German invaders have landed on our shores intent on leapfrogging our component industry. Their huge investment and their unconventional processes are now being tested on a jobsite not far from their high-tech, 200,000 sq. ft. Baltimore plant. Their name, Blueprint Robotics, invokes a...

Part Two: One Example of a Solution Provided By Softright Last month, Part I of this series discussed the problem that our new program, Softright, is designed to fix. We focused on the issues that business owners have with integrating all of their internal systems. In this article, I’d...

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...

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,...

Once saw and table setups are automated, what about improving the rest of material handling? Can we lessen the 5 “touches” involved: fetching lumber, feeding saws, catching, transporting to tables, and feeding jigs? And can we better account for the cost of these indirect labor...

A lot of people have been talking about production tracking lately, so now is a good time to talk more in depth about some of the issues involved. With increased demand for the handling of metrics, levels of complexity and ever-changing conditions, manufacturers have been moving toward more...

Did you know that it is possible to achieve greater than $3 million in sales on one build table, even with severe seasonal fluctuations causing winter sales to be nonexistent? I define a build table as one build group of three to four assemblers building roof trusses. Did you know an automated...

Light gauge steel trusses have been around a long, long time. Steel trusses offer the same advantages that make light gauge steel framing generally appealing for a significant segment of the light frame construction industry. Light gauge steel does not burn. It does not serve as a food source...

Thank you to all who viewed our Framing Table with Single Tool Programmable Panel Bridge at the BCMC Show in Milwaukee! Many have asked why should I consider a Single Table Wall Assembly System with Single Tool Panel Bridge? Over 40 years ago Triad introduced the Exterior Wall Panel Line...