Northwest Panel Industry Comes Together
The 2024 version of the Timber Processing & Energy Expo (TP&EE), held September 25-27 at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Ore., while as usual heavier to lumber manufacturing, once again drew significant players from the veneer, plywood and engineered wood products industries.
Nearly 1,200 attendees (non-exhibitors) registered for the event, which featured 180 exhibitors on 45,000 sq. ft. of booth space. The biennial event was the sixth TP&EE produced by Hatton-Brown Expositions, an affiliate of Panel World magazine, which served as a media host along with Timber Processing and Wood Bioenergy magazines.
The event included a mini-conference on “Panel Manufacturing Today.”
“Making Wood Matter: Automation Advancements Driving the Mill of the Future” was presented by Connor Eaton, account manager at Raute. Eaton reviewed the company’s versatile R-Series technologies integrated into Raute’s compact layup line and panel repairing stations, with customized options.
How do EWP producers gain an edge? “The answer is clear: embrace automation, AI, and deep data analytics to increase speed, efficiency, output and unit cost,” Eaton said, adding that AI solves two key pressure points for mills—data and manpower.
Eaton said the mill of the future is happening today, and pointed to Raute’s $93 million (Euro) contract for the technology delivery to a new LVL mill for Metsä Wood in Aänekoski, Finland.
George Harmati, Technical Sales Manager, Westmill, spoke on “Advancements in Dryer Technology,” and noted that recent projects for Westmill included the installation last summer of the world’s longest jet dryer at Roseburg in Coquille, Ore., and two new jet dryers for Hood Industries in Beaumont, Miss. with “dual heat” technology; and a new 400 ft. long, 10-deck fiberboard dryer for Huebert Fiberboard in Missouri.
Harmati reviewed the evolution of dryer technology, and pointed to more recent Westmill innovations in dryer design and material handling, including Westmill’s WestVac capture technology, now standard on new Westmill dryers; humidity control enhancements; and Westmill’s electrically actuated tipple.
The next TP&EE is scheduled for September 23-25, 2026 at the Portland Expo Center.
Latest News
NC Groups Partner With “Home For The Holidays” To Help First Responders, Vets Affected By Hurricane Florence
When Hurricane Florence slammed into North Carolina on September 14, 2018, as a category 1 rainmaker, it was clear that damage to the already rain-soaked state would be immense. As the state continues the recovery process, two groups – the Carolina Loggers...
China’s SGS Certifies Composite Wood Products For U.S. Market
SGS has announced that it has become the first third-party certifier (TPC) to be accredited by the Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS). This an award secures its long-term capability for the testing and certification of composite wood products for the U.S. market....
New Strength And Safety Tests Pit Timber Against Concrete And Steel
Thanks to innovative construction materials like cross-laminated timber (CLT) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL), wooden buildings are no longer mere houses made of sticks. Attracted by the aesthetic and environmental benefits of timber, structural engineers have...
Freres Lumber Builds For The Future With New Mass Plywood Panels
Freres Lumber Builds For The Future With New Mass Plywood Panels Tyler Freres, vice president of sales for Freres Lumber Co., walked through a new manufacturing plant between Mill City and Lyons, off of Cedar Mill Road, and pointed out a stack of wood panels...
LIGNA 2019: Showcases And Events For The Primary Wood Industry
Next year, from 27 to 31 May, the world's leading trade fair for woodworking and wood processing plant, machinery and tools will present a wealth of innovations and applications for the entire wood industry. LIGNA 2019 will occupy some 130,000 square meters (1.4...
Arauco Michigan Mill To Convert Low-Grade Wood Into Quality Particleboard
Dying, deformed and diseased trees will be key ingredients of particleboard manufactured at the new Arauco panel mill in northern Michigan. "All of these degraded trees need to be removed to better manage our forests," said Scott Robbins, director of the Michigan...
EPA Updates, Clarifies Formaldehyde Emission Standards For Composite Wood
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed technical amendments to its formaldehyde emissions standards for composite wood products. Published last week in the Federal Register, the proposed changes primarily address concerns over testing and certification...
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Panel World Industry Newsletter reaches over 3,000 who represent primary panel production operations.
Subscribe/Renew
Panel World is delivered six times per year to North American and international professionals, who represent primary panel production operations. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative. Contact us today!