by Web Editor | Mar 27, 2015 | News
From: Panel World Staff
In response to the CBS 60 Minutes news story on formaldehyde emissions that aired March 1, Composite Panel Association developed a new information resource that provides the North American marketplace assurance that CPA-certified composite panels, and products made with those panels, do indeed comply with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation.
To help protect U.S. consumers and eliminate confusion in the North American marketplace, CPA is working with the Federal Wood Industries Coalition (FWIC) to encourage the U.S. EPA to finalize their national regulation on emissions from composite panels that is now almost three years past the statutory deadline. It is important that EPA finalizes its regulation so that finished goods made with composite panels, made domestically or internationally, are regulated nationwide, CPA states.
In addition, CPA continues to work closely with CARB to ensure harmonization between California regulation, currently being amended, and EPA’s new regulation. CPA’s newest resource titled, “A Message from CPA About Formaldehyde Emissions,” is intended to provide customers, distributors, retailers and end-users of CPA-certified panels the confidence that panels labeled as compliant meet or exceed the CARB regulation.
The paper states that CPA has served as a TPC (third party certifier) and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and by ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) (formerly ACLASS) as a certification and inspection body. It also operates a state-of-the-art testing facility also accredited by ANAB, with yearly assessments.
Read more on this story in the May 2015 issue of Panel World…
by Web Editor | Mar 25, 2015 | News
Swanson Group Manufacturing LLC, a Pacific Northwest forest products company, announced today that it has acquired the assets of Olympic Panel Products LLC. Located in Shelton, Washington, Olympic Panel is the largest overlay plywood manufacturer in North America. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Swanson Group plans to relocate the Olympic Panel assets in 2016 to its state-of-the-art facility that will be constructed in Springfield, Oregon. The new facility will continue to produce Olympic-branded products. During the next twelve to eighteen months, Olympic Panel Products will continue to operate in Shelton to ensure a smooth transition for all customers and suppliers.
Swanson executives believe Springfield, Oregon is the right location to maintain the Olympic Panel tradition of building the highest quality overlay products.
“Swanson is building a world-class plywood and veneer manufacturing facility in a location with an excellent workforce and log supply,” says Steve Swanson, President and CEO of Swanson Group. “We have long been impressed with the quality and depth of Olympic’s overlay product line and believe that this acquisition fits perfectly with our goal to become the leading producer of overlay panels in North America.”
From ForConstructionPros.com: https://www.forconstructionpros.com/press_release/12057173/swanson-group-purchases-olympic-panel-products
by Web Editor | Mar 23, 2015 | News
Stora Enso has ordered the bulk of the machinery for an LVL project planned in Varkaus, Finland from Finnish machinery and plant producer Raute. Raute said that the order had a total volume of about €30m and includes the complete LVL production line with a peeling line, drying, veneer sorting and splicing, gluing, pre-press, press, order picking and packaging. Raute said that the 8 x 80 ft three-opening press has a capacity of about 100,000 m³ per year. Stora Enso said that the mill would reach full capacity by 2019. Start-up is scheduled for some time in the second quarter of 2016.
From EUWID: https://www.euwid-wood-products.com/news/roundwoodsawnwood/single/archive/2015/march/Artikel/stora-enso-orders-lvl-line-from-raute.html
by Web Editor | Mar 20, 2015 | News
Norbord And Ainsworth Lumber Provide Update On Merger And Closing
Norbord Inc. and Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd. today announced that they have been informed by the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice that it has closed its review of the previously announced combination of Norbord and Ainsworth. Norbord and Ainsworth expect the transaction to be completed on March 31, 2015.
On December 8, 2014, Norbord and Ainsworth announced that they had entered into an arrangement agreement under which Norbord and Ainsworth would merge to create a leading global wood products company focused on oriented strand board (OSB) across North America, Europe and Asia.
Under the terms of the transaction, Norbord will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Ainsworth in an all-share transaction. Ainsworth shareholders will receive 0.1321 of a share of Norbord for each Ainsworth share.
On January 27, 2015, the transaction was overwhelmingly approved by the shareholders of each of Norbord and Ainsworth. On January 30, 2015, the Supreme Court of British Columbia granted a final order approving the combination of Norbord and Ainsworth by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).
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by Web Editor | Mar 11, 2015 | News
The Canadian OSB manufacturer Ainsworth Lumber Co. has reported another strong growth in its overseas operations, which focus on serving Asian markets, in the 2014 financial year.
Shipments to Japan were just shy of the previous year at 224.1m sqft (3/8″ basis). Exports to other overseas markets more than tripled to 120.5m sqft. This upswing was primarily driven by the addition of China as a selling market last year.
Deliveries to the U.S. improved 10 % to 1.257bn sqft. Ainsworth reaped the rewards of the weaker Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar here. However, Ainsworth sold just 152.3m sqft in Canada. Ainsworth’s total sales thus increased 9 % to 1.755bn sqft or about 1.550m m³ last year. Production rose by a similar amount to 1.751bn sqft.
This growth was primarily fueled by Ainsworth ramping up output at its mill in High Level, Alberta, which resumed operations in the third quarter of 2013. This factor offset longer market-related downtime than the previous year at its three other facilities.
From EUWID: https://www.euwid-wood-products.com/news/roundwoodsawnwood/single/archive/2015/march/Artikel/ainsworth-shipped-more-osb-to-asia-last-year.html
