Half The Fun Is Getting There

Half The Fun Is Getting There

Half The Fun Is Getting There

Article by Jessica Johnson, Associate Editor, Panel World July 2018

This spring I had the opportunity to hop across the pond, and visit Ireland for the first time. An avid Ed Sheeran fan (yeah, I know, but I’m a woman in my early thirties, what do you expect?), I was very excited to visit the countryside he sings about in a few of his tunes. I had my picture made as I kissed the famous Blarney Stone, though it remains to be determined if I got a mystical gift of eloquence said to be bestowed upon those who kiss it.

I’m going to pull the curtain back on Panel World a bit. One of the key ingredients to our boots-on-the-ground reporting is actually getting PW reporters into our featured mills. I’ve been on countless airplanes, subways, ferries and logged more miles in a car than most people do in a lifetime traveling to production plants. It’s part of the job. However, when I was making my arrangements for Ireland, it didn’t occur to me that Ireland follows the U.K. system of driving. The steering wheel is on the right side of the vehicle, and cars drive on the left side of the road. Motorway signs are both in Irish (Gaelic) and English. Every “intersection” is a roundabout.

No big deal, obviously, because I’ve been driving since I was 15 years old. Except, it was a complete nightmare when you’re doing it by yourself jet lagged and lost. I am happy to report I was (basically) episode free, though the car I rented looked exactly like a bubble—the only car Hertz had on the lot that was an automatic—and made me cry in frustration more times than I want to admit. I am really proud of myself for (basically) successfully driving on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road for more than 750 miles. But I got lost. A lot.

And the getting lost part made it somewhat difficult to get this PW reporter to the actual production plant. As you’ll read in the feature on OSB manufacturer Medite Smartply, the port of Waterford is just a few hundred meters from the plant’s weighbridge. I can attest to it because I tried to cross the port’s weighbridge initially before ending up at Smartply’s office.

When I arrived embarrassingly tardy to meet with Jim McCann, Operations Director of Medite Smartply, he laughed off my driving troubles, poured me a coffee, handed me a cookie and we settled in.

While discussing the history of Smartply, naturally attention turned to McCann: a 20-year OSB veteran first with Smartply while under the tutelage of Louisiana-Pacific and now with Smartply under Coillte’s ownership. But what perked up my attention was McCann’s four years in the early ’90s with a viscose manufacturer in Saraland, Ala.—just 150 miles from my home, and about 4,240 miles from where we were standing. As a fine mist settled over the log yard and an unseasonably cold wind whipped around, McCann and I bemoaned Alabama humidity and the inability to play tennis after 12-noon from April to September. The two climates could not be more opposite.

And yet, McCann with his Irish accent, who understood perfectly what “y’all” meant, told me he was glad to see Smartply grace the pages of Panel World —a welcomed reconnection for him to North American panel manufacturing. As McCann stated about Smartply’s OSB export markets, sure the world can feel like a big place, but it really is a small one, too.

 

Latest News

Tolko Announces Pino Pucci New President/CEO

After 14 years as president and CEO (CEO) of Tolko, and more than 40 years with the company founded by his grandfather Harold, Brad Thorlakson has transitioned to the role of executive chair of the board. Further to this transition, Pino Pucci has assumed the role of president and CEO.

New Combi-CLL Container

Following the launch of five new models in its 25th anniversary year in 2023, Irish material handling specialist Combilift has announced the launch of the new Combi-CLL (Container Log-Loader), a customer-led solution for the timber industry.

Smartlam Installs Ledinek Glulam Line

Slovenia-based Ledinek has embarked on a significant expansion across the Atlantic by supplying a new glulam production line to SmartLam North America for SmartLam’s mass timber manufacturing operation in Dothan, Ala.

Weyerhaeuser Names Brian Chaney To Lead Wood Products

Weyerhaeuser Co. has appointed Brian Chaney as senior vice president of Wood Products. Chaney recently served as vice president of Engineered Wood Products and Innovation for the company, and will take over for Keith O’Rear, who retired June 3 and will serve as a strategic advisor to the company through the end of 2024.

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!

Online TP&EE Registration Is Free

Online TP&EE Registration Is Free

Organizers of the 2018 Timber Processing & Energy Expo (TP&EE) announce that free online registration is now open for the big machinery event to be held October 17-19 at the Portland Exposition Center in Portland, Ore. Approximately 190 exhibitors will display equipment and technologies catered to the structural veneer, plywood, mass timber, engineered wood products and lumber industries. Held every other year, this is the fourth TP&EE hosted by Panel World and Timber Processing magazines, and produced by Hatton-Brown Expositions LLC. Personnel from wood products companies and mills registering online receive free admission to all three days of TP&EE. (Walk-up fee is $20 per day). Those with equipment companies who are not exhibiting are required to pay a fee.The 2016 TP&EE attracted 1,600 non-exhibitor personnel, representing 110 wood products producer companies and hundreds of individual mill operations. “There is tremendous action in the plywood and lumber industries right now, and we anticipate this TP&EE will be the busiest yet as mills continue to take advantage of excellent building products markets and wood products prices,” comments Show Director Rich Donnell. Register at www.timberprocessingandenergyexpo.com

Hermal Announces Hardwood CLT Mill

Hermal Announces Hardwood CLT Mill

Hermal Announces Hardwood CLT Mill

 

Burnie, Tasmania Hermal GroupForest Industries Assn. of Tasmania (FIAT) and Australian Forest Products Assn. (AFPA) announced that Hermal Group is building a $190 million hardwood sawmill and hardwood cross-laminated timber complex in Burnie in northwest Tasmania, Australia. It will be called Tasmanian Amalgamated Renewable Timbers.

The Tasmanian Government has committed $13 million in grant and training support funding for the project. Once complete, the facility will employ 200. The facility will process more than 300,000 m3 of sustainable plantation hardwood logs each year.

The Hermal Group is a long-established, private family group run by the Goldschlager family in Melbourne, Australia. The family has been continuously involved in the timber industry for more than seven generations. The Hermal Group is also experienced in Property Development, Project Management and Property Investment. Until recently The Hermal Group was the owner of an ash sawmilling and value-added business, Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH), which was sold to the Victorian government.

For three years the Hermal Group has invested in research and development on developing methods to use juvenile plantation hardwood timbers, specifically the species eucalyptus nitens, as a kiln dried lumber in value-add products manufacturing. The Hermal Group is proposing the conversion of juvenile eucalyptus into high value structural timber to take advantage of multi-story mass timber construction.

“There is an opportunity to create a new vibrant and viable hardwood plantation based, high-value industry in Tasmania which is why we are building this new facility,” the company states.

Separately, the Group is working with Moash University on “Bio-Char-Paste” fuel, which could be suitable to power a Direct Injection Carbon Engine (DICE) or diesel-style engine.

Tasmania is a market leader in Australia in terms of the availability of plantation growth hardwood. E.Nitens is a predominant plantation species in Tasmania due to it being able to attain a higher fiber content in a short period of time. Currently there is a substantial amount of holdings across the state of 15-to-25-year-old plantation timbers. The largest holder of this resource is Forico.

Of the 41,000 ha of eucalyptus plantation under Forestry Tasmania’s management, only 15% (6,300 hectares) is 20 years or older, while 33% (some 13,900 hectares) is younger than 10 years. By 2027, these plantations are forecast to produce about 77,000 m3 of high-quality pruned logs annually.

Forestry Tasmania grows two main eucalyptus species, eucalyptus globulus (Tasmanian blue gum) and eucalyptus nitens (shining gum). Both species have been selected for high growth rates and desirable wood properties. Approximately 80% of the total hardwood estate is currently shining gum, as this species has better frost and disease resistance than Tasmanian blue gum.

However, Tasmanian blue gum timber has superior wood properties (density, strength and pulp yield) to shining gum, making it more commercially attractive. As plantations mature and are harvested, plantings of Tasmanian blue gum may increase to around 50% of the eucalypt plantation estate.

Changes in the building market for timber construction have created a market opportunity for cross-laminated structural timber. “We have successfully developed and tested the source timber and dried product for use in cross-laminated construction,” the company comments.

The cross-lamination process has been used with softwood products; however the difference here is the use of juvenile plantation hardwood, which the company states enhances the structural properties of the end products compared to pine.

Hermal has identified two European machinery options both of which allow for single pass sawing of logs in the proposed sawmill.  Following the drying process the lumber will be placed into the laminated production facility.

Administration, management, marketing and support operations will be housed in Burnie with the production facility.

In 2015, CLT was incorporated into the national design specification for wood.

 

Latest News

Tolko Announces Pino Pucci New President/CEO

After 14 years as president and CEO (CEO) of Tolko, and more than 40 years with the company founded by his grandfather Harold, Brad Thorlakson has transitioned to the role of executive chair of the board. Further to this transition, Pino Pucci has assumed the role of president and CEO.

New Combi-CLL Container

Following the launch of five new models in its 25th anniversary year in 2023, Irish material handling specialist Combilift has announced the launch of the new Combi-CLL (Container Log-Loader), a customer-led solution for the timber industry.

Smartlam Installs Ledinek Glulam Line

Slovenia-based Ledinek has embarked on a significant expansion across the Atlantic by supplying a new glulam production line to SmartLam North America for SmartLam’s mass timber manufacturing operation in Dothan, Ala.

Weyerhaeuser Names Brian Chaney To Lead Wood Products

Weyerhaeuser Co. has appointed Brian Chaney as senior vice president of Wood Products. Chaney recently served as vice president of Engineered Wood Products and Innovation for the company, and will take over for Keith O’Rear, who retired June 3 and will serve as a strategic advisor to the company through the end of 2024.

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!

PELICE Remembers

PELICE Remembers

PELICE Remembers


During the second Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo back in 2010, while moderating a keynote speaker session, conference co-chair Fred Kurpiel mentioned several industry figures who had passed away since the previous PELICE event.

Afterward, several exhibitors and visitors expressed the sentiment to show organizers that they appreciated the mention, didn’t realize someone was gone, etc. So began a PELICE tradition to recognize those who have contributed to industry.

Accordingly, here is the PELICE 2018 list of industry contributors who have passed away since spring 2016:

  • Bill Robison served APA 41 years as field rep, regional manager, director, vice president and president before retiring in 1992.
  • Paul Barringer, longtime leader of Coastal Lumber, helped develop it into a softwood plywood producer.
  • George Sleet worked for APA 39 years as a lab technician, quality services head and also served as a vice president and secretary. For many, Sleet was the face of APA.
  • Hiroshi Yamaji spent a career with Raute doing groundbreaking work with microprocessor-based control systems.
  • Terry Sellers was a researcher and educator at Mississippi State University for 24 years, best known for research with natural and synthetic adhesives and engineered wood products.
  • Harry Merlo changed the arc of industry with his development of and innovations with OSB. Always a maverick and a larger than life figure, Merlo was also a true American success story: the child of Italian immigrants who rose to the top of the forest products industry as a one-of-a-kind executive and panel industry legend.
  • William Whelan worked with US Plywood, Champion International, Roseburg Lumber, Pope & Talbot and Timber Products Co.
  • John Fery, CEO of Boise Cascade, developed the company into a fully integrated forest products conglomerate before retiring in 1995.
  • Paul Ehinger served as APA president and chairman in the early 1970s. He was also a regional vice-president of the National Forest Products Assn.
  • Robert Crawford, a true particleboard industry pioneer, plant manager at Pope & Talbot in Oakridge, who then managed Roseburg’s particleboard division from 1966 until his retirement in 2000.
  • Thomas Flint joined APA’s Technical Services Div. in 1958, serving in a variety of positions in that area including director and also vice president of standards and regulation before retiring in 1992.

Article by Dan Shell,
Managing Editor

Latest News

West Salem Unveils New Website

West Salem Unveils New WebsiteWest Salem Machinery (WSM) has announced the launch of its newly redesigned website, www.westsalem.com, aimed at...

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!

Oregon Judge Rules Immunity No Defense

Oregon Judge Rules Immunity No Defense

An Oregon district judge has refused to dismiss a 2016 lawsuit filed by counties with state forests within their borders that claimed state officials have refused to maximize timber revenues from lands that counties donated to the state years ago. Attorneys for the state had claimed “sovereign immunity” in the matter—a doctrine that county governments can’t sue the state government—and while the judge initially allowed it as a possible defense, his most recent ruling says that in this case, counties can sue the state to enforce their contract rights.

At issue are timber sale revenues from state lands that were initially donated to the state decades ago, along with accompanying legislation that the lands should be managed for the “greatest permanent value” and revenues shared with the counties. According to the suit, state forestry officials began reducing timber revenues in favor of recreational and environmental protection priorities 20 years ago via an internal policy change. As a result, the counties believe they have been shortchanged and are asking the state for more than $1 billion in revenues.

The judge’s ruling clears the way for the trial to begin, says counties’ attorney John DiLorenzo, adding that maybe the Oregon Dept. of Forestry will now take the case seriously, claiming that until now the state had treated the suit with derision, believing it would be easily dismissed.