Huber Sues GP For Infringement

by Web Editor | Aug 17, 2016 | News

Huber Sues GP For Infringement

Huber Engineered Woods LLC has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Georgia-Pacific Wood Products LLC, alleging that GP’s ForceField Air and Water Barrier System infringes Huber’s patents for its ZIP System sheathing and tape products. Huber filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court of the Western District of North Carolina.

“For more than two decades, Huber Engineered Woods has provided innovative, premium and branded solutions to its customers and builders,” says HEW President Brian Carlson. “We have consistently invested to develop a broad portfolio of patents to protect our branded products, including ZIP System sheathing and tape products and AdvanTech flooring and sheathing panels. We will vigorously defend our patents against infringement.”

Since its introduction in 2006, ZIP System sheathing and tape has been used by many builders as a replacement for traditional sheathing and housewrap. The exterior wall and roof system consists of an enhanced moisture-resistant, engineered wood panel with a built-in, water-resistive, vapor permeable barrier that eliminates the need for housewrap or felt. Completed with taped panel seams using ZIP System flashing tape, the system helps protect construction timelines by creating quick dry-in status and reducing risk of rework, while providing moisture protection and reduced air leakage, according to a Huber statement.

Specifically, Huber alleges that the ForceField products marketed by Georgia-Pacific infringe two patents when used to sheath the walls of homes during construction; that the use of multiple ForceField panels to sheath the wall of a home, when sealed together with water-resistant tape such as GP’s ForceField Seam Tape, creates a panel system that infringes the two Huber patents.

Georgia-Pacific offered the following statement in response: “Georgia-Pacific Wood Products is aware of the lawsuit filed by Huber Engineered Woods related to Georgia-Pacific’s recently-launched ForceField Air and Water Barrier System. As a company that respects intellectual property, Georgia-Pacific remains confident that ForceField does not violate the intellectual property rights of others, including those of Huber. Georgia-Pacific disagrees with Huber’s allegations, and intends to vigorously defend itself in this matter.”

The Huber lawsuit states that the inventions claimed in its patents were the result of years of research and development on structural sheathing systems by Huber. “The inventions represent a leap forward in roof and/or wall structural sheathing system technology, solving several problems exhibited by other sheathing systems that rely upon house wrap or felt paper that is used with structural wood panels as part of the weatherization of buildings.”

Huber’s ZIP System sheathing was first sold in 2007. The lawsuit states that GP introduced its ForceField System in January 2016 as a competitior to Huber. “Rather than put in the time and resources necessary to independently develop a sheathing product, like HEW did, GP instead chose to take advantage of the innovative development work done by HEW,” the lawsuit states.

Interestingly, according to the lawsuit, GP hired a former Huber employee to help GP develop its product—the same person who is a named inventor on each of the Huber patents and who was involved in the development of Huber’s ZIP System sheathing and other Huber products. The lawsuit states that this person is a named inventor on GP’s currently pending patent application for the similar product technology.

Huber Engineered Woods has OSB manufacturing operations in Maine, Georgia, Virginia and Oklahoma.

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Wrapping Our Minds Around Formaldehyde

by Web Editor | Aug 17, 2016 | Taking Stock

Article by Rich Donnell,
Editor-In-Chief

This issue of Panel World reports on several interesting developments, one of which is EPA’s release of its “final rule” on formaldehyde emission levels for composite panels and the related certification and recordkeeping stipulations. It’s similar to the CARB rule that originated in California, to which industry is no stranger.

I printed out the 272-page ruling and made some of the editors aware it was there and invited them to digest it. Suddenly the editors all left on vacation. I suppose it should have fallen into my lap, since I have some historical perspective of the formaldehyde issue, which I didn’t dare tell them because they tend to laugh at me when I say things like that.

However I do know that the formaldehyde issue surfaced in the early 1970s when Charles Morschauser, who was the technical director of the National Particleboard Assn., told Bill Ives, who was legal counsel for the association, that someone had raised a question about whether or not because of the off-gassing of formaldehyde, companies should be concerned because it might violate the federal law that prohibits the shipment of chemicals. Ives said it might be an issue but he wasn’t sure if the association wanted to tackle it yet, and so they sent a notice to all the companies that this may present an issue at some point and meanwhile to handle it individually.

Then other things happened. Some manufactured home occupants complained of irritation, leading to a 1979 study by the Chemical Industry Institute of Technology that found that over a two-year period, high levels of inhaled formaldehyde—15.0 ppm no less—caused nasal cancer in lab rats. Then Consumer Products Safety Commission investigated a few installation problems with urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) used primarily as retrofit insulation in older houses; and then some lawsuits surfaced against wood panel and UFFI suppliers and home builders that placed a stigma on the resale of houses containing UFFI; and then there was the accompanying media coverage that found the particulars too complex to delve into and caved in to environmental sound bites.

The issue turned into a major discussion in the 1980s between health scientists, regulatory agencies and industry. The particleboard/MDF industry reacted swiftly and worked with the adhesive industry on new resin technologies in combination with improved panel manufacturing process, resulting in great reduction of formaldehyde emission. That didn’t stop HUD from entering the picture in 1985 with a regulation, and OSHA from doing the same. The State of Minnesota became the only state that had a formaldehyde emission standard. EPA started looking at it around the same time. In 1991 EPA classified formaldehyde as a “probable human carcinogen based on limited evidence in humans and sufficient evidence in animals.”

But these things take time, and it wasn’t until 2009 when airborne toxic control measures derived by the California Air Resources Board took effect in California, followed in 2010 by U.S. House and Senate legislation directing EPA to establish a national standard, comparable to CARB, resulting in the 272-page final rule that I eventually skimmed, but by no means fully deciphered.

Concrete Industry Group Questions Cross-Laminated Timber Safety

by Web Editor | Aug 15, 2016 | News

Build With Strength, an industry campaign of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, is questioning the use of cross-laminated timber in construction. The group said that wood products can be a questionable building material for several reasons, and that concrete is more fire resistant, provides improved air quality, and is more environmentally responsible.

The trade group said that the only houses standing in parts of Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina were made with concrete. In the event of a large fire, such as those that have burned parts of the western states, the group said that concrete would be a better material.

The association’s Build With Strength campaign is designed to educate design and build and code communities about the benefits of concrete construction in the low to mid-rise sector.

Build With Strength has teamed with the Alabama Concrete Industries Association to present its seminar for architects, engineers, builders and developers. During “A Day of Concrete Knowledge” offered on both Wednesday, September 7, in Huntsville and Thursday, September 8, in Birmingham, the presentation will focus on performance in buildings. Building materials play a big role in energy use and deciding the safety and resiliency of the built environment.

This presentation will explore emerging trends in housing and development; innovations in concrete construction; case studies that showcase building value generation; economical design of concrete wall and floor systems; and how to utilize free resources to design structures. The program offers architects and engineers two hours of professional learning credits, along with four hours of additional concrete-related topics.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/concrete-industry-group-questions-cross-laminated-timber-safety?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news

Grady Mulbery Becomes President/CEO Of Roseburg Forest Products

by Web Editor | Aug 10, 2016 | News

Engineered panel manufacturer Roseburg Forest Products said its president, Grady Mulbery, will take on the added role of CEO on September 1, as Allyn Ford steps aside. Ford will remain a key part of the company in his role as chairman of Roseburg’s Board of Directors.

“This transition has been in the works for a long time, and Grady and the executive team are ready and able to take it from here,” Ford said. “It’s time for the next generation of leaders to step in.”

Ford recently celebrated his 50th anniversary with the company his father, Kenneth Ford, founded in 1936. During his 19 years as president and CEO, Allyn Ford has transformed Roseburg from a successful regional business into a dynamic and influential national enterprise that employs more than 3,000 people in six states.

Ford previously had indicated that he would retire at the end of 2016, at which point Mulbery would assume the dual role president and CEO. But the ease of transition and strength of the leadership team prompted him to advance the timeline.

“I’m very proud of the hand-off we’re making,” Ford said. “Roseburg is a strong organization, well-positioned in the industry, with a long-term strategic vision that will ensure growth and stability even as the markets inevitably cycle through good times and bad. The company is changing, the industry is changing, and the Ford family relationship to the business is changing, too.”

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/grady-mulbery-ass-presidentceo-role?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news

Structural Panel Numbers Go Up

by Web Editor | Aug 5, 2016 | News

From: Panel World Staff

While housing starts in the U.S. ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.17 million units in the second quarter, and Canadian housing starts ran at 198,000 units, North American structural panel production and apparent consumption rose 6% and 6.6%, respectively, in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. Relative to the second quarter of 2015, North American structural panel production was up 6.5%, and consumption increased 8.1%, according to data reported by APA—The Engineered Wood Assn.

Compared to the first quarter of 2016, North American glulam production rose 4.7% in the second quarter. I-joist production increased 4.1% and LVL output rose 3.9%. On a year ago quarter basis, glulam production was up 6.7%, while I-joist and LVL production increased 4.5% and 9.4%, respectively.

OSB production in North America increased 6.5% in the second quarter versus the first quarter, and was up 7.8% from the second quarter of 2015. First half production totaled 10.775 billion SF, up 7.5% from the first half of 2015.

North American plywood production was up 4.9% in the second quarter versus the first quarter, and was up 3.9% from the
second quarter of 2015. Plywood production in the first half of 2016 was 1.2% greater than the first half of 2015. Led by a 7.4% increase in the South, U.S. plywood production jumped 5% in the second quarter versus the first quarter, and was up 4.6% from the second quarter of 2015. Canadian production increased 4.9% in the second quarter, and was up 0.6% from the second quarter of 2015.

Read more on this in the July 2016 issue of Panel World…