We’ve reached July and BCMC in Milwaukee, WI is only three months away. Whether you’re planning on traveling to Milwaukee or not, I highly recommend that you take the time to make time to attend our upcoming Feed the Beast truss plant tour! [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]
As reported in my January 2024 “Inspiration to Feed The Beast!” article, the best way to get over the fear factor of just-in-time production is to tour and talk to truss plants that are using Enventek’s Process Organization Technology. Once again, Travis White of Tindell’s has graciously agreed to host another open house on Wednesday July 24, 2024 in Knoxville, TN.
Shown is Tindell’s 270 ft Double Lumber PickLine that has reduced operating costs by eliminating two full-time forklifts, allowing two forklift drivers to be redeployed. No forklifts running around all night is a cost savings and a significant safety improvement during the day and at night.
Tindell’s is a large truss plant with two side-by-side Fully Loaded RetroCs. These saws are capable of filling 150 carts without lumber catchers. Each RetroC is a two-person operation needing just one lumber Picker and one Sawyer. In today’s tight labor market, any reduction in labor is welcome, especially for the labor-intensive task of catching and stacking lumber.
It does not take long for a RetroC to fill carts automatically with cut lumber (no lumber-catching labor). Carts are moved manually to the truss build tables and the empty carts are also returned to the saw shop manually, requiring only one float worker for all the truss tables. Tindell’s has the luxury of 70 ft of shared material staging area between the main truss build table to facilitate just-in-time in-line production as shown in the photos.
Lumber arrives at the tables in collated barrel carts for left, right, and middle of table. This improved organization of the cut lumber in front of each build table has allowed Tindell’s to reduce their truss build crews from 3–4 truss builders to 2 person crews. The improved material handling and staging has increased truss output by 30% with less labor.
Attending a pre-BCMC Feed the Beast truss plant tour provides a unique and valuable opportunity to enhance your knowledge, network with industry peers, and gain practical insights that can directly benefit your business. It’s an excellent way to stay at the forefront of the truss manufacturing industry and ensure that your operations are competitive, efficient, and innovative.
To join us on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, please register at https://limteksolutions.com/tours/.
When you’re ready to Feed Your Beast and see these efficient and effective systems for yourself, let us know! Inside and out, LimTek Process Organization Technology will help you squeeze out more truss production and deliver quality trusses with shorter lead times to better service your customers by organizing your truss fabrication processes to maximize your investment in automation. https://limteksolutions.com/#solutions