The Last Word: Last Word on Floor Trusses Joe Kannapell 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... Read More January 2021 Issue #13258 Page 140
Who is Responsible for Lumber Quality in Your Trusses? Glenn Traylor 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.... Read More December 2020 Issue #12257 Page 37
Automated Solutions for Roof Truss Manufacturing Shane Dittrich Using the Past to Build the Future The partnership between House of Design and Alpine, an ITW Company, is focused on helping clients address the challenges in the component manufacturing industry – labor and demand. The foundation of our truss system solution is robotics, helping... Read More December 2020 Issue #12257 Page 66
Are You Missing an Opportunity to Market Your Product? Glenn Traylor Last month’s article, “Are Your Deliveries Making the Right Impression,” talks about aligning your product so the installers’ first impression is a positive one. Let’s expand this further. I am sure you have noticed the freight trucks on the highway moving product... Read More November 2020 Issue #12256 Page 35
Premium Defined Mike Wisnefski The American Lumber Standard first published a standard for lumber in 1924 which delineated lumber sizes and assigned design value methods, classification, inspection procedures, the National Grading Rule, an accreditation program, and other specified functions. It was the first foray into such... Read More November 2020 Issue #12256 Page 102
Basic Principles for Effective Employee Attraction and Retention Todd Drummond Last month’s article, “Better Profits with Effective Employee Retention and Growth,” got a lot of attention. The labor shortage issues that companies are experiencing, despite the high unemployment numbers, are having a negative impact on many companies’ manufacturing... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 27
Are Your Deliveries Making the Right Impression? Glenn Traylor So you won the order. Congratulations. The designs and the submittals were approved. Sounds great. The trusses were built with care and meet all of the necessary requirements. Awesome! Does it stop here? No, not really. The customer has not had a chance to really get a rock-solid impression.... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 35
Addressing Labor Challenges with Robotic Automation Shane Dittrich U.S. manufacturing is faced with two challenges in today’s market – an aging population and a shortage of workers, both challenging issues for component manufacturers. However, rather than focus on the negative, let’s focus on the positive note that the demand for building... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 68
Are Your Trucks Loaded Correctly? Glenn Traylor Recently while traveling, I photographed a load of structural components being delivered to a jobsite. It was a little of a double-take to comprehend what was on the truck, because our products really shouldn’t be that curved when they’re designed to be flat. As shown in the photo... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 35
Better Profits with Effective Employee Retention and Growth Todd Drummond 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... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 40