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Good people show up. They work hard. They care. Yet output still stalls, quality still slips, due dates still move, and managers still spend too much of their day answering questions, expediting work, and solving the same problems again and again. Because when work is unclear, effort gets...

When we launched JAX over 2½ years ago, we knew we were building something special even though JAX breaks no new ground in technology. JAX uses a proven industrial-grade material handling system combined with vacuum-operated lumber pickup heads, which can be configured in multiple ways to...

Last fall, I had the chance to catch up with many of my peers at BCMC Omaha, and now I’m pleased to say Hello to an even wider audience. As an Industrial Engineer with 3 decades’ experience in PreFab, I am eager to share our innovative solutions to continue to help move our industry...

In an industry defined by efficiency, you aren’t just selling a piece of iron; you are providing a self-funding production tool. If a new linear saw reduces waste and labor costs by $15,000 a month and the finance/lease payment is only $4,000, the sale is no longer an expense —...

Candidates and employers keep asking me the same question — what am I seeing in hiring trends for 2026? The honest answer is “it’s complicated.” The more honest answer is that I don’t think the market has made up its mind yet. It’s April and, under normal...

My March article, “Prevent Scope Creep Becoming ‘Just the Way We Do Things’,” talks about drawing clearer boundaries so extra work doesn’t quietly erode margins, burn out designers, and reset customer expectations. While all of that matters, it would be unrealistic...

The MSR Workshop has a solid reputation for providing practical, real world learning, and this spring’s program in Orange Beach, Alabama is shaping up to be one of the strongest yet. The 2026 agenda features two concentrated blocks of educational sessions — Thursday morning (8 am to...

Like many stories, this one started with a rumor: Builders FirstSource was closing two stores in Iowa, a dealer told me. Digging into that story revealed a much bigger tale involving how actively America’s biggest full-service lumberyard has been shedding some underperforming locations...

A chase is an intentional opening in a floor truss created by omitting specific diagonal webs to provide space for HVAC ducts, plumbing lines, or electrical runs. For structural efficiency, chases should be located within the middle third of the truss span, where shear forces are lowest....

The “Inspect” tool in Plate Monitor (Joint Properties) is a little known and certainly underutilized tool in the Truss Studio design software that can help you quickly deal with joint plating changes and issues. [For all images, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] We developed this tool...