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August 2022 #14277 Page #134
The Last Word on The Promise of Robotics
W
hen $20 Billion behemoth Builders First Source (BFS) launched a robotic truss line in April, CMs were surprised that they would select House of Design (HoD)’s first truss machine, and the industry’s first robotic floor truss line. Remarkably, after just over 3 months, they’ve achieved a steady stream of production in one of their Atlanta plants. Greg Griggs, BFS’s SVP of Manufacturing, acknowledges the developmental nature of this venture, but also the inevitability of robotics, and prefers to be a leader and shape the technology, rather than be a follower. On first glance, floor trusses seem to be the best entry point for robotics because of their uniformity. However, BFS will also be tackling roof truss robotics in one of their Texas plants later this month. But for both roofs and floors, the devil is in the details. And with BFS already committed to 8 more HoD systems, they’re especially committed to overcoming any obstacles in their way.
Joe Kannapell, P.E.
Lumber variances, always the bane of automation, are being put-to-the-test by the Southern Pine (SYP) material running through the BFS-HoD installation. Prior machinery offerings often struggled with the increased variability of SYP over the European or Canadian Spruce upon which they were developed. With SYP, the wane on a board may extend halfway through its thickness, which is particularly troublesome for robotic grippers. Short pieces also challenge robotic assembly and plating, even if pieces are cut accurately and are without defect. Ribbon blocks are part of nearly every floor truss and are connected with miniscule truss plates. Bearing blocks, beam pockets, and other special details occur less often, but further complicate assembly. As Greg Griggs reiterated from the outset, the HoD system must handle these end and interior details, and today he reports that HoD is making progress.
From Builders FirstSource President & CEO Dave Flitman Our efforts to broaden our value-added products, which saw core organic sales up 31% … are helping our customers get their jobs done quickly, on time and cost-effectively. Furthermore, we are maintaining our focus on allocating resources to outpace market growth in our higher margin value-added products.
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