January 2020

January 2020

by | Feb 10, 2021 | Magazine

January 2020

Cover: Arauco Grayling Comes Alive

GRAYLING, Michigan – When Arauco North America announced it would be building a greenfield particleboard plant in north-central Michigan there was a collective gasp from the composite panel producing community.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

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Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: 500 Has A Nice Ring To It

This issue of Panel World is number 500 in its 60-year lifespan, having been founded in 1960; and while Panel World many not be destined for anybody’s Hall of Fame, there’s still something to be said for its longevity as we enter 2020.

Read more

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

UPDATE
Hunt Forest Products: Plywood Mill Gets New Crop Of Leaders, Technology In Louisiana

POLLOCK, Louisiana – Synonymous for southern yellow pine (SYP) plywood in Louisiana thanks to its plant in Pollock, Hunt Forest Products has been producing product in the same location for more than 40 years – and has two employees who’ve been with the facility since nearly the beginning.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

Projects
Supply Lines
  • Mid-South Has 50 Under Its Belt
  • Former Equipment Rep Farrens Dies
  • Westmill Appoints Read As VP
Clippings
  • Canadian CLT Firm Coming South
  • Hardwood CLT Bound For Tasmania
  • Sterling Opens Lufkin CLT Mill
  • RoyOMartin Names Leadership
  • Dawson Receives APA Award
  • Aldred Is New Chair Of CPA
  • Johnston Joins Structurlam
  • Arauco Adjusts Sales Leadership
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Arauco Grayling Comes Alive

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

GRAYLING, Michigan – When Arauco North America announced it would be building a greenfield particleboard plant in north-central Michigan there was a collective gasp from the composite panel producing community.

The last greenfield particleboard plant in North America started up in 2001, compliments of Willametter Industries (which became Weyerhaeuser, which became Flakeboard, which sold to none other than Arauco).

Arauco would not only be blazing a greenfield trail to close out this decade, but the plant would be the largest single-line capacity plant on the continent.

North America’s largest single-line capacity particleboard plant, Arauco’s Grayling, Michigan facility gets it done with a 172 ft. continuous press from Dieffenbacher.

The ones that get it done: Grayling’s management team.

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January 2021

January 2021

by | Dec 23, 2020 | Magazine

January 2021

Cover: Coastal Plywood Commits To The Future

HAVANA, Florida – While the Coastal Forest Resources Co. plywood mill (Coastal Plywood) in Havana, Florida has been a successful operation for a long period of time, the equipment in the facility had not seen any major upgrades in nearly 20 years. For example, the mill’s lathe left much to be desired, according to Plant Manager Trey Pierce.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

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Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: Coastal Plywood Has Time On Its Side

One thing I’ve always felt is that Panel World magazine offers an historical perspective on many aspects of the panel industry. One reason is because some of us on the editorial staff have been around a long time, just like this magazine has. And one aspect we thoroughly enjoy following is a plywood mill that – much like ourselves – has shown considerable staying power.

READ MORE

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

UPDATE
Softwood Plywood Industry Encountered Perilous Year

The authors commented that “Plywood manufacturing remains a tough and turbulent business” in their March 2020 Panel World article entitled “North American Plywood Industry: Current State and Outlook.” In retrospect, this remark greatly understated what was to occur over the following year. As for every other walk of life, 2020 was completely unprecedented for North American plywood producers.

Article by Dick Baldwin, PhD, Managing Partner of Oak Creek Investments, and Rich Baldwin, MBA, CFO/Treasurer of Oak Creek Investments

2021 Director/Buyers’ Guide
  • Products/Services/Supplies
  • Machinery Manufacturers/Suppliers
  • Trade Associations
Projects
Supply Lines
Clippings
What’s New
  • Dust Collector
  • Drum Blender
  • Road Builder
  • Security Gate
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Coastal Plywood Commits To The Future

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

HAVANA, Florida – While the Coastal Forest Resources Co. plywood mill (Coastal Plywood) in Havana, Florida has been a successful operation for a long period of time, the equipment in the facility had not seen any major upgrades in nearly 20 years. For example, the mill’s lathe left much to be desired, according to Plant Manager Trey Pierce.

Purchased at auction in 2005, the lathe evolved into a hybrid machine that was a monster to keep up. “If you didn’t stay on top of it, it wouldn’t run,” Pierce says. “We could get it right for the moment, but it wouldn’t stay there.” However, thanks to a dedicated maintenance team, the lathe continued to run successfully for 15 years.

As technology improved, the prevailing thought was that it was time to make a change. “We’ve had a lot of success keeping it simple in this mill for a long time,” Pierce says. “We felt like it was time to move into the next generation and get more efficiency, better recovery, and get with the times.” And so, the first of many roundtable discussions about pushing the 40-year-old mill into the future took place.

Left to right, looking a little more relaxed than a year ago at this time: Ryan Daniels, Trey Pierce, Mike Smith, Clyde Lee, Corky Palmer

Coastal Plywood neatly meshed the installation of an Altec scanning and peeling system with two dryer rebuilds from Westmill Industries.

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November 2020

November 2020

by | Oct 27, 2020 | Magazine

November 2020

Cover: Winston Plywood Embraces Improvement

LOUISVILLE, Mississippi – Efficiency and production are both on the increase here at the South’s newest plywood plant that started up in 2016 as the facility grows into its potential.

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

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Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: Sometimes The Paths Come Full Circle

We know that people’s paths may cross; the same can be said of articles in Panel World. You’ve probably noticed that the cover article for this issue is on the Winston Plywood & Veneer operation in Louisville, Mississippi. It is somewhat of a sequel article, in that Panel World first visited the plant shortly after it started up; having heard it had gotten the kinks out, so to speak, Panel World recently visited it again, and it appeared to be hitting on all cylinders as plywood prices continued to skyrocket. Nice timing. It has taken a lot of focus and innovation on the part of the operators to bring it up to where it needs to be.

Read more

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

UPDATE
  • Red Thomas Dies At 94
  • Adel Moves Ahead With Pellet Mill
  • It’s Phase Two For SMARTPLY OSB
  • AWC Picks Morrill, CPA Taps O’Hare
Panel Equipment Suppliers Rise To The Occasion

For everybody, the majority of 2020 has not been exactly as predicted, but despite travel restrictions, the global pandemic hasn’t slowed the panel industry; instead it’s pushed everyone to be that much greater.

Article by Jessica Johnson, Senior Associate Editor, Panel World

Dryer Island

The following companies submitted editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements elsewhere in the November 2020 issue:

  • Büttner
  • Diffenbacher
  • MoistTech
  • Raute
  • Scheuch
  • Stela Laxhuber
  • Westmill Industries
  • Dürr Megtec
  • USNR
Projects

Egger Starts Up At Lexington

What’s New

Product information and images were submitted by the companies.

  • Sunds Fibertech Promotes Steam Recovery, Mat Pre-Heating
  • Imal Offers Complete Lab Work
Supply Lines
  • Stiles Will Support MINDA North America
  • Murphy Joins Unifiller As CEO
  • Raute Promotes Trevor Wendt
  • FiberPro Focuses On Wood Yard
  • Kerwood Joins Hansen-Rice
  • Woodworking Fair Has Solid Debut
  • Westmill Moves Headquarters
Clippings
  • CLT Is Big For Kalesnikoff
  • Buffington Retires From Roseburg
  • Horstkotte Left Imprint On Mills
  • CORE Carbon May Assist Landowners
  • New Leadership At Fagus GreCon
  • Search NA Names Senior Recruiter
Projects
  • 80 Meter CPS+ Bound For China
  • VMG Opens Particleboard Mill
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Winston Plywood Embraces Improvement

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World

LOUISVILLE, Mississippi – Efficiency and production are both on the increase here at the South’s newest plywood plant that started up in 2016 as the facility grows into its potential. The irony, says Winston Plywood & Veneer (WPV) President and CEO Bruce Warren, is that the plant had been having some of its best months since startup going into March 2020 – then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and threw operations and markets across the forest products industry into disarray.

“When COVID hit we had just started to see some record weeks, the best we’ve had since starting up,” Warren says, noting that March was the plant’s best month yet – until now.

In late July, Warren said the plant was back to about 80% of its pre-COVID output. Now, after a major market turnaround and record prices that have boosted all segments of the industry, WPV is making progress in all areas of the mill.

New six-deck USNR veneer dryer is the workhorse dryer of the operation.

Mill’s two-lathe design handles logs up to 24 in., with a sweet spot half that size.

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September 2020

September 2020

by | Aug 12, 2020 | Magazine

September 2020

Cover: New Press Gives Freres More Punch

LYONS, Oregon – Family-owned Freres Lumber Co. continues to innovate with projects and initiatives that not only solidify its position as a key West Coast veneer and plywood panel supplier, but also as a pioneer in the growing mass timber construction movement.

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor, Panel World 

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Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: Something Must Be Missing From This Discussion

Every now and then a situation surfaces that is troubling to us. Elsewhere in this magazine you’ll read a news item about the controversy over structural plywood manufactured in Brazil that has been exported to the United States, accounting for a decent share of consumption in the U.S.

Read More

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

Update
  • Younie Leaves Big Mark In Willows
  • Wheat Straw MDF Mill Is Proposed
  • 4FRI May Ride On Elections
  • TP&EE 2020 Nixed, But 2022 In Sight
  • Enviva Buys Large Pellet Mill
  • Brazil Plywood Issue Heats Up
  • Study Shows Interstates Safer
Engineered Wood Products, Mass Timber Developments, Alternative Fiber Products Contributed To PELICE 2020

ATLANTA, Georgia –This is part three of a three part series on the coverage of the Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) held March 12-13 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta. Each part reviews the presentations delivered by a portion of the 34 speakers on a range of issues and technologies impacting the structural and non-structural wood products industries. The event also featured 84 equipment exhibitors. The next PELICE will be held at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta on March 31-April 1, 2022.

Article by Dan Shell and Rich Donnell

Quality Control

The following companies submitted editorial profiles on the quality control aspects of their technologies to complement their advertisements elsewhere in the September 2020 issue:

  • Argos
  • Baumer
  • CMC Texpan
  • Con-Vey
  • Dieffenbacher
  • Electronic Wood Systems
  • Fagus GreCon
  • IMAL-PAL
  • IPCO
  • Metal Detector Inc.
  • Raute
  • USNR
  • Westmill
Briquetting Presses Integrate Into MDF Production

As production of MDF and other composite panels and their downstream components increases worldwide, dust waste becomes an increasing factor in the production process.

Article submitted by C.F. Nielsen

Projects
  • Huaibei Ningfeng Reveals OSB Mill
  • Kumar Links With Siempelkamp
Supply Lines
  • Siebert Leads Ligna Team
  • Forbes Is Sole Owner Of Brunette
  • Raute Acquires Software Firm
  • Siempelkamp Adjusts Upper Management
  • Con-Vey Appoints Product Manager
  • Schmid Energy Joins Fink Machine
  • Jon Snyder Led Arkansas Face Veneer
  • Büttner Gains Order In Wood Pellets
  • Wood ID Lab Moves To Oregon State
Clippings
  • Salamander Lives With Logging
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New Press Gives Freres More Punch

Article by Dan Shell, Senior Editor Panel World

LYONS, Oregon – Family-owned Freres Lumber Co. continues to innovate with projects and initiatives that not only solidify its position as a key West Coast veneer and plywood panel supplier, but also as a pioneer in the growing mass timber construction movement. And both the company’s traditional veneer and plywood operations and the new Mass Plywood Panel (MPP) operation are backed by the latest technologies and designs to run more efficiently at lower cost.

Since starting the MPP facility in early 2018, a key Freres Lumber factor in making operational decisions and investments is the ongoing integration and support of the MPP plant at the veneer production and pressing level.

“We are committed to investing in advanced technology to keep Freres current and competitive, and have always looked to the future when making equipment and product decisions,” Kyle Freres, Vice President of Operations for Freres Lumber, after the horizontal press from Taihei was installed in late 2019.

Freres Lumber Co.

Featuring 60 openings, new horizontal press has become the plant’s workhorse.

Freres Lumber Co.

New press increased number of openings by 40% – in the same footprint.

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July 2020

July 2020

by | Jun 16, 2020 | Magazine

July 2020

Cover: Tolko Meadow Lake Knows What Works

MEADOW LAKE, Saskatchewan – Tolko Industries’ Meadow Lake division, a three-hour drive north of Saskatoon, Canada, is remote. Vast aspen forests and grain fields dominate the landscape. The OSB mill here opened in 2003, built by Tolko in partnership with the government of Saskatchewan and First Nations and Metis communities. Tolko became sole owner in 2012.

Article by Martin Koepenick, freelancer for Kadant Carmanah

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Tolko Industries’ Meadow Lake division

Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: Not Exactly Steinbeck But We’ll Take It

We’ve all been confined to our small corners of the world for the past three months, but my wife and I ventured forth and made the drive from Montgomery, Alabama to Denver, Colorado at the end of May to visit my daughter and son-in-law and our 11-month-old granddaughter. We hadn’t seen them since Christmas and our duty was to load our giant Suburban with a bunch of their stuff that they didn’t want to take with them to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where they were bound in early June so my daughter could complete a year-long dermatopathology fellowship. Read more

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

UPDATE
Easing Your Way Through Startup: A Roadmap For Maintenance

Starting production on a new or largely upgraded facility is guaranteed to be stressful. This is a period in which many players are involved in multiple disciplines and activities, with a wide array of goals and visions. This article discusses the challenges that maintenance departments commonly face in new and upgraded wood processing facilities, and provides a guideline to help your maintenance team be less reactive to changes taking place and more prepared for every milestone of the project and the team’s increased involvement in the startup of the plant.

Article by Adrian Pirraglia, Project Manager, Evergreen Engineering

PELICE Speakers Addressed Processing, Handling, Engineering, Air Emissions

This is part two of a three part series on the coverage of the Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) held March 12-13 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta. Part one, which appeared in the May 2020 issue, focused on presentations from speakers representing mostly wood products producers. Part two here reviews the presentations of speakers in log processing, material handling, construction and engineering, air emissions technology and process improvement. The biennial event, held as the COVID-19 pandemic had just surfaced, featured 34 speakers, 80 equipment exhibitors, and a total attendance of 287. The next PELICE will be held at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta on March 31-April 1, 2022.

Article by Dan Shell and Rich Donnell

Global Tech

The following companies submitted editorial profiles and images with regard to their planned exhibits at IWF in Atlanta on August 25-28. Though IWF has been cancelled, the information and technologies submitted here remain significant:

  • Biele
  • Fagus GreCon
  • IMAL-PAL
  • USNR
  • Wemhöner
Resins, Applications

The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements, which can be found throughout the July 2020 issue:

  • Dieffenbacher Dry Resin Application
  • Hexion Promotes Sustainability
  • Imal Expands On Gluing Expertise
  • Roo Glue Bonds Together
  • SparTek Enriches Pressing Cycles
Projects

Composer Upgrade Can Pay Off, Article Submitted by Raute

Supply Lines
  • Büttner Gains Rice Straw Plant Order
  • Con-Vey Launches Robotics Company
  • Con-Vey Names Product Manager
  • Westmill Reveals New Infeed Tipple
  • SEAMLESS Research Project Begins
  • APPbyYOU Teams With Dieffenbacher
  • GreCon Names Director Of Sales
  • Roo Glue Enhances Technical Team
  • VR Business Club Adds Siempelkamp
  • TSI Offers Dryer Replacement Plan
  • Dieffenbacher Opens Bangkok Warehouse
Clippings
  • APA Announces 2019 Safety Awards
  • APA Names Director Of Quality Services
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Tolko Meadow Lake Knows What Works

Article by Martin Koepenick, Freelancer for Kadant Carmanah

MEADOW LAKE, Saskatchewan – Tolko Industries’ Meadow Lake division, a three-hour drive north of Saskatoon, Canada, is remote. Vast aspen forests and grain fields dominate the landscape. The OSB mill here opened in 2003, built by Tolko in partnership with the government of Saskatchewan and First Nations and Metis communities. Tolko became sole owner in 2012.

Safety is Meadow Lake’s number one value, closely followed by an attitude of inclusion, which is evident to anyone visiting the plant. At the time of this writing they had run 379 days with no recordable incident and 1,538 days without a lost time incident.

According to Trevor Brander, plant manager at Meadow Lake, “I am always impressed by the professionalism and response time of everyone involved when it comes to safety. Ranging from a fire we had in 2018, where we had no injuries, to countless safety measures on a daily basis, our people are well trained to be proactive. That’s why our safety record is so strong.”

Tolko’s Thomas Klonda, left, and Kadant Carmanah’s Jeff Beaulieu check out the strander knives.

Control room operator Garry Opikokew shares in the diversity of the Meadow Lake facility.

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May 2020

May 2020

by | May 25, 2020 | Magazine

May 2020

Cover: Starwood Is Showing Good Form

İNEGÖL, TURKEY – Over the years the town has seen something of a boom in
furniture design and production, which is mostly as a result of the vision of the
owners of Starwood, one of Turkey’s leading manufacturers of high-quality
particleboard and MDF. The company’s headquarters is located pretty much in the center of Inegöl.

Article by Mark Rushton, Panel World Correspondent

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Inside This Issue

Taking Stock: You Had To See It With Your Own Eyes

We had a big time all right, unlike any big time I’ve ever had. Indeed PELICE 2020 persevered. Thirty-four speakers and 80 exhibitors were there. Sixteen structural and non-structural wood products producer companies sent some personnel.

So we had been on the ground in Atlanta for some days prior to the start of PELICE. The coronavirus had reared its ugly head in the state of Washington.

PELICE and our staff of 10 pushed forward as did MODEX next door. Event cancellations were mostly confined to Europe at that point.

UPDATE: Producers Are Stepping UP

Several forest products companies released statements to employees, suppliers and customers on the COVID-19 virus. Roy O. Martin III, chairman, CEO and CFO of RoyOMartin, in a three and a half minute video posted on the company’s Instagram page, hammered home the company’s absolute commitment to the safety and well being of its employees.

PELICE 2020 In Atlanta Reveals What Our Industry Is Made Of

ATLANTA, Georgia – Thirty-four speakers and 80 equipment exhibitor companies participated in the seventh Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) held March 12-13 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta. Attendance, including speakers, exhibitor personnel, producers, consultants and academia, was 287.

Clippings
  • Martin Focused On Forestry
  • Economy Fights Through Virus
Appearance Technologies

Editor’s Note: These companies provided editorial and photos to support their advertisements elsewhere in this issue.

  • Biele
  • Con-Vey
  • Dieffenbacher
  • Samuel Coding and Labeling
  • Samuel Packaging
    Systems
  • Z-Tec Automation Systems
Projects
  • Overlay Press Works For Hardel
  • Coastal Installs Altec Pendulum
  • Panneaux Project
    Moves Forward
  • WOTECH Builds With Rice Straw
  • Egger Ramps Up KT Press
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Starwood Is Showing Good Form

Article by Mark Rushton, Panel World Correspondent

İNEGÖL, TURKEY – Over the years the town has seen something of a boom in furniture design and production, which is mostly as a result of the vision of the owners of Starwood, one of Turkey’s leading manufacturers of high-quality particleboard and MDF. The company’s headquarters is located pretty much in the center of Inegöl.

But how could one company have such a huge influence over an industry? “When we were looking to grow our business in the early 1980s we decided we could do one of two things,” explains Starwood CEO Hüseyin Yildiz. “Move closer to the raw material, or closer to our potential customers. We decided on the latter.”

Dieffenbacher continuous press was the heart of the package supplied by Dieffenbacher, which has a longstanding relationship with Starwood.

Board sawing on the new 460,000 m3 line. The complex includes three particleboard lines and two MDF lines.

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