Call It What You Want! Ed Serrano Retrieval system, lumber feeder, lumber pack feeder – the name doesn’t really matter. So, what does matter? The speed matters, the size matters, and the options matter! Vekta’s PackFeeder /retrieval system/ lumber feeder is fast enough to feed two linear saws! ... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 60
Robotic – Automated Solutions for CMs Shane Dittrich Alpine & House of Design are Partnering to Bring the Latest in Automated Solutions to Component Manufacturers At a trade show last fall, my business partner and I met a third-generation owner of a truss plant. He was in search of ideas, perhaps a fresh perspective, new technology maybe?... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 64
Experiencing the Supply Chain Through the Real World Sravya Kaku Growing up in Ongole, India, an average town, my father taught me to follow my passion. Although he is a police officer, a true public servant, he always wanted to start his own business. He began an import/export company which made him a middleman to haul goods for other shippers. But, in part... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 110
Sixty Years of Machines, Part IX: Automatic Setup Joe Kannapell “I think this will work,” said Dick Rotto at the unveiling of auto-jigging at the 1988 BCMC in Nashville. This was a high compliment from the founder of the most prolific truss business, Trussway, Inc. And Dick had no equipment compatible with auto-jigging in his highly productive... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 10
System Installations Sean Hubbard Thirty years ago, equipment installations looked considerably different. Often, the equipment was installed using the customer’s maintenance staff and even the truss building crew. Working with new crews on a weekly basis, who were skilled in component manufacturing but had limited... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 16
Change Your Supply Chain Management with Analytics and Systems Integration Owen Eldridge Relying on traditional supply chain execution systems is becoming increasingly more difficult, with a mix of global operating systems, pricing pressures, and ever-increasing customer expectations. There are also recent economic impacts such as COVID-19, supply shortages, the global recession,... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 44
Harnessing Technology for the LBM Industry Paul Dean I’ve been in the lumber and building materials industry for most of my career and have always had an interest in technology. It seems not too long ago when I was running seminars to display this “new thing” called the internet to dealers; at the time, nobody knew what was going... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 104
Sixty Years of Machines, Part VIII: Trackless Gantries Joe Kannapell In the 1990s, a storm began brewing in the component business. It started on the Eastern Seaboard when Carolina Builders bought a truss plant in Tidewater, Virginia. Later, it gained strength when Builders Supply & Lumber (BSL) opened a series of greenfield plants. And finally, it reached an... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 10
Navigating Your Future with Spida Wendy Boyd What a diverse, interesting, and sometimes scary world we live in. As we navigate our own patch of turf and crystal ball gaze about what the future holds, we are mindful of the differences in the world business landscape. Spida Machinery operates three distinct manufacturing facilities, in... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 16
Making Software ‘Simple’ Ed Serrano Price, speed, accuracy, footprint, service, and support. Those are the most common features considered when it comes to purchasing a linear saw. And, yes, they are important, but a linear saw is nothing but powder-coated steel and a blade until it’s told what to do. That’s why what... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 62