The requirement is: an inspector will, on average, inspect one critical plate for every inspection made during a week. That requirement is the baseline number for the quantity of critical inspections to perform—but because some trusses do not have critical plates, it’s necessary to...

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...

 “I’ve looked everywhere, even at my competitors, where can I find truss technicians?” This is a question heard at some point during almost every conversation with component manufacturers these days. The answer isn’t as simple as saying, “Oh, call Truss...

Finally, from top to bottom, the building industry is moving to panelize. National builders, like Pulte, are mandating it. Local building supply yards, like 84 Lumber’s, are building them in backyard sheds. And in between, BMC and BFS are shipping knocked-down versions. We laid the...

Part IX: Windows into Truss Design Two unstoppable waves merged to form the tsunami that swept over truss design in the 1990s. The first was the mass commercialization of the PC, accelerated by Michael Dell in the late 1980s. The second was the graphical user interface (GUI), exploited by our...

To keep up with our growing business, Square 1 Design and Manufacture is pleased to introduce two new faces this spring. We’ve come on board to help meet the needs of our customers and ensure that everyone receives the best service that our 10-year old company can provide. Now, let me...

Whether your company is a single-location or a huge multi-location operation, 2018 should have been a banner year for profits for your company. Most of my clients were in the high teens and many were in the mid-twenties for net profit to total sales. How well did your company perform in...

With as many problems as we all face in our work and life, it seems as if there is never enough time to solve each one without dealing with some adversity along the way. Problems keep mounting so fast that we find ourselves taking short­cuts to temporarily alleviate the tension points, so we...

Believe it or not, we have reached the end of our 12-part series of product comparisons! As I reflect on the past twelve months, I realize how engrossed in our own product offering I was and how unfamiliar I was with our competition. As challenging and time consuming as this project has been, it...

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:...