I said I wouldn’t write again, but I felt compelled to, at the very least, commemorate the passing of a great human being. In the past few weeks, many of you have read articles about the passing of Dwight Hikel. Dwight was something pretty special. Not just as a businessman or component...

The linear saw and auto-jigging reduce plant labor but they don’t increase the selling price of components, like the Blueprint Robotics panelization does, in spades. And, as more plants automate, component sales dollars may actually be eroded by price-cutting in a flat housing market. Is...

For those who just came here and those of us who have been here a long time, this a fine place to be. All of us are reaping the benefits given us by two generations who built a solid foundation for our industry, and a third generation now coming into its own. Not unlike our great country, which...

For most of us, the majority of our time we do things in the way we’ve done them before, for the reasons we’ve had before, and expecting the typical results. For many projects, that’s exactly how to operate! When we follow our habits and procedures, we’re able to capture...

A lot of people have been talking about production tracking lately, so now is a good time to talk more in depth about some of the issues involved. With increased demand for the handling of metrics, levels of complexity and ever-changing conditions, manufacturers have been moving toward more...

Because I’ve been receiving great feedback from readers (thanks for that), in my July article I also welcomed suggestions of topics. One reader stepped forward with an idea which, as I thought more about it, became the start of this month’s piece on how far we’ve come as an...

Continuous Improvement  – Success is achieved, not from the program, but from the mindset Theory of Constraints. The Houlihan Labor Method. Quick Response Manufacturing. Six Sigma. Lean. Total Productive Maintenance. Total Quality Management. The lexicon, tools, and methods...

Before I launch into this month’s musings, I would like to thank everyone who has responded so positively to my writing. My hiatus from writing and publishing articles occurred when my primary outlet decided all of their article-writing should be done in-house. Not that I needed one more...

This is the continuing recollection of the good people I have crossed paths with over the years, but may remain unknown to most folks in the industry. Keep in mind, I may have a bit of a romanticized perspective…..could be due to adult beverages at the time of our last meeting. Don...

As I was pondering the latest loss of a great Truss Guy to “retirement” a thought began to rattle around in my head about all of the wonderful people I had a chance to work for, work with or simply enjoy a cocktail with over the years. Many of them retired or were retired, some we...