Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design, Part II Joe Kannapell Part II: Leaps Forward in Computerization None of us would forget the strange sounds that signaled a new era in truss design: the pounding of the keypunch, the whirring of the card reader, and the ratcheting of the line printer that emanated from the 10x10 room in front of our drafting... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 8
Solutions for Safer and More Efficient Truss and Frame Stacking Ed Serrano The increased acceleration of city infill and the popularity of apartments is creating the opportunity for frame and truss manufacturing to expand into mid-rise construction, an important growth area for the industry. However, with expansion comes a greater emphasis on quality manufacturing,... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 46
Celebrating 50 Years of Truss Design Joe Kannapell Part I: Computerization Begins The arrival of the first computers 50 years ago signaled that truss design had come of age. And they came just in time. We urgently needed them to meet the growing demand for truss designs. But they didn’t come with experienced operators – in the... Read More August 2018 Issue #10229 Page 8
The Power of SMED and 5S Keith Parker As a follow up to our 9-part “Ready for Change” article series, our next step down the “Lean” path is to introduce other tools and methods to reduce waste and time. The first in this new bi-monthly series focuses on SMED, Single Minute Exchange of Die, and how this... Read More August 2018 Issue #10229 Page 40
Automated Saw Key to Frame and Truss Productivity and Profitability Ed Serrano A continuing strong house construction scene means that the North American frame and truss industry and supporting supply chain are busy. Frame and truss manufacturing remains highly competitive, and top performing companies are paying even closer attention to automation, quality, precision,... Read More July 2018 Issue #10228 Page 11
How the DMAIC Process Can Improve Design Time Keith Parker As a follow up to our last article, How the DMAIC Process Helps Sustain Achievements and Drive Continuous Improvements, below is another example and case study based on the need to reduce design cycle time. After setting the parameters, I will outline the DMAIC Lean method and demonstrate how... Read More July 2018 Issue #10228 Page 40
Technology, Progress, and Owning the Future of our Industry Steve Shrader So far in this series, I’ve talked about how job descriptions have evolved as the industry has matured. Along the way, I’ve emphasized that the objective is not to impress you with the advanced power of the servo—it is to impress upon you the importance of the journey of... Read More May 2018 Issue #10226 Page 35
How the DMAIC Process Helps Sustain Achievements and Drive Continuous Improvements Keith Parker As the next and final step in the DMAIC process, the Control phase is perhaps the most critical! You have identified and Defined the scope of a challenge. Collected data and statistically Measured the baseline of the current process and/or output. Analyzed the current procedures and... Read More May 2018 Issue #10226 Page 62
Advertiser Forum: Spring Cleaning Anna Stamm Spring is a great time of year to get motivated about things again. We can be excited that the seasons are changing, our winter woes are in the rearview mirror, and our days’ activities will be heating up, literally and figuratively. And because spring is a time of change, it can present... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 4
Wood Components in Multi-Family Housing, Part Two Joe Kannapell Part Two: The Turbulent 1980s For CMs to prosper in the 1980s, after surviving the “double-bubble” of apartment building in the 1970s, required great tenacity and innovation. Projects grew in size and complexity. Developers gained momentum and began employing scheduling and... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 6