As the Market Changes – Plan Now for Continuous Improvements Ben Hershey No doubt that as I am writing this, many of us have had to turn our focus to our families, our friends, and our businesses as the COVID-19 virus has rapidly spread throughout North America. The impact to many has been requirements to shelter families in their homes, except for critical functions... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 28
Oakland Athletics Baseball and Component Manufacturing? Todd Drummond Anyone who knows me to any degree will tell you I am not a sports fan. I do not follow any professional sports or know much about the players and culture. So it may surprise you to have me compare component manufacturing (CM) to baseball. To be honest, I mean to compare the management practices... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 53
Knowing the Ideal Manufacturing Cycle Time Ben Hershey Building components is really great! It was a lot of fun in the 1970s when several plants had competitions on who could build the fastest run of trusses (for example, see Joe Kannapell’s article, Vertical Presses—The World Record). Back then, it was really easy to calculate cycle... Read More March 2020 Issue #12248 Page 28
Too Many LBM-Owned CMs are Operating at a Mediocre Rate Todd Drummond An anonymous former lumberyard CEO of 17 lumberyard locations (LBM) explained to me that his two component manufacturing (CM) plants made up only 10% of his sales yet contributed 30% of his net profits. He wished he had given the CM division far more focus and resources. As a guru for process... Read More March 2020 Issue #12248 Page 51
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
Possible 30 Days Savings for the Home Builder Using Wall Panels Todd Drummond Did you know that, even though setting wall panels saves an average of eleven days compared to traditional stick-framing of walls, the overall home completion can have an average savings of 30 days when wall panels have been used? For the home builders, every day a home is completed sooner can... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 29
Are Your Managers Equipped for Change? Ben Hershey Ask yourself this question, true or false: The most resistant group of employees in many component and LBM companies is the frontline employees? If you answered true, like most people you guessed incorrectly. It’s not our frontline employees who resist change the most, it’s the... Read More February 2020 Issue #12247 Page 50
Are You Communicating the Same Old Message? Ben Hershey Here we are at the start of 2020 — Happy New Year! As we begin the year, we’ll likely have times when we look at the past and then look forward, as we plan our strategy and set the tone for our teams and work with our colleagues. But… there are others who will trod out the... Read More January 2020 Issue #12246 Page 28
Look Beyond Manufacturing Improvements to Deliver Better Net Profits for 2020 Todd Drummond Even though the new build season of 2020 is expected to be a good one for most, it likely will be more challenging to retain net profits than many anticipate. Most component manufacturers (CM) have been buying equipment and expanding their operations like crazy. Also, new money has flooded into... Read More January 2020 Issue #12246 Page 51
Small Investments Can Garner Huge Gains for Productivity for Your Sales Team Todd Drummond Last month’s article, “Investment in Employee Training, Not Just Equipment,” produced a lot of good responses from many readers. Now it is time to offer real solutions to help your company improve productivity and reduce costly errors for your sales team and also all of the... Read More December 2019 Issue #11245 Page 27