Northwest Panel Industry Comes Together 

The 2024 version of the Timber Processing & Energy Expo (TP&EE), held September 25-27 at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Ore., while as usual heavier to lumber manufacturing, once again drew significant players from the veneer, plywood and engineered wood products industries.

Nearly 1,200 attendees (non-exhibitors) registered for the event, which featured 180 exhibitors on 45,000 sq. ft. of booth space. The biennial event was the sixth TP&EE produced by Hatton-Brown Expositions, an affiliate of Panel World magazine, which served as a media host along with Timber Processing and Wood Bioenergy magazines.

The event included a mini-conference on “Panel Manufacturing Today.”

“Making Wood Matter: Automation Advancements Driving the Mill of the Future” was presented by Connor Eaton, account manager at Raute. Eaton reviewed the company’s versatile R-Series technologies integrated into Raute’s compact layup line and panel repairing stations, with customized options.

How do EWP producers gain an edge? “The answer is clear: embrace automation, AI, and deep data analytics to increase speed, efficiency, output and unit cost,” Eaton said, adding that AI solves two key pressure points for mills—data and manpower.

Eaton said the mill of the future is happening today, and pointed to Raute’s $93 million (Euro) contract for the technology delivery to a new LVL mill for Metsä Wood in Aänekoski, Finland.

George Harmati, Technical Sales Manager, Westmill, spoke on “Advancements in Dryer Technology,” and noted that recent projects for Westmill included the installation last summer of the world’s longest jet dryer at Roseburg in Coquille, Ore., and two new jet dryers for Hood Industries in Beaumont, Miss. with “dual heat” technology; and a new 400 ft. long, 10-deck fiberboard dryer for Huebert Fiberboard in Missouri.

Harmati reviewed the evolution of dryer technology, and pointed to more recent Westmill innovations in dryer design and material handling, including Westmill’s WestVac capture technology, now standard on new Westmill dryers; humidity control enhancements; and Westmill’s electrically actuated tipple.

The next TP&EE is scheduled for September 23-25, 2026 at the Portland Expo Center.

Latest News

Peanuts And Crackerjacks

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-In-Chief, Panel World July 2022 – Sometimes the mention of a wood products plant rings as true as an old ballpark. Houlton, as in Houlton, Maine, is one example. You might say Louisiana-Pacific has been playing at the same Houlton…

Pacific Woodtech Acquires LP EWP Division

Burlington, Wash.-based Pacific Woodtech announced the acquisition of Louisiana-Pacific Corp.’s EWP (I-Joist and LVL) division for $210 million. The acquisition includes LP laminated veneer lumber and I-Joist manufacturing facilities in…

Arauco NA Expands TFL Operations

Arauco has announced that it will invest $20 million to expand its thermally fused lamination (TFL) operations at its state-of-the-art particleboard mill in Grayling, Mich. The new lamination line will be Arauco’s third TFL line at Grayling and will increase the…

Raute Appoints New President/CEO

Raute Corp.’s Board of Directors has appointed Mika Saariaho as the new President and CEO beginning in late November. He will join Raute from Metso Outotec Corp. where he holds the position of Senior Vice President. Saariaho succeeds Tapani Kiiski who left…

Weyerhaeuser Led Company Through Key Years

Weyerhaeuser Led Company Through Key Years George H. Weyerhaeuser Sr., who served as president and CEO of Weyerhaeuser Co. from 1966 to 1991 during an exciting period of wood products development while encountering new timber supply challenges brought on by an...

Boise Cascade Acquires Coastal Plywood

Boise Cascade Co. has reached an agreement to acquire Coastal Plywood Co., including plywood mills in Havana, Fla. and Chapman, Ala., from Coastal Forest Resources Co. for $512 million, subject to certain closing adjustments. The two facilities employ 750. “This acquisition incrementally expands our veneer capacity in support of our customers,” says Nate Jorgensen, CEO, Boise Cascade…

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!