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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...

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...

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...

Our industry has been changing in a big way. Independents once dominated our industry, but now through mergers and acquisitions, that is no longer the case. Right now, some of the people reading this article are either contemplating or in actual talks about selling their business. From...

When looking for new opportunities for improvements in your operation, it is quite natural to ask for advisement from outside your company to give you a better perspective. Who you should trust to help you take your company to higher performance is not as clear cut as it may appear. Costly...

Think beyond the physical investment of trucks, equipment, and buildings when it comes to investments for improving the bottom line for 2021. If a company wants to improve the net profits, improving the project communication process can add serious dollars to the bottom line. Most companies...

Every month, I encourage our advertisers, industry professionals, and others to write what they would like to say to you. That, plain and simple, is the purpose of the open forum program we began 5 years ago when I started at The Advertiser. And, you are invited to say what you would like to...

Despite all the turmoil of the skyrocketing lumber prices, pandemic, and elections, the building industry is doing very well. Hopefully, your company is doing very well, and now your attention is focusing on potential growth for 2021. Most companies are looking for modest tweaks to their current...

Last month’s article, “Better Profits with Effective Employee Retention and Growth,” got a lot of attention. The labor shortage issues that companies are experiencing, despite the high unemployment numbers, are having a negative impact on many companies’ manufacturing...

In the almost 20 years of my consulting services, TDC has witnessed that the highest performing companies with the highest profit as a percentage of sales, generally in the high teens to mid-twenties, are the same companies with very low employee turnover. However, it is far more than just...

Understanding the do’s and don’ts for component manufacturing (CM) equipment purchasing (wood trusses and wall panels) can save or waste your company 100’s of thousands of dollars at the time of purchase and long after. Everyone knows the building economy is on fire, so it...

There are so many challenges leaders face within our industry today that are ever-changing and, quite frankly, unprecedented. Whether your position of leadership is overall, departmental, or team level, the challenges are never-ending. Too often in our industry, people are in a position of...