by Web Editor | Jun 24, 2015 | News
Thirteen composite panel facilities and one corporation as a whole were recognized for their safety achievements during the Composite Panel Association’s annual spring meeting held last week in Bonita Springs, FL.
Arauco North America received the Safety Innovation Award for the Safety Leadership Program implemented at its particleboard and MDF mills in Moncure, NC. Arauco’s use of leadership training, monthly safety updates communications, and procedure and policy development resulted in the facilities recording their lowest incident rate in the last 15 years, while the severity and frequency of incidents also decreased. Workers’ compensation claims also dropped 90% in 2014.
Composite panel plants in the Class I (low worker-hours) and Class II (high-worker hours) were also recognized for:
• Best long-term safety record over the past three years: Del-Tin Fiber LLC, El Dorado, AR (Class I) and Louisiana-Pacific Corp., East River, NS (Class II).
• Having zero incidents among Class I plants during 2014: Arauco North America (MDF), Bennettsville, SC; Arauco North America, Malvern, AR; Arauco North America, Sault Ste Marie, ON; and Del-Tin Fiber LLC, El Dorado, AR.
• Safety improvements: West Fraser Mills Ltd. (WestPine), White Court, AB (Class I) and Langboard Inc., Willacoochee, GA (Class II).
• Achieving an incident rate of less than 50% of the industry average, over the past three years. Class I plants were: Arauco North America, Malvern, AR; Del-Tin Fiber LLC, El Dorado, AR; SierraPine, Martell, CA; West Fraser Mills Ltd. (Ranger Board), White Court, AB; and West Fraser Mills Ltd. (WestPine), Quesnel, BC. Class II plants were: Arauco North America, Albany, OR; Louisiana-Pacific Corp., East River, NS; Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Roaring River, NC; and Roseburg, Missoula, MT.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/composite-panel-plants-recognized-safety-achievements
by Web Editor | Jun 5, 2015 | News
Business is improving, albeit slowly, for the composite panel industry. The news set the tone for the Composite Panel Association’s spring annual meeting, which saw its highest attendance since 2007. More than 280 people, representing 118 woodworking firms and related organizations, converged on Bonita Springs, Florida, May 31-June 3 for the event.
Dr. Bill Conerly, Conerly Consulting LLC, kicked off Monday’s session, providing an economic outlook for building materials, including a look at new opportunities and risk factors. Although the early outlook is positive for 2015 and 2016, he cautioned companies to take a “flexible stance” when planning for a changing economic landscape. In a nutshell, he said, the most likely economic scenario will be: “better markets for composite panels, stronger growth in the rest of 2015 and for 2016, higher interest rates, and oil prices around $60 to $70.”
To ensure they stayed successful, John Spence of John Spence LLC provided wood industry executives with a winning formula: (T+C+ECF) x DE = Success. The elements in the equation represent Talent + Culture + Extreme Customer Focus, multiplied by a Disciplined Execution. Culture, he explained, should not only reflect what corporate wants, but employees’ needs as well. Spence cited a recent study which found employees are most satisfied in their jobs when the following terms are met: parity in pay, challenging work, cool colleagues, a winning culture/fun workplace, the opportunity for personal and professional growth, and a boss or leader that can admire.
“One of my favorite sayings is ‘Ambiguity breeds mediocrity,'” Spence added. To avoid that pitfall and create a good corporate culture, there needs to be: goal setting, trust, communication (open, honest, robust and transparent), accountability (personal and mutual) and recognition. “The customer’s experience will never exceed the employee’s experience,” he added. “Create a culture that catches people doing things right.”
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/composite-panel-group-meeting-kicks-optimism-high-attendance?ss=news,woodworking_industry_news
