by Web Editor | Apr 8, 2015 | News
Louisiana-Pacific Reconfigures Management Team
Louisiana-Pacific Corp. announced several changes to its executive management team. CEO Curt Stevens says, “These changes provide opportunities for LP to benefit from the shared perspectives and best practices across businesses as we continue to develop our top leadership talent.”
Mike Sims becomes senior vice president sales and marketing. He replaces Rick Olszewski, executive vice president of sales, marketing and South America, who is retiring from LP. Frederick Price, president of LP South America, reports to Stevens.
Brad Southern becomes executive vice president OSB, replacing Jeff Wagner, who will retire from LP mid-year. In the interim, Wagner will be executive vice president Growth and Innovation, reporting directly to Stevens.
Brian Luoma becomes executive vice president Siding, replacing Southern in that position. Neil Sherman becomes senior vice president, EWP, replacing Luoma in that position.
Stevens continues, “LP is very fortunate to have a strong bench of management talent; these team members represent decades of industry and LP experience. We were able to make these moves internally as a result of the talent pool within LP and our robust succession planning process. I would also like to thank Rick Olszewski and Jeff Wagner for their important contributions to LP.”
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by Web Editor | Apr 6, 2015 | News
A gradual increase in housing starts across the U.S. and better timber prices are two factors behind Plum Creek Timber Co.’s decision to invest $10 million in plant improvements at its Northwest Montana manufacturing plants.
“We’re optimistic overall for another good year,” said Tom Ray, Plum Creek’s vice president of northwest resources and manufacturing. “The largest single concern is the lack of raw materials, but we’re hoping Congress will address that.”
One of the largest landowners in the U.S., Plum Creek had a strong year in 2014, reporting earnings of $214 million on $1.48 billion in revenues. Harvest numbers were 13 percent over 2013. But timber resources in Northwest Montana can be a concern. Last year, Plum Creek cut back hours for workers at the Columbia Falls sawmill from 40 hours per week to 36 after a federal court ruling blocked several timber sales on state forest land. “We had a decline there, but once we get past breakup and into early summer, we’re hopeful to go back to a regular schedule,” Ray said.
Plum Creek plans to invest $6 million at its medium-density fiberboard plant in Columbia Falls. The No. 1 line, which was built in 1974 and manufactures panels up to 1 1/4 inches thick, will see $1.6 million for improvements to reliability and efficiency. Another $300,000 will be spent on computer equipment and monitoring cameras.
The company also plans to spend $2 million on the MDF plant’s No. 2 line, which was built in 2001 at a cost of $80 million and produces thin panels one-tenth of an inch thick. The furniture industry is a major customer, but other businesses now use MDF products.
From Hungry Horse News: https://www.flatheadnewsgroup.com/hungryhorsenews/plum-creek-to-invest-mil-in-local-plants/article_e8e443a2-d883-11e4-ad41-cfbdb6471aba.html
by Web Editor | Apr 1, 2015 | News
When completed, a new wood products plant at the Columbia Falls Industrial Park north of town will be the largest cross-laminated timber (CLT) plant in the world, Sen. Jon Tester learned during a meeting with city officials and business leaders at Freedom Bank on March 20.
SmartLam general manager Casey Malmquist said he’s in talks with the industrial park’s new Canadian owners about plans for construction of a new manufacturing plant to produce the giant wood panels. “We plan to quadruple our capacity, which will make us the largest CLT plant in the world,” Malmquist told Tester.
SmartLam’s panels are made with low-grade dimensional lumber from F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co. that are sawn into smaller pieces and finger-jointed and planed into a 2-inch product that is then cross-laminated into large, heavy and very strong panels.
Currently the panels are being used in the oil industry for drilling rig platforms, bridges and roadways, but SmartLam wants to start producing panels for building construction, which is common in Europe.
Malmquist enumerated the environmental benefits of replacing concrete and steel with renewable and sustainable wood products.
From Hungry Horse News: https://www.flatheadnewsgroup.com/hungryhorsenews/expansion-will-make-smartlam-no-in-the-world/article_03c59e1c-d48a-11e4-90b8-fb43c4b37825.html
by Web Editor | Mar 30, 2015 | News
The Composite Panel Association has hired Jackson Morrill as its new president, effective April 13. Morrill replaces Tom Julia, who left the CPA last August.
Morrill has been serving as director for the American Chemistry Council (ACC) since 2010, where he managed the Formaldehyde Panel directing comprehensive state and federal advocacy initiatives, communications, third-party outreach and scientific studies on formaldehyde. He also represented ACC as a member of the Federal Wood Industries Coalition (FWIC), along with CPA and other key industry associations and stakeholders.
“We are pleased to have Jackson on board to lead our association. He brings a solid background of legislative and regulatory advocacy and technical expertise,” said Grady Mulbery, CPA chairman and member of the executive search team. “I was greatly impressed with the caliber of the candidates and I believe we found an extraordinary fit both in terms of experience and personality with Jackson and he will complement the already strong CPA staff.”
“I am honored to join CPA and represent the North American composite panel industry. I look forward to continuing to build upon CPA’s strong industry reputation as a leader in advocacy and to support the membership and its initiatives,” said Morrill.
An adjunct professor at Washington College of Law of American University, Morrill also practiced environmental law at Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. and was an environmental legal consultant at The World Bank prior to his work at ACC.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/panel-supply/Composite-Panel-Association-Names-Morrill-Its-New-President-297691911.html#sthash.NgwcJmPR.MoVAe6zT.dpbs
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
