Library

The signal-to-noise ratio measures the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It’s commonly used in science and engineering applications but, of course, it has as much application in our professional and personal worlds, metaphorically speaking anyway. When someone...

Learning from our current landscape and the stress the pandemic has forced on our infrastructure, it has become abundantly clear that society must put a greater emphasis on the task of strengthening our buildings, both residential and commercial, to create safe and structurally strong...

Specifying products into building designs is a daily process for engineers, architects and drafters. Simpson Strong-Tie understands that the specification process can be daunting and complex. And when it comes to the multiple steps involved in importing CAD content into your designs, we want to...

Retired now from MiTek (but not from this magazine), it is a fitting time to thank all of you I have been honored to serve. I was fortunate to have started about the time floor trusses were being introduced, and to have seen them revolutionize apartment building. In December, I observed four...

When it comes to reflecting on our families and lessoned learned, there is no better time than the end of the year holidays. As we prepare for and celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzza), our thoughts are filled with warm memories of the past. There is never a wrong time...

Even with laser projection and auto-jigging, assembly can still be expedited by good material handling and plating. The former can be optimized at reasonable expense, while to improve the latter will require a substantial investment. To calculate the potential impact, we can use data recorded in...

Today’s equipment is ever evolving. Innovation has indeed added more complexity than ever for the building components industry. Capital expenditures should be planned and calculating rather than intimidating and emotional. There are several key steps entrepreneurs and businesses should...

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...

There are many steps in the process of bringing lumber to the truss plant to be used in our trusses. Lumber must be harvested then sawn. Drying and planing brings the lumber closer to potential use, but it is not until the lumber makes it through the grading process that it is suitable for use....

The importance of making changes for Offsite Manufacturing For some it seems like this past year, 2020, has been either a waste or was put on pause. There have been numerous challenges in our businesses, politics, the economy, our homes, and many more all disrupted by the Covid pandemic that...