Governor Visit Highlights Hurst Boiler Operations

As part of an ongoing tour to highlight products made in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp visited Hurst Boiler & Welding Co. Inc. in Coolidge, Ga. in early December. A key forest products industry supplier, Hurst Boiler & Welding Co. Inc. has been manufacturing, designing, engineering and servicing gas, oil, coal, solid waste, wood, biomass and hybrid fuel-fired steam and hot water boilers for thousands of customers since 1967.

Brian Jackson, Hurst Boiler operations manager, said the company began small and has grown through the years. “I think the governor is interested in highlighting those types of businesses, and we’re excited about showing our success story,” Jackson said. Hurst Boiler, which ships worldwide, uses Georgia ports and local labor, Jackson said. The company employs more than 350 people and its manufacturing facility is 314,000 sq. ft. The facility and Hurst Boiler campus cover 17 acres.

The visit is part of the governor’s quarterly Made in Georgia Tour designed to bring attention to and highlight products made in the state.

OSHA Increases Inspections, Safety Training Sessions in 2019

OSHA Increases Inspections, Safety Training Sessions in 2019

U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA)

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) fiscal year 2019 final statistics show a significant increase in the number of inspections and a record amount of compliance assistance to further the mission of ensuring that employers provide workplaces free of hazards.

OSHA’s enforcement activities reflect the department’s continued focus on worker safety. Federal OSHA conducted 33,401 inspections—more inspections than the previous three years –addressing violations related to trenching, falls, chemical exposure, silica and other hazards in a multitude of industries and businesses.

Though the forest products industry is just one of many that OSHA has jurisdiction over, in FY 2019, OSHA provided a record 1,392,611 workers with training on safety and health requirements through the Agency’s various education programs, including the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, Outreach Training Program and Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. OSHA’s compliance assistance programs have helped small businesses address safety and health hazards in their workplaces. In FY 2019, OSHA’s no-cost On-Site Consultation Program identified 137,885 workplace hazards, and protected 3.2 million workers from potential harm.

“OSHA’s efforts—rulemaking, enforcement, compliance assistance and training—are tools to accomplish our mission of safety and health for every worker,” says Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. “I am proud of the diligent, hard work of all OSHA personnel who contributed to a memorable year of protecting our nation’s workers.”

Katerra Opens State-of-the-Art Mass Timber Factory

Katerra Opens State-of-the-Art Mass Timber Factory

Katerra announced the grand opening of North America’s highest volume cross-laminated timber (CLT) factory. Located in Spokane Valley, Washington, the 270,000-square-foot-facility will increase supplies of CLT, a fully renewable structural building material that sequesters carbon for a building’s life and can be used in place of steel and concrete in buildings up to 18 stories.

Katerra’s state-of-the-art CLT facility reflects the company’s technology-first approach, incorporating advanced geometric and biometric scanning of lamstock, an on-site kiln for precise moisture control and artificial intelligence to further improve safety and reduce waste. Katerra has deployed these innovations to result in a consistent, high-quality product. Katerra’s factory also features the largest CLT press currently in operation globally, offering customers unmatched design flexibility.

“CLT perfectly embodies Katerra’s guiding principles for product development – it is technologically advanced, sustainable, and offers meaningful cost and time reductions,” says Michael Marks, CEO and co-founder of Katerra. “We have invested in creating the largest capacity CLT factory in North America because we believe deeply in the potential of CLT and want to see this great material advance to the mainstream.”

Katerra’s new CLT factory occupies 29 acres with easy access to rail lines and interstate highways. At full operation, the factory will employ 105 people with an annual manufacturing capacity to provide thousands of apartments, student housing units, and more than 11 million square feet of floors and roofs.

RELATED ARTICLES

MERCER PURCHASES KATERRA CLT FACILITY

KATERRA’S VISION WAS LOST IN BIG MONEY

SIX YEARS AFTER STARTUP KATERRA DIGS TOO DEEP OF A HOLE

PANEL WORLD MARCH 2021

Latest News

Egger Invests More Than $42 Million In North Carolina

Egger Wood Products has announced the start of production on a third lamination line at its Lexington, N.C. facility. The $21 million investment will expand the company’s thermally fused laminate (TFL) production capacity by 50%, increasing production to more than 155 million sq. ft. per…

Büttner Expands Product Range

As a globally operating supplier of burners as well as drying and energy plants, Büttner—a member of the Siempelkamp Group—is taking the next logical step by establishing a new environmental technology competence center in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and expanding its product range in the field of environmental…

Tolko Plans High Prairie Rebuild

Tolko Industries Ltd. has commissioned Dieffenbacher to supply the core components of a new OSB line at High Prairie, Alberta, Can. On May 20, 2022, a fire in the press building damaged beyond repair a Dieffenbacher 12-opening press, which Tolko had commissioned in 1995, and much of the surrounding…

Find Us On Social

Newsletter

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

Subscribe/Renew

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.

Advertise

Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative. Contact us today!

Logstackers Head To Canada

Logstackers Head To Canada

LOGSTACKERS HEAD TO CANADA

Allied Systems Co., parent company for Wagner Logstackers, is excited about its recent shipments of two new 60 ton operating
capacity Wagner Logstackers into Canada. Wagner has long been known for its durable single pass Logstacker, and the new generation models build on that legacy by adding a number of new improvements coveted by operators and maintenance staff alike, such as:

  • Seriously fast hoist speeds
  • Lighted ground level service bay for easy routine maintenance
  • Lighted stairways for safe and easy access on and off the machine
  • Newly designed cooling package with easy maintenance access
  • More spacious and comfortable cab with improved visibility
  • Longer component service life and maintenance intervals

The four-wheel drive Wagner L4120 maintains traction in the toughest conditions while the two-wheel drive L120 is perfect for improved yards, and boasts even better fuel efficiency and a tighter turning radius. Whether you’re handling cut-to-length or treelength logs, Wagner Logstackers can handle it all quickly, efficiently and for the lowest total cost.

Wagner Logstackers are designed and built in Sherwood Ore., USA.

 

Latest News

Huber Names President & CEO

J.M. Huber Corp. named Gretchen W. McClain has as President & CEO through a unanimous vote of the Huber Board of Directors. McClain succeeds Mike Marberry, who is retiring after a 25-year career with Huber, including 13 years as President & CEO. “I am extremely excited to be the next Chief Executive Officer of…

PELICE 2022 Provides Breath Of Fresh Air

Everything fell into place at the eighth Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) held March 31 to April 1 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Ga. “Two things combined to make this the best PELICE in some years,” comments Rich Donnell, co-chairman of PELICE and editor-in-chief…

Freres Celebrates Centennial Anniversary

Lyons, Ore.-based Freres Lumber Co., now doing business as Freres Engineered Wood, is celebrating its centennial year, marking a century of transformative growth and positive impact on the wood products industry, clients, employees, and its surrounding communities. Freres celebrates this monumental milestone…

Find Us On Social

Newsletter

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

Subscribe/Renew

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.

Advertise

Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative. Contact us today!

USDA Forest Service Extends Comment Period

USDA Forest Service Extends Comment Period

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is extending the public comment period on proposed changes to modernize how the agency complies with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The proposed rule would give the Forest Service the tools and flexibility to manage land and tackle critical challenges like wildfire, insects and disease while improving service to the American people. Based on the importance of the proposed rule, the Forest Service is extending the comment period by 14 days to allow more time for public review and comment.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service

The proposed rule was published June 13, 2019, and the public comment period was originally set to end on August 12, 2019. With the extension, the comment period now ends on August 26, 2019.

Revising the rule will improve forest conditions and make it simpler for people to use and enjoy their national forests and grasslands at lower cost to the taxpayer. The revised rule will also make it easier to maintain the roads, trails, campgrounds and other facilities people need to use and enjoy their public lands.

This announcement will also be published in the Federal Register. Public comments are reviewed and considered when developing the final rule. Instructions on how to provide comments are included at https://www.fs.fed.us/emc/nepa/revisions/index.shtml.

Comments may be submitted through www.regulations.gov by searching docket number FS-2019-0010. Comments can also be submitted by mail to NEPA Services Group, care of Amy Barker, USDA Forest Service, 125 South State Street, Suite 1705, Salt Lake City, UT 84138; or by email at [email protected].

Forest Service Chief Applauds Momentum Of Mass Timber Market

Forest Service Chief Applauds Momentum Of Mass Timber Market

 

USDA Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen joined with staff of the University of Idaho to break ground on a one-of-a-kind engineered wood arena. The 62,000-square-foot, 4,200-capacity facility will highlight Idaho’s wood products industry and will provide a unique home for the University of Idaho’s basketball programs.

“This ground breaking comes at an exciting moment for the mass timber market in the United States,” says Chief Christiansen. “A thriving mass timber market can help reduce excess vegetation in our overstocked forests, leading to safer, more resilient communities. It can also support rural economic development and provide an opportunity for the Forest Service to contribute to a more sustainable building sector.”

The Forest Service supports the market for mass timber through the work of its Wood Innovations Program.

 

Latest News

Huber Names President & CEO

J.M. Huber Corp. named Gretchen W. McClain has as President & CEO through a unanimous vote of the Huber Board of Directors. McClain succeeds Mike Marberry, who is retiring after a 25-year career with Huber, including 13 years as President & CEO. “I am extremely excited to be the next Chief Executive Officer of…

PELICE 2022 Provides Breath Of Fresh Air

Everything fell into place at the eighth Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) held March 31 to April 1 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Ga. “Two things combined to make this the best PELICE in some years,” comments Rich Donnell, co-chairman of PELICE and editor-in-chief…

Freres Celebrates Centennial Anniversary

Lyons, Ore.-based Freres Lumber Co., now doing business as Freres Engineered Wood, is celebrating its centennial year, marking a century of transformative growth and positive impact on the wood products industry, clients, employees, and its surrounding communities. Freres celebrates this monumental milestone…

Find Us On Social

Newsletter

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

Subscribe/Renew

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.

Advertise

Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative. Contact us today!