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It is with a great deal of thought and careful consideration that I am thinking this may be my last story. I have enjoyed being back in this game and offering perspective. The strong, positive responses to my stories and articles is making this decision that much more difficult. First, let me...

An often repeated statement made by many managers this year has been that they do not have enough time or people to accomplish their stated goals, so in other words, they face time constraints. These time constraints are causing delayed improvements in processes, which negatively affect every...

The plate placement method of evaluating defects in the plated area is a good approach to use when inspecting your installed connector plates. But are you recording the results correctly? Using the plate placement method, it is common to record folded teeth or damaged teeth with a rectangle...

Part I: The Problem Softright is Designed to Fix Throughout all of my years in this industry, I’ve always been looking for the next solution that I can offer my customers. In considering the ways in which businesses operate today, we at Keymark have focused on an area where we believe...

What has changed? In my early childhood, you could ride around town on a Sunday morning and notice and obvious quietness. Certainly not everyone was preparing for church, but the overwhelming majority of families were tidying up, putting on their Sunday-go-to-meeting attire, and heading out...

National Forest Products Week Recognizes the Environmental and Economic Benefits of Wood Products The third week of every October is designated as National Forest Products Week, this year held October 16–22. Like others, we commemorate the week, an annual recognition of the many...

Smart Manufacturing You have probably read articles, heard this term used by an equipment manufacturer, and even heard it at a Chamber of Commerce meeting or other local group. Smart Manufacturing covers a broad category of manufacturing with the goal of optimizing the process from concept,...

The parts won’t hold themselves up. They have to be fastened in place. In a previous entry in this series, Randy Shackelford, PE addressed selecting a joist hanger. This article focuses on the fasteners recommended for various wood connectors. For straps, holdowns, and other...

In a recent JobLine – Survey Monkey poll, we identified the top priorities that Truss Design candidates have when considering your opportunity. In the past, it took a 20–25% compensation increase to successfully recruit them, but post-crash, salaries have stagnated and employers are...

None of us had to ask Dwight Hikel how he has multiplied his truss business even though housing starts are lower today than when he started his business. Or how he survived three periods when housing starts dropped precipitously, including the most recent drought, when many predicted the demise...