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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...

Last month, we talked about how, after investing in a new piece of equipment, you may need to make additional changes to a process in your operation. Typically, the desired result of an equipment purchase is increased efficiency, so your software needs to be as flexible as you are as a...

Retrieval system, lumber feeder, lumber pack feeder – the name doesn’t really matter. So, what does matter? The speed matters, the size matters, and the options matter! Vekta’s PackFeeder /retrieval system/ lumber feeder is fast enough to feed two linear saws! ...

Alpine & House of Design are Partnering to Bring the Latest in Automated Solutions to Component Manufacturers At a trade show last fall, my business partner and I met a third-generation owner of a truss plant. He was in search of ideas, perhaps a fresh perspective, new technology maybe?...

We’ve dubbed the photo on this month’s cover “flying trusses,” because that’s how it can appear when you’re delivering an outstanding product in a limited space. But space concerns have never stopped our team at Lowder. [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full...

As we traverse the second half of 2020, we can expect the ftime between now and January 2021 to fly by. As it does, we have to prepare to lead our teams through the year’s extreme challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic and other events—hurricanes, tornadoes, monsoons, cyber-crime,...

In business today, we are told to believe that the customer is always right. So surely it makes sense to ask their opinion, listen to them, and actively respond to their advice with new products, adjustments, and enhancements. This makes sense, broadly, for incremental changes. Changes...

Recently, there was an article in another publication that talked about workforce resources for members of the structural building components industry. The article included the typical, nationally recognized companies—Indeed, Glass Door, Monster, Zip Recruiter, CareerBuilder, and even...

Shortly after COVID-19 became the most debilitating thing that has happened to the US economy in recent history, modular construction stepped up to fill the demand for temporary medical facilities. Many modules were built to meet that need, but here we are just 5 months later and that market...

As former students, we all know the importance of having a study guide. A great study guide pulls together all the pertinent information from various sources to help you focus on the topic at hand. In the world of mass timber construction, complex codes and standards need to be well understood...