The Last Word: The Last Word on What’s Ahead Joe Kannapell, PE The best news for 2022 will be on the job front, and I plan on keeping mine, working these pages. Please stayed tuned as we uncover much more about our unique niche in the off-site construction industry, including developments on the following, evolving topics: Robotics: How will the two... Read More January 2022 Issue #14270 Page 126
Article Series by Joe Kannapell Joe Kannapell, PE Begun as a complement to The Last Word in the January 2022 issue, this page contains links to the article series written over the last several years. Wood Components in Multi-Family Housing (5 articles from March 2018 to July 2018): Wood Components in Multi-Family Housing, Part... Read More January 2022 Issue #14270
Advertiser Forum: Do You Know Who You Are? Anna Stamm There’s an excellent line in a 1987 movie, when a woman explains why she’s not going to do something with a simple yet direct answer: “because I know who I am.” With that phrase, we can understand so much about ourselves — both who we are and who we would like to... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 6
Sixty Years of Machines, Part XXV: A Hail Mary Pass Joe Kannapell, PE Alpine Engineered Products’ new owners greenlighted both a new linear saw and a major upgrade to their component saw, but they gave Dave McAdoo a nearly impossible deadline. He would have to deliver both by BCMC 2002, just 3½ months away. And the most difficult of these, the linear... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 10
BCMC Reflection and Christmas Cheer! Wendy Boyd As we head towards Christmas and think about a well-earned break, I can’t help but reflect on the work done in 2021 and the wonderful support received from our customer/partners. Spida again demonstrated our machinery at BCMC – and were embraced by our customers and new friends to... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 19
How to Lose Millions of Profits with Linear Saws and Two-Person Crews Todd Drummond There has been a big push to reduce labor. In response, more than one equipment vendor has suggested that component manufacturers (CM) should purchase linear saws directly tied to roof gantry tables. The idea is simple: fewer crew members and more automation to increase efficiencies and reduce... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 35
Can I Substitute Lumber of Another Grade or Species? Glenn Traylor Can you make substitutions of different lumber grades and species? The short answer is: yes. Even so, you have to take several factors into consideration when making a substitution. To narrow the discussion, let’s focus on southern pine. The substitution must have design values equal to... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 49
Complete Management Solutions – Scheduling Tracy Roe At Eagle Metal, our TrueBuild® software gives you an advantage in efficiency. Our Job Management software gives our customers the flexibility they need to build more. We offer fabricators the options they need to make scheduling as simple or as complex as they want it to be. From individual... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 52
MiTek is Improving Collaboration with Futuristic Technology Katie Kormann In its quest to transform the building construction industry through better building, MiTek is embracing futuristic technology to help improve the collaboration of value-chain partners. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have been used for entertainment purposes for many years, and... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 58
When You’re Ready to Diversify, Call Triad TRIAD / Merrick Machine Company Team Most component manufacturers know Triad because of framing, squaring, and sheathing tables. If you attended the BCMC show in Omaha in October, you also saw our newest innovation—the ProFusion Sheathing Bridge with Autonomous Operation. But do you know all of the products that Triad/Merrick... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 68