by Web Editor | Jul 6, 2018 | News
One of the best aspects of our industry is how open and inviting other producers are to visitors. It is a fact that in the wood products industry some of our fiercest competitors may also be our best customers, which encourages companies to be open and helpful. Visiting mills can often be the best way to build relationships, learn about new production processes and equipment, and develop partnerships. This is not only true for North American producers, but also foreign producers.
In January of this year, representatives of Freres Lumber learned this first-hand. Invited by Taihei, a Japanese equipment manufacturer, Freres Plant Manager Bill Childress, Chris Harpole our Plywood Maintenance Manager and myself traveled almost 24 hours to Japan for a whirlwind, five-day tour of manufacturing and equipment fabricating facilities. There was much to learn and much to see.
In a production line the magic is often in the small details, but we noticed some large differences between U.S. and Japanese production processes right away. From the start of the production, many of the blocks were conditioned in nominal 12’ lengths. A standard metric sheet of veneer or plywood is 1-meter x 2-meter, or about 3’ x 6’. Blocks this size would be difficult to handle, so they kept full length and cut in half at the lathe.
Japanese veneer processing lines are not unheard of in the States, and in fact Swanson Group, a local Oregon manufacturer has a Japanese Meinan lathe. These lathes are known for their precision and how few people are required to operate the line. They also have a substantially different philosophy in handling random veneer, which was not only evident on the veneer line, but also in the plywood workstations.
U.S. production on lines typically add the people they need to handle small, random pieces. Japanese producers crowd, stack, and compose the random veneer instead. It varies from plant to plant whether or not random veneer is composed green or dry.
Read more of this article from Kyle Freres at https://frereslumber.com/blog/2018/07/freres-lumber-representatives-visit-japanese-wood-products-manufacturers/?utm_source=Forest+Business+Network+email+newsletter&utm_campaign=7bbb0fdb95-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_07_04&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3a629cb392-7bbb0fdb95-111950185.
by Web Editor | Jun 25, 2018 | News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new federal formaldehyde emissions regulations took effect on June 1st, 2018. As of this date all composite wood products must be certified as compliant with these regulations.The EPA defines composite wood products here as both domestic and imported particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and hardwood (decorative) plywood.
Structural engineered wood products made for construction applications are exempt from this regulation, including structural plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), wood I-joists, laminated veneer lumber, and glued-laminated timber. All of these products are manufactured with low-emitting, moisture-resistant adhesives in accordance with existing product standards and building codes, according to The Engineered Wood Association (APA).
For quick reference, structural engineered wood products marked with the APA Mark of Quality are considered exempt from the new regulations. If unmarked products from APA member mills are sold into applications that do not require a certification mark, the product invoice and an APA certificate of conformance can be used to identify the product as exempt.
The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act was signed by President Barack Obama on July 7th, 2010, based on the Air Toxic Control Measure developed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The first phase of regulation rollout, now in effect, allows for compliance with either the CARB ATCM Phase II or the U.S. EPA TSCA Title VI. Starting March 22nd, 2019, only the U.S. EPA TSCA Title VI will be permitted as a path to compliance.
From Builder: https://www.builderonline.com/building/regulation-policy/structural-engineered-wood-products-exempt-from-new-epa-formaldehyde-regulations_o
by Web Editor | Jun 22, 2018 | News
A far cry from the kitschy memorabilia of the Rock ’n’ Roll-themed building it replaces, the essentially all-new design of River North’s flagship McDonalds at 600 N. Clark Street is finally starting to come together.
At its heart is an innovative construction material known as Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT). In line with the fast food brand’s plan to reinvent its image, the sustainable building method is being employed for the first time in a commercial project in Chicago.
“One way to think about it is plywood on steroids,” Chicago-based designer Carol Ross Barney of Ross Barney Architects told Curbed Chicago. “It’s formed from smaller sized pieces of timber glued together for uniform strength.”
“CLT is versatile, and because the wood can be harvested and renewed at a more regular interval, it has a relatively low carbon footprint. You can use it like any panelized material such as precast concrete or steel. Here we’re using it as a deck structure.”
The choice to use timber came early in the process when McDonald’s first engaged Barney’s firm with the goal of design authenticity. “Some of the most durable materials aren’t very authentic,” explained the architect. “And some of the most authentic materials don’t hold up over time. CLT offers a great deal of both while reflecting the client’s commitment to sustainability.”
Read more on this from Curbed Chicago at https://chicago.curbed.com/2018/6/15/17386766/mcdonalds-ross-barneys-timber-construction.
by Web Editor | Apr 23, 2018 | News
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) will not launch a new investigation into plywood imports from China for the time being. With this decision, the DOC dismissed a petition filed by four U.S. plywood producers on 15 February.
In the petition, the plaintiffs called for more far-reaching reviews to complement the investigation completed at the end of 2017. Specifically, they aimed to expand the subject of the probe into plywood made with softwood veneer faces. The companies report that a variety of Chinese plywood manufacturers have started to switch outer faces with softwood veneers in response to punitive duties imposed on hardwood plywood products at the start of the year.
Section 781c of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 allows the investigation to be expanded as long as the new object of the investigation only varies slightly from the grades covered to date. The probes conducted to date addressed laminated and unlaminated plywood with two or more layers whose top face solely consists of hardwood veneers or bamboo. Against this backdrop, the DOC feels that plywood with softwood outer faces cannot be seen as a minor product change to the object of the investigation.
From EUWID: https://www.euwid-wood-products.com/news/wood-based-panels/single/Artikel/us-no-new-investigation-into-plywood-imports-from-china.html
by Brad Jackson | Apr 17, 2018 | Taking Stock
During the second
Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo back in 2010, while moderating a keynote speaker session, conference co-chair Fred Kurpiel mentioned several industry figures who had passed away since the previous PELICE event.
Afterward, several exhibitors and visitors expressed the sentiment to show organizers that they appreciated the mention, didn’t realize someone was gone, etc. So began a PELICE tradition to recognize those who have contributed to industry.
Accordingly, here is the PELICE 2018 list of industry contributors who have passed away since spring 2016:
- Bill Robison served APA 41 years as field rep, regional manager, director, vice president and president before retiring in 1992.
- Paul Barringer, longtime leader of Coastal Lumber, helped develop it into a softwood plywood producer.
- George Sleet worked for APA 39 years as a lab technician, quality services head and also served as a vice president and secretary. For many, Sleet was the face of APA.
- Hiroshi Yamaji spent a career with Raute doing groundbreaking work with microprocessor-based control systems.
- Terry Sellers was a researcher and educator at Mississippi State University for 24 years, best known for research with natural and synthetic adhesives and engineered wood products.
- Harry Merlo changed the arc of industry with his development of and innovations with OSB. Always a maverick and a larger than life figure, Merlo was also a true American success story: the child of Italian immigrants who rose to the top of the forest products industry as a one-of-a-kind executive and panel industry legend.
- William Whelan worked with US Plywood, Champion International, Roseburg Lumber, Pope & Talbot and Timber Products Co.
- John Fery, CEO of Boise Cascade, developed the company into a fully integrated forest products conglomerate before retiring in 1995.
- Paul Ehinger served as APA president and chairman in the early 1970s. He was also a regional vice-president of the National Forest Products Assn.
- Robert Crawford, a true particleboard industry pioneer, plant manager at Pope & Talbot in Oakridge, who then managed Roseburg’s particleboard division from 1966 until his retirement in 2000.
- Thomas Flint joined APA’s Technical Services Div. in 1958, serving in a variety of positions in that area including director and also vice president of standards and regulation before retiring in 1992.
Article by Dan Shell,
Managing Editor
