November 2021

November 2021

November 2021

Cover: New Dryer Line Broadens Hardel

CHEHALIS, Washington – Working through a new dryer installation in 2020 was “perfect timing,” says Hardel Mutual Plywood General Manager Emanouel Piliaris, after the company started up a new USNR unit at the tail end of the spring 2020 COVID pandemic slowdown, and had the new machine ready to roll as the slowdown turned into some of the hottest forest products markets in history.

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: Pandemic Felt Bad, Profits Felt Good

Given that Panel World is published six times per year, the November issue before your eyes represents the final issue of 2021. I’ve read through the six issues and pulled a few highlights of what went on in the panel world in 2021 as reported by Panel World. Actually, given that as I write this it’s only October 5, let’s call it a fiscal year dating back to October 2020.

READ MORE

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World

UPDATE
Scotch Plywood Focuses On New Mill, Landowner Relations

WAYNESBORO, Mississippi – A mill fire is a devastating event on multiple levels and the January 6 fire that destroyed the Scotch Plywood Company veneer facility in Waynesboro was no exception. The fire occurred while the mill was in operation, and every on site employee, many of whom helped fight the fire, was accounted for and found unharmed.

Article submitted by Scotch Plywood, as written by Stamp Ideas for Forest Landowner magazine.

PROJECTS
  • Pacific Wood Laminates Plans Veneer Drying Upgrades
  • Metsä Anticipates New LVL Facility
  • Starwood Plans Fiber Prep Line
  • Dongwha Rolls With Acacia Species
DRYER ISLAND

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements in Panel World November 2021.

  • BÜTTNER
  • NESTEC
  • RAUTE
  • USNR
  • WESTMILL
  • DÜRR SYSTEMS (DÜRR MEGTEC)
WVCO Continues To Provide Innovative Wax Products, Opens Wax Plant In Louisiana

PINEVILLE, Louisiana – Willamette Valley Company (WVCO) proudly points to its business model as standing on the pillars of dedicated service, high-quality products and state-of-the-art innovations to bring value to its customers.

Article submitted by Willamette Valley Co.

SUPPLY LINES
  • NESTEC Names Deemer President
  • Hymmen Reveals NA Cooperation
  • Spurgin Heads Sales For LIMAB NA
  • Haltbakk Leads Argos Solutions
  • CMC TEXPAN Gears Up For Woodex 21
  • S-W Purchases Resins Operation
  • Digital LIGNA Makes Progress
  • Heiner Wemhöner Reaches Finals
WHAT'S NEW
  • Belt Monitoring
  • Flying Panel Saw
CLIPPINGS
  • Egger-Lexington Celebrates One Year
  • Roseburg FP Joins WU+D Institute
  • SLB, USDA Enhance Collaboration

Find Us On Social

New Dryer Line Broadens Hardel

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

CHEHALIS, Washington – Working through a new dryer installation in 2020 was “perfect timing,” says Hardel Mutual Plywood General Manager Emanouel Piliaris, after the company started up a new USNR unit at the tail end of the spring 2020 COVID pandemic slowdown, and had the new machine ready to roll as the slowdown turned into some of the hottest forest products markets in history.

The new dryer creates additional in-house capacity for Hardel, one of the biggest plywood producers on the West Coast, with 164 press openings. In addition, the facility has more control of its manufacturing processes and is less reliant on dry veneer purchased on the open market.

According to Piliaris, plant officials were looking to enlarge and upgrade its dryer capabilities to avoid having to buy as much dry veneer – sometimes up to 30% of incoming raw material – because in addition to overall quality and consistency concerns, dry veneer brings with it storage issues and also is more expensive and harder to source in the winter months.

Installed in spring 2020, the dryer started up in May last year and was running up to speed when prices and demand took off, reaching unprecedented highs this past summer. Piliaris remembers low order files and production in April and May. “Things picked up in June, then went through the roof,” he remembers with a smile. “And the dryer? What timing! We were very pleased with it.”

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September 2021

September 2021

September 2021

Cover: Flexibility Prevails At TPC-Yreka

LOUISVILLE, Mississippi – YREKA, California – Watching the new Meinan 10 ft. lathe system in action at Timber Products Co.’s (TPC’s) northern California veneer plant, TPC California Operations Manager Chris Chase says he believes it’s “the most versatile lathe in America.”

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: There’s No Time Like The Future

As I write this, several of us on the editorial staff are about to head to Atlanta, Georgia where we will be exhibiting our sawmill magazine, Timber Processing, at the Southern Forest Products Association lumber machinery exposition in the Georgia World Congress Center. In fact we’re also putting on a one-day sawmill Productivity & Efficiency conference in collaboration with SFPA.

READ MORE

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World

UPDATE
Laminated Veneer Lumber: The Future Of Construction, Market Opportunities

The 19th century was the era of iron. The 20th century? Concrete. But the 21st century may well be the golden era for one of the world’s oldest construction materials: timber.

Article submitted by Raute.

What’s New

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements in Panel World September 2021.

  • ANDRITZ
  • BÜTTNER
  • CMC TEXPAN
  • CROW ENGINEERING
  • CUSTOM ENGINEERING
  • DIFFENBACHER
  • HYMMEN
  • IMAL PAL GROUP
  • IPCO
  • JOHN KING CHAINS
  • LOTUSPRO
  • PESSA IMPIANTI
  • RAUTE
  • SAMUEL PACKAGING
  • USNR
  • WEST COAST INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS
  • WEMHÖNER
  • WEKO
  • WOODMAC
  • YALIAN MACHINERY
  • WESTMILL
Projects
  • Metro & Siempelkamp: Togetherness Is The Key – Article submitted by Siempelkamp
  • Segezha Orders From Raute
  • Merino Leaps Into Particleboard
  • Shandong Huan Makes First Board
  • Arboreal Plans CLT Facility
  • Coastland Orders Drying Line
  • VMG Group Gears Up For LVL
  • Roseburg Sells Piece Or Oregon Timberland
Supply Lines
Clippings
  • Hamilton Was Key Man For Scotch
  • MSU Model Depicts Market Variables
  • Forest Service Names Associate Chief

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New 10 Ft. Lathe Line At TPC-Yreka Veneer Plant: Better Quality, More Wide Sheets

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

YREKA, California – Watching the new Meinan 10 ft. lathe system in action at Timber Products Co.’s (TPC’s) northern California veneer plant, TPC California Operations Manager Chris Chase says he believes it’s “the most versatile lathe in America.” With the ability to peel 8, 9 and 10 ft. blocks, and handle logs from 6 in. to 40 in. while peeling a variety of species, the new lathe is making a strong case for its versatility since it went into full production early this year after starting up in late December 2020.

The primary drivers for the new lathe project were to increase the quality of veneer produced in terms of smoothness and thickness consistency and also to better align veneer production with demand from TPC’s two southern Oregon plywood plants.

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July 2021

July 2021

July 2021

Cover: Swiss Krono Bets Its Chips On Barnwell

BARNWELL, South Carolina – Educated in wood science technology, Graf Grote understands not only what needs to be inside the board, but also how to produce it thanks to his years at the other plants and in a centralized function at the Swiss Krono Group’s headquarters.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: Katerra’s Vision Was Lost In Big Money

We are saddened by the demise of Katerra, the company that stormed in like gangbusters to put a totally new spin on how building construction is managed and completed. We’re very aware that many people in out industry are chuckling and saying “I told you so,” because many people took offense at Katerra’s brashness and many people didn’t see any way in heck that Katerra could pull off what it said it was going to do.

READ MORE

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World

Mass Timber

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements placed in Panel World July 2021.

  • Hexion
  • Ledinek
  • Minda
  • Oest
  • USNR
CPA’s New Chief O’Hare Nears Completion Of First Year In Position: One He Will Never Forget

EDITOR’S NOTE: Andy O’Hare became president of Composite Panel Association in August 2020. Nearing one year on the job, O’Hare was thrust into a pandemic situation as well as vibrant wood products markets. He will finally be able to move from “virtual” to in-person communication with CPA members at the 2021 Fall Meeting scheduled October 17-19 at the Lansdowne Resort, Leesburg, Virginia. O’Hare happily agreed to answer several questions posed by Panel World.

Maximizing The Life Value Of Your Veneer Drying Solution

If achieving consistent veneer sheet quality is essential to the success of your plywood or LVL manufacturing operation, then the veneer drying process is critical to those quality assurance efforts.

Article submitted by Raute

Milestones: Remembering The Professional Life & Times Of APA’s Bruce Lyons

It was an exciting time in the industry when Bruce started as a young research engineer in the association’s Technical Services Division (TSD). In fact, it was one of three major watershed periods that occurred during his professional life in the forest products business. The first was the rise of the southern pine plywood industry in the mid-1960s.

Article by Jack Merry, who served as industry communications director at APA – The Engineered Wood Association from 1992 to 2009 and formed MerryCommunications.

Projects
  • GO Lab Mill Is On The Go
  • Boise Purchases Veneer Dryer
  • RoyOMartin Adds ‘Eclipse’ Capacity
  • Scotch, Hunt Order MPDS
  • Columbia Orders Raute R7 Dryer
  • Metro Ply Plans New Particleboard Mill
  • VMG Gears Up For LVL
Supply Lines
Clippings
  • Forest Products Society Announces 2021-2022 Officers

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Swiss Krono Bets Its Chips On Barnwell

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

BARNWELL, South Carolina – For German-born Wedig Graf Grote, COO of Swiss Krono USA, who cut his teeth after university studies on the Swiss Krono plants in Eastern Europe, working to build a $230 million, 280,000 m3 production capacity MDF plant in South Carolina was supposed to be a fun challenge. Educated in wood science technology, Graf Grote understands not only what needs to be inside the board, but also how to produce it thanks to his years at the other plants and in a centralized function at the Swiss Krono Group’s headquarters. And while all of that experience serves him well in his daily functions, none of that experience could prepare him for startup and commissioning during a global pandemic while navigating a fairly wide cultural gap.

A lot had already happened at the 350 acre Barnwell site, dating back to 2005 when under the guidance of former CEO Norm Voss, Kronotex (as the Switzerland-based company and one of the world’s leading engineered wood production companies was then called) went from a distribution facility to a laminate and flooring plank producer. By 2014 the Barnwell operation had grown to include three flooring profiling lines and three short cycle press laminating lines along with two impregnation/paper treating lines.

After Graf Grote arrived in South Carolina in 2014, what was called “the small project on the other side of the building” was made bigger. Graf Grote recalls, “We had applied for a smaller version MDF plant, and then decided if we are already investing, let’s go ahead and do it bigger.”

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May 2021

May 2021

May 2021

Cover: Egger’s New Particleboard LAM Plant Is Rolling

LINWOOD, North Carolina – Production continues to ramp up at Egger Wood Products’ new facility here, the Egger Group’s first U.S. particleboard and thermally-fused laminating (TFL) plant that features state-of-the-art automation and technology as part of a three-phase $700 million investment in the North American market.

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: Time Is Free But It’s Priceless

RoyOMartin supplied a short article in this issue on its 25th anniversary celebration since the startup of its softwood plywood mill in Chopin, Louisiana. The mill produced its first press load in March 1996 and yours truly visited the mill and wrote the cover story that appeared in the November 1996 issue of Panel World. Jonathan Martin, who passed away in September 2019, walked me through the plant that day.

READ MORE

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World

Quality Control

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements placed in Panel World May 2021.

  • Altec
  • Baumer
  • Biele
  • Büttner
  • CMC Texpan
  • Con-Vey
  • Electronic Wood Systems
  • GreCon
  • Grenzebach
  • Hymmen
  • Imal-Pal
  • Siempelkamp
  • Sweed
  • USNR
  • Willamette Valley Company
Kainth’s Experience In Press & Platen Manufacturing Is Unmatched

The old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Now if those same lemons are scrap machinery collecting dust in a warehouse, you’ll find Sherdil Precision Inc., of Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada, a major precision platen manufacturer, which has a knack for retrofitting outdated machinery to blend into its operations

Article by Patrick Dunning, Associate Editor, Panel World

Swanson Implements Latest Panel Repair Technology At New Mill In Springfield

For a company that is “building tomorrow’s future today,” modern and reliable technology and manufacturing equipment are crucial for supplying high-quality and competitive products to their market.

Article submitted by Swanson, Argos and Con-Vey

Projects
  • Guararapes Beefs Up MDF
  • FINSA Goes After Glue Savings
  • Log Handler Does The Job
  • Homanit Orders THDF Line
  • First Board Meets Deadline
  • Pfleiderer Group Adds More Inspection
  • Hardboard Firm Updates Grading
  • Online Demo Pays Off
  • Raute Announces Several Projects
  • Installation Pays Off For Shengsong
  • Columbia Forest Products Will Update Carriage
  • Raute Named Supplier Of Year
Clippings
  • Composite Panel Association Shifts Fall Meeting
  • Chambord Is Comeback Kid
  • EBF Announces Leadership
  • Rural Schools Receive Funds
  • Timber Products Hits The Road
  • APA Selects New President
  • Stora Enso Puts Emphasis On Wood
Supply Lines
What’s New
  • Keen Chicago Boot
  • Level Switch
  • Air Cleaning Blower

Find Us On Social

Egger’s New Particleboard LAM Plant Is Rolling

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

LINWOOD, North Carolina – Production continues to ramp up at Egger Wood Products’ new facility here, the Egger Group’s first U.S. particleboard and thermally-fused laminating (TFL) plant that features state-of-the-art automation and technology as part of a three-phase $700 million investment in the North American market.

It’s a big step for the family-owned Egger Group, founded in 1961 and based in St. Johann in Tirol, Austria. The company operates 20 forest products manufacturing facilities in nine countries. Products include laminates, MDF, edge banding, OSB, lumber and particleboard. The 2.83 billion (Euro) company employs more than 10,000 worldwide.

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March 2021

March 2021

March 2021

Cover: Katerra Settles Into New CLT Facility In Spokane

SPOKANE VALLEY, Washington – It takes a lot of time, energy and finance to try and rewrite the modus operandi of the construction industry supply chain. Just ask Katerra.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

Panel World March 2021 Cover

Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: The Best Of Both Worlds

Every now and then a wood product comes along that causes us editors to pause – not necessarily over its innovativeness, but rather over which magazine we should write about it in. It’s kind of a fun exercise actually.

READ MORE

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World

UPDATE
  • U.S. OSB Output Had Uptick In 2020
  • Composites Ended On High Note
  • Kronospan Adds To Oxford Growth
  • Great Plains MDF Moves Forward
  • Good Earth Plans For EWP
  • Big Transaction Moves Forward
  • CEOs Address Climate Change
  • Arizona Tries To Find Footing
  • Bamboo Mill Gains Steam
  • IKEA Partner Buys Timberland
  • Weyerhaeuser Plans LVL Mill Upgrade
  • AEP Expands Manufacturing
  • Industry Weighs Biden Order
  • Kadant Completes Cogent Purchase
  • Freres Touts New EPD Report
Vaagen Timbers Rides CLT Momentum Into 2021 After 2020 Journey

COLVILLE, Washington – Coming from a long line of sawmillers, and himself once firmly entrenched in the family lumber business, Russ Vaagen recalls when he first approached his dad, Duane, about making a move into mass timber production.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

Mass Timber Appears Ready For Boom In Activity

Building for years, mass timber construction and cross-laminated timber (CLT) products are on the cusp of a boom as the economy seeks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and housing and commercial and institutional construction grows.

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

Wood Yard

Editor’s Note: The following companies supplied editorial profiles and images to support their advertisements placed elsewhere in the Panel World March 2021 issue.

  • Brunette
  • CMC Texpan
  • John King Chains
  • Kadant Carmanah
  • Minimax
  • Rawlings
  • Metal Detectors Inc.
Projects
  • Silo Storage And Discharge Systems Complement New Egger Particleboard Mill
  • Egger Implements Dürr Megtec RTO
  • Nile Wood Orders Andritz Systems
  • Starwood Orders Thin-Board Plant
  • Yuhua Starts Up Fiberboard Line
Supply Lines
  • I4F Partners With Hymmen
  • Raute Will Host Virtual Event
  • Diffenbacher Expands In Turkey
  • Saturn Line Works At Hymmen
  • Miloptic Acquires Automation Industries
  • Andritz Supplies Lelin Group
  • Finna Reveals NIR Sensor
Clippings
  • Ben Crim Retires From Hood Industries
  • Gordon Started Valon Kone U.S.
  • Hood Names Director-EHS
  • Smith Serves As CPA Chairman
  • McCurdy Joins RoyOMartin

Find Us On Social

Katerra Settles Into New CLT Facility In Spokane

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

SPOKANE VALLEY, Washington – It takes a lot of time, energy and finance to try and rewrite the modus operandi of the construction industry supply chain. Just ask Katerra.

No matter how the big picture evolves, the new Katerra CLT plant is an innovative blend of production technology that makes it one of the most advanced CLT processes in North America. For the employees, General Manager Jason Herman says the automated facility lives off three things – safety, quality and production, held together by three things – wood, glue and pride.

Herman, a wood products manufacturing veteran who’s been in the industry for 28 years and involved in CLT since 2012, notes if it wasn’t for the ownership of the 50 employees during construction, commissioning and up to that first order, the facility wouldn’t be where it is today; operating one of the highest CLT producing factories in North America at a current 90% uptime rate. Herman’s management style is to get things moving quickly, but it takes the right people and attitude.

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March 2020

March 2020

March 2020

Cover: Manthei Veneer Goes Forward

PETOSKEY, Michigan – Like many have before, and likely many will in the coming years, Manthei Veneer had a fire. The green end of the rotary face veneer mill in picturesque Petoskey was a total loss in August 2017.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: Where Plans Take Shape

From the looks of it going in, the Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), which is scheduled for March 12-13 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, is offering up its best lineup of speakers and sessions since the inaugural PELICE in 2008. That’s saying something, because there have been some good ones.

Read more

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World

UPDATE
PELICE 2020 Preview

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following editorial profiles are of companies that have placed advertisements in this issue of Panel World and that are also exhibiting at PELICE 2020:

Altec Integrated Solutions; Cogent Industrial Technologies; Con-Vey; Custom Engineering; Dieffenbacher; Durr Systems; Evergreen Engineering; Electronic Wood Systems; Fagus GreCon; Hexion; IMAL-PAL Group; LDX Solutions (Geoenergy); Mid-South Engineering; Matthews; Paratherm; Raute; Roo Glue; Samuel Coding and Labeling; USNR; Westmill Industries; Willamette Valley Company; Timber Automation

North American Plywood Industry: Current State And Outlook

Plywood manufacturing remains a tough and turbulent business. After the North American industry rightsized during the Great Recession (2008-2009), the industry again is struggling. Identifying root causes and analyzing possible remedies are the basis for finding solutions.

Article by Richard F. Baldwin, PhD, Managing Partner, Oak Creek Investments, and Richard W. Baldwin, MBA, CFO/Treasurer, Oak Creek Investments

Projects
  • Pollmeier Finds Drying Solution
  • Metro Upgrading Kanchanburi
  • Framing Firm Plans CLT Plant
  • Boise Focuses On Lathe
Supply Lines
  • One Stop Trading In Shanghai at the Shanghai International Furniture Machinery & Woodworking Machinery Fair (WMF)

Find Us On Social

Manthei Veneer Goes Forward

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

PETOSKEY, Michigan – Like many have before, and likely many will in the coming years, Manthei Veneer had a fire. The green end of the rotary face veneer mill in picturesque Petoskey was a total loss in August 2017. After squeaking by during the downturn, focusing on getting as lean as possible while still providing top quality products, the fire caused President (and third generation family owner) Jeremy Manthei to question whether it was going to make sense to rebuild.

“We had to take some time to figure out if it was time to call it good,” he explains of the gut reaction to the fire. The business, built by his grandfather and his grandfather’s brother more than 75 years ago, is in an industry that has faced some challenges over the last number of years.

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The monthly Panel World Industry Newsletter reaches over 3,000 who represent primary panel production operations.

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Panel World is delivered six times per year to North American and international professionals, who represent primary panel production operations. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.

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