Part 5 in our TIMWOODS Series Piles and piles of production all around you. No, I am not talking about inventory, I am talking about WIP, finished goods/staged jobs—Overproduction. Overproduction is making products in too great a quantity or before actually needed, leading to excessive...

The new Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s electronic recordkeeping rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illness became effective on January 1, 2017. The rule includes provisions to protect those who report injuries or illnesses from retaliation by their...

Well, I just returned from the SBCA Open Quarterly Meeting in Las Vegas. It was almost historical. This was the first time that I can remember the OQM being in Las Vegas. It seems a place that has a way of drawing greater attendance for any event and this was true for the OQM. A great time...

What once was frowned upon has now become very common. Off-site designing and off-site sales individuals or teams can be a very good way to expand your company’s capabilities. The biggest driver of its emerging acceptability is the fact that the pool of talent is larger when looking...

If you are like me, you spend the later part of the year setting goals for the coming year and planning how to accomplish them. For those who work for me, I always set goals, metrics, and participate in a conference on how we are going to achieve what we want together. Over the last few months,...

This is the time of year when we are all reflecting on our lives. We give thanks during Thanksgiving, and we look forward to a shiny and bright holiday season through the end of the year. Over time, some of this may start to feel automatic, as we slip into the same routines we take every year,...

I remember the introduction of early cruise control in cars. It was fantastic. It allowed the driver to set their speed without having to hold the accelerator pedal down with their foot. The only problem was, when you went up a hill, the car slowed down. When you went down a hill, the car...

I have been on many building product plant tours. Most of them are not very effective and are really missing an opportunity to gain new customers and more sales. Why Most Plant Tours Are Not Effective Plant tours are too often taken matter of factly and not as a serious marketing tool....

“As a CM, how do I best convey my intended and assumed scope of work and overall responsibility to all parties involved in the construction of a project I am bidding? I don’t want to be held responsible for something I haven’t bid.” This is a terrific question and...

Defining success is not always as clear and concise as closing an equipment contract or for that matter a series of contracts, as we did this year at the BCMC. For Square 1 Design & Manufacture Inc., the BCMC 2016 was nothing short of a success. All credit is given to our staff for...