Before buying a linear saw, several common questions will be asked. What is the price? Speed? Accuracy? Most potential customers enquire about support and on-going maintenance. Occasionally, the topic of spare parts and availability is broached, and sporadically someone may throw in a question...

Part XI: A Whole House in the New Millennium We truss designers were outfoxed by an unlikely pair of moguls who knew nothing about truss design. Gene Toombs and Tom Denig, CEOs of MiTek and TrusJoist, without our prompting, announced in 2001 that their companies would join forces to design...

Powered by people, a manual line in an average component plant is composed of a rough opening station, a subcomponent station, a framing station, a squaring station, and a sheathing station. In the configuration, typically 8 people are on this line, and 1000 LNFT of output is the average goal...

When I recently started some restructuring work for a client, I saw a sign posted on the wall. As shown in the image [see PDF or View in Full Issue], it took a sad approach to giving 100% at work. How many of the associates on our teams show up to work on Monday with this attitude and energy...

The advantages of open-web floor trusses are beginning to decelerate the growth of EWP. Though I-Joist sales per housing start have increased about 6% over the last two years, the trend has slowed considerably. Some of the small gain is due to the continuation of the replacement of solid-sawn...

Part X: Windows Works Its Magic When David McQuinn recommended Windows to MiTek’s management in 1990, few expected that Microsoft could compete with the two giants of the computer industry: Hewlett Packard and IBM. HP was the dominant provider of engineering computers. For a decade, its...

It is possible to give your shop employees a raise and actually achieve more capacity through greater productivity and make more net profit for your company by implementing an effective productivity incentive program. However, most of the incentive programs (IP) that are touted in the component...

The Designer Hiring Season is here and now, and with it comes overtime. It may be a Saturday or two, or even some 9–10 hour days. Short term, managing your labor needs with overtime is a great alternative to the expense and risks of hiring another designer. Long term use may cost you a few...

Whether your company is a single-location or a huge multi-location operation, 2018 should have been a banner year for profits for your company. Most of my clients were in the high teens and many were in the mid-twenties for net profit to total sales. How well did your company perform in...

With as many problems as we all face in our work and life, it seems as if there is never enough time to solve each one without dealing with some adversity along the way. Problems keep mounting so fast that we find ourselves taking short­cuts to temporarily alleviate the tension points, so we...