Episode 50 - Annie Kao
Audio Brief
Show transcript
This episode delves into Simpson Strong-Tie's transformation from a joist hanger inventor to a comprehensive construction solutions company, emphasizing its relentless customer focus, continuous improvement, and problem-driven innovation.
Listeners gain three key insights into building innovation and the qualities defining successful engineering today.
First, Simpson Strong-Tie’s history demonstrates the profound impact of relentless customer focus. The company began with founder Barkley Simpson creating the first tested joist hanger for a neighbor’s specific need. This commitment to listening to engineers, contractors, and inspectors in the field continues to drive all product development. It ensures innovations directly address real-world challenges, moving beyond basic connectors to offer a full spectrum of construction solutions.
Second, Simpson Strong-Tie embraces lean manufacturing principles and the philosophy of "Kaizen," or continuous improvement. This approach systematically eliminates waste and refines processes across both factory and office operations. Crucially, this mindset combines with direct observation of structural problems, leading to targeted solutions. For example, the HDU holdown was developed as a direct response to vulnerabilities identified after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, illustrating innovation born from real-world events.
Third, the most effective structural engineers today blend technical proficiency with deep empathy and digital fluency. Beyond structural calculations, understanding the practical needs of clients, installers, and their own teams is paramount. Simpson Strong-Tie supports this with digital resources like the Joist Hanger Selector and Anchor Designer. These tools empower engineers to streamline design processes, make informed, cost-effective decisions, and ensure designs are both sound and practical for construction.
Ultimately, Simpson Strong-Tie's journey underscores how foundational principles of customer-centricity and systematic evolution define industry leadership, fostering both innovative products and empowering the next generation of engineering professionals.
Episode Overview
- The hosts celebrate their 50th episode, reflecting on their podcasting journey and introducing guest Annie Kao, Vice President of Engineering at Simpson Strong-Tie.
- Annie Kao discusses how Simpson Strong-Tie applies the manufacturing principle of Kaizen (continuous improvement) to the engineering design process.
- The conversation explores how software tools and digital resources can be used for value engineering, helping designers find cost-effective and buildable solutions.
- Annie emphasizes that empathy—the ability to understand the needs of clients, installers, and project partners—is the most critical trait for a great structural engineer.
Key Concepts
- Continuous Improvement (Kaizen): The philosophy of making small, ongoing improvements to processes, applied to engineering workflows by refining typical details and adopting new tools for better long-term building design.
- Value Engineering and Software Tools: The use of specialized software, from free web apps to licensed programs, to help engineers and contractors save time, filter product options, and identify the most structurally sound and cost-effective solutions.
- The Role of Empathy in Engineering: The concept that the best structural engineers look beyond technical problems to understand the "need behind the need" for clients and contractors, leading to more practical and effective solutions.
- Resources for Contractors: The importance of providing practical tools beyond design software, such as installation videos and material estimators, to support contractors on the job site with correct installation and efficient planning.
Quotes
- At 0:21 - "That really sucked, but I bet you by 50, we'll be okay at this." - One of the hosts reflects on their rocky start and their hopes for improvement by the 50th episode.
- At 0:47 - "This week we talk with Annie Kao, the Vice President of Engineering at Simpson Strong-Tie." - The hosts introduce their guest and her prominent role in the industry.
- At 18:48 - "It takes time and effort that no one, I know, has in their day-to-day... But it really pays dividends in the end because you just have a better, a better building design as a result." - Explaining the reward for engineers who invest time in updating their standard details and product knowledge.
- At 21:11 - "There's this term called Kaizen... it's these two Japanese characters that actually stand for 'change better'... the real interpretation probably stands for like, continuous improvement." - Defining the Japanese business philosophy of Kaizen and relating it to engineering workflows.
- At 24:14 - "...it tells me which hanger is the lowest to install in terms of cost." - Highlighting a key value-engineering feature in the Joist Hanger Selector web app that helps designers choose the most economical solution.
- At 31:49 - "For me, what it's come down to is like a really good structural engineer has a lot of empathy." - Identifying what she believes is the key differentiator for a truly great structural engineer, beyond just technical skills.
- At 33:48 - "We have something called Adhesive Cartridge Estimator. So if you have a job and you've got 500 three-quarter-inch diameter holes that are six inches deep, like how many tubes of SET-3G... do I need to have?" - Describing a practical web app that helps contractors accurately estimate material needs for a job.
Takeaways
- Dedicate time to regularly refine standard engineering details and learn new software, as these small, continuous improvements lead to significantly better and more efficient designs.
- Cultivate empathy by actively trying to understand the challenges and underlying needs of clients, installers, and other project partners to create more buildable and effective solutions.
- Leverage free digital tools not only to accelerate the design process but also to perform value engineering by identifying the most cost-effective solutions for a project.
- Bridge the gap between design and construction by utilizing practical resources like installation guides and material estimators to support contractors and ensure designs are executed correctly.
