There are so many challenges leaders face within our industry today that are ever-changing and, quite frankly, unprecedented. Whether your position of leadership is overall, departmental, or team level, the challenges are never-ending. Too often in our industry, people are in a position of...

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...

“I’ve long said that our employees have owned Ward Lumber in their hearts for a long time,” CEO Jay Ward said of the company’s move to a co-op. “Now there’s ownership in the pocketbook.” Most news stories in May were about how Ward’s co-op works...

Recently, I’ve been watching a company I know make some very questionable changes. Even though they’re not in this industry, the issues raised are pertinent to any company. From the outside looking in (and from people on the inside without a voice), it seems that all decisions are...

The building industry is once again on fire, and too many are stating, “I don’t have enough time” all too often. If your group is always talking about needing more people, equipment, and time, improving time management would undoubtedly benefit you. Improving time management...

The new 2021 build season is upon us, and everyone seems to be excited about the 2021 opportunities that seem apparent with the robust build economy. Many companies had their most profitable year in 2020, yet others struggled, stating that commodity pricing and covid were their major negative...

Quality, Productivity, and Speed are intertwined and impact each other. Most managers create this Venn diagram in their mind [for image, See PDF or View in Full Issue]. We often hear: “First we need to work on efficiency before we can focus on quality.” “We can’t...

There are several companies both in and outside of our industry who really understand costs. It is not some academic classroom “let someone teach me from the boardroom” but hands-on experience in knowing what their costs are in their operation. In the building industry, we think we...

            Last month’s article, Change Impact, talks about what impact changes at your company will have this year. Well, after 2020 and the challenges we faced, especially for the operations-intensive companies in our industry, it...

We are all familiar with the wheel, right? We all understand that a wheel rotates on an axis using ball bearings. When a wheel is properly lubricated, it keeps the heat away and the parts from rubbing together. Without that lubrication, the force and resistance would cause the parts to weld...