Connecting Virtually with MiTek Tom Brauch The global pandemic has changed the way we work and do business. MiTek knows that many of our customers – and much of the industry – had to adapt to virtual work and new safety measures. But we also know that the demand for innovative advanced components isn’t slowing down, and... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 76
Safety Topics – What Safety Topics? Have you used our Safety First topics in your production safety meetings? If not, why not? Safety First began in 2013 and the topics rotate every 24 months. This rotation schedule ensures that your new hires have access to important safety topics. From Substance Abuse, Safe Lifting... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 107
Better Component Bidding and Delivery with STITCHER Alpine Team It’s official—Alpine’s new STITCHER software has the industry buzzing—and even a brief examination reveals why Preparing construction component projects for bidding and ultimately for scheduling and production can be difficult, time-consuming, and subject to input... Read More June 2020 Issue #12251 Page 60
The Importance of Change Management in Today’s Business Climate Ben Hershey The current global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has created a severe shortage of PPE across the world. And while regular distribution channels ramp up, we have seen several creative ways some individuals and companies are making changes to support our COVID-19 response,... Read More May 2020 Issue #12250 Page 26
The Intrinsic Value of Hands-On Quality Assurance Glenn Traylor What makes up a great Quality Assurance Program? As you’ll recall, I listed 9 essential components for good QA in an article last year, “How Does a Fabricator Gain From a 3rd Party Audit?”. It’s no surprise that each one is rooted in the personal, on-site interaction that... Read More May 2020 Issue #12250 Page 37
Six Steps of Troubleshooting Methodology and Why It’s Important Brian Zengel As technology advances year after year and Alpine equipment becomes more sophisticated, it’s critical to understand some best practices when troubleshooting equipment. In a perfect world, equipment would never break down and therefore never be a need to troubleshoot. Unfortunately, we... Read More May 2020 Issue #12250 Page 64
Building Safety Month Takes on New Meaning for Everyone Robert Glowinski Many of us have been spending extra time at home the past few months, bringing new meaning to May as Building Safety Month. This year’s theme was aptly chosen and is “Safer Buildings, Safer Communities, Safer World.” Ensuring that local building codes are up-to-date with the... Read More May 2020 Issue #12250 Page 100
How Do Your Manufacturing Errors Rank on the List? Glenn Traylor Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” Apparently, she never worked in a truss plant, where I think everyone will make them all at least once. But humor aside, let’s take a look at the... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 41
Prep Time for Truss Job Bids Cut in Half…or Even More! Alpine Team Alpine’s STITCHER software delivers significant savings for APEX Technology’s bidding and design tasks The Product STITCHER is a unique software tool developed by Alpine to free component estimators and designers from repetitive tasks and to speed both bidding and production... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 68
AWC Operations Continue Despite COVID-19 Robert Glowinski Perhaps like many of you, I am writing this message from my home. In light of safety precautions recommended because of the spread of COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, the American Wood Council (AWC) has closed our multi-person offices in Leesburg, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. until such time as... Read More April 2020 Issue #12249 Page 106