by Web Editor | Feb 26, 2016 | News
Columbia Forest Products Builds Executive Team
Columbia Forest Products, a leader in decorative hardwood plywood panels, promoted three senior-level employees to the company’s executive team, as announced by Brad Thompson, President and CEO:
Gary Gillespie has been promoted to Executive Vice President responsible for all of Columbia’s Canadian plywood operations and the company’s decorative veneer operations. Gillespie is also a member of the Board of Directors for Columbia Forest Products.
Greg Pray has been promoted to Executive Vice President responsible for all of Columbia’s plywood operations located in the U.S. In addition, Pray has been named to Columbia’s Board of Directors.
Dave Abts has been promoted to Executive Vice President with responsibility for manufacturing, which includes logistics, materials, corporate engineering, manufacturing lean systems, and innovation. Abts is also a member of the Board of Directors for Columbia Forest Products.
Thompson reports that these changes represent the “first phase of a thoughtful and controlled succession process that will keep Columbia Forest Products on its path to a vibrant future.”
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by Web Editor | Feb 24, 2016 | News
Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. (AHMI), promoting the advantages of formaldehyde-free real, solid wood to public, are contrasting its natural qualities with the unsafe laminate flooring that had gotten Lumber Liquidators into trouble with consumers.
“Discount flooring companies selling imported laminate floors have been providing customers with products that can carry seven to twenty times the base amount of carcinogenic formaldehyde allowed by the EPA,” says the AHMI. “At these levels, formaldehyde secretes from the flooring and into the home’s air, becoming a high-level health risk, especially for children and pets who are most susceptible to its effects. Carcinogenic formaldehyde found in artificial wood has been linked to lung and nasal cancer, nausea, asthma, and other severe respiratory issues.”
Wood industry trade groups, including furniture and cabinetry makers, have been trying to separate their goods from the products made in China that contained high levels of formaldehyde. The Kitchen Cabinet Makers Association issued a statement last week saying that there is no risk of exposure to formaldehyde in cabinets that receive its Environmental Stewardship Program seal, because its program requires that engineered wood used in it must be CARB Compliant.
Other groups have questioned the validity of testing methods used to detect formaldehyde in wood products – such as flooring sold by online retailer Wayfair – tests that deconstruct the multi-layered sandwich that makes up laminate flooring. The Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association estimates that “finishes of paint, lacquer, sealants, laminate, plastic or other material” reduce formaldehyde emissions of the underlying raw board by 90 percent.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/pricing-supply/appalachian-hardwood-manufacturers-tout-formaldehyde-free-real-solid-wood
by Web Editor | Feb 22, 2016 | News
Oregon wood researchers hope to bring a new type of engineered lumber to market after tests to make sure it meets state building codes. Oregon State University has been notified that it will receive a $447,000 grant from the federal Economic Development Administration for the testing of cross-laminated timber, or CLT.
The testing will allow the development of manufactured wood products that meet state building codes so the products can be approved for the construction of large buildings, said Geoff Huntington, director of strategic initiatives for OSU’s College of Forestry.
“Our objective is to make CLT and other innovative uses of mass timber products technically feasible, economically viable and accessible alternatives for architects and developers seeking to use Oregon products to meet growing consumer demand for healthy, sustainable buildings,” he said. Plans for Oregon’s first cross-laminated timber buildings already are on the drawing boards.
CLT is composed of large wooden panels made with hundreds of pieces of wood, typically 2-by-4s or 2-by-6s laid perpendicular and glued together, Huntington said. The wooden panels are large, ranging from 10-feet-by-20-feet to 20-feet-by-40-feet. They can be used for walls, ceilings and floors, typically in buildings several stories tall, he said.
The product has been used in multistory buildings in Europe and Canada for several years, but the engineered wood hasn’t been approved for construction purposes in the United States, Huntington said.
From The Register-Guard: https://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34077270-75/oregon-researchers-tout-potential-of-new-manufactured-wood-in-building-industry.html.csp
by Web Editor | Feb 19, 2016 | News
Roseburg says its RigidCore plywood has entered the market for use in industrial applications for CNC machining of furniture, cabinetry and other products.
Most plywood used in the industrial market is machined into smaller pieces on CNC machines, says Roseburg. Product consistency and yield are critical factors in using plywood. Core gaps, open knots, warping and variations in thickness are a big concern for industrial customers, according to the company.
Roseburg developed RigidCore features 100 percent Douglas fir veneers with balanced layup for flatter panels with exceptional dimensional stability, 1/8-inch maximum core gaps, and proprietary C+ grade core veneers.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/panel-supply/roseburg-introduces-rigidcore-industrial-plywood
by Web Editor | Feb 19, 2016 | Update
Organizers of the third Timber Processing & Energy Expo announced that indoor exhibit space is 98% sold out. Some space remains outside. Hosted by Timber Processing and Panel World magazines, and produced by Hatton-Brown Expositions, TP&EE will be held September 28-30 at the Portland Exposition Center in Portland, Ore.
Sold-out exhibitor space in 2014, a waiting list, and generally cramped quarters prompted organizers to move the 2016 event into a larger adjacent hall on the fairgrounds. “Hall E (108,000 sq. ft.) this year is a third larger than Hall D (72,000 sq. ft.) was in 2014, so we should be able meet most exhibitor demands,” comments Rich Donnell, Show Director and Editor-in-Chief at Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc.
The 2014 event featured 170 exhibitors who displayed their equipment and technologies to 1,700 industry producer personnel, representing 140 wood products companies and hundreds of lumber, veneer/plywood and engineered wood products mill operations. The event also continues to attract an international audience, with 22 countries represented. In addition, 1,000 exhibitor personnel were on hand.
Donnell adds that while there will be a marginal increase in the number of exhibitors, the difference is that many exhibitors have increased their booth space to be able to display more machinery and equipment.
“There’s no doubt there’s considerable project planning in the mills going on because our editors in the field hear about it, and our surveys indicate the same,” Donnell says. “If the housing market gains steam even beyond its current slow advancement, nobody wants to be caught short. Throw in the fact that it’s an election year, and we’re bound to have an exciting event with a lot of buzz to it.”
The 2016 TP&EE will again include two workshop days that focus on a range of lumber, plywood and engineered wood products technologies. More than 200 people attended the workshops in 2014.
Attendee online registration opens May 1.
