The implementation of a Lumber PickLine is a quick study in lean manufacturing tailor-made for each component plant’s building constraints and saws. A Lumber PickLine can semi-automatically feed any linear saw or any component saw. A saw that is fed lumber from a PickLine is a just-in-time...

Backwards compatibility is a feature that allows newer versions of software or hardware to successfully work with older versions. This point came to mind during my recent visit to one of our long-time Vekta customers. This plant in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, Australia has been operating...

A question everyone has been asking lately – how high will interest rates go this year – got a new possible answer in March. As usual, the predicable became unpredictable again. This time, it is the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), and the ensuing danger it posed for the...

As builders began demanding Gang-Nailed trusses, imitators answered their call with little concern for violating Cal Jureit’s patent. Even though his claims were technical triumphs, vetted by D.C. patent experts, they were quickly contested by two now-familiar figures, Bill Black and...

Immediately after I graduated from high school, my father, never one for complacency, sent me out to find a job for the summer. I remember walking into a local lumber yard looking for work. The gentleman I spoke with didn’t have a position, but he knew that the production manager at a...

As everyone in our industry knows, there’s always another challenge on the horizon. While writing this article in late February, much of North America is experiencing another Polar Vortex. It’s perhaps ironic that our first Polar Vortex was in 2019, right in the middle of the run on...

Have you heard the news? Vekta has merged with fellow Aussie, Framequip! As you know, Vekta Automation, headquartered in Perth, Australia, is a global technology solutions leader specializing in quality automation systems for the timber frame and truss industry. Now, we’ve joined forces...

Why should you use asset-based financing? This is a question we get quite often. Prospective buyers of commercial equipment wonder what advantages there are to asset-based financing, if any. First and foremost is the advantage of not having to outlay a lot of cash upfront to have use of the...

The plated truss industry went bonkers around 1961. Truss fabricators were besieging suppliers for product and were willing to try nearly any plate or machine. Plate suppliers had to conform to the new testing and QC required by TPI-60, but machinery vendors had no guidelines beyond satisfying...

When arriving back to work after Christmas holidays, I had a few hundred emails to work through and a multitude of other tasks to conquer so I’d be up to speed again for 2023. One of the most compelling emails I had was from a Truss and Wall Fabricator who was appealing to me to help solve...