from Seattle to Vietnam via Tokyo, I flew on Japan Airlines and was struck by more than just the exceptional hospitality. What stood out most was their disciplined safety culture, specifically how their flight attendants conducted safety checks. As they walked the cabin before... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 52
Simpson Strong-Tie’s Saw Line-up at BCMC Simpson Strong-Tie Staff We are just under two months away from the 2025 Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) in Omaha, Nebraska. Simpson Strong-Tie’s dedicated employees are excited to demonstrate our latest innovations in our booth this year. [For photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] Along... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 59
Future-Proofing Off-Site Construction: Why Flexibility is Key in the Age of Value-Added Manufacturing Dario Schmidt In today’s rapidly evolving construction industry, manufacturers face a growing imperative to do more with less—less labor, less waste, and less downtime. Traditionally, dedicated machines have been used for specific tasks like cutting or marking. While effective for current needs,... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 64
Continuous Improvement with JAX Kathryn Pedde We put our JAX gantry into full operation in late 2023, but we never stopped working to enhance its effectiveness. That’s the advantage of having owner-operators who are hands-on in the plant every day. Fortunately, we began with a proven automated gantry system equipped with a proven... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 70
Celebrating Growth at Element Equipment Marco Gagnon Element Equipment is one component of GOW Group, an end-to-end metal fabrication company that serves several industries. In July, we were thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of our new GOW office! [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] This was a far cry from our humble start in... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 77
Strategic Capital Investment: Leveraging Section 179 Expansion and Multi-Entity Structures in the Building Component Manufacturing Industry Post-OBBBA Carl Villella The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, marks a transformative moment for U.S. tax policy, particularly for capital-intensive sectors like building component manufacturing. This comprehensive legislation significantly expands Section 179... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 83
Economic Outlook: Resilience and Uncertainty Lesko Financial Services Team The first half of this year ended with the U.S. economy showing a resilience that forecasters weren’t expecting. Solid growth in earnings and jobs, plus a rebound after the chaos of early tariff announcements, powered past the pessimism and steep market declines of April and helped the... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 92
Designer Hiring Blues in the Summer It’s August. The heat is relentless, the humidity unforgiving, and your design team is running as hot as a NASCAR pit crew in Alabama. Project timelines are tight, customer expectations are high, and every minute counts. So when someone suggests bringing in a new designer, it can feel like... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 98
Design Connections: Onboarding Designers: What They Really Need to Know Geordie Secord When a new designer comes on board—especially one with experience—there’s a good chance the onboarding process involves setting up their computer, pointing them to the right network folders, handing them a relatively simple job, and giving them a vague suggestion to “jump... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 104