On the edge of Ralston, a company is using a Japanese practice of constant improvement to stay at the forefront of its industry. 

Diamond Truss, run by Dick Fennell and his wife Gail, houses an automated, laser guided system for preparing their trusses inside the large building in the small town, and provides trusses across the region. It is also a “kaizen” company, Dick said, which means they are always focused on improving the “weak link” in their process.

The company produces trusses for projects from the Bakken oil and gas fields in North Dakota to rural Idaho, where they recently flew three trusses to, by storing them inside of a plane. 

Diamond Truss was recently named World’s Best truss builder by World’s Greatest. Gail, the company’s bookkeeper and truck driver, said their innovation and customer service were big reasons for being honored.

“So what happens in this business is it’s very creative, and you mix architecture and engineering, and it’s very difficult to gain any mastery in it, because you really need to manage, you know, three, or if you count four disciplines,” Dick said. “You’ve got architecture, engineering, business and manufacturing, and they’re all different.”

He said he loves the creativity the business allows, whether that’s been developing his own equipment inside the factory the couple built from the ground up, or in accomplishing challenging tasks. 

For instance, recently the company built a half circle truss for an artist on the North Fork who wanted a curved roof with a maximum of sunlight for producing his artwork. Gail said she hadn’t heard of anybody else in the region producing a curved truss like that. 

The plant in Ralston is able to produce both high quality and diverse products with a small crew thanks to its high tech nature.

Dick, who is from Ontario, Canada, said it’s a far cry from his first plant he worked at. 

“My original plant was about 22 board feet per man hour. My next one’s about 35 and this one runs about 224 feet per man hour,” Dick said. “Now we do it because of our machines and because of our people … they’re complimentary, like it can’t be done without good people, and it can’t be done without the machines.”

That includes software and a laser system to make precise cuts — the laser actually maps out the lines of each truss.

“From the very beginning, we wanted it to be automated and that’s part of kaizen too,” Gail said. “And I think we made a really wise choice, because to get someone to come to work is very difficult right now.”

The business will be featured on TV on Saturday. For more information on times and channels, visit diamondtruss.com.