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
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…
by Web Editor | Aug 3, 2016 | News
Kronospan Plans $362 Million Expansion In Alabama
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Kronospan announced plans for a $362 million expansion of its operations in Oxford, Ala. The expansion will consist of four projects: two laminate flooring and decorative paper impregnation lines; a particleboard and thermally infused laminate line; an expansion of the KronoChem resin plant; and development of a furniture cluster. Kronospan plans to hire an additional 160 persons for its workforce. Startup for the expansion projects will roll out from late 2016 through 2018.
“We sincerely appreciate the State of Alabama, acting through the Dept. of Commerce, the city of Oxford and Calhoun County, for supporting our expansion project and making it a reality,” comments Tim Pack, CFO of Kronospan. Once the expansion project is completed, Kronospan will have invested $650 million and will employ more than 270 at its Oxford operations. Kronospan will utilize the services of the local Alabama Career Center to recruit for the expansion. Hiring will be undertaken in phases and include a job fair in the near future.
Kronospan is a leading manufacturer of wood-based panel products and related value-added products. The company is privately owned, with more than 40 manufacturing and distribution sites throughout the world.
In 2008, Kronospan started up operations at Oxford where it currently manufactures MDF, HDF and resins. Notwithstanding very difficult market conditions in the housing industry, Kronospan has maintained its level of employment at the Oxford facility since startup.
In December 2015, Kronospan made another significant investment in the United States when it acquired Clarion Industries in Shippenville, Pa. Clarion Industries produces MDF, HDF and laminate flooring. The Pennsylvania operations employ 320.
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by Web Editor | Aug 1, 2016 | News
The Environmental Protection Agency rolled out a formaldehyde emission standard, working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in setting the rules that are mandated by Congress.
The EPA moved to reduce exposure to formaldehyde vapors from laminate panel and engineered wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States. The agency worked with the California Air Resources Board to make its final national rule consistent with California requirements for composite wood products.
One year after the rule is published, composite wood products that are sold, supplied, offered for sale, manufactured, or imported in the United States will need to be labeled as TSCA Title VI compliant. These products include: hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, particleboard as well as household and other finished goods containing these products.
The action was triggered in large part by discovering that Lumber Liquidators’ flooring supply from China has been labeled CARB compliant though it was not. Lumber Liquidators has since settled with CARB and the Consumer Products Safety Commission over its liability for the matter. The new rule requires other sellers of laminate panel to meet the CARB standards for formaldehyde exposure.
EPA says the new rule will level the playing field for domestic laminate flooring manufacturers who have a high rate of compliance with the California standard and will ensure that imported products not subject to California’s requirements will meet the new standard and thus, not contain dangerous formaldehyde vapors.”
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/epa-issues-final-formaldehyde-exposure-rule-guided-carb
by Web Editor | Jul 27, 2016 | News
Vancouver-based real estate developer PortLiving and world-renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban have unveiled plans for an upcoming hybrid timber structure said to be the tallest in the world. If so, this would mean it will be higher than other CLT wood structures, such as the 34-story design planned for Stockholm.
The residential high-rise Terrace house, which will be located in Vancouver’s Coal Harbor neighborhood, may set a new standard for urban luxury in design, sustainability and engineering innovation. The high-rise will feature a cross-laminated timber frame supported by a concrete and steel core. Wood for the project will be locally sourced from British Columbia, minimizing its carbon footprint.
Cross-laminated timber has been gaining popularity as of late, due to its lightness, sustainability, and ease of use. Planks of timber are glued and orientated at 90 degrees to each other, and are then crosslaid in layers. Those pieces are then shipped to construction sites and can be assembled by just a few workers, even for large buildings.
Its use in tall wooden buildings has also been growing. London, Stockholm, and Quebec are just a few of the cities who either already have large timber towers or have one in the works. Recent plans include a Swedish firm’s 436 ft. residential wood skyscraper in Stockholm, while a 12-story mixed wood high-rise is planned for construction in Portland, Oregon.
Building codes are being adjusted in Oregon and Washington State to permit the tall wood structures. But CLT hasn’t gone without opposition.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/canadian-high-rise-will-be-tallest-timber-structure-world?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
by Web Editor | Jul 20, 2016 | News
For years, it was known as the ugly duckling, cheaper alternative to plywood. One design maven described it as “like the turkey loaf of building materials.” But oriented strand board – OSB for short – has come into its own over the past 3 1/2 decades as a major player in North American wood-frame housing construction and is increasingly used for industrial and other applications.
Structural OSB panels – made of wood strands that are resin-bonded under high pressure and heat – are mostly used as floor, roofing or wall substrate in home building. They’re also getting play these days on fashionable interior-decoration websites as a “shabby-chic” finishing material.
Capitalizing on OSB’s rise like no other forest-products company is Toronto-based Norbord Inc. Norbord, once a diversified forestry company, has shed assets over the years and focused on OSB. Now boasting annual sales in the $1.5-billion (U.S.) range and a market capitalization of about $2.4-billion (Canadian), it bills itself as the world’s largest producer of OSB.
The $763-million acquisition in 2014 of Vancouver-based Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd. gave Norbord – whose operations were concentrated in the U.S. southeast – a strong presence in Western Canada as well as a foothold in the promising Japanese market.
Right now, the steadily growing number of housing starts in the United States is giving Norbord a big boost, and low-key, media-shy chief executive officer Peter Wijnbergen says there are major growth opportunities in Europe and Asia.
From The Globe And Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/forest-products-firm-norbord-riding-the-rising-wave-of-osb-sales/article30985989/
