Each generation has to learn all the life lessons either through their own mistakes or the counseling of the older generation. The vast majority of us wish not to repeat the same mistakes and, if possible, avoid them altogether. If you wish to avoid embarrassment, whether you are new to being an...

I have had the same conversations with so many executives concerning the tight labor market and rising labor costs. There is good and bad news concerning this subject. First, the good news is that you can be assured that high labor costs and a tight labor market are not only affecting your...

The winter months are normally the time to make changes to your processes within your area of influence. Depending on how your company is structured for decision-making, your influence and actions to stay competitive in the face of ever-increasing challenges will determine the long-term...

Last month’s article, Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) for Enhancing Performance to Ensure ROI Retention, is a natural lead-in to Poka-Yoke. In lean terminology, roughly translated from Japanese, Poka-Yoke means to mistake-proof the process. A more accurate translation could be...

Over twenty years ago, I struck out to help companies improve their operations through best practices based on lean manufacturing and industrial engineering practices. Helping hundreds of companies improve their operations has been an extremely rewarding experience. After all of the 35 years I...

For years, TDC has promoted the idea of using reliable estimated work minutes (R.E., S.U., Man-Minutes) for scheduling, pricing, and understanding true labor efficiencies. The most important aspect of properly developed work minutes is that you can create a short scheduling time standards...

If you were unable to attend my educational session at BCMC, Component Manufacturing Should Not Be Operated as an LBM Supplier by TDC, or if you attended and still have questions, I invite you to download the presentation, now available as a PDF. During the presentation, we discussed what...

As an industry veteran who has attended BCMC for many decades, I’m very pleased to be presenting an educational session on Tuesday, September 19th at 1:00 pm — Component Manufacturing Should Not Be Operated as an LBM Supplier. In this session, I will call upon my 20 years of...

If you knew now that a promotion or career move would eventually lead to divorce and ruin your relationship with your children, would you think it was worth the sacrifice? When I’m doing a consultation and ask this during my employee best practices training, everyone thinks this question...

The summertime build season is upon the industry. For most wood component manufacturers (CM), and other manufactured suppliers of building materials, the lead time of new orders typically easily exceeds four weeks. Inevitably, a salesperson will ask, “Hey, can you do me a favor? I have an...