COVID-19 – Was This in Your Risk Analysis? Ed Serrano Every astute business owner has a risk analysis with plans to mitigate those risks. Within the Component Manufacturing industry, elements such as housing downturn, hacking of systems, machine failings, and staff safety concerns would generally make up the topics. I’d put money on the fact... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 47
What to Do If Someone at Your LBM Operation Gets (or May Have) the Coronavirus Craig Webb The rapid rise in cases of Americans infected or possibly infected with the coronavirus made it inevitable that the lumber and building materials industry would be affected eventually. Here are some expert recommendations on how you should respond if one of your employees gets the virus. Note... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 90
AWC Operations Continue Despite COVID-19 Robert Glowinski Perhaps like many of you, I am writing this message from my home. In light of safety precautions recommended because of the spread of COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, the American Wood Council (AWC) has closed our multi-person offices in Leesburg, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. until such time as... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 106
BCMC Planning – The Great Debate on Saws Wendy Boyd We’re now starting the daunting but exciting task of planning for the next Building Component Manufacturers Conference, being held September 22–25 in Indianapolis, IN. As we gear up, we ask ourselves – what is the most important piece of equipment to show, what is the message... Read More March 2020 Issue #12248 Page 17
Lessons Learned from the Bound Brook Fire and the Importance of Construction Fire Safety Robert Glowinski A 7-alarm fire in Bound Brook, New Jersey, in mid-January destroyed six buildings and caused approximately $52 million in damages. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire was arson, and the perpetrator was arrested soon after. Nonetheless, in the investigations of... Read More March 2020 Issue #12248 Page 110
2020 Preview Chris Scott It’s been the time of year for reflection and forecasting, thinking about what can be learned from last year and what should be expected from the new year to come. The most successful of us are the best at applying those lessons learned and having the ability to anticipate upcoming changes... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 17
Are You Creating a Culture of Quality? Glenn Traylor On a recent trip to Japan to observe construction manufacturing methods, I was struck by the amount of time a plant manager spends on the production floor. Comparing this Japanese methodology to our truss industry, our plant managers and upper management spend relatively little time engaged in... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 40
How Do Your Trusses Stack Up? Glenn Traylor Do you vertically stack your trusses or horizontally stack them? How does the method impact quality? How does it impact safety? Do you know the arguments for either preference? Almost as if it was a regional inclination, some areas of the US vertically stack their finished trusses and some areas... Read More January 2020 Issue #12246 Page 40
Industry 4.0 – What’s the Hype? Ed Serrano Not so long ago, the concept of “lean manufacturing” was embraced and implemented worldwide for manufacturing. But these days, lean manufacturing is old news. Today, you need to be on the “Industry 4.0” bandwagon if you want to survive into the next decade. Governments,... Read More January 2020 Issue #12246 Page 47
AWC Successes in Mass Timber, Fire Engagement Mark 2019 Robert Glowinski The American Wood Council (AWC) is prepared for an active 2020, but first, we look back at the challenges and resulting accomplishments over the course of 2019. Last year was marked by successes in the building codes development process, establishing lines of communications with the fire... Read More January 2020 Issue #12246 Page 98