Advertiser Forum: Expecting Change (Whether You Want It or Not) Anna Stamm The other day, I heard an “expert” on the television say, people will do anything they possibly can to avoid change. Even though I was preoccupied with whatever-it-was I had been doing, that jumped out at me and I started listening to that yammering in the background. This person was... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 6
The Battle Within Our Operations Ben Hershey Does this conversation sound familiar? “How fast can we reliably supply that component job to our customer?” asks the sales manager. “And don’t make us look like fools by telling me a date that will never be met or is too far out!” “I will tell you how... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 26
Making Software ‘Simple’ Ed Serrano Price, speed, accuracy, footprint, service, and support. Those are the most common features considered when it comes to purchasing a linear saw. And, yes, they are important, but a linear saw is nothing but powder-coated steel and a blade until it’s told what to do. That’s why what... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 62
Change the Way You Lead Meetings and Listen Ben Hershey As a team, we have been providing both in-person and virtual visits for all of our potential and current clients with projects underway. After a recent virtual training week, a company owner called me and told me how much he appreciated that I listened to his team and did not over talk or force... Read More June 2020 Issue #12251 Page 44
The Importance of Change Management in Today’s Business Climate Ben Hershey The current global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has created a severe shortage of PPE across the world. And while regular distribution channels ramp up, we have seen several creative ways some individuals and companies are making changes to support our COVID-19 response,... Read More May 2020 Issue #12250 Page 26
The Intrinsic Value of Hands-On Quality Assurance Glenn Traylor What makes up a great Quality Assurance Program? As you’ll recall, I listed 9 essential components for good QA in an article last year, “How Does a Fabricator Gain From a 3rd Party Audit?”. It’s no surprise that each one is rooted in the personal, on-site interaction that... Read More May 2020 Issue #12250 Page 37
As the Market Changes – Plan Now for Continuous Improvements Ben Hershey No doubt that as I am writing this, many of us have had to turn our focus to our families, our friends, and our businesses as the COVID-19 virus has rapidly spread throughout North America. The impact to many has been requirements to shelter families in their homes, except for critical functions... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 28
Knowing the Ideal Manufacturing Cycle Time Ben Hershey Building components is really great! It was a lot of fun in the 1970s when several plants had competitions on who could build the fastest run of trusses (for example, see Joe Kannapell’s article, Vertical Presses—The World Record). Back then, it was really easy to calculate cycle... Read More March 2020 Issue #12248 Page 28
Taking the Plunge Kallen Hair One of the many realities of living in the upper Midwest is dealing with the cold and icy conditions of its sometimes perilous winter. So you can imagine as an Australian native, where the temperature rarely drops below 32° (or 0°C for the rest of the world), this was quite the... Read More March 2020 Issue #12248 Page 47
Too Many LBM-Owned CMs are Operating at a Mediocre Rate Todd Drummond An anonymous former lumberyard CEO of 17 lumberyard locations (LBM) explained to me that his two component manufacturing (CM) plants made up only 10% of his sales yet contributed 30% of his net profits. He wished he had given the CM division far more focus and resources. As a guru for process... Read More March 2020 Issue #12248 Page 51