Ah, ‘tis the season. Sure, you traditionally hear that expression around wintertime, but we’re talking about a different season altogether: BCMC Season! Which means Shopping Season! It’s that season when CMs start to study automation and equipment that gains automation....

These four commonly held practices within the component industry (wood truss and wall panels manufacturing) are actually causing millions in lost profits. None of these practices should be acceptable, and all are correctable. Is your company ready to make lean manufacturing continuous...

Our teams from Vekta USA and Vekta Australia are excited to see everyone at BCMC 2022 in Columbus! This year, you’ll be able to recognize us by our Akubra hats, too. At the show, we’ll be ready to talk about all that Vekta has to offer your business. This year, we’ll have a...

With the forecasted housing backlog and ongoing tight labor market, shouldn’t all truss plants be modernizing by investing in automation? That is easier said than done. One strategy to modernize is to automate with incremental investments. In my experience, the best way to get over the...

Panels Plus is eager to be exhibiting again at the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) this September 14th–15th. Stop by Booth #1626 at the show and visit our team. We can demonstrate how our products work, discuss how we can help you achieve your panel production...

Attendees at BCMC 2019 stood safely right next to an awesome gesticulating robot and became immersed in observing record-breaking truss building – virtually, that is, through a VR headset. Back then, Trussmatic robots hadn’t made it stateside, and hadn’t yet handled our crazy...

As a change agent for lean manufacturing best practices, it is extremely satisfying when I see a company embrace best practices despite their challenges. Too often, it is stated, “we (I) cannot implement or do the suggested improvement practice because _____” from so many claiming to...

In any industry, even ours, people make the difference. If one product or service in any industry was overwhelmingly better than another, there wouldn’t be a choice for very long. This is an example of entrepreneurial spirit and culture building in its very definition. Most people...

Just when you have calculated your traditional CapEx ROI saying “Yes,” you cannot pass “Go” until 2023 because your new machinery lead time is a year away.  Now what? Now you should prepare for it! Instead of focusing on the wait, get better organized before your...

The most common cause of downtime for an automated saw is a lack of lumber on the infeed conveyors. Feeding a linear saw can be a very labor-intensive process. Operators will fatigue and naturally slow down over the day and loading mistakes can cost a plant significantly in lost productivity....