5 Things to Know About Ward Lumber’s Move to Co-Op Ownership That You Can Use Craig Webb “I’ve long said that our employees have owned Ward Lumber in their hearts for a long time,” CEO Jay Ward said of the company’s move to a co-op. “Now there’s ownership in the pocketbook.” Most news stories in May were about how Ward’s co-op works... Read More June 2021 Issue #13263 Page 110
Not Enough Time is No Excuse Todd Drummond The building industry is once again on fire, and too many are stating, “I don’t have enough time” all too often. If your group is always talking about needing more people, equipment, and time, improving time management would undoubtedly benefit you. Improving time management... Read More May 2021 Issue #13262 Page 29
Costly Errors from Lumber, Leadership, HR, and BF/Man-Hour Todd Drummond The new 2021 build season is upon us, and everyone seems to be excited about the 2021 opportunities that seem apparent with the robust build economy. Many companies had their most profitable year in 2020, yet others struggled, stating that commodity pricing and covid were their major negative... Read More April 2021 Issue #13261 Page 29
Where is Your Focus on Manufacturing? Glenn Traylor Quality, Productivity, and Speed are intertwined and impact each other. Most managers create this Venn diagram in their mind [for image, See PDF or View in Full Issue]. We often hear: “First we need to work on efficiency before we can focus on quality.” “We can’t... Read More April 2021 Issue #13261 Page 39
Industry Ecosystems and the Future Ben Hershey Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I am sure you have heard that statement before, and I am sure you, like 4Ward, have pivoted/changed a program/created a new product/etc. and then seen a competitor imitate it. It might bother you, but most of the time, they just do not have the... Read More April 2021 Issue #13261 Page 46
Championing the Design, Make, Build Approach to Construction: How Design Collaboration Leads to Greater Project Success Benjamin Tabolt In the spirit of working collaboratively to ensure project success, MiTek is championing the Design, Make, Build (DMB) approach to construction. This approach creates value-added relationships through the entire supply chain by encouraging integrated project delivery, wholistic design approach,... Read More April 2021 Issue #13261 Page 71
Theory of Constraints with a Practical Truss Design Solution Example Todd Drummond Theory of Constraints (TOC) is not often clearly understood, and it can be confused with Just in Time (JIT). Below is a simplified explanation with some examples about TOC that many should be able to relate to their operations. TOC is an offshoot of lean manufacturing principles. Every... Read More March 2021 Issue #13260 Page 47
Rise to Operational Challenges Ben Hershey Last month’s article, Change Impact, talks about what impact changes at your company will have this year. Well, after 2020 and the challenges we faced, especially for the operations-intensive companies in our industry, it... Read More February 2021 Issue #13259 Page 46
Component Designers and the “Wheel of Responsibility” Christopher Gould We are all familiar with the wheel, right? We all understand that a wheel rotates on an axis using ball bearings. When a wheel is properly lubricated, it keeps the heat away and the parts from rubbing together. Without that lubrication, the force and resistance would cause the parts to weld... Read More February 2021 Issue #13259 Page 102
Change Impact Ben Hershey Goodbye 2020 and Welcome to 2021!!! Our business world has been changing fast, especially this past year, and we continue to move forward through complex issues and how best to provide our goods and services to our customers within the building industry and beyond. But what... Read More January 2021 Issue #13258 Page 28