Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” Apparently, she never worked in a truss plant, where I think everyone will make them all at least once. But humor aside, let’s take a look at the...

The roller gantry dominates today’s truss production, but it hasn’t always done so, despite the fact that it hasn’t changed much over sixty years. The reason for its relatively slow ascendency is found in its origins and in its adaptations over this period. And along the way...

More CMs are “doing it right the first time” via vertical presses, taking advantage of their flexibility and the quality of their production. But few realize that some of the most successful plants in our industry started with table presses. These presses have always had the...

Forty years ago, a frenetic fray raged over the World Record for truss production. While CMs across the country competed, the two main players, Littfin in Minnesota and Dickie Vail in Louisiana, produced numbers that may never be equaled. The massive trophy, displayed today in the lobby of...

When do CMs go after new technology? Primarily when they’ve had several good years under their belt. But once new equipment has proven to be much better than what it replaces, it continues to sell even in slower economies. This is illustrated by the apparent inflection point midway through...

I am often asked about what is the best one-size-size-fits-all equipment solution to fit all the component manufacturing needs. Of course, too many equipment vendors are more than willing to offer their version of a one-size-fits-all solution. Below are three examples of when one size does not...

Spring is here and that means we’re nearly half-way through this year’s project to compare available manufacturing equipment for our industry. Each month as I visit manufacturers’ websites, I learn something. Then, we also send a draft copy of the chart I’ve compiled...

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...

Too much pressure is not only a problem in our lives, it can also be a problem in our plants. One of the most important issues when manufacturing quality trusses is plate embedment. Without proper embedment, the connector plate cannot adequately transfer load forces through the members down to...

The quickening of innovation will be on display at BCMC this month, and, undoubtedly, so will be the uptake. Suppliers use this platform to launch new products, sometimes rather humbly. Art DePauw sold his prototype “automated” saw to two industry giants, Charlie Barnes and Dave...