EPA Shoots Down ACC

The Environmental Protection Agency has rejected a request by Forest Products Research Laboratory, Springfield, Or., to reintroduce ACC to the marketplace in treating lumber for decking, fencing and other residential applications.

According to the EPA, acid copper chromate could pose a risk of cancer to those processing and working with the material and of skin irritation to those who come in contact with the treated wood due to the preservative's high concentration of chromium 6, a human carcinogen.

FPRL and other industry groups, however, maintain that chromium 6 quickly converts to less toxic chromium 3, which does not pose a risk. Yet EPA determined "there could be multiple opportunities of chromium 6 exposure," said Jim Jones, pesticides office chief.

Until FPRL's Dennis Morgan analyzes the reasons for the rejection in a Jan. 8 letter from EPA. he will not know for sure if he has any recourse, such as changing the label or supply- ing new data. EPA has given him 30 days to respond. But, Morgan conceded, the verdict may be final: "There's an appeals process-of course, no one in 38 years has ever gone through it. Once the letter goes out, people usually roll up and go away."

Jones said that similar requests by other companies to reinstate ACC will also be denied. ACC can be used for industrial applications, including telephone poles and railroad ties.

Since the phase-out of CCA, FPRL has spent four years and millions of dollars on reviving ACC to fill the gap for an affordable, effective, non-corrosive treatment. Morgan said the company has "other things in the pipeline. It may be time to step those up."

Stockton Reload For Lowe's

Lowe's Cos. has begun construction of a new flatbed distribution center in the Port of Stockton, Ca.

The company will invest $16 million retrofitting two existing 120,000sq. ft. buildings on23 acres. Operations are slated to begin in the first half of 2007.

The facility will receive rail and truck shipments of large building materials from suppliers. Products will then be quickly loaded as customized orders on flatbed trucks to supply more than 40 Lowe's home centers in northern California, Nevada and Oregon.

Lowe's currently operates 13 regional flatbed centers across the U.S.

Visions Windows Goes Solo

Weather Shield Windows & Doors has established Visions Windows & Doors as a stand-alone brand of vinyl windows and patio doors.

"Vinyl products comprise about 507o of window and door sales today," said Mark Schield, v.p. of Weather Shield. "Selling vinyl windows is different than selling wood windows. It's a different mindset, a different game."

A separate business unit led by Ernie DeBacco, national sales manager for Visions, will support the brand and include marketing, customer service. sales. and engineering resources.

"Visions windows and patio doors are known for their premium quality and durability," said marketing director Bob Eckert. "As a separate brand, Visions will capitalize on this established reputation and brand name equity through its own diverse network of dealers specializing in vinyl products."

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New Mill Produces Fire Retardant Plywood

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Olympia Tool Focuses On U.S.

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Welco Moves To Tumwater

Welco Lumber Co. will consolidate its headquarters, sales office, and western distribution center at the old Tumwater Lumber Co. site in Tumwater. Wa.

Previously, the company was headquartered in Shelton, Wa., adjacent to one of the company's three mills, and the distribution center was in a smaller, leased space in Tacoma. "We outgrew the Tacoma space last summer and went looking for something new," said Mike Bryan, director of sales and marketing. "Now we can finally get new business cards with the same phone number for everyone."

The new site has 25 acres (l I with black top), 4,000 sq. ft. of office space, and 100,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space. Inventory is being moved in gradually, as the old mill equipment is sold and moved. The sales staff will move in mid-February and the entire consolidation should be finished by the end of March.

Bryan said that the larger space will allow the company-which specializes in making, selling, and distributing western red cedar-to expand into other species and product lines. "Nothing precludes us from milling here, but our intent is to grow the distribution business." he said. "We have enough room to handle our anticipated growth for the next five, 10, l5 years."

Stock Cuts Even Deeper

Wolseley plc. of England has eliminated 4,000 positions in the U.S., the majority at its Stock Building Supply division. Total cuts are 1,500 more than the company had announced in November.

In conjunction with the increased layoffs, Stock is also closing 22 stores across the county at yet-to-beannounced locations.

The cutbacks were attributed to declining profits at Stock caused by a "continued slowdown in the new residential market resulting in increased price competition and also by the significantly lower lumber and structure panel prices."

Stock posted a slight increase in revenue in 2006, but profits fell by 157o.

Most of the job losses were in Nevada. California. Florida and Michigan. Since Stock owns a number of framing companies, many of those released were contractors, rather than regular employees.

About 500 of Wolseley's job cuts came at the Newport News, Va.-based Ferguson division, which distributes plumbing and HVAC supplies.

CertainTeed Merges Lines

CertainTeed has consolidated several lines of wallboard and ceiling products under its own brand names.

The move includes gypsum wallboard and ceiling tiles formerly manufactured by BPB PLC, England, which was the world's largest gypsum manufacturer and the third largest U.S. manufacturer of suspended ceilings before it was acquired in Dec. 2005 by Saint-Gobain, CertainTeed's parent company.

In addition, S aint-Gobain' s Ecophon and Decoustic ceiling products will now be sold under the CertainTeed name.

"This is a watershed event for our company," said Peter Dachowski, president and c.e.o. of CertainTeed. "With the exception of our insulation business. the CertainTeed brand has been known primarily for products used on residential, exterior applications. The addition of ceilings and gypsum to our brand family now gives us formidable strength for interior and commercial applications as well."

CSI Emerges As Viance

Viance is the new name of the merged wood treatment chemicals business of Chemical Specialties Inc. and the wood biocides business of Rohm & Haas.

Based at CSI's offices in Charlotte, N.C., the new venture teams CSI's infrastructure and experience in the wood treating market with Rohm & Haas' expertise in microbial control technologies, regulatory issues, and access to global manufacturing and research facilities.

The combination will facilitate bringing "the next generation of preservation technologies to the wood industry," said Steve Ainscough, president and c.e.o. of Viance. He said, "Our customers can expect new, advanced technologies and a broader portfolio of products with proven performance to meet their wood treatment needs. In fact, later this year we expect to introduce the next generation of preservatives, that will lead our industry into the future."

Viance will also continue supplying CSI's existing products, including Preserve, Preserve Plus, D-Blaze, Ultrawood, Designwood, SupaTimber and TimberSaver.

Asphalt Shingles Top Roof Demand

Asphalt shingle manufacturers that anticipated another active hurricane season ended the year with large product inventories. The good news: their current oversupply will soon come in handy, according to a new Specialists in Business Information report, "Roofing Materials in the U.S."

Demand for all roofing products will surpass $15 billion by 2010, with asphalt shingles and sheet metal roofing leading that growth. In the residential market, increases will be most evident in the home reconstruction and remodeling sectors, says the report.

Asphalt shingles comprise 67Vo of the total U.S. roofing market supply, according to SBI. "Asphalt shingles are the leading choice among homeowners and builders because they are a great value for the dollar paid, durable, easy to install, and are available in a wide variety of designs and colors for any type of house style," said Russell Snyder, executive v.p. of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturer's Association.

Increasingly popular today, added Snyder, are architectural shingles that are nearly twice as thick as a standard shingle, with layers staggered to create a three-dimensional appearance. This type of shingle typically is designed to resemble slate or wood shakes. Many shingles are now available that are similar in color and style to concrete and cement tile roofing.

Adding to their visual appeal, asphalt shingles have a long life span and are suitable for virtually all sloped roof pitches, from shallow rise to vertical. Asphalt shingles are also suitable for use in areas designated as high-wind zones. A new building code approved wind-resistance classification system, developed by ARMA, allows builders, roofing installers and homeowners to choose the proper type of shingle able to withstand high-wind situations like storms and winter weather.

San Lorenzo Adopts Parent's Name

Three years after being acquired by Olympia, Wa.based Lumbermens, San Lorenzo Lumber's six Central California stores have taken on the Lumbermens name. Up until early this year, the yards had operated as San Lorenzo Lumber, a Division of Lumbermens, Inc. All signage and advertising will now reflect the new name.