As we focus on our daily work tasks, it’s very easy (too easy) for us to forget how we’re simultaneously in an industry where we have not just colleagues but friends. We concentrate on specific projects and deadlines, blocking out distractions that could seemingly slow down our...

In the middle of the largest residential construction show in the world, wedged between estimating software and the kitchen and bath aisle, our small booth was focused on one question: where do structural components truly fit in the future of homebuilding? The International Builders Show...

In off-site manufacturing, change is inevitable. What is not inevitable is losing money because of it. The change order is not red tape. It is protection. It protects the company, the client, the project schedule, and even the salesperson who worked hard to land the job. Consider how a...

My December article, “What Does Scope Creep Look Like in Truss Design?,” talks about extra trusses quietly added, parapets suddenly included, and engineering tasks drifting onto your desk because someone else didn’t handle them. None of these start out as big asks. They usually...

Every spring, a few dozen of the most MSR-savvy minds in the industry gather for something refreshingly different from the typical industry conference. No sprawling trade show floor. No overwhelming schedule. No wandering through crowds of people you might never see again. Instead, the annual...

For decades, Automated Builder was more than a trade magazine. It was “The Source” for industrialized, off-site, and systems-built housing, linking manufacturers, suppliers, and innovators across the country. Longtime readers will remember that the publication began under the earlier...

A Word of Introduction from Ed Lim: Charlie Vaccaro liked to use last month’s cautionary tale, “A Fable for Our Time,” as a lead-in to a speech he gave many times when invited as a guest team building and motivational speaker at component manufacturer and lumber yard sales...

Pretty much everyone in manufacturing has heard the Toyota example. It’s often held up as the gold standard for quality and continuous improvement, especially the andon cord, which allows any worker to stop the line when something does not seem right. The familiar takeaway is quality...

Early design decisions have a lasting impact on how efficiently and effectively a building is constructed. By engaging the professionals who make those decisions, the structural building components industry can create better plans, stronger partnerships, and new opportunities for...

Six years ago, I wrote “20 Words for 2020.” I remember it very well, carefully choosing those 20 words that I wished for everyone in the coming year. In many ways, that seems like a very long time ago. That was before the pandemic stole millions of lives from the world. That was...