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Vekta is probably best known for our Razer linear saw, and the next product most associated with our company is the Vekta PackFeeder, a lumber infeed system that takes up less space and costs less than anything else on the market. But... Did you know that Vekta has a variety of products designed...

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...

Every component manufacturer has actively implemented lean and best practices customized and optimized to their existing personnel, plant machinery, plant layout, yard layout, and plate supplier’s software. Most component manufacturers are operating as efficiently as possible within their...

No two businesses are alike. Even businesses that appear strikingly similar are facing their own unique sets of circumstances. So, with many different kinds of challenges and opportunities, shouldn’t there be different options available to implement changes and growth? Absolutely! One...

When you’re working on a jobsite, you never know what you might see or what might be coming next. As shown on this month’s cover, a recent project by Lowder Construction had us helping a neighborhood prepare for Oktoberfest (or at least I like to think of it that way). As you can see...

Back when I was a production worker, in an offsite construction plant, my “Boss” was the Department Supervisor or “Lead Man.” His boss was the Production Manager. The Big Boss was the owner. Simple, clean, easy to understand, until something goes wrong, or you need...

When we think of poverty, we think homelessness, food banks, and welfare. Chronic poverty was once compared to catching a grasshopper in a jar when we were kids. The jar had a lid with holes poked in it. For a while, the grasshopper jumped up and kept hitting his head against the lid. Then he...

Earlier this year, the American Wood Council (AWC) marked its 10th year as an independent trade association. Over this time, AWC has been guided by President & CEO Robert Glowinski, who is retiring at the end of the year. In mid-September, I had the privilege of taking the helm as...

When flipping around in trading ranges in the $300s, planning for the coming year had some sort of definable “worst case scenario” contingency plan. I’m just curious. How do you plan for next year, staring down the barrel of all-time high lumber prices and short supply? That...

If we have learned anything from 2020, we must understand that change is the only thing we can rely upon, and by using yesterday’s logic to deal with tomorrow’s challenges, we will hit a proverbial wall. History teaches us that the future success of a business directly relates to its...