Affectionately dubbed 3.0, the latest generation of Enventek’s NEXPLATE injects Formula 1-style velocity to truss build tables. Building on the foundation of version 2.0 — which debuted last year at the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) in Omaha — NEXPLATE 3.0...

One of the most common problems in component manufacturing is not that companies lack effort, experience, or good people. The problem is that many companies are still trying to price, schedule, and measure labor using methods that were never accurate enough for the decisions being made. Board...

Two highly consequential labor-saving innovations were hatched at the 1993 National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Show at the Astrodome complex in Houston, Texas. Outside the Astrodome, two identical model homes were being framed side-by-side, proving the labor savings of components....

In hockey, “Dump and Chase” is highly effective depending on how deep the puck is dumped into the opposing team’s defensive zone, and how hard the dumping team will chase and fight to get back possession of the puck. The strategy is to physically punish the defending team and...

When business gets tougher, hidden weaknesses stop being minor frustrations and start becoming profit leaks. Leaders cannot afford recurring quality issues, unclear job status, missed follow-up, or managers spending hours chasing information that should already be visible. Most companies do...

A quiet and unassuming man, John Houlihan was ushered into our business by the charismatic Dave Chambers, and together they built the foundation for today’s labor management practices. It helped that Chambers’ plant, Imperial Components, was close to the site of the Hawthorne Study,...

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...

Board foot has been used for decades in component manufacturing, and it still serves its purpose for sales reporting, legacy KPIs, and corporate roll ups. There is no need to abandon it. But for scheduling, pricing, and determining how much work a plant can actually handle, board foot alone will...

Most companies don’t have a performance problem. They have a flow problem. They have good people, decent equipment, and plenty of effort on the floor, but the numbers that matter most still refuse to move. Output stays flat, lead times stretch, overtime becomes the norm, customers feel...

As this year rapidly comes to a close, it’s time to prepare for 2026. In addition to our daily tasks, it’s important to step back and view the bigger picture too. My question for you today: Do you have CapEx room for 2026? To answer my own question, I have to say: the best...