How to Ensure Your Choice of Linear Saw is a ‘Cut’ Above the Rest Ed Serrano Investment: [ɪnˈvɛs(t)m(ə)nt] NOUN: a thing that is worth buying because it may be profitable or useful in the future. Automating your truss and frame plant is an investment in your business and your future. Today, the American market has the benefit of having a number of linear saw... Read More December 2019 Issue #11245 Page 45
Will Automation Always be a Distant Dream for Modular Housing? Gary Fleisher Recently I heard, once again, a speaker supporting total automation of the modular production process while comparing modular housing with automobile production lines. Let me put this to rest for hopefully the last time. Modular housing is not anything like the auto industry. There are two... Read More December 2019 Issue #11245 Page 84
Epilogue to 50 Years of Truss Design Innovation: Designing Great Software Joe Kannapell Reviewing our 50-year journey tells us much about software. Now let’s recap how good software becomes great: 1. Continuity of development: Note our three distinct programs, each one totally rewritten to tackle larger objectives. Yet each was based on 15+ years of experience with the... Read More November 2019 Issue #11244 Page 8
BCMC – The Great Show of 2019 Chris Scott The BCMC 2019 in Columbus, Ohio was a throwback to the “not to be missed” shows of the early 2000s. It was an amazing turnout for attendees and exhibitors alike and the energy displayed by all was contagious, making the two days on the floor fly by. Every attendee that we spoke to... Read More November 2019 Issue #11244 Page 14
Triad 60 Year Anniversary! TRIAD / Merrick Machine Company Team On behalf of the TRIAD sales department, we would like to thank our customers for supporting us over the course of our 60 Years in business. We would also like to thank and recognize the entire TRIAD team for all their efforts in preparing for, and participating in, the 2019 BCMC Trade Show; for... Read More November 2019 Issue #11244 Page 70
Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design Innovation, Part XV Joe Kannapell Part XV: Busted at Bahama Breeze Finally, we would know if we won the business, when we were summoned to a Bahama Breeze restaurant outside Atlanta. Had we been busted for showing “not ready for prime time” software, defying MiTek policy? Over lunch we were told that ITW had been... Read More October 2019 Issue #11243 Page 8
“Should I Stay or Should I Go” Chris Scott It was June 1982 and The Clash released the hit song, “Should I Stay or Should I Go,”— now it’s October 2019 and once again you find yourself asking, should I stay or should I go to the BCMC in Columbus, Ohio. As you’re humming that song for the rest of this... Read More October 2019 Issue #11243 Page 14
Countdown to BCMC—Activities, Exhibits, and People to See Anna Stamm October has arrived, which means BCMC 2019 is nearly here. For the week of October 21, the annual Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) will be packed full of activities for attendees. From meetings and workshops, to athletic events, to social functions, and of course the show... Read More October 2019 Issue #11243 Page 24
The Vast Majority of Component Plants Have Too Much Lost Productivity Todd Drummond People make the common mistake of thinking that if they have been doing something for a long time, occasionally have made improvements over the years, and they are working hard and consistently, then they are doing it the best way possible. But the truth is, approximately 80% of truss and wall... Read More October 2019 Issue #11243 Page 28
Stacking Trusses and Frames Just Got a Whole Lot Easier! Ed Serrano Sometimes our industry needs a bit of a shake up! Going from strength to strength, VektaUSA has once again turned heads—this time with a new, straight forward, compact, easy to use and practical solution for stacking trusses and wall frames! The tried and proven Stakpro product line has... Read More October 2019 Issue #11243 Page 58