The importance of making changes for Offsite Manufacturing By Ben HersheySolutions Provider & CEO4Ward Solutions Group For some it seems like this past year, 2020, has been either a waste or was put on pause. There have been numerous challenges in our businesses, politics, the economy, our homes, and many more all disrupted by the
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Fight the Management Drift
By Ben HersheySolutions Provider & CEO4Ward Solutions Group Many of us started 2020 with resolutions/goals both for ourselves and our businesses, but then our year was turned upside down with the Covid worldwide pandemic and other issues such as lumber prices topping highs we thought we would never see. While many LBM/component businesses are working
Servant Leadership and One of Our Industry’s Best
By Ben HersheySolutions Provider & CEO4Ward Solutions Group I remember it clearly; I was in the Lounge at Portland International Airport when I got a call from Joe Kannapell. Joe was going to be sharing with the MiTek team in the next day that he would be officially retiring at the end of 2020; Joe
The Last Word on Roof Truss Wizards
By Joe Kannapell Four roof truss innovators have changed our industry, from its beginning to the present day. Their names may be largely unknown now, but their work lives on and is worth assessing. The most notable is A. Carroll Sanford, whose machines are still cranking out trusses (see my March 2020 article). Mr. Sanford
Change Your Supply Chain Management with Analytics and Systems Integration
By Owen EldridgeSolution Provider, 4Ward Solutions Group This article also appears in The Component Manufacturing Advertiser. Relying on traditional supply chain execution systems is becoming increasingly more difficult, with a mix of global operating systems, pricing pressures, and ever-increasing customer expectations. There are also recent economic impacts such as COVID-19, supply shortages, the global recession,
The Battle Within Our Operations
By Ben Hershey, CEO, 4Ward Solutions Group Does this conversation sound familiar? “How fast can we reliably supply that component job to our customer?” asks the sales manager. “And don’t make us look like fools by telling me a date that will never be met or is too far out!” “I will tell you how
The Importance of Change Management in Today’s Business Climate
By Ben Hershey, CEO, 4Ward Solutions Group The current global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has created a severe shortage of PPE across the world. And while regular distribution channels ramp up, we have seen several creative ways some individuals and companies are making changes to support our COVID-19 response, including obtaining and producing
Set the Course of Your Business
By Ben Hershey, CEO, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC Many of us just returned from this year’s BCMC show. How appropriate it was to be in Columbus, a city named after a visionary who discovered the new world, and the theme was “Set Your Course.” In your business, no matter the role you serve, you have
The Importance of Change Management in Today’s Business Climate
By Ben Hershey, CEO, 4Ward Solutions Group The current global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has created a severe shortage of PPE across the world. And while regular distribution channels ramp up, we have seen several creative ways some individuals and companies are making changes to support our COVID-19 response, including obtaining and producing
Are Your Managers Equipped for Change?
By Ben Hershey, CEO, The 4Ward Group of Companies Ask yourself this question, true or false: The most resistant group of employees in many component and LBM companies is the frontline employees? If you answered true, like most people you guessed incorrectly. It’s not our frontline employees who resist change the most, it’s the managers,