If you want to give your company a new competitive edge while reducing costs and improving profitability, then you’ll want to hear what TDC has connected using Paragon and AppWright. Coming this October at BCMC, find out how your company can reduce costs, improve your manufacturing scheduling and pricing using man-hours, and manage every area, not just wood component manufacturing, with the power of web-based applications working seamlessly.
Paragon provides web-based wood truss solutions and gives component manufacturers (CMs) the freedom to run their plant their way. With open integrations and flexible plate options, their cloud-based truss software makes it easy to connect systems, streamline workflows, and optimize control of your business. With Paragon, you can reduce your total costs and save tens, if not hundreds of thousands. You can see for yourself with Paragon’s plate cost calculator.
Truss Design — Every CM needs a way to quickly and efficiently design and analyze wood trusses. Paragon Design is the first cloud-based truss software that allows you to use any plate for any design for any shop. No site setup, no installs, and no remote desktop are needed. This allows you to experience independence with independent truss software.
Truss Layout — Paragon Layout is a paid feature for Paragon Design that enables 3D layouts and truss designs, ensuring precision and efficiency in your roof and floor systems. You can create, visualize, and optimize truss placements, streamline the construction process, facilitate collaboration with a link, and enhance overall project accuracy with its intuitive and powerful layout planning tool.
TDC Time Standards — I have written many articles over the years about time standards using man-hours, and these quotes from a company using them daily in their CM operations reinforce the benefits of this approach.
Per Keith Myers of Woodhaven Lumber & Millwork, Lakewood, NJ, “BF seems to be the national standard for truss manufacturers mainly because that’s what the software has typically reported. Additionally, lumber yards always deal with BF. The truth is, we pay labor dollars for time, not pieces, nor BF. Whether I have a 2x10 or a 2x4 wedge, it takes the same amount of time to pick it up and install it into a truss. When attempting to build a pricing model within a costing program, one needs lumber, plates, and labor. Labor is a measure of time, which is paid in dollars. Those dollars can be calculated easily with the proper data. It takes more time to build a 32-foot attic truss than a 32-foot fink, and the costing model should reflect that fact.”
I asked Keith, “Are you using the time standards for man-hours that I provided you during the consultation and, if so, how have they worked out for you compared to BF?” Keith replied, “Your time standards are perfect. They are far more accurate than BF. We are much more comfortable with the man-hours for the estimation of labor for both the pricing and shop scheduling. BF is just too unreliable for our needs. No more educated guessing for our costing and pricing.”
My articles on understanding the power of using man-hours include these:
TDC has developed proper time standards (work minutes, R.E., S.U., man-minutes) using proper industrial engineering motion and time studies practices for over twenty years. This process is not easy, requires a great deal of time, and constantly needs updating. I can tell you emphatically that board foot units and piece count do not work as an alternative to properly developed work minutes for wood roof truss manufacturing.
In addition to your mindset, you also need the tools. Too often, companies are too focused on specific software their vendors provide, like golden handcuffs, that keep them locked into their particular services. However, this often comes at the price of being too specialized for the CM’s operations. Instead, AppWright allows any project, whether a quote or order, to be properly communicated and managed in every department and area. Also, AppWright can share any data with your accounting software. This cloud-based project management communication software is used daily by some of North America’s largest LBMs, CMs, and home builders.
AppWright is proven to reduce overall project processing errors, time, and cost. But don’t take my word for it; to understand what AppWright can do for your company, read what Ed DeBiasio, President/Owner of United Lumber, has to say about what AppWright has done for their company. “Component sales are just one aspect of United Lumber, but a significant profit center and sales enhancer. As we grew, we started seeing a problem, which was how do we grow our business without increasing our operating cost? Doing the same things by adding more people was increasingly becoming a problem. The sales teams of the different lumberyards were fighting over the limited resources of our component manufacturing. The AppWright app is a web-based communication software that is capable of scheduling, files storage, email, task tracking, automated reminders and much more. In essence, once we actually started fully embracing and using it, it became a labor-saving, time enhancer and something that every salesperson would only let go if you pried from their dead hands. What a difference it has made!”
To read more about AppWright, see my article on Maintaining Successful Project Management Communications.
If your CM operation is ready to explore how your company can save tens of thousands in plate cost and productivity, then it is time to explore what Paragon and AppWright can do for your group.
There is no better value than TDC for getting the best ROI for professional consulting services. TDC is your best source for learning about proven and practical lean manufacturing best practices combined with industrial engineering principles to keep your company at the leading edge of competitiveness. Cost savings and net profit gains that usually take months or years can be accomplished in weeks or months with TDC. No one is better at providing your team with proven results for good employee practices, pricing, truss labor estimation, and so many other best-in-class practices. All areas are addressed, not just manufacturing. Please do not take my word about TDC’s services, though. Read the public testimonials from many current and past clients with decades of expertise and experience.
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