Raute Corporation Acquires Metriguard Inc.

Raute Corporation and the owners of Metriguard, Inc. have agreed on the purchase of the business of Metriguard Inc., Pullman, Washington, USA.

Metriguard, established in 1972, is the world leader in high speed strength grading technology for lumber and veneer. Metriguard sells and provides services for its equipment globally, with installations in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Metriguard’s products and technology are complementary to Raute’s current product offerings. Over the years, Metriguard’s products have been integrated into dozens of Raute’s deliveries. Metriguard’s net sales were USD 4.6 million in 2016, with an EBIT of USD 0.8 million, and it employs 26 people.

Metriguard’s business will continue by a newly established Raute’s subsidiary Metriguard Technologies, Inc. Its financials will be reported as part of Raute’s wood products technology segment. The acquisition is deemed to have a positive effect on Raute’s net sales in 2017 and on its financial results starting from 2018.

The acquisition is made as an asset purchase. Intangible assets, working capital and fixed assets, except real estate, are acquired. Metriguard’s personnel will transfer in along with the acquisition. The purchase price, estimated at USD 4.5 million, is paid in two installments. A base purchase price of USD 3.1 million is paid at closing, additionally there will be an earn-out payment based on net sales for a 12-month period following closing of the transaction.

For more information visit https://www.raute.com/.

Brian Luoma Picked To Lead Alabama’s Westervelt Company

Brian Luoma Picked To Lead Alabama’s Westervelt Company

 

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The Westervelt Company named Brian Luoma as President and CEO, succeeding Mike Case, who announced his retirement after more than 32 years with the company. Luoma will oversee Westervelt Lumber, Westervelt Renewable Energy, Westervelt Forest Resources, Westervelt Communities, Westervelt Ecological Services and Westervelt New Zealand.

Luoma most recently served as executive vice president and general manager, Siding, with Louisiana-Pacific Corp.

Jon Warner, Chairman of the Board at The Westervelt Co., based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, comments, “Brian’s proven leadership and vision will be essential in leading our company.”

“I am thrilled to join the Westervelt team,” Luoma says. “The company’s commitment to excellence and focus on sustainability are the driving forces behind 133 years of success.”

Since 1987, Luoma held roles of increasing responsibility with LP. Luoma graduated in Forestry from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. He worked for LP while attending college, first as an assistant log scaler at the LP stud mill in Fort Bragg, California and then in the woods as a forestry technician. After graduating he worked for Simpson Timber in Korbel for a year before rejoining LP as timberlands manager in northern California. He then became wood procurement manager for LP’s Western Region. He later led LP’s Northern operations OSB group in Hayward, Wisconsin before moving to LP headquarters as head of forestry, wood procurement and logistics.

He advanced to LP’s vice president of Engineered Wood Products before becoming executive vice president and GM over LP Siding, based at headquarters in Nashville, Tennnessee.

Westervelt operates a high production, modernized southern yellow pine sawmill at Moundville, Alabama, a large industrial wood pellet plant in Aliceville, Alabama, and owns/manages 500,000 acres of timberland.

For more information on The Westervelt Company visit westervelt.com.

 

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Wisewoods Adds Second Dieffenbacher Z-Sifter In Thailand 

Wisewoods Co. Ltd. has commissioned a second Dieffenbacher Z-Sifter with Dryer Discharge Conveyor (DDC) for optimized material feeding at its medium-density fiberboard (MDF) site in Khao Yoi, Thailand, replacing two conventional sifters in an existing…

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New Zealand Researchers Develop New Adhesive For Engineered Wood

New Zealand Researchers Develop New Adhesive For Engineered Wood

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Scion’s environmentally-friendly bioadhesives technology was awarded Biotechnology of the Year at NZBIO’s annual conference recently. Dr. Will Barker, Chief Executive of NZBIO, said “the technology is a game changer for wood panel manufacturers”.

The Scion bioadhesives team, led by Warren Grigsby, has developed a world first 100 percent biobased adhesive and resins for engineered wood products. Made from natural sources, such as forestry and agricultural waste, these adhesives and resins are petrochemical-free, have very low formaldehyde emissions and can be made and used in existing manufacturing operations.

“We are thrilled to receive this award. It’s a great acknowledgement. We’ve spent years mixing and matching assorted ingredients to come up with right recipe. This is the icing on the cake,” says Warren.

The technology, which has been over seven years in the making, has been trademarked and patented as ‘Ligate’. “The ‘green’ credentials of Ligate products will provide manufacturers with a competitive advantage over wood processors using conventional petrochemical-based adhesives and resins.

“Adhesives and resins made from natural sources have a lower environmental footprint and are considered more socially acceptable than their traditional formaldehyde-based counterparts,” says Warren. The technology has already attracted international interest, and next week Warren travels to Europe to further profile the technology at two international conferences.

 

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Wisewoods Adds Second Dieffenbacher Z-Sifter In Thailand 

Wisewoods Co. Ltd. has commissioned a second Dieffenbacher Z-Sifter with Dryer Discharge Conveyor (DDC) for optimized material feeding at its medium-density fiberboard (MDF) site in Khao Yoi, Thailand, replacing two conventional sifters in an existing…

West Fraser Second Quarter Earnings Show Mixed Outlook 

West Fraser offered a range of outlooks in its second quarter earnings report. It noted that over the medium term, improvements in housing affordability supported by U.S. government policy changes and the expected normalization of…

Latvijas Finieris Considers New Wood-Based Panel Plant In Latvia

Latvijas Finieris continues to proactively evaluate development and investment opportunities that support the company’s sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness. Among the projects currently under consideration is the potential development of a new wood-based panel manufacturing…

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Oregon State University To Expand For Wood Products

From: Panel World Staff

Oregon State University has begun an initiative to build a $60 million complex to accelerate its forestry education programs and research on advanced wood products at Corvallis, Ore. The Oregon Forest Science Complex will encompass renovation of existing OSU campus facilities as well as new construction; showcase innovative uses of wood in building design; and allow the College of Forestry to help meet the world’s growing demand for energy efficient, tall buildings made from sustainable building products.

The project includes a $30 million fundraising goal. Once philanthropic commitments are secured, OSU will seek matching bonds from the state. Bonding for the project was included in the governor’s capital budget for consideration in the upcoming legislative session.

The initiative was announced in Portland at the Oregon Leadership Summit of the Oregon Business Plan by Thomas Maness, the Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Allyn C. Ford Dean of the College of Forestry.

“We are excited about leading a new national effort to advance the science and technology necessary to primarily use wood in the construction of 5- to 20-story buildings,” Maness says. “Developing these new, competitively priced, environmentally friendly products will not only increase the value of Oregon’s natural resources, but also grow jobs in our rural communities, with substantial benefits for our state.”

Seeking new methods to reduce the carbon footprint of high-rise construction, architects and engineers from Austria to Canada, Norway and New Zealand have begun constructing buildings with exceptionally strong wood products. This cross-laminated timber is made of strips of wood glued together across the grain, and panels can be more than 1 foot thick and 80 feet long.

Read more on this story in the March issue of Panel World…