Three Simple Truths for Attracting and Retaining Talented Employees Todd Drummond Is your company having problems finding good employees to fill all the needed positions within your company? Are you thinking wage inflation is getting out of hand? Perhaps you should look at it from a different perspective. Multiple case studies have shown that companies with low employee... Read More June 2022 Issue #14275 Page 29
How to Squeeze Out More Truss Production Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Trusses are complicated yet the fabrication description is quite simple – pick the lumber, cut the lumber, and assemble the lumber. Now try doing this profitably at high volume and you will need to automate some or all of these processes, which all truss plants have done within their... Read More June 2022 Issue #14275 Page 56
Detailed Process for Implementing an Effective Labor Incentive Program Todd Drummond One of my clients’ most often asked questions is, “How exactly do we track and implement an incentive program?” Most companies are willing to pay their manufacturing employees more wages (incentives) based on greater output. Yet, the vast majority of wood truss component... Read More May 2022 Issue #14274 Page 35
Debunking the “Automation Takes Too Much Space” Myth Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Can you spot the Lumber PickLine in the satellite image? Contrary to the myth that it will “take up too much space,” a lumber PickLine can actually save space by utilizing existing truck lanes and by following existing forklift flow. For example, this outside PickLine has ample 35 ft... Read More May 2022 Issue #14274 Page 54
Record CM Building Industry Net Profits are Coming to an End Sooner Than Most Believe Todd Drummond What a ride it has been for the vast majority of the component manufacturing (CM) for wood trusses and wall panels in North America the past few years. The demand for new homes outpaced the supply capacity of most homebuilders and those who suppy them. This record-breaking rate of building... Read More April 2022 Issue #14273 Page 35
Millions of Dollars for New Equipment and Building Investments are Being Wasted Todd Drummond Expanding the manufacturing capacity within the component manufacturing (CM) industry for wood trusses and wall panels is at a fever pitch. The overwhelming majority of CMs have the same limited capacity issue trying to keep up with sales, which led to excellent record-breaking sales volumes and... Read More March 2022 Issue #14272 Page 35
Increasing Efficiency Gains From Plant Optimization Edmond Lim, P.Eng. My January article, Optimize Your Saw with a Lumber PickLine, focused on “Feeding the Beast!” and replacing inefficient, expensive, and labor-intensive “forklift lumber picking” with our improved material handling system. Then, my February article, Threading the Needle... Read More March 2022 Issue #14272 Page 54
A Stable and Proficient Workforce is Key to Best-in-Class Profits Todd Drummond Last month’s article, “Record-Breaking EBITA Exceeded Mid-Twenties for Many Component Manufacturing for 2021,” mentioned a key factor of making best-in-class profits: the highest performers have very low employee turnover and vacancies. Creating a stable and proficient... Read More February 2022 Issue #14271 Page 35
Threading the Needle with a High Rise Lumber PickLine Edmond Lim, P.Eng. February means different things to different people – Valentine’s Day, the Super Bowl, Family Day (in Canada) – but to me, February is also the anniversary of my most complicated and challenging installation. What’s more, the installation was completed in the middle of... Read More February 2022 Issue #14271 Page 54
Record-Breaking EBITA Exceeded Mid-Twenties for Many CMs for 2021 Todd Drummond Last year should have been a record profit year for wood truss and wall panel component manufacturers (CM). Many of my clients have mid to upper-twenties EBITA. A few made it to the mid-thirties of their total sales. Yet, so many find this hard to believe. Too many believe mid to high teens for... Read More January 2022 Issue #14270 Page 35