Wood Components in Multi-Family Housing, Part Four Joe Kannapell Part Four: Apartment Trends of the 1990s and Beyond What was true in the Nineties is just as true today, that large apartment jobs can crowd out single family orders. But with the proper mix of work, a plant can achieve more steady production. Since 1993 was nearly as dire as 2010, most... Read More June 2018 Issue #10227 Page 6
Wood Components in Multi-Family Housing, Part Three Joe Kannapell Part Three: Apartment Survival Strategies in the 1980s A few stalwarts “lived to tell” how they survived the Eighties, but none knew magic. What they did then works just as well today—expanded markets, refined quotes, and controlled costs. And in the collapsing... Read More May 2018 Issue #10226 Page 6
Technology, Progress, and Owning the Future of our Industry Steve Shrader So far in this series, I’ve talked about how job descriptions have evolved as the industry has matured. Along the way, I’ve emphasized that the objective is not to impress you with the advanced power of the servo—it is to impress upon you the importance of the journey of... Read More May 2018 Issue #10226 Page 35
Wood Components in Multi-Family Housing, Part Two Joe Kannapell Part Two: The Turbulent 1980s For CMs to prosper in the 1980s, after surviving the “double-bubble” of apartment building in the 1970s, required great tenacity and innovation. Projects grew in size and complexity. Developers gained momentum and began employing scheduling and... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 6
Why It’s Time to Add Component Manufacturing to Your Lumber Business Todd Drummond We’ve all seen the predictions: Component manufacturing is going to grow ever bigger as labor remains tight and big builders get more efficient. And with component manufacturing gross margins being higher than what you get for selling commodities, it’s a good time to ask:... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 18
Technology, Progress, and Human Interaction Steve Shrader Last month, I talked about how things were “back in the day” as compared to now. The Servo Revolution is upon us, and we must all work to keep up with technology. Modern technology drives our businesses, both literally and figuratively. Even so, technology is not the sole element in... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 32
Gantry Production for Wood Trusses: What are Good Production Numbers? Dean Rana Automated jig setups for gantry tables and linear saws are a couple of the best things to come along in our truss facilities in a long time. Obviously, we know the most time spent to build a truss is setting it up. Now we are setting up difficult trusses in seconds. Across the country, most... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 44
Change Your Dynamic By Investing in Your Team Ben Hershey What is the difference between companies which are stuck in the status quo and those which are transforming themselves into the leader in their industry? One significant difference is their focus on Continuous Improvement. By focusing on making things better—People, Projects, and... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 51
Wood Components in Multi-Family Housing, Part One Joe Kannapell Part One: 1960 to 1979 Garden style apartments have been good for the truss business, but have morphed into an almost unrecognizable beast. In making this transition, component manufacturers have built on 40+ years of experience, and have conquered this beast, but not without... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 6
Technology, Progress, and Our Evolving Businesses Steve Shrader Technology certainly has changed the way I do my job. In fact, in many ways, it’s changed the entire industry I’ve chosen to build a career in. When I graduated with a Construction Management Degree, the construction industry was wide open. But selling production saws for the Wood... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 34