Are You Communicating the Same Old Message? Ben Hershey Here we are at the start of 2020 — Happy New Year! As we begin the year, we’ll likely have times when we look at the past and then look forward, as we plan our strategy and set the tone for our teams and work with our colleagues. But… there are others who will trod out the... Read More January 2020 Issue #12246 Page 28
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
An Effective Productivity Incentive Program for Truss Manufacturing Todd Drummond 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... Read More May 2019 Issue #11238 Page 41
The Drummond Short Schedule Time-Standard System Todd Drummond Using Man-Minutes to Manage Your Labor Industrial engineering – “The branch of engineering that is concerned with the production of industrial goods, especially by the design of efficient plants and procedures and the management of materials, energy, and labor.” (Source:... Read More March 2019 Issue #11236 Page 39
Taking Steps Toward Manufacturing & Distribution Efficiency Ben Hershey As we start the New Year, a focus of many operations will be setting goals to remain competitive. Today’s companies in the LBM/Component/Modular market are looking for ways to drive efficiencies throughout their manufacturing processes. Extending Lean Manufacturing principles and practices... Read More January 2019 Issue #11234 Page 17
It’s Time to Huddle Up! Ben Hershey Setting the tone for higher expectations and productivity I am often asked by lumber dealers, component manufacturers, and others for that “one thing” that will improve results, drive cultural change, hardwire behavior, or create lasting quality. I’ve come to realize there... Read More December 2018 Issue #10233 Page 25
Constructing a Roadmap to Operational Excellence, Part 2 Ben Hershey Part 2: Continuing the Journey of 7 Steps As discused in "Part 1: Beginning a Journey of 7 Steps," we all aspire to have a state of operational excellence in our organizations, which is easier said than done. Operational excellence is about more than simply adjusting the... Read More October 2018 Issue #10231 Page 20
Constructing a Roadmap to Operational Excellence Ben Hershey Part 1: Beginning a Journey of 7 Steps We all aspire to have a state of operational excellence in our organizations, but it is often much easier said than done. Although it’s often conceptualized as merely tweaking the current way of doing things, operational excellence is about... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 36
How Does Your Company Performance Measure Up? The Importance of Benchmarking Ben Hershey I read a book recently that discussed the term “benchmark” and its origins as relates to business. Surprisingly, the term originates within the history of guns and ammunition. In fact, with the same aim we use it today—comparison and improved performance. The book talked... Read More July 2018 Issue #10228 Page 34
Moving From Best to Next Practices Ben Hershey As an industry, there are many times I believe we have been behind the curve in adopting/taking on new technology or hardware in our operations. Over the past 15 years or so, we have seen incredible growth in the use of automation, software, etc., but other industries have far exceeded the... Read More June 2018 Issue #10227 Page 18