Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design Innovation, Part XIV Joe Kannapell Part XIV: Whole House Launched Pacing nervously outside the truss office, our best software “brain” was physically sick. Another failed demo could end his career. He worried because, after 6 frustrating years, our $50 Million OptiFrame program may not be ready for primetime. And... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 8
The Greatest Three Months of the Year Chris Scott October is right around the corner and that means cooler weather, Halloween, turning of the leaves, football, and the BCMC. As much as I would love to talk to you about all of these things, this article will stick to the most important and my favorite one….football. Okay, after a... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 14
Countdown to BCMC—Bringing the Industry Together Anna Stamm One of the most important effects of the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) is that it brings people together in one place for a few days each fall. In this digital age, being in the same building with this many friends and colleagues presents countless opportunities! From... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 24
Sorry to Burst the Bubble! Shelena and Ed Serrano Congratulations! You’ve just purchased a new, state of the art machine to add technology and automation to your factory processes. Concerns about safety, inefficiency, and your bottom line are now in the past. Your staff will be happier, work will be easier, and your customers will be... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 58
Interoperability Standardization in the Industrial Automation Space Steve Shrader So, there is an interesting discussion by some in the CM Industry to create a universal truss software standard. In some circles, this “standard” is merely an effort to integrate and simplify. Others worry it is an effort to monetize design software, and to some this... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 68
Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design Innovation, Part XIII Joe Kannapell Part XIII: The Unfinished Whole House By purchasing Alpine, ITW/Truswal strengthened their chances of outflanking MiTek/TrusJoist in building the whole house. At the time of this acquisition in early 2006, we at MiTek had poured many millions into our efforts and had little to show for it.... Read More August 2019 Issue #11241 Page 8
Countdown to BCMC—It’s All About the Booths Anna Stamm People look forward to attending the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) for many reasons, including connecting with their friends and colleagues, participating in meetings and educational sessions, and enjoying social activities and events. But undoubtedly the #1 reason to attend... Read More August 2019 Issue #11241 Page 20
Spida Acquires Square 1 Design Sean Hubbard The acquisition of Square 1 Design solidifies Spida Machinery’s position at the apex of machinery suppliers for the Building Components industry. Globally positioned to supply machinery around the world, our equipment profile includes options for all component manufacturers—from... Read More August 2019 Issue #11241 Page 60
Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design Innovation, Part XII Joe Kannapell Part XII: Walls Get in the Way Just because two CEOs agree to build a computer model of a house in 3 years doesn’t mean it’s feasible. And barely a year into the agreement between TrusJoist and MiTek to merge software, we realized that we couldn’t do it. Meanwhile our... Read More July 2019 Issue #11240 Page 8
You’re Only As Strong As Your Weakest Link Chris Scott Being only as strong as your weakest link is not only true in sports but also on the production line, whether we are talking about people or equipment. Diagnosing the slowest and least efficient point in any production line is key to having a successful and profitable manufacturing... Read More July 2019 Issue #11240 Page 14