As the lumber commodity remains exponentially higher than the previous 5 years, we all question the sanity behind the market. We also ask ourselves: how can we remain competitive within our own markets? Lumber optimization begins at the forestry level, managing the plantations for 40 years or...

Optimization is a crucial part of success and profitability in our industry. It is something that every component manufacturer works at daily in some form or another. At the same time, however, the word has so very many different interpretations that few have exactly the same approach. In this...

In the Design, Make, Build (DMB) approach to construction, we’ve focused on the importance of collaboration. By bringing together the component manufacturers (CMs) and trades with the designers and architects early in the Design phase, they can provide feedback on what is possible around...

An automation battle was brewing in the late 1980s, but the first skirmish wasn’t over machinery. It was over software. Software that would minimize more than just the manual labor, but also the “thinking” done by machine operators. The time finally arrived when, after decades...

In this series of articles focused on job management, the main theme has been adaptability. Component fabricators shouldn’t be required to adapt their operation to a piece of software. Instead, the value is in a software solution that adapts to their needs. No two component manufacturing...

Software used to be an afterthought, using whatever software your truss plate provider had. In the past, most companies thought software was given to them for free with their machine purchase, when in actuality it was rolled into their pricing. Whether you used Comsoft’s Wall Builder...

We suppliers had to escape the bind that Jerry Koskovich’s automation portended. We had been chastened by our CMs’ excitement viewing his Auto Omni Saw at the 1988 BCMC. Then we were shocked shortly thereafter when one of our leading customers, Tom Nomeland at Superior Truss (now...

No two operations are the same. Software flexibility in managing your plant isn’t a luxury, it is a necessity. You need to manage everything from customers to deliveries, and you need to do it efficiently. And, you should be able to determine exactly how you want things done in a software...

The building construction industry faces several challenges created by traditional building methods. One of the bigger challenges is that each trade is largely siloed from the other trades on a project, which can lead to schedule conflicts and communication gaps. MiTek sees the Design, Make,...

The more I read and learn about 3D printing and its potential utilization, the more amazed I am with human ingenuity. The fact that we can create something virtually, combine it with raw materials and create anything we want from it is simply fascinating. It got me thinking about what this could...