No Excuses, Just Hard Work Edmond Lim, P.Eng. As everyone in our industry knows, there’s always another challenge on the horizon. While writing this article in late February, much of North America is experiencing another Polar Vortex. It’s perhaps ironic that our first Polar Vortex was in 2019, right in the middle of the run on... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 46
Vekta Continues Growing Its Family With Framequip Rob Bellian Have you heard the news? Vekta has merged with fellow Aussie, Framequip! As you know, Vekta Automation, headquartered in Perth, Australia, is a global technology solutions leader specializing in quality automation systems for the timber frame and truss industry. Now, we’ve joined forces... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 53
Setting the Goal of One Thousand Pieces per Hour Edmond Lim, P.Eng. A “Thousand Pieces an Hour” is a golden truss production metric and a lofty goal for many component plants. If one thousand is the magic number, even at 75% efficiency, in a 7-hour shift (7 hours x 1,000 pieces/hour, at 75%) that would be 5,250 pieces with potential to achieve 7,000... Read More February 2023 Issue #15283 Page 48
Increase Truss Production Quality and Efficiency with Precision Printing Rob Bellian If you lack precision printing capabilities in your truss plant, then you need to see what you’re missing! The Vekta P3 is a custom-built print system that can take your business to the next level. The Vekta P3 Printer works seamlessly with the Vekta V5 and S5 Razer Linear Saws. The... Read More February 2023 Issue #15283 Page 55
Don’t Be Blind to Simple Truths for the 2023 Build Season Todd Drummond An article written and published by Russ Kathrein on LinkedIn, “The Eyes See What the Brain Believes,” struck a nerve for me. In summary, the statement “believe it when I see it” is more often than not false. As someone who has made a living assisting others for over... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 26
Turning Supply Chain Constraints Into Opportunities Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Looking back at my articles in 2022, have you noticed what several have in common? Consider the plants featured in these stories: United Edge Structural Components, “In-Line Truss Production Starts With Lumber Picking” (December) United Truss, “The Most Automated, Most... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 52
A Vekta Trip Down Under Aaron Bahner For anyone who’s ever wanted to take a trip Down Under, I have the perfect reason for you to go – visiting Vekta! December brought an exciting opportunity for me to make my first trip to visit the Vekta headquarters and factory in Perth, Australia. I started as the General Manager of... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 60
The Last Word: The Current State of Robotics Joe Kannapell I’ve been covering the industry’s evolution toward robotics, but I’d like to stop for a minute and recall the days of corrugated fasteners. These clever clips proved themselves whenever trusses were flipped or ejected. Now, perhaps ironically, they still have a role to play... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 128
Innovation, Pride, Passion, Professionalism Wendy Boyd Generally speaking, I write most of the editorials for Component Advertiser – but when I was speaking to Tony McCoy, our Sales Manager from Texas and South Central, he asked if he could write an article from the heart, and I just couldn’t resist publishing his thoughts. Tony has been... Read More December 2022 Issue #14281 Page 19
Proof That Even the Largest Wood Truss CMs are Not Immune to Losing Tens of Millions of Dollars with Outdated Reporting Todd Drummond Despite the fantastic profits these past few years, some of the largest wood truss component manufacturers (CM) are losing tens of millions of dollars hidden in plain sight. Talk to any of the executives at these CMs, and they will be able to rattle off the EBITA or other P/L results, yet they... Read More December 2022 Issue #14281 Page 26