by Web Editor | Aug 29, 2018 | News
USNR is expanding its operations in Eugene. The investment moves the existing operation to a new, expanded building that will be outfitted to meet the growing needs of USNR’s business.
The Eugene location is home to a team that supports and advances optimization and veneer handling activities. It is the U.S. base for USNR’s optimization technology, from hardwood, shop and moulding, and green lumber grade scanning, to veneer scanning and grading. From logs to lumber and blocks to dry veneer, the Eugene team has a key role in the development of innovations for the solid wood and engineered wood industries.
The new location encompasses more than 60,000 square feet, situated on 3.2 acres. The majority of the space will house electrical manufacturing, with the remainder for engineering, R&D and training facilities, warehousing and sales offices. The new location is expected to be operational in January 2019.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/usnr-expands-oregon-veneer-operation
by Web Editor | Feb 2, 2018 | News
Katerra, a technology company redefining the construction industry, recently announced an $865 million Series D funding round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund. The financing will be used to fund Katerra’s continued manufacturing expansion and for further investment in its R&D efforts.
“The construction industry is ripe for digital disruption” said Michael Marks, chairman and co-founder of Katerra. “Katerra leverages its own software platform to remove time and costs from building development and construction. This new round of funding will enable us to further invest in R&D and continue to scale the business.”
Founded in 2015, Katerra has already accomplished the following in less than three years:
• Accumulated more than $1.3 billion in bookings for new construction, spanning the multi-family, student and senior housing, and hospitality sectors
• Amassed a global team of more than 1,300 people, attracting senior leadership and talent from groundbreaking technology brands such as Apple, Google, HP, Nokia, Sandisk, and Flextronics
• Opened a fully operational manufacturing facility in Phoenix, AZ with a roadmap in place for multiple additional domestic factories, including breaking ground on a mass timber factory in Spokane, WA.
“The $12 trillion construction industry is extremely fragmented with tens of thousands of companies using minimal levels of technology. While labor-productivity growth has skyrocketed in the overall global economy, the construction industry has averaged only 1% annual productivity growth over the past two decades,” said Jeffrey Housenbold, managing partner for SoftBank Investment Advisers.
Read more on this from Forest Business Network at https://www.forestbusinessnetwork.com/79294/katerra-raises-865m-as-it-redefines-the-construction-industry/.
by Web Editor | Aug 7, 2017 | News
Just off the winding Sea to Sky Highway running along the coast from Vancouver to Whistler, B.C., the unique wooden architecture of the Squamish Adventure Centre beckons tourists to stop in.
The building is almost entirely made of wood. The timber roof is shaped like two massive discs jutting out of the center of the structure almost like wings, separating the building into two sections.
The company behind the eye-catching structure is Squamish’s own FraserWood Industries. FraserWood opened its doors to Canadian Forest Industries in early April to show us how they turn cants into strong and beautiful custom timber products at their facility in Squamish, B.C.
The company has been in operation since 1998 when owner Peter Dickson purchased a radio frequency (RF) kiln from his former employer, Canfor. Today the company not only operates two RF kilns to dry massive timbers, but has expanded into custom planing and re-sawing, joinery and CNC milling and glulam.
The bulk of FraserWood’s customers are timber framers, but they also sell to building supply centers and log home builders. With a staff of more than 30 including scientists, engineers and R&D specialists, last year was the most productive in the company’s history, with more than 1.5 million bdft of high-value timber passing through the facility.
From Wood Business: https://www.woodbusiness.ca/sawmilling/mills/fraserwood-innovates-with-high-end-timber-products-4387
