FDM July 2011 by Eastern Trade Media

Furniture Design And Manufacturing Asia Established Since 1986

JULY 2011

OSB LINES:

WOOD

THE THAT

BINDS

Adhesive-Free Has Never Felt So Weld

CNC Machinery: The Right Road Ahead

CE: The Mark Of Entry For Exporters

ENQUIRY NO. 263

Innovation Innovation hashas been been in in ourour genes genes since since 1873 1873

m e d i e n f o r m e r.de

P A PNAE N L EPLL A P LNAT N S TS Even today, after more than 130 years, one thing above all drives us when we build complete lines for the wood panel industry: the development of concepts and technologies which not only satisfy but also delight our clients. To reduce material and energy costs, to boost productivity, or to ease the burden on the environment with intelligent solutions, for example. This is what we live for â&#x20AC;&#x201C; now and in the future.

www.dieffenbacher.com

ENQUIRY NO. 262

Furniture Design And Manufacturing Asia Established Since 1986

Contents JUly 2011 â&#x20AC;˘ VOL. 23 NO. 5

Market Report

16 Positive Outlook In Asian Timber Markets According to insights on Asian markets provided by the ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report, demand continues to sustain timber prices at a high level. By International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)

Focus

20 Getting Lean Without Going Trim

Contrary to popular misconception, lean manufacturing practices are more about the reallocation of resources to avoid wastage, rather than the reduction of work force. By Roland Baumeister, department manager, FPInnovations

28 Value Stream Mapping Points The Way To Lean Manufacturing

24 CNC Machinery Market: The Right Road Ahead

The manufacturing of furniture involving critical operations has promoted the growth of computer-operated machines. CNC machinery providers must offer good after sale support and flexible payment models to entice potentical customers. By Shiv Kumar Shet, business development manager, Biesse Manufacturing India

Technology 34

JUly 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Adhesive-free Has Never Felt So Weld With rising adhesive costs, wood welding has presented itself as an alternative that gives better economic sense and mechanical strength. By Dr Antonio Pizzi, University Henri Poincare

Ready For Domestic Consumption

During a stopover in Singapore, Mark Barford, executive director of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, spoke to FDM Asia about the future of American hardwood in face of mounting competition and the changes in demand for the growing Asian market. By Wong Tsz Hin

2 FDM Asia

Lean manufacturing offers huge incentives in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitive market by streamlining production operations to reduce waste and increase efficiency. Amongst the various methods for adoption, value stream mapping stands out due to the transparency it offers. By Chao Wang and Dr Henry Quesada-Pineda, Virginia Tech

The Wood That Binds

The use of methylene diphenyl diisocyanage (MDI) resin binders not only creates stronger bonds with wood strand and shorten press time, its application can also reduce formaldehyde emission and lower energy consumption. By Iain Stanton, composite wood panel marketing manager, Huntsman

28 PANELS 42

CE: The Mark Of Entry For Exporters

The CE mark is the symbol of confidence which assures consumers that the product is fit for its intended use. For woodbased panel manufacturers, this may be their ticket into the European market. By Mark Wilkinson, head of business development, Timber Research and Development Association

Cut your cost With the new ContiRoll速 generation 8

Top technology for virtually isobaric operation.

ENQUIRY NO. 261

Save up to 15% in material!

www.siempelkamp.com

Contents JUly 2011 • VOL. 23 NO. 5

Veneer Production At Your Command

High volume veneer production means that an enormous amount of data must be inputted for tracking and management purposes. Voice recording system can help improve efficiency and reduce possible errors. By Sophie Pothin, Metraplan Industries

SURFACES & FLOORING 50

Paint: Colourful Resistance

FURNITURE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY 52

Staying Afloat In Rising Tide

Singaporean furniture manufacturers Falcon and Air Division share their views on staying ahead in the competitive market. By Wong Tsz Hin

WOODS & SUSTAINABILITY 54

Some paints used for floors are epoxy paints, oil-based paints and latex paints. Each type of paint has its own quality of durability, and is suited for different floor areas. By Tjut Rostina

Sustainable Plantation Forests: The Good And Bad

While detractors may argue that plantation forests do more harm than good, careful planning and management can ensure they become a good solution to dwindling natural forest cover. Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam, FIWSc

46 58

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Events & Exhibitions Exhibition Review: 62 Interzum 2011 64 Furnishing For The Future 66 Ligna Hannover 2011 68 Going Green Is Serious Business 69 China Furniture & Woodworks

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4 FDM Asia

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Certification Approach To Sustainability

With growing concerns for forest degradation and deforestation particularly that of tropical forests, Malaysia has shown that forest certification can enhance forest management practices and biodiversity conservation. By the Malaysian Timber Certification Council

Established in 1986, FDM Asia, formerly Asia Pacific Forest/Timber Industries, is a business magazine on sawmilling, woodworking, woodbased panels and furniture manufacturing. The Publisher reserves the right to accept or reject all editorial or advertising material and assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited artwork or manuscripts. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the magazine, in whole or in part, is prohibited without the prior written consent, not unreasonably withheld, of the publisher. Reprints of articles appearing in previous issues of the magazine are available on request, subject to a minimum quantity. The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the Publisher and while every attempt will be made to ensure the accuracy

Regulars

JUly 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

The Academy TheChinese Chinese Academy of of Forestry Forestry

MICA (P) NO. 045/11/2010 • PPS 1204/06/2012 (022758) • ISSN 0219-2284

Promoting French Lumbers and Wood Products 6, rue François 1er 75008 PARIS Tél : + 33 (0)1 56 69 35 92 - Fax : + 33 (0)1 42 56 32 70 contact@frenchtimber.com ENQUIRY NO. 083

Editorial

Published by:

Future Driven ByWood

emand for wood is expected to increase with concern over the security of utilising nuclear generated power. Once considered as the power source of the future, nations are beginning to question its stability when exposed to unforeseen elements of catastrophe. Germany has already announced its intention to shut down all 17 of its nuclear power facilities by 2022, while Switzerland pledged to do the same by 2034. One of the three main renewable targets set by the European Union to be reached by 2020 is to increase renewable energy use by 20 percent. Countries such as the US and UK have already established initiatives to facilitate the installation of commercial and industrialscale biomass boilers. Bioenergy will create business opportunities for the wood industry in areas such as firewood extraction, combustion options, fuel conversion setup, transport systems, logistic management and power optimisation. This is evident at Ligna Hannover 2011, where a substantial portion of the show is dedicated to address the different aspects involved with regard to bioenergy. (Page 68) Over in the Asia Pacific region, wood consumption will continue to grow as the focus shifts from products for export to goods for the domestic markets. The increasing income level of the people in this area, particularly in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam, will drive the appetite for high quality wood products. This will, to a certain extent, offset the two major challenges of the export market. The first is the more stringent standards imposed overseas. Europe and US are set to toughen up import restrictions through the European Union Timber Regulation and the United States Lacey Act. Both of these require proper documentation of wood products before they can be approved for sale. The weakening US dollar has significantly cut into the profit margins of countries whose currency managed to remain strong. Australian woodchip exporters are finding it difficult to compete with their overseas counterparts despite increasing demand for the material in places like Japan as they negotiate in Australian dollars, unlike most of the world that do it in US dollars. In similar fashion, the Malaysian Furniture Entrepreneurs Association foresees a 15 percent decline that would bring export sales to about RM6.8 billion (US$2.26 billion). Despite these setbacks, the forecast for the industry remains positive. While the general opinion is that revenue is unlikely to hit pre-economic crisis level, the consensus is that the market can sustain its recovery. After a good performance in the first half of 2011, there are plenty of reasons to remain positive for the rest of the year.

Wong Tsz Hin

6 FDM Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; JUly 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

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contributors

Dr Antonio Pizzi Chao Wang Dr Henry Quesada-Pineda Iain Stanton Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam Mark Wilkinson Roland Baumeister Shiv Kumar Shet Sophie Pothin

Executive Board chairman

Stephen Tay

group executive director

Kenneth Tan

financial controller

Robbin Lim

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ENQUIRY NO. 239

I N D U S T R Y

Industry News

News

Tanenhaus, Brooklyn, US

JULY 2011

Indonesia Warns Countries Against Receiving Illegal Timber Jakarta, Indonesia: Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has warned foreign countries against receiving illegal timber from the country to help safeguard its huge rainforest to deal with global climate change, according to The Jakarta Post. He also reminded his ministers to seriously enforce the law against forest and environment violators, including forest companies reaping double benefits by illegally

Roger Price, Antwerp, Belgium

cutting trees in their concessions.

SPS Group Gets Ikea Contract Bangkok, Thailand: Thai furniture exporter, SPS Group, is targeting 5 billion baht (US$0.16 billion) worth of exports in three years after being named a major supplier to Ikea, according to a report from The Bangkok Post. The company targets 20 percent export growth to 2 billion baht this year. However, it has secured a six-year, 18 billion baht contract with Ikea that will result in further growth. To ensure production capacity meets the heightened demand, the company built a factory to supply high-growth Asian markets such as China and India, as well as established European markets such as Germany, France and the UK. The company has supplied Ikea in limited quantities since

Indonesia’s rainforest is the world’s third largest with more than 120 million hectares. The country’s forest loss, however, remains high due to among others illegal logging, massive palm oil plantations and illegal mining. A report on three provinces — Central, East and West Kalimantan — showed that ‘non-procedural’ forest use cost the state Rp311.4 trillion (US$36.38 billion) in losses.

1991. The Swedish company is embarking on an aggressive

Indonesia and the EU have signed the Voluntary

five-year regional expansion to 20 branches from the current

Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement

figure of six.

Governance and Trade (FLEGT–VPA) to reduce illegal

Six branches will be opened in Japan, with others planned for Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea, along with the first Thai location in early November this year.

8 FDM Asia JULY 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

logging. The agreement is slated to be ratified in September and expected to come into force by 2013.

ENQUIRY NO. 264

Wood Product Exporters Must Brace Themselves For Tougher Standards Hanoi, Vietnam: Vietnamese timber and wood product exporters will have to develop an elaborate system to ensure the legality of materials used to avoid the risk of losing their footholds in key markets like the US and the EU, according to a report from VietNamNet. Manufacturers would need to show they have procured wood from areas with approved forest management plans and appropriate cutting permits. In addition, they would need to ensure they are excluding illegal and other unwanted wood both at the forest where materials are acquired as well as at processing and manufacturing facilities. These steps become necessary as the EU and US markets are set to toughen up import restrictions through the European Union Timber Regulation and the United States Lacey Act. The US and Europe are the two biggest markets for Vietnamese wood products, 38 and 44 percent respectively, and both have adopted laws prohibiting the import of illegal timber. Under the Lacey Act, all wood products must have certificates proving they are made from legally exploited wood. Without a certificate, the products could be seized or destroyed.

the timberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scientific name, the quantity being exported, and the country of harvest. Companies found selling products made from illegally sourced timber will face severe penalties, such as confiscation of the goods, a possible jail term for those involved and a heavy fine. Hawa deputy chairman Huynh Van Hanh said the Vietnam and

Under the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and

EU are currently discussing a voluntary partnership agreement

Trade (FLEGT) that will take effect in 2013, companies exporting

on sourcing wood products to facilitate local wood product

wood products to Europe must provide documents proving

exporters. The two sides hope to sign a voluntary partnership

that the timber was legally logged. Documents must include

agreement by the end of 2012.

Man Wah Sees Profit Soar In 2010 Hong Kong: Man Wah Holdings, a Hong Kong-based

(US$489.3 million) with net profit of HKD$621.3 million,

furniture manufacturer, has reported a 29.9 percent surge

up 0.6 percent from the previous year.

in sales in fiscal year 2010, maintaining profits in the face of rising costs.

Dennis Wong, Hong Kong

Global revenue for the year was HKD$3.8 billion

The US remained the top market sales increasing by 55percent to US$266 million. The company kept its gross profit margin stable at 42.5 percent, reflecting stringent cost controls and sales strategy adjustments, despite increased production costs. The net profit margin, however, declined to 16.3 percent from 21.1 percent the previous year, partly because of soaring ocean freight costs. The manufacturer, which raised funds last year by selling about a 25 percent stake in the company in a public stock offering, said it has a new factory under construction in Wujiang, China, that is expected to open in the second half of 2012. The company also plans another plant in Tianjin to cope with expected increased demand over the next five to eight years, and to take advantage of lower logistics costs and shorter delivery time to northern China.

10 FDM Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; JULY 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Yun Huang Yong, Harbord, Australia

Industry News

Industry News Randen Pederson

DNA Fingerprinting To Fight Against Illegal Logging Adelaide, Australia: Advances in DNA ‘fingerprinting’ and other genetic techniques are making it harder for illegal loggers to get away with destroying protected rainforests. DNA fingerprinting for timber products has grown in international recognition due to research led by the University of Adelaide that traces individual logs or wood products back to the forests where they came from. An estimated 10 percent of wood imported into Australia consists of illegally traded timber, which has been cut down outside designated logging areas or outside agreed environmental controls. Australian companies have been the first in the world to purchase timber products that use DNA fingerprinting, as part of proof of legal origin starting back in 2007 — European and American importers are now following suit. The research is closely aligned with another major project, to develop a ‘DNA barcode’ for every tree and grass species on earth.

Hakan Dahlstrom, Helsingborg, Sweden

TimberWest Forest Acquired By BCIMC & PSP Vancouver, Canada: TimberWest Forest has announced the completion of the plan of arrangement under which British Columbia Investment Management Corporation and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board indirectly acquired all of the company’s outstanding stapled units at a price of CAD$6.16 (US$6.39) in cash per stapled unit. With the completion of the transaction, the company’s stapled units will be delisted from the Toronto stock exchange.

Softwood Lumber Consumption To Continue Upward Trend Seattle, US: Global demand for softwood

there has been a substantial increase in

previous year, while imports to the third

lumber increased by over 10 percent

import volumes the past five year, from

largest market, Japan, were up almost

in 2010. This came after a year when

just over two million cubic metres in

15 percent. In Europe, shipments were

wood consumption worldwide was the

2006 to 9.4 million cubic metres in 2010.

up between 10 and 35 percent to the

lowest it had been in almost 50 years.

This unprecedented rise in shipments

largest lumber-consuming countries on

This upward trend in consumption has

continued the first two months of 2011

the continent.

continued thus far in 2011, with total

when imports were as much as 32 percent

volume consumed being more than 15

higher than in 2010.

Lumber prices can be anticipated to go up in many markets during 2011 for a

percent higher than the same period in

Practically all major lumber markets in

number of reasons, including expected

early 2010, according to Wood Resource

Asia, Europe and North America experienced

increased demand in China, somewhat

Quarterly.

stronger demand last year. This resulted

higher lumber imports to Japan for the

China has been the major driver in the

in higher production worldwide and

rebuilding after the earthquake, and continued

higher demand for lumber. The country’s

also increased global trade. The world’s

measured improvements in the US housing

sawmills are far from being able to meet

largest importer, the US, imported seven

market (mainly repair & remodeling and

the increased demand, and as a result

percent more lumber in 2010 than the

multi-family residential housing). www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA JULY 2011

Industry News

Katina Rogers

Furniture Manufacturers Association Collaborates With NSF To Develop Standards

International Paper Proposes To Acquire Temple-Inland Tennessee, US: International Paper announced that it has proposed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Temple-Inland for US$30.60 per share, about US$3.3 billion in total, in cash. Under the terms of the proposal, the offer represents a 44 percent premium to Temple-Inland’s price. International Paper’s offer, which is backed by committed financing from UBS Investment Bank, is contingent on appropriate documentation and regulatory approval, which the company believes can be obtained. The offer reflects the potential cyclical improvement in Temple-Inland’s building products segment and International Paper’s willingness to share a portion of the significant synergies available from the transaction with TempleInland shareholders.

Michigan, US: The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association International has collaborated with NSF International, an ANSI-accredited developer of more than 75 American national standards, to develop product category rules (PCR) for the furniture industry.

SCS Announces Indonesian Subsidiary

The National Center for Sustainability Standards

California, US: Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) has

(NCSS), founded by NSF, will serve as the programme

announced the establishment of a new subsidiary to be

operator for developing the furniture PCR.

headquartered in Jakarta in response to growing demand

PCR help meet the growing demand for sciencebased support to verify environmental product claims

for certification and verification services from the Indonesian forest products industry.

and eliminate greenwashing. They define how to conduct

The subsidiary, PT Scientific Certification Systems Indonesia

a life cycle assessment for a particular product group

(PT-SCS), offers Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody

and what to include in the resulting report.

certification and forest management certification in Indonesia.

A life cycle assessment measures inputs, outputs

Indonesian timber exports grew from US$7.3 billion in 2005 to

and environmental impacts of a product across its

US$9.7 billion in 2010, according to the European Union Delegation

lifespan, from cradle to grave. An environmental product

to Indonesia. A 2007 United Nations report estimated that up to

declaration (EPD) is the ISO-compliant third-party-verified

88 percent of timber logged in Indonesia was illegally sourced,

report that functions like a nutrition label to explain the

putting timber importers at risk of unknowingly trafficking illegal

data generated from a life cycle assessment.

timber. In order to improve industry performance, a number of

Adopted by European countries and growing in recognition in the US, PCR and EPDs provide an

initiatives are now seeking to increase independent third-party certification of forests and verification of timber legality.

international method of communication to compare and

The Indonesian office also offers legal harvest verification,

report a product’s environmental impact throughout

and is in the process of becoming accredited to SVLK (Timber

its entire life cycle.

Legality Assurance System), the Indonesian national standard

In addition to this collaboration, the centre is also

for legality that will become mandatory for all companies.

working with several flooring trade associations on the

Loy Jones, a professional forester with 16 years of experience

first North American PCR for resilient, carpet, laminate,

in FSC certification, has been appointed the interim director,

tile, and wood flooring products.

with Thesis Budiarto assuming the role of Indonesia programme coordinator.

12 FDM Asia JULY 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

internets_diary

Industry News

Canada’s Wood Products Industry To Remain Profitable In 2011 Ottawa, Canada: Despite slower production

previous years and industry efforts to

growth in 2011, Canada’s wood product

diversify away the US market.

industry is expected to record a second

Production growth will to slow to 3.9

consecutive year of profitability, according

percent this year, down from an increase

to The Conference Board of Canada.

of 10.7 percent in 2010. Starting in 2012,

Following a solid rebound last year,

an improvement in residential construction

the wood products industry is expected

activity in Canada, rising exports to China

to lose momentum in 2011. Ongoing

and the long-awaited recovery in the US

weakness in the US housing market and

housing market should support stronger

a slowdown in residential construction

production growth. However, industry

2009, the industry returned to profitability

activity in Canada are limiting growth in

production is not expected to return to

last year. In 2011, pre-tax profits will increase

demand for wood products.

its 2005 peak during the forecast period

by 13.8 percent to CAD$694 million. Profit

through 2015.

margins will hover around 3.6 percent in

However, the industry is expected remain in the black in 2011, thanks to

After recording losses totaling CAD$1.6

cost-cutting measures implemented in

billion (US$1.63 billion) between 2007 and

2011 and continue to rise over the next four years.

UK Forestry Returns Up For Fifth Year Running

FRA Supports Biomass Initiative

Boston, US: Investors in UK commercial

services on all matters surrounding forestry

forests have learnt that returns

investment, sustainability and forestry

exceeded other major markets,

management and has spoken out in support

such as commercial property, over

of the new pilot scheme. The plan is to

the past year, explained Alternative

support sustainable forestry management

Asset Analysis.

by helping US-based bioenergy companies

The IPD UK Forestry Index shows

Washington, US: A new woody biomass procurement project, launched by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), has attracted support Shehal Joseph, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

from Forestry Research Associates (FRA). The research and advisory consultancy provides fresh outlooks and consultancy

to purchase woody biomass.

that returns for 2010 reached 20

Both parties agree that bioenergy is a

percent, which is the highest rate since

major market for the forestry sector and

2007. Strong demand was behind the

that in order to maintain the health of the

growth in returns, according to the

resource, appropriate steps should be in

analysts at IPD.

place for the procurement of forest fibre.

Timber prices were up by 38.5

“The focus is on developing a procurement

percent in the year to March 2011 as

system that is fair and responsible,” explained

demand for timber from emerging

FRA’s analysis partner Peter Collins. His

economies is quickly exceeding supply.

view was backed by TNC’s Chief External

This level of demand is only expected

Officer, Glenn Prickett, who added, “Woody biomass can be a great source of renewable

to rise even faster in the coming

energy and offers an excellent incentive so landowners can maintain their forests as

years — leading to a widely held

forests – as long the forest is managed responsibly.” SFI’s Fiber Sourcing requirements

expectation that timber prices will also

will be imposed on the procurement processes.

grow further, along with the need to for sustainably produced timber.

FRA added that the initiative is intended to ensure that all sources of woody biomass are responsible, which will help add legitimacy to the industry as a whole and will also help to nurture it as a major source of income for forestry managers and investors. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA JULY 2011

Industry News

German Pellets Acquires Blieninger Group

Domotex Heading To Russia In 2012

Wismar, Germany: German Pellets has

Deutsche

acquired the Blieninger Group, headquartered

expanding its programme of

in Vilsbiburg, Germany, along with its

events abroad by expanding

brands ‘FireStixx’ and ‘pelprotec’.

Domotex to the reaches

The subsidiary FireStixx Holzenergie is

Hannover, Germany: Messe

of Russia in 2012.

one of the leading wood pellet retailers in

The exhibition will be

the German-speaking regions of Europe, and

held from September 26 –

its ‘FireStixx’ is a well-known wood pellet

28 and will comprise the

brand in Germany, Austria and Italy.

carpet, parquet flooring,

The acquisition also include the patents for ‘pelprotec’, a unique coating technology that offers dust-free loading , a higher heat value and improved flowability. With this acquisition, the company has also taken over the group’s divisions for sawmill by-products and logistics, as

laminate flooring, natural stone as well as textile and resilient flooring sections. The show will be the only specialised flooring fair in Russia to date and the targeted groups of visitors are mainly distributors and buyers in the wholesale and retail trade. The aim is to occupy a net exhibition area of approximately 4000 sq m in the first year.

well as potting and garden soil.

Eacom Anounces Two New Directors Quebec, Canada: Eacom Timber has

Kior Appoints Condoleezza Rice As Director

announced at its annual general meeting

Texas, US: KiOR, a cellulosic fuels

that it has elected two new directors to

producer, announced that former

its board, Joseph (Jay) Gurandiano and

secretary of state Condoleezza Rice

Gilles Masson C.

has agreed to join KiOR’s board of

Jay is the MD of Stone House

directors.

Investment Holdings and a director of

Secretary Rice has a distinguished

Xerium Technologies. He also served as

career in the public, private, and

the chairman of the board of directors of

academic sectors. She served as

Ainsworth Lumber, a lumber and wood

US secretary of state from January

products company, until May 2010. Jay

2005 to 2009 after serving as the

has been appointed the chair of the

chief national security advisor to the

corporate governance, nominating and

president beginning in 2001. She is currently professor of political economy in

human resources committee.

the Stanford Graduate School of Business, senior fellow of public policy at the

Gilles is a corporate director of several

Hoover Institution, and professor of political science at Stanford University.

public companies including Malaga,

Secretary Rice has also served on the board of directors for the Chevron

Royal Nickel and Semafo. Prior to his

Corporation, the Charles Schwab Corporation, the Transamerica Corporation

retirement in 2005, he was a partner

and the International Advisory Council of JP Morgan. She is currently on

of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Gilles has

the board of Makena Capital, a private endowment firm, and C3, an energy

been appointed the chair of the audit

software company.

committee.

14 FDM Asia JULY 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Gobierno de Chile

Appointments

ENQUIRY NO. 214

Predictable suPPly. affordable Prices. That’s the way we do business at Weyerhaeuser each and every day. Our Northwest Hardwoods brand lumber is available in a wide range of grades that have been hand selected for maximum yield. This translates to more usable lumber and cost efficiency for you. And American hardwoods are in plentiful supply: the volume has more than doubled since 1953. USDA Forest Service 2007 Contact us for a quote today: Asiasales@weyerhaeuser.com

northwesthardwoods.com

Shanghai, China: 86.21.6249.9898 • Vietnam/Guangzhou, China: 86.20.3878.1570 • Hong Kong: 852.2865.5922 ,

Market Report

Positive Outlook In

Asian Timber Markets Rob and Stephanie Levy, Townsville, Australia

Malaysian Sawnwood, domestic Balau (25&50mm,100mm+) Merbau Kempas 50mmx(75,100 & 125mm) Rubberwood 25x75x660mm up 50-75mm Sq. >75mm Sq.

MalaysianPrices Sawnwood, domestic Plywood Balau (25&50mm,100mm+) Malaysia ply MR BB/CC, FOB Merbau 2.7mm Kempas 3mm 50mmx(75,100 & 125mm) Rubberwood 9mm & up 25x75x660mm up 50-75mm Sq. >75mm Sq. domestic Meranti ply BB/CC, 3mm 12-18mm Plywood Prices Malaysia ply MR BB/CC, FOB 2.7mm Other Panel Prices 3mm Malaysia, Other Panels, FOB 9mm & up According to insights on Asian markets provided by the ITTO Tropical Particleboard Timber Market Report, demand continues to sustain timber Export 12mm up prices at a Meranti ply BB/CC,&domestic Domestic 12mm & up(ITTO) high level. By International Tropical Timber Organization 3mm

Malaysia Domestic & Export Price Differentials Eroded Prices of Malaysian timber and timber products continue to rise sharply due to strong demand and higher fuel prices, which are driving up transportation and production costs. Price differentials between domestic and export quality wood products are eroding fast. This is expected to have a spill-over effect on other building and construction material in the market. The increase in construction grade plywood prices is expected to increase construction cost by 10 to 30 percent for both commercial and housing projects.

Logging Area Reduced In 10th Malaysian Plan The Malaysian National Land Council has set aside 155,000 ha of forest to be harvested for timber annually under the 10th Malaysian Plan, a reduction of 15,000 ha from the previous 9th Malaysia Plan, which allowed for 170,000 ha of forest to be harvested annually.

16 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

12-18mm MDF Export 15-19mm 12-18mm OtherDomestic Panel Prices Malaysia, Other Panels, FOB

Added Value Product Prices Particleboard Malaysia, FOB ExportMouldings, 12mm & up Selagan Batu Decking Domestic 12mm & up Red Meranti Mouldings 11x68/92mm x 7ft up MDF A ExportGrade 15-19mm Grade B Domestic 12-18mm

US$ per m 341-361© 472-524© 282-322© 236-286© 275-307© 297-327©

US$ per m 3 341-361© US$ per m 472-524© 440-500© 282-322© 420-450© 372-442© 236-286© 275-307© 3 297-327© US$ per m 363-453© 346-375© 3

US$ per m 440-500© 3 420-450© US$ per m 372-442©

3 US$254-277© per m 244-259© 363-453©

346-375©

307-338© 298-317© 3 US$ per m 3

US$ per m 254-277© 565-575© 244-259©

580-593© 307-338© 534-544© 298-317©

Furniture andProduct Parts Prices Added Value Prices 3 Malaysia, FOB US$ US$per perpiece m Malaysia, Rubberwood, Mouldings, FOB Selagan Batu Decking 565-575© Semi-finished dining table Red Meranti Mouldings solid laminatedx top 2.5'x4', extension leaf 76-92© 11x68/92mm 7ft up As above, Grade Oak Veneer 83-97© A 580-593© Windsor Chair 75-77© Grade B 534-544© Colonial Chair 73-78© Queen Anne Chair (soft seat) without arm 73-82© Furniture and Parts Prices with arm US$73-82© per piece Malaysia, Rubberwood, FOB Chair Seat 27x430x500mm 61-66© 3 Rubberwood Tabletop US$ per m Semi-finished dining table 22x760x1220mm edge profiled 76-92© solid laminated topsanded 2.5'x4',&extension leaf 622-652© 83-97© As above, Top Oak Grade Veneer Standard 606-622© 75-77© Windsor Chair 73-78© Colonial Chair Queen Anne Chair (soft seat) 73-82© without arm Report from Indonesia 73-82© with arm 61-66© Chair Seat 27x430x500mm

Lo Ind Ply

Sa Fa Ru Pin Ma Lo Ind Sa Ply In K

2.7mm 3mm 6mm

426-482© 384-425© 363-405©

MR Plywood (Jakarta), domestic 9mm 12mm 15mm

According to the Malaysian Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the annual allowable cut was adjusted to meet criteria set up to determine proper and effective forestry management. The ministry added that up to 2008, Sarawak had 6 million ha of forest reserve out of 14.43 million ha for the entire country. However, in terms of forested areas, Sarawak had up to 8.23 million ha, which constituted 66.9 percent of the state land area, compared to 4.4 million ha (56.7 percent) for Sabah and 5.85 million ha. (44.7 percent) for Peninsular Malaysia.

New Green Material For Industrial Applications The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) has succeeded in developing Kenaf Polymer Composite (KPC) as a green material for construction and industrial applications. This came as a result of intensive research and development over a six year period. Kenaf is regarded as a suitable substitute for timber products as it is a short term fibre crop, thus mitigating the need to harvest timber for wood-based product applications. The initial market potential for KPC products is estimated at RM3 billion (US$0.99 billion) annually. Presently, samples of KPC have been sent to the EU for further testing and certification of its durability and properties. KPC is regarded as outstanding reinforcing filler in thermo-plastic composites when combined with certain plastic resins.

Indonesia More Transparency On Forest Clearing Moratorium The two-year moratorium on primary forest clearing and logging provided guidance to the plantation, energy and construction industries concerning green house gas emissions, while offering various forms of exemptions and concessions. The moratorium outlines the following: • The moratorium mandates ministers and government officials to suspend the processing of all permits for logging and forest conversion purposes, including those for timber and palm oil, in primary forests and peatlands in the following government categories: conservation forest, protected forest and production forest. Permits however, are allowed for secondary forests, which have been affected by human and commercial activities. • It will be enforced over two years and is open for extension. Its implementation will be overseen by a task force on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). • It covers up to 64.2 million ha of primary forest and

per m MarketUS$ Report 281-292© 273-283© 263-277©

Other Panel Prices Indonesia, Other Panels, FOB

US$ per m

Export 9-18mm Domestic 9mm 12-15mm 18mm Export 12-18mm Domestic 12-18mm

Particleboard

MDF

Added Value Product Prices Indonesia, Mouldings, FOB Laminated Boards Falcata wood Red Meranti Mouldings 11x68/92mm x 7ft up Grade A Grade B

240-249© 220-232© 214-226© 210-221© 270-285© 254-266© US$ per m

322-335© 515-546© 470-493©

more than 30 million ha of peatlands. No compensation Report from Myanmar will be offered under the moratorium to firms unable to in these areas, the government has Earlyexpand monsoon strands logsalthough in the forest Myanmar’s annual monsoon usually begins around the last allocated another 35 million ha of ‘degraded forest’ for weekcommercial of May or early June but this year the rains started in development. April which caught loggers by surprise and they had to The moratorium provides the following exemptions: leave a huge quantity of logs in the forest as conditions did • Firms with existing permits or have approval in principle not permit transportation. from the forestry minister for permits to log and convert forest.in supply of logs triggered an upward swing in The drop Extension of existingand permits. log• prices in Yangon also resulted in some short • Projects to develop geothermal and other power plants, shipping. oil and gas fields, sugar and rice plantations. Importers in Bangladesh • Ecosystem restoration steady buyers of Gurjan Hardwood buyers report that while Gurjan prices are on • The government will regularly update a map of its forests the rise the prices of Pyinkado are rather soft as trading is slow.in a bid to correct overlapping permits in the sector. The map will be published to help investors clarify which on Gurjan offer andmarket which are not. to be The forest reasonareas for are the still good is said

because of active purchases by buyers for the markets in China and Bangladesh. Importers in Bangladesh have Myanmar alwaysMonsoon been steady buyers and Logs the logsInareForest used mainly Early Strands for sawnwood production. Myanmar’s annual monsoon usually begins around the last

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week of May or early June, but this year, the rains started Will firm April prices be sustained? inThe April, which outlook caught loggers surprise they hadhas to market for teakbyand other and hardwoods leave a huge quantity of logs forest conditions did picked up, one analyst said. inIt the could be as seen in the April hardwood tender sales that export quality Pyinkado not permit transportation. fetched US$in supply 716 (cf. MTEtriggered list price US$ 642 to in 678). The drop of logs an upward swing log Exportin rejection quality Pyinkado fetched US$ 694 (cf. prices Yangon and also resulted in some short shipping.

Importers In Bangladesh Steady Buyers Export quality Gurjan (Kanyin) logs fetched US$ 445 (cf. Of Gurjan MTE list price from US$ 375 to 390) Demand for Teak,

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Hardwood report that 7 while Gurjan pricesstrong are on but the rise, especiallybuyers Sawing Grade (ER1) is very this the priceslog of is Pyinkado rather so softdemand as trading is slow. to quality in shortaresupply is expected remain high. for the good Gurjan market is said to be The reason because of active purchases by buyers for the markets in China and Bangladesh. Importers in Bangladesh have always been 6 ITTO TTM Report 16:10 16 -31 M steady buyers and the logs are used mainly for sawnwood production. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011

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Market Report Hardwood Prices Expected To Remain High The market outlook for teak and other hardwoods has picked up. It could be seen in the April hardwood tender sales that export quality Pyinkado fetched US$716. Export rejection quality Pyinkado fetched US$694. Export quality Gurjan (Kanyin) logs fetched US$445. Demand for Teak, especially Sawing Grade 7 (ER1) is very Plywood in Japan 9-10,000 per is strong,mills but this qualityhaving log is to in pay shortYen supply so demand koku for logs find it very hard to pass on these prices to expected to remain high.

plywood consumers.

India Orders for new homes holding up

India High amongst Exporthouse Target There was Sets deep concern builders in Japan thatAs there a sharpfrom dropIndia in demand for new homes thewould flow ofbeexports improves, the government because the unease feltanbyexport consumers the East of theofcountry has set target over of US$500 billion Japan and thedoubling ongoing the nuclear crisis.billion achieved for earthquake 2013-14, almost US$246 Sawnwood, (Ex-warehouse) (KD)

Rs. Per ft

during 2010-11. Beechthe major house builders are reporting 1100that However, The current export policies, diversification of markets Sycamore 1200 ordersRed in April did not drop as much as expected but there and Oak advances have helped the government1300 technological project such was aAmerican noticeable drop in visits to model homes Walnut 2150 by an optimistic future. Processed wood product exporters have prospective buyers so the future remains uncertain. 1000 Hemlock clear grade Hemlock AB grade also been quite active and expect to contribute to850 enhancing Western Red Cedar 1350 Wooden building design theDouglas export fir performance.standard drafted 1000

The Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport has released new Prices building standard for wooden public India the Plywood Plywood, (MR Quality) per sq.ft buildings to (Ex-warehouse) facilitate construction under theRs.recently 4 mm 36.25� enacted law to promote the use of more wood in public 6 mm 51.00� buildings. 12 mm 66.50� 15 mm

79.60�

18 mm This new standard sets out the requirements for 95.00� building life expectations, fire resistance and structural limits Locally Manufactured Rs. per sq.ft which,Plywood says the Japan Lumber Reports (JLR), have not “Commercial been available Grade” until now. Rubberwood

Hardwood

Rs.21.00� Wood 4mm products used for the Rs.12.10� construction of public 6mm Rs.17.70� Rs.30.50� buildings are required to be manufactured from forest 8mm Rs.22.10� Rs.34.00� thinnings and certified legal timbers. It is required that the 12mm Rs.26.50� Rs.36.50� 19mm RS.34.60� Rs.49.10� buildings have a life of at least 50 years so the standards on decay prevention and use of treated or naturally durable 5mm Flexible ply Rs.21.50� Rs.26.00 wood are specified in detail.

Industrial material distribution

Optimism In Building Sector Driving Materials needed for the construction of temporary homes Report from Brazil Demand in east Japan are now moving steadily. Products such as Salespiling, of teakstructural and hardwoods in forestand depots of Central panels, steel framing household Exports of tropical sawnwood and plywood fall fittings such as kitchens and bathrooms are all flowing India, for example Madhya Pradesh, have seen active In April the value of exports of timber products bidding. (except wellReports to the disaster areas. indicate that approximately 20,000 cubic metres have pulp and paper)hit declined 5% to US$ 191 million compared been harvested logs, 2010. felled in the current to thesold leveland of that US$newly 201 million in April Because there is so much debris to remove engineering season, continue to arrive. works to rebuild the infrastructure havein yet to inget PineThere sawnwood exports dropped value April is a positive attitude in 2.2% the Indian building and underway. When this work begins there will be a second compared to the level in the same month of 2010, from construction sectors and this is driving demand for locally grown surge in 13.5 demand for industrial products construction US$ million to US$ 13.2 million.and In term of volume, hardwoods as well as Teak. Prices secured in the central as materials. April 2011 exports were down 9.3% from 62,400 cu.m in well in the forestindepots to be similar as the Aprilas2010 towestern 56,600 cu.m April tend this year. Radiata pine log doubled in two years final market is price the same.

NewExports Zealand export fell log both pricesin continue to in of radiata tropicalpine sawnwood volume and rise18 reports the JLR. This is opening opportunities for FDM Asia 2011 | www.fdmasia.com value, fromjuly 46,500 cu.m in April 2010 to 33,700 cu.m in exporters of alternative timbers it istopossible the April 2011 and from US$ 22.7and million US$ 17 million softwood log market in Japan will undergo a change. in the same period. This corresponds to a 25% decline in

Japan Improving Sarawak Log Supply Takes Heat Out Of Log Market Improved weather conditions allowing uninterrupted forest harvesting and the slowing of orders for plywood from Japan has resulted in an easing of the critical log supply in Sarawak, reports the Japan Lumber Reports (JLP). Log and Sawnwood Prices in Japan Logs for Ply Manufacture, CIF Meranti (Hill, Sarawak) Medium Mixed Standard Mixed Small Log (SM60%, SSM40%) Taun, Calophyllum, others (PNG) Mixed light hardwood, G3/4 grade (PNG) Keruing MQ & up (Sarawak) Kapur MQ & up (Sarawak)

Yen per Koku

(Koku=0.278 m3)

8,600© 8,800© 8,700© 8,000 11,500 10,400©

YenEast per Koku Logs for Sawmilling, CIF is stabilising the South Another factor which Asian log 12,000 Melapiis(Sarawak) High market the slowing of Select orders from Indian importers who found Agathis (Sarawak) High Select that the Indian market could not bear the high log prices. 3 Under FOB these circumstances, log supply and demand in Lumber, Yen per m White Seraya (Sabah) 4m, Grade 145,000 so log the domestic market 24x150mm, and for export is 1better balanced, 56,000 Mixed Seraya, Sangi 24x48mm, S2S prices, while remaining firm,1.8-4m, are not moving higher. Sarawak regular Meranti log prices are currently around Wholesale prices (Tokyo) US$350-360 per cubic metre, unchanged from last month, but suppliers in Sarawak are still seeking prices of US$370 Apr May per cubic metre. Size (mm) Indonesian & Malaysian Plywood (¥ per sheet) while Meranti small log prices are holding at US$320-330 super small logs are at US$300-310 per cubic which 2.4mm (thin plywood, F 4star, type 2 ) 920 X 1830 340 metre, 380-410 is3.7mm about theThickness, upper Flevel these logs. (med. 4star, for type2) 910 X 1820 460 540-600 5.2mm (med. Thickness, F 4star, type 2)

910 X 1820

570

Wooden Building Design Standard 12mm for foundation (F 4star, special) 910 X 1820 1010 Drafted 12mm concrete-form ply (JAS) 900 X 1800 970

640-720 1300 1220

The Ministry of Land Infrastructure released 12mm coated concrete-form ply (JAS) 900 Xand 1800Transport 1090 has1300 the new building standard for wooden public buildings to 11.5mm flooring board 945 X 1840 1280 1350-1400 1230 X facilitate construction under the2440 recently 740 enacted880law to 3.6mm baseboard for overlays (OVL) promote the use of more wood in public buildings. This new standard sets out the requirements for building life expectations, fire resistance structural limits which, Report fromand China says JLP, have not been available until now. Wood products used for the construction of public buildings Timber Protection Industry Association formed are required to be manufactured from forest thinnings and Recently, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs approved the certified legal of timbers. It is association, required that the the buildings have a registration a new China Timber life of at least 50 years so the standards on decay prevention Protection Industry Association. The association will be and use of treated or naturally woodofare specified in supervised and guided by thedurable Ministries Civil Affairs detail. and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The aim of Material the new association is to improve timber Industrial Distribution utilization, to extend timber life in-use, to promote

Materials needed for the construction of temporary homes standardization and to expand markets. in east Japan are now moving steadily. Products such as panels, piling, structural steel framing and household fittings The products in the association mandate include wooden

frame houses and wooden structures, wooden outdoor products, treated and fire resistant wood, modified wood, wood preservatives, composite materials, engineered bamboo and wood coatings.

Market Report such as kitchens and bathrooms are all flowing well to the disaster hit areas. Because there is so much debris to remove engineering works to rebuild the infrastructure have yet to get underway. When this work begins there will be a second surge in demand for industrial products and construction materials.

Radiata Pine Log Price Doubled In Two Years New Zealand radiata pine export log prices continue to rise, reports the JLR. This is opening opportunities for exporters of alternative timbers and it is possible the softwood log market in Japan will undergo a change. The rise in Radiata log prices is put down mainly to the aggressive purchasing by buyers in China. The exports of Radiata logs from New Zealand to China in December alone exceeded 700,000 cubic metres for the first time this is in comparison to imports by Japan which were only 760,000 cubic metres for the whole of 2010.

China Timber Protection Industry Association Formed Recently, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministry of Civil Affairs approved the registration of a new association, the China Timber Protection Industry Association. The association will be supervised and guided by the Ministries of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The aim of the new association is to improve timber utilisation, to extend timber life in-use, to promote standardisation and to expand markets. The products in the association mandate include wooden frame houses and wooden structures, wooden outdoor products, treated and fire resistant wood, modified wood, wood preservatives, composite materials, engineered bamboo and wood coatings. The new association will also promote timber recycling and waste utilisation.

The new innovative resource-saving feature comes without added charge for almost all HOMAG Group products. Because we care ... up to 30% energy savings ... lower operating cost due to standby mode ... higher efficiency with the ecoPlus calculator

Expanded Transit Port For Wood Chips for more information visit us online at www.homag-group.com or e-mail to info@homag-asia.com ENQUIRY NO. 266

It has been reported by the Fujian Quanzhou City Inspection and Quarantine Bureau that in the first four months of 2011, large quantity of woodchips was imported through Xiaocuo Port of Quanzhou City. Imports through the port have increased in value and volume, and the range of supply countries has expanded in FDM recent months. ENQUIRY NO. 5001

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Mark Hunter

Focus

Getting LEAN Without Going TRIM Contrary to popular misconception, lean manufacturing practices are more about the reallocation of resources to avoid wastage, rather than the reduction of work force. By Roland Baumeister, department manager, FPInnovations

ean manufacturing is front and center in the news these days. Around the world, thousands of manufacturing companies are optimising their manufacturing process by implementing lean tools and principles within their factories. The lean approach is the most comprehensive business management improvement initiative because it simultaneously addresses customers, products, processes, and human-related issues in the production system. Small and large companies are using lean techniques to increase the value and quality of their products, with the end result of improving their bottom line. Lean manufacturing techniques quickly cut production costs and inventories to free cash, which is critical to businesses in a slow economy. It also supports

20 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

growth by improving productivity and quality, reducing lead times and freeing huge amounts of resources. For example, lean manufacturing frees office and plant space, and can increase capacity, enabling companies to add product lines, in-source component production and increase output of existing products, without acquiring new facilities. Companies implementing lean will be able to take advantage of renewed growth by increasing sales without increasing costs. Many think that lean means a reduction of the work force, but lean really means how to utilise your work force so you get even more done. Companies who have implemented lean as a system have seen benefits that have included: • Decreased lead times

• Improved margins and improved quality • Less employee turn over and better communication • Increased floor space and improved inventory management Lean is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating nonvalue-added activities, and is focused on customer demand and customer value. It is achieved by simplifying and continuously improving all processes and relationships in an environment of trust, respect and full employee involvement. It is about people, simplicity, flow, visibility, partnerships and true value as perceived by the customer.

Lean Implementation A great number of wood products manufacturers today are already sold

Focus

Strategy Session It is often helpful for company management to first outline a strategy that takes a system-wide view. The objective of this approach is to identify the required level of output (goods or service) that meets the company’s expectations and those of their customers for productivity, quality, cost, delivery time, safety and environment, and morale. In lean, supervisors and business owners must manage the five Ms: manpower, machines, material, methods, and measurements. Visual techniques such as the use of display boards that present information on product quality, absenteeism, training matrices, job standards, machine maintenance schedules, and other indicators are very helpful in focusing employees on what is important in their area.

Value Stream Mapping One of the tools used by companies to identify areas of improvement is called ‘Value Stream Mapping’ (VSM). This tool is used to describe steps that include the arrival of the material through the production process, shipping, to receiving

feedback from customers. Mapping this process is key to analysing and then refining each step to take full advantage of the lean concepts. A company that applied VSM to its wood window and cladding production area reduced its lead time from 14 weeks to 8 weeks, dropped its production time

from over five days to two days, and reconfigured its production line from 14,000 to 10,000 square feet. With a relatively small investment in time and equipment to implement these changes, the return on the investment through productivity gains was achieved within two weeks.

RUBBERWOOD PROCESSING UNIT

IN INDIA FOR SALE Excellent opportunity to immediately acquire a complete Rubberwood unit capable of processing 1200 Cbm of Rubberwood logs per month. Ideally located in Tellicherry, Kerala, India. The State of Kerala produces 95% of India’s rubber output. The total land area available is 20700 sq.mtr including 7150 sq.mtr built up area. The factory has all modern machinery like Vaccum dryer (Moldrup, Singapore), Finger Jointing line (Howard, Taiwan), Rotary Composer (Howard), UV Lacquering (Elmag, Italy), 4 side planer (Weing, Germany), Spindle Moulder (Felder, Austria), Copy Shaper (Fulpow, Taiwan), Double End Tennoner (Ital Press, Italy) etc. and has been producing Finger Jointed Edge Glued Panel, Furniture, Modular Kitchen cabinets. The unit has a skilled manpower of 131 heads. The unit will be sold without any financial liability of any kind.

Interested parties may contact Mr Rajesh Nair at ATI Limited, “Circular Court”, 7th floor, 8 A.J.C Bose Road, Kolkata-700 017, India Tel: +91 9679522522 +91 9830072945 Email: rajesh@agrowood.com

ENQUIRY NO. 272

on the potential benefits offered by the lean manufacturing approach. Low inventories, technology to produce on demand, and relocation to smaller premises are proven lean manufacturing solutions and have been implemented by many over the last years. However, companies are frequently facing the challenge on how to put the smart theory into practice on the plant floor. Many well-intended continuous improvement initiatives start with enthusiasm, but quickly faltered as time progressed and new issues need to be addressed. Some best practices and techniques have been observed that can help a company first focus on the most important issues, and then work with employees to ensure that lean initiatives do not get sidelined.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011

Marcin Wichary, San Francisco, US

Focus VSM also helped a kitchen cabinet manufacturer free up floor space and institute changes to their plant layout. After implementing these changes, the company postponed its move, saved money, and increased its output inside the existing production area.

Kaizen Events Kaizen events are an extremely efficient way to quickly improve a process with maximum results in a short time period — usually three days. The true intent of a Kaizen event is to hold small events attended by the owners and operators of a process to make improvements to that process which are within the scope of the process participants. Such events rapidly implement work cells, improve setups or streamline processes. Kaizen events are commonly referred to as tools that: • Are used as incremental improvements on specific processes • Employ VSM to map the existing process • Improve on the existing process • Solicit buy-in from all parties related to the process

Encouraging Employee Involvement Most businesses are constantly on the lookout for ways to cut costs, improve customer service and drive performance. Yet many ignore the untapped resource of their employees who have cost savings ideas and know their jobs better than any expert. There are a variety of ways to capture these cost savings ideas quickly and easily. For example, some companies have installed suggestions boxes, while others conduct weekly group or departmental meetings. These initiatives, done individually or in conjunction with one another can help continuous improvement efforts.

22 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

However, many companies find that their suggestion box programmes produce results that are sporadic and slow. They also find that many good ideas get screened out, lay dormant, or are overlooked and ignored by management. One strategy that some companies are finding some success with is called the ‘5-Minute Huddle Board’. The idea behind this approach is to capture ideas, drive involvement and identify cost savings ideas from the bottom of the organisation to the top. During a Huddle Board session, a five-minute meeting is conducted every day within each group to discuss their key performance indicators (KPIs). The KPIs are very specific to each group and usually focus around areas such as safety, quality, daily production status, and status of the ideas being generated. For one company, applying the Huddle Board system provided the structure to implement change and support their lean manufacturing initiative. This large millwork company used the huddle board system to quickly form groups and begin implementing ideas that originated from their employees. Once installed, the company was effectively dealing with dozens of valuable suggestions from its employees, and was implementing an idea from each person each month.

5S The 5S system provides a foundation that allows a manufacturer to deliver high quality products in the right quantity at the right time to satisfy customer needs. 5S is the name that describes the following functions: sorting, straightening, systematic cleaning, standardising, and sustaining. The implementation of the 5S system is the starting point in the development of improvement activities to ensure any company’s survival. The 5S system is designed to create a visual workplace and a work environment that is self-explaining, self-ordering, and self-improving. Out of standard situations should be obvious at a glance and easily corrected. Companies who have implemented the 5S system have seen benefits that include: • Improved working conditions and work team performance • Established operating procedures and reduced training cycles • Increased adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) • Improved customer satisfaction • Improved data base management

Single-Minute Exchange Of Die (SMED) Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) is a lean manufacturing method that

Focus focuses on reducing the time it takes to change over from one manufacturing process to another or from running the current product to the next one. Many companies believe that their setup times are reasonable when in fact, they really are not certain how long they take. Studies have shown that implementing Lean practices has reduced changeover time by as much as 50 to 90 percent. Pull Systems and Kan-Ban are lean manufacturing techniques that successful companies use to keep inventory costs low and reduce the unnecessary expense of defects. For these companies, the inclusion of planning, production, maintenance, and quality assurance staff is the key to successfully implementing these systems in their operation. Kanban is a Japanese term for ‘card’ or ‘signal’, and is the name given for the inventory control used in pull systems. A Kanban identifies the part or subassembly unit and indicates where it came from and where it goes. Kanban is best implemented when a company has committed to a pull production system, has small lot production through one piece flow, and operates in a cellular manufacturing environment. Kanban is not suitable for sharp demand fluctuations, and is best used as an advance visual control system. Many companies have implemented Kanban systems in their plants and as a result, have: • Eliminated overproduction • Increased flexibility • Coordinated production of small lots and wide product variety • Simplified the procurement process • Integrated all processes and tied them to the customer • Controlled inventory management costs

An extensive range of books is available on the subject matter covering a wide scope of topics, some with specific insights on application and results. Aspiring companies can also find out more on how lean manufacturing has helped made Toyota the company it is today.

With numerous continuous improvement strategies currently being used in the industry, the important thing is finding a strategy that works for your company and sticking to it. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 5101

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Learn More About The Concepts There are a number of excellent sources of information on lean manufacturing. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011 Facebook 4.indd 1

7/5/11 2:22:31 PM

Focus

CNC

RIGHT ROADAHEAD MACHINERY MARKET:

THE

Rob124, Stuttgart, Germany

The manufacturing of furniture involving critical operations has promoted the growth of computer-operated machines. CNC machinery providers must offer good after sale support and flexible payment models to entice potential customers. By Shiv Kumar Shet, business development manager, Biesse Manufacturing India

Madeline Gannon

Focus

omputer numerical control (CNC) machinery is a highly sought after equipment in any industry today. Complicated profiles and speed in production are primary motivations that prompt manufacturers to procure such equipment. Despite the increasing demand, CNC machinery remains expensive and requires a substantial amount of investment. CNC is widely used around the world in almost every engineering company that is manufacturing products for other industries. They are often used in industries where high precision and accuracy are required and to produce parts intended for applications, such as in aircrafts or precision machinery tools.

has a large number of CNC machinery manufacturers for the woodworking sector. However, their products are less popular outside of the country. In India, some users of Chinese machinery are facing problems due to the lack of service support and spare parts.

Benefits Of CNC Machines CNC machines can be of very high importance in a factory. CNC routers have the capacity to execute complicated profiles and other allied functions like grooving, etching, engraving, boring, drilling and off course routing. A CNC router can also be referred to as a machining centre due to its ability to perform multiple functional applications and to replace many smaller machines like spindle moulder, multi-spindle driller or even a panel saw. Other benefits include speed, reliability, repeatability and the ability to reduce wastage. Due to the controlling of the speed of the electro spindle by the computer, the life of the tools also increases drastically.

Audin Malmin, Seattle, US

Madeline Gannon

router was introduced to the woodworking industry in the 1960s and created a boom in the sector. The machine enabled time consuming techniques and complicated profiles to be achieved efficiently. The introduction of composite panels like particleboards, MDFs, HDFs and plywood boards have made it essential for furniture manufacturers to own a CNC machine. CNC router technology has been developed to encompass more features like drilling, boring and panel sizing. The availability of local software makes it easy to create 2D and 3D profiles. The possibility of loading more than 10 different tooling features offers great flexibility in customisation for different manufacturing needs. Many European manufacturers are shifting base to Asian countries like China and India to manufacture and sometimes assemble their machines. Manufacturers find it more economical as far as construction and other costs are concerned. Outside of Europe and the US, China

Fusion Of Technology & Tradition CNC machine is the fusion of modern computer technology and traditional woodworking practices. The first CNC

Despite being a common feature in plants, CNC machines still require substantial investment.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Madeline Gannon

Focus

CNC machines can produce furniture of different contour profiles.

Maintenance & Training

One major obstacle in the adoption of new technology is the capability of the work force to readily utilise it in their daily operations. To this end, CNC machinery manufacturers must understand the necessary after sale support they will need to provide to their clients. Smaller companies that are not familiar with these machines tend to take a longer time (up to a few months) to integrate the functionalities in their production process. Machinery providers must be able to offer support in terms of training and maintenance. While companies make a sizeable monetary commitment in purchasing CNC machines, providers

must be able to give similar service support.

Different Payment Models Due to the high cost incurred in the procurement of these equipment, providers should also look into flexible payment models to entice potential customers. The one-time investment may not be viable for small and medium enterprises, but instalment options can help lighten the immediate financial burden, enabling Stichting CabFabLab

ProtoSpace

Selling a CNC machine, especially to the woodworking segment in Asian countries, takes a lot of effort. Established manufacturers of wood furniture who are already acquainted with the technology demand low costs and more features. At the same time, majority of the woodworking sector in this region involves low-end and labour intensive operation. Cost is a huge factor and the relatively cheap labour cost obscures the potential benefits a CNC machine might bring. Some smaller manufacturers simply do not have the financial resources to invest in such machinery. Another point of consideration is the skill level of the workers involved.

companies to experience the benefits of automated processing without going too deep into the red. Of late, a method in selling called the deferred payment guaranteed (DPG) scheme is in practice where the buyer

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gives a guarantee in the form of cheques or a collateral security to assure the seller.

CNC Machinery Market In their report, ARC has stated that the market for CNC machinery is expected to reach US$7.7 billion by 2012. The analysis

is made based on the performances of reputed companies around the world. CNC machines pertaining to woodworking forms a portion of this figure. The CNC market for the global woodworking industry is estimated to be around US$1.2-1.5 billion and will continue to grow each year.

It is obvious that to meet the demand of the market and to cope with the pressure of delivering batch quantities without sacrificing quality, the manufacturing process must be streamlined. The answer to achieve perfection is by utilising the latest technology available in the market. Manufacturers of wood furniture will have no choice but to adapt to the demand and install such machinery to progress. Furniture manufacturers must get past the initial fear of making such heavy investment in order to move forward and computerise the production process. CNC machinery makers can ease these concerns by providing adequate after sale support and training options, as well as maintenance assistance if required. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 5102

WE OFFER A STANDARD More than 110 years ago, the National Harwood Lumber Association (NHLA) was formed to create the North American hardwood lumber grading rules. Today, these rules are the essential language for anyone trading in, or processing, North American hardwood â&#x20AC;&#x201C; providing both the buyer and seller with a consistent language to use in specifying American hardwood lumber transactions. The Association welcomes and encourages any company involved in the global hardwood trade to learn the rules, become a member and attend the 2011 NHLA Annual Convention & Exhibit Showcase. Please contact our Memphis, Tennessee, USA office for more information. National Hardwood Lumber Association www.nhla.com +1 901-377-1818

ENQUIRY NO. 269

Larry Ewing

Focus

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Focus

Value Stream Mapping Points

The Way To

Lean Manufacturing Ryan Lackey, Pennsylvania, US

he goal of lean thinking is to use minimum resources and time to deliver desired customer value through a continuous, flowing value stream. Among different types of lean implementation methods such as pull system, cellular manufacturing, onepiece-flow, standard work, visual control, Kaizen, quick changeover, 5S, and kanban event, value stream mapping (VSM) appears as an important tool to facilitate the lean transformation because it maps both the information flow and

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materials flow, identifies various types of wastes, and streamlines the value stream for the future state. The application of VSM is not just limited to manufacturing processes, non-production activities have also benefited from this method, especially in knowledge-based areas such as design, new product introduction (NPI), engineering, and product development (PD). Other applications of VSM in nonmanufacturing industries could be found in sales process, health care,

admission inquiry process and information management. In the secondary wood products industry, VSM showed its power in streamlining the manufacturing process. At the same time, it creates benefits to non-production processes in the secondary wood products industry such as the engineering process. The impact of the engineering process in production cost is extremely important, as over 70 percent of production costs are determined in the product design stage.

Focus Application Case Study In order to appreciate VSMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution to lean manufacturing design, a case study is developed following the structure of defining process boundaries, identifying main processes, analysing customer needs, selecting and measuring process metric, calculating system metrics as well as generating current and future state VSM. Over a seventeen days period, relevant process information was collected in an upholstery product engineering department. The methods used for collecting the process data included data entry sheet, direct observation, and engineering archives. Before proceeding to VSM, several analyses were conducted concerning process metrics. First, customer demand was calculated on a daily basis. Then the product family was defined for further planning. Second, the process analysis section was composed of process boundary analysis and main process analysis. The boundary analysis used the context diagram to analyse the interaction between the engineering system and its external factors. The main process analysis identified and categorised each main process. Additionally the process

Methodology metrics were analysed and current state VSM presented. The next step was to discover the waste and unnecessary steps in the current state mapping. Several proposals and countermeasures were given to streamline the process and then the future state VSM was developed.

Product Family Analysis The product family is defined by two considerations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; engineering procedures and historical number of orders. If a collection of products possessed a similar structure and manufacturing methods, it could be considered a product family. On the other hand, if a collection of products with similar structure and engineering procedure had been ordered frequently by customers, it is reasonable to build a product family for these

product groups to ease engineering and manufacturing efforts. After researching customer orders for all collections of upholstery products incurred in the previous six months, it was observed that five types of products accounted for 86.4 percent of orders. These products included sofa, chair, ottoman, sofa chair, and loveseat. Three of them (sofa, chair, and loveseat) shared the same product architecture. Because of the similarity, the processes of engineering, manufacturing, planning and packaging of these products were similar. From the order perspective, these three types of products represented 60 percent of customer orders during the previous six months. Therefore the product family was identified as sofa, loveseat, and chair products.

Customer Demand Analysis

Andy Carter, Lincolnshire, UK

As the total number of orders within the product family was 159, a few indicators of the engineering process could be identified.

Main Process Analysis

Lean manufacturing can streamline processes to use less resources and time.

Before defining the main processes, a product family is identified. The main processes are designed to produce the defined family of products. 9 major engineering processes were identified for the current state VSM. Three process metrics were also defined which are process cycle time, engineering error rate, and rework time (in percentage). From the investigation, the valueadded time was calculated as 34.8 days www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Focus whereas the lead time of the primary engineering process was calculated as 133.9 days.

Current State Analysis From current state VSM, it can be identified that the process cycle time varied from 120 minutes to 1080 minutes. The work-in-progress orders between each engineering activity varied from 1.3 days to 25 days. The engineering lead time was about 133.9 days, whereas the value-added time was just 34.8 days. The value-added ratio was 26 percent. Two major contributors to the overall lead time are excessive work-in-progress orders and unbalanced process cycle

time. A couple of things had been distracting engineers’ value adding capability. The two most important ones were the unpredictable and unbalanced process time, making it difficult to level workloads and distractions due expediting engineering change orders (ECO).

Root Causes Analysis The root causes of the two major problems found, unpredictable and unbalanced process cycle time and ECO, in the current engineering process can be expressed explicitly. Four root causes for the first problem are identified which are insufficient engineering capacity, inefficient

SUMMARY OF COUNTERMEASURES AND KAIZEN IMPLEMENTATION ROOT CAUSES

COUNTERMEASURES

KAIZEN BURST

Lack of standardisation

• Process standardisation: combine and eliminate processes • Work standardisation: separate and balance engineer work load

‘Standardisation’: Standardise design models, drawing formats

• Improve communication with customer • Improve communication with supplier

‘Frozen zone’: Control the expediting changes from customer

• Improve work method • Increase people utilisation

‘Online-check’: The engineering management check the documents on-line to eliminate paper waste and unnecessary processing time

Inefficient communication

Insufficient engineering capacity

‘Automation BOM’: Writing special micro program in SolidWorks to automate the process of generating BOM

‘Work log’: Summarise production feedback on daily basis for engineers. Increase the speed of making essential changes for mass production documents before releasing

‘Capacity’: Utilise all the engineering supervisors and managers for checking process Inefficient layout

• Reorganise work layout

‘Layout’: Move necessary office supplies close to engineers; propose work cell layout for current work environment

Inefficient engineering design tool

• Use 3D dimension-driven engineering design solution – SolidWorks

‘Design tool’: Utilise SolidWorks to reduce the chance of making design errors and reduce the number of ECO

30 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

communication, lack of standardisation, and inefficient work layout. The root cause of expediting ECO is identified as inefficient engineering design tool.

Future State Analysis Before mapping out the future state VSM, different countermeasures are developed to solve the current problem in the engineering process. According to the countermeasures, the future state VSM is generated suggesting target improvement areas and the potential improvement outcomes that could be achieved. In the future state VSM, engineering planning sends work instruction to the first process step at the beginning of the value stream. The overall process is flowing in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) basis. The starting point of the process is to send new orders to ‘research’ process from product development. The FIFO lane will keep the order inventory in 1 day maximum. Then researched orders will pass on ‘DWG/BOM’ process for creating drawings and bills of material in a 2-day FIFO maximum. Specific kaizen events aim to balance certain processes and improve engineering performance. For instance, the kaizen events proposed for ‘DWG/BOM’ process include standardisation, BOM automation, new design tool, frozen zone, and work layout planning. The downstream processes like ‘Fabric’, ‘CNC’, and ‘Packaging’ will also receive jobs on FIFO basis. Finally, all the work will send to ‘check’ process for final approval. The total lead time of future state VSM is 15.0 days, or an 88.8 percent reduction from the current state VSM. The processing time of future state VSM is 9.0 days, or a 74.1 percent reduction from the current state VSM.

Benefits Of VSM Overall, it was found that the current engineering process was exhibiting

Focus

Unpredictable and unbalanced processing time Inefficient communication

Insufficient engineering capacity Lack of standardisation

Inefficient work layout

Inefficient engineering design tool

Expediting ECO

many types of waste (interruptions) that are distracting engineers from creating value-added work. From the current state VSM, the processes with the longest processing cycle time and the largest inventory were identified. In future state VSM,

several fundamental countermeasures were proposed to balance and level the engineering process. Point kaizen is effective to standardise and stabilise each individual process, such as the standardising and setting up of frozen zone which had

significantly helped to reduce design iterations. For example, ‘Check’ process was reduced from two to one, and ‘Compile’ process had been eliminated from the current value stream. Standardisation also helped to reduce development cycles. For example, the standardisation of product structures saved a lot of engineering efforts in new product development. The case study demonstrates VSM’s effectiveness as a tool to help visualise, control, and improve the engineering process. From the future state VSM, the FIFO lane was used to make the overall process predictable which led to the reduction of engineering lead time. The lead time was reduced from 133.9 days to 15 days. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 5103

ENQUIRY NO. 253

ROOT CAUSES OF TWO MAJOR PROBLEMS

For more information,please visit :www.yalianjx.cn

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Focus

Ready For Domestic Consumption During a stopover in Singapore, Mark Barford, executive director of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, spoke to FDM Asia about the future of American hardwood in face of mounting competition and the changes in demand for the growing Asian market. By Wong Tsz Hin

s with any other trade, knowledge sharing is an essential process not only for manufacturers, but also consumers, so that they can make more informed choices. Education and promotion are two important aspects for the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA), which was formed over a century ago for the purpose of establishing grading rules, or inspection rules as they are more commonly known as now, for the trading of hardwood lumber. It is important that buyers understand what they are getting. Traditionally, that would require personal inspection of the lumber in question during purchase. However, as the trade volume of hardwood increases and the network begins to spread across the globe, there is a need to know the quality of the wood without looking at it. Grading rules help

32 FDM Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

facilitate this by providing the relevant reference standards.

Different Grading Systems Although the rules developed by NHLA through the years are adopted mainly by traders in the North American region, Mark Barford, executive director of the association, explained that it is currently in the process of making sure they are globally understood. Recently, the board has decided that there should be a universal grade for all hardwoods, so that both tropical and domestic hardwoods can be traded in a similar playing field. The challenge lies in the different manner wood is cut in different parts of the world. According to the location, wood is processed differently before they are traded. For example, in Malaysia, grading is typically done on wood cubes

of one by one, two by two, or three by three inches. The NHLA rules apply to boards, or planks, that are one to two inches thick, similar to the way wood is cut in Europe. Such diversity means that it is impossible to have a global standard that is applicable for all.

Education On Sustainability Another area that the association would like to address is the sustainability of wood resources. This is particularly important given the heighten environmental concern of consumers. The US has recently passed the Lacey Act as part of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initiatives to prohibit the importing illegally harvested timber. Customers need to be assured that the wood used in products are from sources that are managed sustainably and harvested legally. Sustainability goes beyond certification and the standards

The combined embodied energy for making bamboo flooring is higher than solid wood.

developed by the association helps ensure products are from sustainable sources.

Market Competition Engineered wood, which often claims to be as good as solid wood, is seen as one of the biggest threats to hardwood. Instead of being a direct competitor, such substitute materials have the potential of supplementing hardwood in applications where the use of hardwood is impossible. For example, wood is a popular material used in the construction of buildings. However, for beams, solid wood has its limitation in terms of length, which is determined by the size of the tree it is extracted from. Builders turn to other materials such as steel for such applications. Laminated engineered wood, which can compete with steel in terms of properties, can be viewed as an alternative. In this respect, engineered wood can work together with hardwood to promote the use of wood materials, rather than battling each other for market share. In addition, engineered wood can be produced using byproducts from the treatment of solid wood lumber, reducing waste and enhancing woodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation as an environmental friendly resource.

the US and Europe as end products. Over the years, an increasing amount of hardwood is retained and consumed in the region. In the next five to ten years, the total export volume of American hardwood to Asia is expected to hit US$2 billion. By large, the first billion was driven by re-exporting, wood going into the region as raw materials for consumer products. The second billion will be fueled by domestic demand. The export volume to South East Asia was US$229 million in 2010, with huge growth in Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Boa-Franc

hottholler

Focus

Embodied Energy One factor that consumers tend to overlook in their quest for green products is the amount of energy used to manufacture them, from extraction, processing and refining of raw materials to actual production. Composite flooring generally has higher embodied energy compared to its solid wood counterpart. The adhesives and resins necessary to bind the fibres also provides cause of concern in terms of chemical emission. Bamboo, an alternative renewable material lauded for its short growth cycle, has been promoted by companies as a good substitute for wood. However, the combined embodied energy for making bamboo furniture and flooring is significantly higher than that of solid wood, something few consumers are aware of. There is also the uncertainty over the long-term durability of both composite wood and bamboo products.

Growing Asian Market As the income level of the people in South East Asia increases, they will naturally demand products of higher standards. Considering this expected growth, the association is dedicated to promoting American hardwood in this part of the world. Initially, most hardwood exported to Asia was processed and sold back to

As income level grows, people crave for better furniture.

Mr Barford noted that the association understands that in order to serve the world, it has to involve the world. To this end, a new membership category, the partner membership, was created for potential international members. Members under this category will enjoy the same benefit as a full membership, except that they will not be engaged in the fine-tuning grading rules. The association also intend to set up its website in different languages to target the global audience in different areas. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 5104

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Technology

The

Wood That

Binds The use of methylene diphenyl diisocyanage (MDI) resin binders not only creates stronger bonds with wood strand and shortens press time, its application can also reduce formaldehyde emission and lower energy consumption. By Iain Stanton, composite wood panel marketing manager, Huntsman

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f the requirement is for timber panels with the right performance and environmental credentials for the next building project, look no further than Oriented Strand Board (OSB). An engineered wood strand panel designed to be strong, hardwearing, smooth and defect-free, OSB is a versatile panel that is widely used as an alternative to plywood, because it suits all manner of building projects — from flooring, roofing and timber frame housing to smaller scale applications, such as boarding up open windows on site for temporary security. In fact, both Europe and North America have witnessed rapid growth in the production of OSB in recent years and the first OSB manufacturing plant was established in Asia late in 2010, signalling opportunities for this type of wood panel within the Asian market.

Adhesive As Key Ingredient The manufacturing process happens in several stages, starting with the raw tree which is debarked and shredded into credit card sized ‘strands’ at the factory by specialist machinery. The strands are then dried out in an industrial strength dryer to prepare them for the next stage in the production process — adding the resin binder that will ultimately hold the panel together and give it strength.

Technology

Binder Determines Properties Before pressing the final panel, getting the resin application right is vital for giving OSB its mechanical strength and

durability, not to mention good moisture resistance and dimensional stability. There are various adhesives available for OSB production and the binder of choice differs from country to country. Throughout North America, Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) resins have traditionally been used by OSB manufacturers. However, this is no longer as common as it once was. Driven mainly by the cost-effectiveness of MDI and the increased productivity rates offered, more manufacturers have been making the switch to standard polymeric MDI in the core layer of OSB boards. MDI is one of the most effective adhesives that manufacturers of OSB can use, either within just the core layers of the panel or within both the core and face layers, to give their panels strength. The real advantage of MDI is the strong bond it forms with the wood strands, which results in a tough construction at the pressing stage. MDI also allows for shorter press times than other resins and it works at lower temperatures, increasing productivity and saving energy for manufacturers.

ENQUIRY NO. 258

The adhesive is a key component in the production of OSB and has a big part to play in determining the quality of the boards produced, so manufacturers need to consider the options carefully. Having been dried out to remove excess moisture from the timber, the resin is then applied as part of a carefully controlled mixing process and is designed to partially penetrate into the strands before they are laid out to form the basis of a panel. Fully coated, the prepared wooden strands are then evenly distributed on to a conveyor belt, first in one direction and then another, to create a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mattressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of three layers. In conjunction with the resin mixture, this cross-ply effect is what makes OSB really tough and suitable for use in construction. The final board is produced by pressing the mattress in a heated press to cure the adhesive, which results in a perfect sheet of OSB with no voids and a consistent finish.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Technology New MDI Resins

OSB press

In Europe, MDI resins have been fully embraced by the composite wood panel industry, with OSB mills using MDI resins in the core layer, and many taking things one step further by switching to catalysed (or fast cure) resins. The argument that using MDI resins in OSB production creates better economics — compared with using melamineurea-phenol-formaldehyde (MUPF) — is convincing many European manufacturers to use 100 percent MDI resin in both the face and core layers of their boards. Complimented by the significant improvements made within release agent technology, the use of MDI has become prevalent. Furthermore, MDI performs better than MUPF due to the nature of its adhesion to wood. The wood surface naturally has a lot of chemcial groups called hydroxyl groups (-OH). MDI resins are terminated with isocyanate groups (-N=C=O), which react with the (-OH) hydroxyls on the wood, forming urethane linkages. These linkages help to make the MDI bonded boards perform better when exposed to moisture.

When MDI resins were first used in the manufacture of OSB panels, a standard MDI grade was used for the core resin. Developments over the last decade have led to the introduction of faster grades of MDI resins that allow for shorter press factors. Fast-cure MDI resins typically improve the press factor, which is the measure an OSB producer uses to articulate the speed of the process, by around 15 percent compared to standard polymeric resins. An OSB producer can make more square metres of boards by using enhanced fast-cure resins, which in turn means they can obtain more from their assets and therefore dilute their operating costs. It also results in reduced blender maintenance costs, in terms of time needed and frequency of cleaning required, lower formaldehyde emissions and lower drier energy requirements.

Strand mat before pressing

Release agents for either continuous or multi-daylight presses are applied externally either on the press belt, or for multi-daylight presses, on the screen and mat. Trial equipment can offer realistic trials for potential customers within their own production plants before they fully adopt the use of MDI. At the same time, different MDI formulas can be tested with specific source of wood used in production. This helps create unique formulas dedicated for specific applications. Tailored package is designed to offer ongoing service to each and every customer, with local manufacturing facilities and local commercial and technical teams delivering solutions to the Asian market each day. FDM

Flakes used in OSB

36 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

ENQUIRY NO. 5201

ENQUIRY NO. 265

Technology

ood welding is based on the fusion and flowing of the constituents of wood cell walls, in particular of the intercellular material, mainly lignin but equally hemicelluloses. During friction between two pieces of wood against one another, the temperature can rise to 180 deg C or higher in a few seconds, causing fusion and flowing of the amorphous polymers. This leads to the detachment of the surface fibres of wood at the interface. These fibres become intimately entangled and are surrounded by the molten matrix of lignin and hemicelluloses, which on compressing and when cooled, form a high-density composite that holds the two wood pieces together. The welded joint is, therefore, composed of a polymer matrix based on molten lignin.

The high temperature reached also leads to the formation of furfural from the wood carbohydrates. This contributes to further cross-linking of the lignin after fusion and during the hardening of the welded joint, which occurs after sustained compression for a few seconds more. In Europe, such method of assembly would allow the saving of thousands of tonnes of wood adhesives and enable the furniture and interior joinery industries to become relatively independent of the chemical industry, while offering products that are natural and so, of high environmental friendliness. Recently, a process that utilises environmental friendly materials to prepare welded joints of exterior grade quality has been developed, opening the possibility for such assembly process to be used for exterior structural joints in construction.

ADHESIVE-FREE Has Never Felt

So Weld

Pete, Liverpool, UK

With rising adhesive costs, wood welding has presented itself as an alternative that gives better economic sense and mechanical strength. By Dr Antonio Pizzi, University Henri Poincare

38 FDM Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Technology Wood joint assembly is a basic feature of furniture and wooden buildings. Such joints are mainly produced with the use of metal connectors or adhesives, such as glue. In both cases, this leads to a noticeable production cost that is charged on the final product. In the case of liquid adhesives, it is necessary to procure and maintain suitable application equipment and tools required to reduce the time of curing/hardening and for adequate cleaning. All these incur additional cost.

Wood Welding Without Additives There are two common methods of welding wood pieces together without the assistance of additives.

i) Linear Friction Welding The wood pieces to be joined are placed in a friction welding machine which simultaneously applies a vibration movement at a frequency of 100 to 150 Hz (according to the different techniques already developed), and a compression pressure normal to the interface between the two pieces to be welded. The optimal parameters for linear friction welding are a displacement of two to three mm for 1.5 - 4 seconds, under a compression strength of 2 MPa, followed by sustained pressure of around 2.7 MPa for 5 seconds after the welding operation. The maximum length achieved with this method is 150 cm as equipment capable to weld longer pieces are not available at the moment. This is one of two major disadvantages of linear friction welding, the other being the high cost of equipment setup. Mechanical tests carried out on welded samples have shown an average tensile strength that varies between 10 - 15 MPa. These results satisfy the requirements of the relevant European standards. A welding pressure of higher than 2 MPa leads to inferior mechanical strength as it induces damage, as well as excessive expulsion of wood fibres from the interface. The temperature reached in the joint is around 180 deg C for 150 Hz and can be as high as 230 deg C for 100 Hz. These temperatures are higher than the glass transition temperature of wood lignin and hemicelluloses, temperature beyond which these components will display change of phase and behaviour. The fusion and flowing of the main wood constituents in the intercellular zone (middle lamella) occurred during mechanical friction.

Wood structures can be joint with dowels alone.

or by inserting cylindrical dowels whose extremity has been made conical (such as a pencil). With this system, it is possible to assemble structures of considerable dimensions, such as 350 cm long laminated beams, structural I-beams, wood walls, suspended flooring as well as furniture that would have been difficult to build otherwise. Moreover, the cost of equipment is low, as only an adequately strong drill, either fixed-base or portable is needed, which is readily available in small joinery shops and furniture factories. The mechanical resistance of an assembly created with a 10 mm diameter beech dowel is 3800 N immediately after welding, before attaining a maximum value of 4300 N after six to ten seconds. In comparison, the strength obtained by gluing is 3300 to 3400 N and this can only be achieved after 24 hours.

ii) Rotational Dowel Welding These joint assemblies are obtained either by inserting cylindrical dowels into holes of a diameter smaller than that of the dowel, www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Technology

Suspended flooring made without any adhesive, nail or screw.

Applications

4. Laminated Welded Beams (Weldlam)

Several applications have been developed and tested for rotational dowel welding. The following gives a non-limiting idea of the variety of wood assemblies prepared with such a technique that satisfy the requirements of a number of European standards for the different applications.

Laminated beams (commonly known as glulam but referred to here as weldlam) of different lengths (between 2 - 3.5 metres long) have been manufactured using rotational dowel welding techniques and tested. The University College of Dublin has experimented with a two metres long four-layered weldlam. In addition, ENSTIB and University Henri-Poincaré have developed 3.5 metres laminated beams as well as 6 metres long I-trellis beams.

1. Suspended Flooring A suspended flooring of 4 x 4 metres with 22 cm thickness and a weight of 90 kg has been manufactured without any adhesive, nail or screw through the exclusive application of rotational dowel welding. Two portable drills were used for the task. The minimum threshold of the piece was 50 percent higher than the minimum required by the relevant European standards.

2. Rietveld’s Minilmalist Z Chair Rietveld, a dutch architect, conceived this chair in the 1930s but has been unable to make it without some form of angular supports either in wood or metal. Using rotational dowel welding, two series of dowel were welded at two different angles to build it exactly as the designer has envisioned. Several variations to this have since been developed.

3. Solid Wood Panels One of the more difficult assemblies to prepare at the beginning of wood welding has been that of solid wood panels. A recent collaboration between the ENSTIB, University Henri-Poincaré and Laval University has finally enabled the preparation of solid wood panels using rotational wood welding to satisfy the relevant standards.

40 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Process Of The Future The technology for the welding of solid wood pieces together or onto other kinds of reconstituted panels and between different panels has not been available in the past. Adhesives derived from oil are generally used for furniture and interior joinery. With this new process, it is possible to envisage production without the need for adhesives and products that are made entirely of wood, opening the potential for a leap towards higher environmental quality in a more efficient fashion. The elimination of adhesive in the manufacturing process removes potential toxic by-products and emission. The time requirement for wood welding is significantly shorter compared to the application of adhesives which need sufficient period for hardening. This will in turn help optimise overall efficiency. Dowel welding is able to produce joints that are up to 20 times higher than the mechanical strength obtained by traditional dowels without the use of any adhesive. The technique is simple enough to be adopted by anyone, making it an economical FDM alternative to the conventional gluing methods.

ENQUIRY NO. 5202

RIGHT ON

Stock.Xchng

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Panels

Palmasola

The Mark Of Entry For Exporters The CE mark is the symbol of confidence which assures consumers that the product is fit for its intended use. For wood-based panel manufacturers, this may be their ticket into the European market. By Mark Wilkinson, head of business development, Timber Research and Development Association

Harmonised Technical Specification CE marking is based on the principle that a manufacturer should be able to prove that a product is fit for its intended end use. It also demonstrates that it meets the requirements of a Harmonised Technical Specification, in the case of plywood, EN13986 Wood based panels for use in construction. Harmonised means simply that the technical specification — either a European Standard or a European Technical Approval (ETA) — contains criteria which permit CE marking to be affixed and therefore prove compliance with the CPD/CPR. For most structural and fire-related products the manufacturer will have to work with a Notified Body (NB) to obtain a Certificate of Conformity.

42 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Sean Hobson, Tempe, US

or wood-based panel manufacturers wishing to sell into Europe, CE marking has been a ‘must have’ for almost a decade. Exporters have had to prove compliance with the Construction Products Directive (CPD) and in most of Europe, the only way to do so has been to apply a CE mark. Interestingly, three countries –– the UK, Ireland and Sweden –– have resisted making CE marking mandatory, but that is all set to change. The pending Construction Products Regulation (CPR) is expected to replace the CPD in 2013, and under the CPR, CE marking will become compulsory in all states.

CE marking helps goods pass freely throughout Europe.

Once CE marking has been achieved, goods can pass freely throughout the European Union (EU) without manufacturers having to carry out further testing or certification in each member state individually. It is important to appreciate, however, that the CE mark is not a quality mark. Three key areas of manufacture must be monitored: • Initial Type Testing (ITT) to prove initial compliance and give characteristic values of the product • Factory Production Control (FPC) to prove ongoing compliance with the specification • Ongoing test programmes to check that FPC is working.

Panels The technical specification will give each product one of six ‘Attestation of Conformity’ (AoC) levels — basically the ‘who does what’ to allow CE marking — which are 1+, 1, 2+, 2, 3 and 4. For all levels, apart from level 4, a manufacturer needs some input from a NB. Under EN 13986, structural plywood has an AoC of level 2+, so the role of the NB is to certify the FPC system. CE marking requires initial type testing to prove bending strength according to EN310, bending stiffness according to EN310, bonding quality according to EN314 Part 1 and release of formaldehyde according to EN717 Part 1 or Annex B of EN13986. For specific end uses such as wall sheathing, structural flooring and roofing, further test evidence is required.

Mark Falsification In spite of the many checks and balances within the CE marking process, less scrupulous manufacturers have found ways to falsify the CE mark on sub-standard boards — undeniably, plywood is a commodity traded largely on price and, in a climate of cutbacks in the construction sector, buyers may overlook a board’s credentials if the price is right.

Sub-standard boards affect consumer confidence.

ENQUIRY NO. 270

This in fact happened with consignments of plywood from China into Europe just over two years ago. Chinese manufacturers suffered a loss of confidence in their product as a result, but measures taken by Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA) as the NB implicated and an awareness campaign led jointly by the association and the UK Timber Trade Federation, fairly swiftly helped weed out the rogue suppliers. To assist bona fide manufacturers keen to dissociate themselves from those only interested in making a fast buck by false marking, TRADA launched a third-party certification Q-Mark scheme which not only provides for CE marking, but goes beyond it. www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011

Panels

Design Considerations

Ruthanne Reid, New Hampshire, US

The simplest way of specifying a wood-based panel product for structural use is to require compliance with BS EN 13986. The specification should include the following factors as a minimum, leaving manufacturers and suppliers in no doubt what is required: • the panel type –– eg plywood, or a more specific type such as BS EN 300 OSB/3 • the panel should be a load-bearing type complying with BS EN 13986. Reference should also be made to the appropriate product standard eg BS EN 312 • the Service Class for which the panel should be suitable, eg Service Class 2 is a panel suitable for use in humid conditions • minimum strength and stiffness properties –– either by characteristic values or permissible stresses • thickness • fire performance rating

• durability requirement • formaldehyde class Structural design in the UK is now governed by Eurocode 5 (EC5), which replaced the familiar BS 5268 on March 1 last year. A key aim of the Eurocodes has been to create a common understanding regarding the design of structures among construction professionals. EC5 is a limit state code and uses characteristic values. Manufacturers and suppliers, therefore, need to understand what characteristic values are relevant for their products and use approved or codified methods of testing to obtain them. Third-party product certification helps manufacturers and suppliers to obtain these values. Palmasola

The Q-Mark assessment is approached as for a higher AoC Level 1+ product, with additional factory visits. Crucially, all boards must be individually marked and any mills found to be non-compliant will be suspended from the scheme immediately.

Third-party product certification helps manufactures obtain relevant values.

The properties listed include bending, tension, compression and shear. For floors and roofs, this enables the behaviour under uniform loads to be assessed. However, there is no agreed method of calculating behaviour under concentrated loads or impact. These criteria must be tested and the data provided by the manufacturer. Panels are also affected by the duration of the load applied, both in relation to deflection (creep) and to failure. As was the case with BS 5268-2, EC5 gives factors to account for these effects. The CE mark and supporting information gives all the information needed by specifiers, building control and other relevant authorities to judge whether a product is suitable for a particular intended use. While the CPR might not be enforced until 2013, manufacturers might find it makes sense to explore CE marking now if the FDM UK market is a key target. ENQUIRY NO. 5301

44 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

印尼家具制造零配件展

Furniture Manufacturing Components Show 2011 14 09.11nal o i t a n r e t n arta I

Jak

Expo

w t . m o c . o g i a k . c a fm

http://i

Organizer:

Please Complete the Inquiry Form and fax to +886-2-2595-5726 Visiting

Kaigo CO., Ltd.

Company Contact Person

Email: event@kaigo.com.tw Tel:+886-2-2595-4212 Ext. 721 Aaron Turner Ext. 718 Jany Kao

Job Title

Address Telephone

Fax

E-Mail

Website

Products

etmE6

http://ifmac.kaigo.com.tw

ENQUIRY NO. 260

I am interested in Exhibiting

Panels

Veneer

Production

At Your Command High volume veneer production means that an enormous amount of data must be inputted for tracking and management purposes. Voice recording system can help improve efficiency and reduce possible errors. By Sophie Pothin, Metraplan Industries

t is a challenge for veneer and wood panel professionals to optimise their production process and remain competitive. The tools of voice capture and control have been widely used for 10 years across many industries, resulting in efficiency and reduction of errors. The most well known applications apply to the telecommunication industry where ‘speech recognition’ is used for mobile phones and office-phoneautomatic receptions. Due to the lack of reliability with the pioneer systems, adoption was slow. However, through advances in technology, things such as ‘text to speech’ applications of GPS devices, have quickly improved and garnered worldwide attention. With these advances, vocal capture and control is not a faddish ‘gadget’ or a ‘born-last-month’ technology anymore. They have become essential tools for manufacturers.

46 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Panels

Traditional Labour Intensive System Currently, there are many manual steps involved in the grading of veneers and panels. It is observed that most operations have been fully automated before and after processes such as veneer slicing and splicing, but at the central point, between veneer producers and veneer users, most operations are still executed manually. At a grading station, the veneer is receipted, inspected, controlled, classified, measured (or re-measured with useful dimensions), counted and often marked with barcode labels. All features (design, colors, defaults) are recorded in data and bundles are dispatched through new pallets (or immediate consumption) according to the grade or/and real dimensions. These processes are executed by several operators, which results in increased production cost and higher chance of human error. Veneer factories have noticed that these are some of the most important operations in terms of time spent and often involve repetition of the same handcraft. An American study has noted that each time an operator input data, there is a two percent error rate. The large volume of data that must be manually keyed in each day means that the amount of error can be significant. Mistakes can happen at every step of the grading process: when reporting quantity, log numbers, grades destination, measurement, etc. Sometimes, companies

fail to accurately record these important data points due to time limitations and expose themselves to a litany of issues, including a loss of control of their production process such as inventory or consumption. Also, the additional time used to resolve these issues could have been eliminated if the date had been recorded correctly in the first place. The use of speech capture and control can change everything.

Voice Recording System A voice recording system can help improve manual processes associated with veneer production and allow time saving while minimising errors. Basically, the voice initiated system will record five key data points on a hard disk, including log number, amount of

leaves per bundle, quality grades, and veneer dimensions (length and width). A live operator dictates this information through a light headset as the wood moves to the convenient pallet or belt conveyor of the production process according to these features. The information will be encoded and numerised. Therefore, lists of all bundles can be classified and produced easily for future reference on their availability in the warehouse, or to obtain accurate statistics about consumption at each splicing machine. The operator can also record by speech the color grades, apply reductions or cancel the measurement. The bundle numbers are automatically increased in each final grade (or pallet), and a barcode label can be printed at each bundle.

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Speech recognition is used commonly by retailers and wholesalers for inventory and warehouse management, machinery operation with on-site technicians, and live dictation (especially in radiological medicine). The veneer industry can also benefit from this technology to automate manual inspection and grading of veneer flitches and panel processing.

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Panels Bi-Directional System Modern voice systems are also bidirectional, allowing operators to ask questions such as: ‘How many square metres in that grade?’, ‘Repeat the data specifications of the last bundle?’ or ‘What is the next bundle number?’.

Speech-To-Text (Vocal Recognition) • The operator speaks aloud the specifications of each veneer bundle: grade, colour, number of leaves per bundle, measurement, etc. • A light, wireless, noise cancelling headset microphone transmits the voice to a reception radio base which is connected to an industrial computer. • After analysis by a specialised speech recognition engine (within 0.4 s), the specific comments and measurements are numerised (converted into numeric data), and directly integrated into the report (eg: a measurement list); so a line is added into the list concerned by the grade.

48 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

• The system acknowledges receipt of the data through display on the computer screen, and a beep signal confirms writing of data on the hard disk (within 0.6 s). At the same time, the related barcode label is printed, and the data may be immediately sent to an external system through the local area network.

Text-To-Speech (Vocal Synthesis) • At each recording the system allows to operator to check if the data being engraved on the hard disk is accurate by reading the data, converting in voice, and clearly pronouncing the information. • Synthesised voice is immediately (within 1 s) sent backward to the headset of the operator: it assures the operator, and so the process, by confirming the information recorded is correct. • Operator can select which part of the data should be repeated: for instance only the grades, number of leaves or measurement. • The system will deliver the answers through a loud speaker, and at the same time, the information is displayed on the computer screen. In addition, several securities measures can be taken such as the inability to record veneer with unknown species or grades, bundles with length over five metres, or the same bundle twice. For increasing working speed and convenience of the operators, features

which are not changed (such as quantity of leaves) do not need to be repeated.

Vast Application Possibilities Voice recording system can be adapted for veneer factories, merchants, and panel producers (faces, core, edgebanding, etc). It is suitable for grading and picking operations and can be customised. For instance, about faces (great spliced sheets), vocal capture offers the ability to sort, count and record faces in each grade, as well as offer option to print labels indicating what repairs must be eventually completed. Same application exists for finished panels, at end quality control station. Some people are sceptical because they are not sure that such system would work, perhaps because of prior experiences with earlier, more primitive system. Industrial vocal capture has evolved to become a mature technique and this apprehension is completely unfound. The system offers potential for applications in the wood-based panel industry. Indeed, it is easier and faster to sort and record items according to quality criteria or colours with vocal capture, offering vast array of benefits with less mistakes and little FDM time wastage.

ENQUIRY NO. 5302

ENQUIRY NO. 271

norriuke, Lithuania

Surfaces & Flooring

Paint:

Colourful Resistance P

ainting wooden floors can liven up any room and also protect the original wood flooring from a certain level of damage. While wooden flooring retains its appeal as one with rich original flavour and rustic looks, painting wood floors with colours and designs is a trend that is making its return to homes. However, floor painting is more than just for aesthetic reasons. Protecting the wooden floor from damages can be a challenge, as it is subjected to constant wear from being walked on. For this, it is worthwhile for property owners to invest in a paint made especially for floors. This would help in preventing scratches and knots. For outdoor wooden floors, the paint would be up against the effects of weather elements. As such, it is important to consider several factors when choosing the type of paint to apply.

Paint Types The type of paint to be applied depends on the function of the area that it will be applied on; for example, a room with more traffic and heavy furniture would require floor paint that

50 FDM Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; juLY 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

CBCS, Canada

Some paints used for floors are epoxy paints, oil-based paints and latex paints. Each type of paint has its own quality of durability, and is suited for different floor areas. By Tjut Rostina

has maximum resistance and durability in order to preserve the floor. Some paints used for floors are epoxy paints, oil-based paints and latex paints. Each type of paint has its own quality of durability, and is suited for different floor areas.

Surfaces & Flooring

Epoxy paints are known for its tough and sturdy nature that can extend the durability of the floor. The paint provides resistance to heat, oil, water and chemicals, due to its adhesive capacity. It is also a flexible coating that can adapt to expansion and contraction of flooring. Other qualities that the epoxy embodies are its high resistance against abrasion and impact.

For home use, water-based epoxy paint is preferred, as it does not contain hazardous fumes.

Smooth Operator Due to its enamel coating, the oil paint will give a shiny and smooth finish to the floor. Oil paints contain alkyd resins, also known as synthetic resins, which is man-made oil. Baronsboy, UK

Toughen Up!

The type of paint to be applied depends on the function of the area that it will be applied on.

Ewen Roberts, Leichester, UK

A drawback of epoxy paints is that it oxidises when exposed to UV light, and some discolouration can be seen when this occurs. Epoxy paints are categorised based on the percentage of solids, or epoxy it contains. There are three with the first being the 100 percent solid, that is used in industrial conditions; the solvent-based paint, which has about 50 percent epoxy and the rest made up of chemical solvents; and the water-based ones that have 50 percent epoxy blended with water.

To add to their durability, many oil paints contain some polyurethane. Its hard surface prevents scuffing and can be applied on wooden surfaces indoors and outdoors. The paint can cover up imperfections on the wood and with its smooth surface finish, it provides ease of cleaning afterwards. Oil based paint gives off an odour when newly applied, and does not ‘breathe’ well. As such, if the wood surface contains any moisture, the paint will peel. Oil paints have a non-porous film which prevents moisture from passing through, and this builds up pressure in the paint bond, resulting in the peeling effect.

A Satin Finish Latex floor paints can also give durable protection, and gives off a satin finish with low sheen. The latex floor paint utilised the suspension of plastic polymer particles in creating adhesives and emulsion paints. The paint can be used both indoors and outdoors, however, it might not be durable enough for areas such as wooden decks and parking spots. Unlike oil-based paint, latex paint offers its durability with an acrylic finish, instead of a mix containing polyurethane. As it is also fast drying and has minimal smell, it is considered most ideal for indoor areas. There are two types of latex floor paints, which are natural latex and synthetic latex. Compared to epoxy floor paint, the latex paint will add more shine to surfaces, and has less of FDM an odour.

ENQUIRY NO. 5401

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA juLY 2011

Furniture Design & Technology

Staying T Afloat In Rising Tide

Singaporean furniture manufacturers Falcon and Air Division share their views on staying ahead in the competitive market. By Wong Tsz Hin

he furniture industry is starting to thrive once more after the economic downturn suffered a couple of years ago. The market is growing, but so is the competition. Cheaper products are posing a threat to the strong foothold gained by furniture from recognised manufacturers. In exclusive interviews with FDM Asia, Singaporean furniture makers Falcon and Air Division gave their insights on the challenges ahead and their strategies to overcome them.

What are some current trends in furniture

these factors are important to sustain

design?

growth in the furniture sector.

In terms of design trends, the market

Sector-wise, high costs of production

seems to be going for modern classic —

is a major concern as costs of labour in

clean lines, curves and modern styling.

China and other emerging markets are

The furniture market in general, is inclining

increasing, as well as other material costs

towards flexible and functional furniture

due to inflation.

designed for mid-market pricing. Designed in developed countries

What are some of your company’s

and made in developing and emerging

strategies to remain competitive in this

markets will continue to be the case for

growing trade?

a longer term.

Quality workmanship, professional project

Low Heng Huat Executive chairman Falcon Group

management and excellent client service (eg: The furniture industry in Asia continues

post project service maintenance) are what

to thrive despite the recent economic

differentiate us from the competition.

downturn. What is your outlook for the

Ongoing initiatives in the areas of

We are certified under ISO 90002:2008. We embark on eco-friendly projects

industry?

product branding, environmental protection,

such as:

Outlook for furniture industry in Asia has

standards and certifications, to spur our

• controlling and managing waste

been good and will continue to trend

growth going forward. For example,

upwards. Although the economic downturn

in December 2010, we achieved ISO

has set some players back, but on the

9001:2008 certification, an international

whole, it is a positive consolidation of

standard for quality management awarded

the industry.

to a business organisation

products and carbon emissions • reusing waste materials in the production of new products • our factories in Hanoi are constructed with green and eco-friendly considerations.

Barring more unpredicted disasters, I think the furniture industry in Asia will

In what ways is your company adopting

continue to thrive.

the green philosophy?

What are your predictions for the

Environment issues are increasing in focus

industry?

What do you think is important to sustain

in all sectors and particularly in furniture.

Green furniture will be a growing trend. With

the growth of the sector?

Furniture design and consumer choices

labour costs increasing in China and other

General world economic growth is certainly

are changing the way furniture is being

emerging markets, production efficiencies

an important factor. The stability and recovery

made. From sourcing of raw materials

and labour productivity will be important

in US and Europe will be key drivers of

to production processes and wastes

to curb increasing costs of production.

growth. Political stability and peace in the

recycling, we are paying more attention to

Singapore will continue to play an important

Middle East and North Africa is important

adopting sustainability and green initiatives

role as the furniture trading and design hub

to stem oil-led inflation in the world. All

in our plants.

for the world market.

52 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Furniture Design & Technology What are some current trends in furniture design? We are seeing a lot of solid wooden furniture that are making a comeback. Although it is not a new phenomenon, the comeback of this material has become more popular among manufacturers and customers alike. Natural qualities and properties coupled with the warmth that wood can bring to any living environment have made it popular once again in the 21st century. Another area not to be omitted is the resurgence of colours. The mix and match of contrasting colours cannot be denied as seen with many big brands and in well-known designers’ creations. The furniture industry in Asia continues to thrive despite the recent economic downturn. What is your outlook for the industry? We are looking at a positive 2011. However, as always, although we are elated to see such growth, we also have to be vigilant and keep a keen eye on any potential downturn of the economy as well. On the international front, with Europe still grappling with several countries trying to claw themselves out from their own domestic economic crisis, the industry looks good for 2011. More and more companies look towards Asia, specifically China, for their production and manufacturing needs. The outlook for Asia to gain ground on the furniture industry looks very promising indeed. What do you think is important to sustain the growth of the sector? An aspect that would be pertinent to sustain growth would be the contribution that technology can have on the furniture industry. Designers and manufactures will have to work even closer than before to maximise and harness the potential that technology

can offer in regards to new processes or machinery. With the devastating depletion of natural resources, manufacturers of furniture have to ensure proper protection is given to the environment. Doing its part for the environment will also be regarded as good corporate social responsibility by consumers and peers of the industry. What are some of your company’s strategies to remain competitive in this growing trade? To remain competitive, we believe that the crux of the matter lies in the ability to provide distinctive offerings to the market to keep ahead of the market.

Consumers have become more and more discerning and are willing to spend on something that can provide them with not only utilitarian function and aesthetic appeal, but also an emotional attachment. Such attributes would surely have an edge over your run-of-the-mill furniture. In what ways is your company adopting the green philosophy? Environmental concerns and the demand for green technology cannot be ignored and need to be addressed from the bottom up.

Michael Toh MD Air Division

Our company has taken steps in these areas over recent years to ensure that we are kept updated and relevant. Working with sustainable materials and the usage of multi-axis computer numeric control machines have become a necessity for our designers. Giving consumers the assurance that our furniture is made from materials harvested from sustainable resources makes a significant difference. Being ISO 14000 certified (environmental management system) also helps the company in many aspects of business. What are your predictions for the industry? China and India. These are the buzz words for now and it will be the buzz words for the next ten years as they continue to grow exponentially in regards to both manufacturing and consumers appetite. As it is, at this moment, the surge of foreign companies into China and India is, in itself, a phenomenon. These countries will eventually take over as the world’s leading economies. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 5501

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011

Wood & Sustainability

Sustainable Plantation Forests:

The Good And Bad While detractors may argue that plantation forests do more harm than good, careful planning and management can ensure they become a good solution to dwindling natural forest cover. By Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam, FIWSc

dysturb, Rotterdam, Netherlands

he debate on sustainable forest management is heightening as the world struggles to cope with global climate change. Many in the scientific world are convinced that increasing forested area would be the solution to mitigate these catastrophic effects. But on the other hand, the demand for other land use continues to increase exponentially in the developing world due to expanding population base.

54 FDM Asia july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

In many countries, especially in Asia and Latin America, natural forests have been and will continue to be exploited for its valuable produces such as wood and non-wood forest products. This in turn raises questions about its sustainability for the future. In order to offset the ill-effects of dwindling natural forest cover, many nations throughout the world are embarking on plantation forests, which are intensively managed for specific purposes, such as wood production. However, the debate about the similarity of natural forests and plantation forests continues to rage amidst growing concern for indiscriminate harvesting of natural forests to make way for development and other economic activities.

Defining The Forest The natural forest is a complex and selfregenerating system that encompasses soil, water, microclimate, energy, and a wide variety of plants and animals in mutual relation. Generally, in a forest: (1) tree species make up only a small percentage of the overall biological diversity; (2) trees and bushes of a variety of ages can be found; (3) a large number of other plant species, growing both on the forest floor and on the trees and bushes themselves are present; and (4) a wide variety of animal species find food and shelter.

Kenneth Lu, San Francisco, US

Wood & Sustainability

Reasons Of Concerns The opponents of forest plantation schemes argue that among the likely consequences of large-scale, fast-growing tree plantations are: 1. Industrial timber plantations almost always have negative impacts on

local communities, economies and biodiversity. Recent NGO investigations have shown that this pattern is likely to remain unchanged for carbon sink plantations. 2. Changes in land use affect people and their livelihoods, and this in turn affects greenhouse gas emissions. This is an area that has been largely forgotten or ignored and may lead to unrecorded greenhouse gas emissions resulting from credit-generating carbon sink plantations. 3. There are comparatively few cases where large-scale tree plantations have been established on degraded land. Often, they replace forests and are thus a direct cause of deforestation. This also means that before largescale tree plantations become a temporary carbon sink, they in fact cause the release of large amounts of carbon previously stored in the forest and forest soils they replaced. 4. Several studies suggest that if planted on certain soils, tree plantations established on clear-cut areas will continue to release more carbon than they absorb for at least seven years. 5. Climate change has mainly been caused by the North's or western world’s high levels of energy consumption, but

ENQUIRY NO. 180

The forest plantation, on the other hand, is a cultivated area whose species and structure have been simplified dramatically to produce only a few goods, whether lumber, fuel, resin, oil or fruit. Biological diversity is drastically reduced and one or a few species of fast-growing trees, planted in homogenous blocks of the same age account for a large percentage of the plant diversity found in the plantation. In addition, plantations require extensive and continuing human intervention, including preparation of the soil and fertilisation. ‘Weeds’ must be removed using herbicides and trees must be planted in regular lots and harvested after as short a growing period as possible. Despite the differences, forest plantations are neither good nor bad. Their potential benefits or threats depends on their scale, their aimed objective and the type of plantation, as well as on the natural and socio-economic environment in which they are established.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011

Gordon Robertson, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Wood & Sustainability

the impact is likely to be felt most dramatically in the South. This inequality will be perpetuated by carbon sink credits because most largescale tree plantations are likely to be planted in the South where land and labour are cheap, but where local communities have been offered little opportunity to participate in climate negotiations.

Clean Development Mechanism The industrial tree plantations in many parts of the world, which can be expected to apply for clean development mechanism (CDM) carbon credits has a somewhat less ambiguous status. Resulting from an aggressive and thoroughgoing transformation of a landscape, projects currently underway are clearly industrial agricultural crops, consisting of thousands or even millions of trees of the same species, bred for rapid growth, uniformity and high yield of raw material and planted in evenaged stands. Such forest stands although being a far cry from the definition of natural forests, play an increasingly important role in ensuring sustainable supply of resources such as wood, for the rapidly developing world.

56 FDM Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011 | www.fdmasia.com

Andy Arthur

The first element is strongly identified with forestry investment more generally, while the second applies to a broad range of industries. However, in part, the two elements are related. One reason for governments to become heavily involved in forest plantation development is to develop a critical mass of forest plantations so that either these resources can be used to deliberately substitute for production form the natural forest, or in response to a projected decline in harvests from the natural forest. In terms of the latter, at national level, governments are generally best placed to recognise impending industrial

Developing Forest Plantations It has been suggested that the following five factors are more crucial to successful forest plantation development: 1. Political and macroeconomic stability; 2. Trade liberalisation and open foreign investment; 3. Clearly established property rights for land; 4. Credible government with adequate capacity to enforce laws and administer incentive schemes; and 5. Good natural growing conditions, proper technologies and basic infrastructure. Almost every significant national forest plantation programmes, such as those in Chile, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia and China, appears to have been started by governments, or at least with a significant component of government participation. In part, this results from two important elements of industrial forest plantation development: 1. The long time between expenditure and income generation in a forest plantation; 2. The need for the sector to develop sufficient critical mass before it can achieve long-run viability.

wood supply shortages, which may be evident up to 50 years before shortages become acute. Once a country's forest plantation estate achieves certain critical mass, it may be more efficient to leave the private sector to expand the forest plantation sector. For example, New Zealand, Chile, Brazil and the US currently possess significant forest plantation estates owned and managed by the private sector. Nonetheless, active government support for forest plantation establishment remains widespread, despite a noticeable trend towards governments devolving commercial forestry operations to the private sector or local communities.

Katie Brady, Montana, US

Wood & Sustainability Privatisation

Sam Beebe

Privatisation has been an increasingly fashionable direction for government policy since the mid-1970s. Globalisation, increasing pressures towards free-trade, efforts to balance government finances and perceptions that resource efficiency is improved by accessing private sector management skills and investment, have all caused a number of governments to rethink their reasons for involvement in productive sectors of the economy. Generally, this has resulted in the sale of some non-strategic nationalised industries. Forests have not been immune

to this trend, although sales of publicly owned forests have not been a common event in many parts of the world. The strongest arguments for privatisation in the forestry sector have been put forward in cases where state forests are not perceived as producing very much in the way of non-financial (social or environmental) benefits, or where continued production of these benefits can be ensured by a strong regulatory framework. To date, only three countries have pursued forest privatisation to a great extent: Chile, New Zealand and the UK. In each instance, the forests sold have been forest plantations, planted largely with exotic species. This is not surprising since, from a social and environmental perspective,

such forests are perceived by the public to produce much lower levels of nonfinancial benefits than natural forests. Experiences from all three countries show that not only is forest plantation privatisation feasible, but that it can also deliver a number of positive outcomes for both the government and the forest industry. In recent years, the government of South Africa has been proposing withdrawal from direct involvement in commercial forestry and is examining lease options for forest land. The majority of government-owned plantations in the country have been corporatised in SAFCOL, a semistate company. This step parallels the privatisation process in New Zealand where the government's commercial forestry activities were first institutionally separated from policy functions and then sold to the private sector. In essence, dwindling natural forest cover throughout the world, forest plantations have emerged as a better solution.

Wood Species For Sustainability The slow growing tree species of the natural forests, such as the Meranti, Nyatoh and Iroko, are slowly being out-numbered by fast growing plantation forest species, such as Eucalyptus, Pine, Albizia, Acacia, Poplar and Rubberwood.

The relatively low mean annual increment of about 2.5 cubic metres per ha per year produced by the natural forests will not be sufficient to meet the ever growing demand for industrial wood. As a result, high yielding forest plantations with about 40 cubic metres per ha per year offers a better solution to many nations currently faced with wood supply deficit. Although, arguments that intensive forest plantations causes degradation of the soil and future rotations many not be sustainable, evidences from the field show that forest plantations, if managed well, can indeed be successful and sustainable. The key to successful forest plantations must encompass: (1) suitable and legal land tenure, (2) stakeholder participation, (3) adequate knowledge about the land, both fertility and land allocation, (4) sound silviculture, (5) sustainable markets for grown wood, (6) establishment of research base and (7) a long-term strategy on the forest plantation scheme. Forest plantations will continue to gain importance as the natural forest cover throughout the world dwindles. Nevertheless, if properly managed, forest plantations may become the savior by serving the multiple roles played previously by natural forests, which will in turn, FDM ensures sustainability. ENQUIRY NO. 5601

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Wood & Sustainability

Certification Approach To

Yun Huang Yong, Harbord, Australia

Sustainability With growing concerns for forest degradation and deforestation, particularly that of tropical forests, Malaysia has shown that forest certification can enhance forest management practices and biodiversity conservation. By Malaysian Timber Certification Council

he need to balance development with care for the environment was addressed by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, resulting in the adoption of Agenda 21 and the non legallybinding Forest Principles, with Forest Principle 8(d) dealing with the need to establish internationally agreed norms, criteria and indicators (C&Is) for the sustainable management, utilisation and development of all types of forests in the world. Since UNCED, various initiatives on the development of C&Is for sustainable forest management (SFM) in many ecological zones have been launched, such as the International Tropic Timber Organization C&Is for humid tropical forests, the Helsinki Process for forests in Europe (boreal, temperate and Mediterranean-type), the Montreal Process for temperate and boreal forests outside Europe, and the Tarapoto Proposal for Amazon forest. Merely adopting a set of C&Is would not be adequate to ensure sustainability of forest resources in the long term, as SFM needs to be demonstrated on the ground with the implementation of sound forest management practices.

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MTCC

Wood & Sustainability used by the forest managers. Better documentation has also been attributed to the fact that the certified FMUs under the MTCS have also been certified under the MS ISO 9002 certification scheme.

Consultations & Involvement Of Stakeholder Groups

Certified roundlogs

The obvious questions are: â&#x20AC;˘ How can we ascertain that such forest management practices are properly and adequately implemented? â&#x20AC;˘ Would the assurance given by the forest managers be sufficient or good enough for us to conclude that the forests are being managed in a sustainable manner? It is in this context that forest certification has been proposed as a market-linked tool to promote and encourage the effective implementation of SFM, through assessment and verification by independent third-party auditors.

Forest certification in Malaysia has been instrumental in providing a platform for all stakeholder groups to deliberate issues related to forestry, particularly during the standard setting process. The development of the certification standards involving all the relevant stakeholders in the country through a transparent and participatory process has brought together the various economic, environmental and social stakeholder groups as well as the relevant government agencies. The revision of the existing standards is also conducted in a similar manner through multi-stakeholder consultations at the regional and national levels. Assessment in the field requires that the auditors consult the relevant stakeholders, such as the FMU manager, field staff, forest workers, indigenous peoples, local communities, timber trade associations, NGOs as well as relevant government agencies, on matters of relevance to them.

Role Of Forest Certification & Benefits Forest management certification assesses the implementation of SFM practices in the forest management units (FMU) concerned in accordance with an agreed standard. With nearly a decade of implementation of the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS), there is no denying that to a large extent, forest certification has contributed towards enhancing forest management practices and biodiversity conservation in Malaysia. Forest certification has played a positive role in enhancing and improving some key aspects in the overall planning and implementation of SFM, as well as in biodiversity conservation.

Documentation

ENQUIRY NO. 108

Forest certification requires that proper documentation of all relevant legislation, manuals, guidelines and procedures as stipulated in the certification standard is maintained and forestry statistics are updated periodically. Towards this end, forest certification has provided the added impetus required by the FMU managers, as documentation review is one of the core activities of forest certification undertaken by the auditors during the assessments or surveillance visits. Forest certification has also helped in providing valuable inputs for the revision and improvement of existing documents www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Wood & Sustainability for road construction activities for forest harvesting, while protection of buffer strips along the waterways is now more effectively enforced. The planting of open areas, such as log landings, camp sites and skid trails, is carried out properly after harvesting operations have been completed. The FMUs have also taken action to experiment with the use of more environmental-friendly harvesting technology, such as the long haulage cable system or the Log Fisher system. One most notable outcome of forest certification is the conduct of the EIA at the landscape level, which is now being pursued by all the certified FMUs in Peninsular Malaysia. hyqphotos

Such consultations with the stakeholders are conducted to gauge the level of compliance of the FMU in the implementation of forestry activities that may have a bearing on the stakeholders and surrounding environment. As a result of forest certification, the FMU managers are now more active in consulting and engaging the affected stakeholders, particularly the indigenous peoples and local communities, especially prior to the implementation of forest harvesting activities. In addition, the auditors are made aware of media reports and complaints received pertaining to any certified FMU so that they can be investigated during the subsequent surveillance audit. Such a process has encouraged the FMU managers to address issues of public interest and by doing so further increase openness and transparency in the administration and management of the forest. In meeting the requirements for certification, greater efforts have also been taken by the FMU managers to give preference to the local communities with respect to job and training opportunities in forestry-related activities.

Implementation & Enforcement The certified FMUs have well documented guidelines and procedures with regard to the implementation of forestry activities. Forest certification in the form of independent third-party audits is an effective catalyst in further enhancing implementation and enforcement, as it serves to verify and confirm that the said guidelines and procedures are properly implemented on the ground. Forest certification has therefore helped in providing another form of supervision of the work carried out in the field, both by the FMU staff as well as the private contractors involved in carrying out the various forestry activities, particularly forest harvesting. Significant improvements have been made in various forest management practices, particularly in forest road construction. Logging contractors are more aware of the need to adequately comply with the specifications stipulated in the road construction guidelines, or face the consequence of causing the FMU manager to be issued with corrective action requests (CARs) during the audit.

Environmental Conservation & Protection Forest certification has definitely led to a higher level of planning and monitoring of the environment in Malaysia. For one, the format for preparing the forest management plan (FMP) has been amended to incorporate environment impact assessment (EIA) and appropriate mitigation measures to minimise the identified environmental impacts. There is stricter enforcement of the prescribed guidelines

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This is praiseworthy in that even though under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, harvesting operations of the individual forest licensees usually do not require an EIA to be conducted, the FMUs have taken a proactive action to have landscape-level EIA reports prepared so as to comply with one of the requirements of the certification standard.

Wildlife & Conservation Of Biodiversity Traditional forestry activities evolve around trees; conducting pre-felling forest inventory with a view to determine prescribed cutting limits, harvesting of marked trees for felling based on the prescribed cutting limits, and conducting post-felling inventory to determine and prescribe appropriate silvicultural treatments for the harvested stands. The forest certification standard clearly recognises that forests contain more than just trees, and that they are the repository of biological diversity, as confirmed by the fact that Malaysia is one of the mega-diversity countries in the world. Since the implementation of forest certification, aspects related to wildlife and conservation of biodiversity had been given greater consideration during forest management planning and implementation.

Steve Cornish, Marlow, UK

Wood & Sustainability growth, composition and structure of residual forest stands; and developing cost-effective methods to monitor changes in forest biodiversity in logged-over areas.

Revision Of Certification Standards

Identification Of Gaps For Research & Development The implementation of certification in Malaysia has also helped to identify areas which require further research and development input so as to further enhance the implementation of SFM in Malaysia. Some areas identified include the assessment of current harvesting prescriptions for protecting water quality; costeffective and practical methods to monitor water quality in logged-over forest areas; procedures to identify, monitor and protect ERT species of forest flora and fauna; implementation of current prescriptions for sustained yield; procedures to monitor

MTCC

More effective procedures have been instituted to monitor the presence of wildlife, especially in the areas to be harvested. Concerted efforts have been taken to identify and protect the endangered, rare or threatened species of both flora and fauna. Forest certification has also resulted in the conduct of comparative analyses between pre-felling and post-felling inventory data as a means to monitor changes in biodiversity due to forest harvesting. Inventory to assess the floristic composition of all Virgin Jungle Reserves (VJRs) has also been conducted to provide baseline estimates for comparison of any changes in biological diversity with comparable logged-over forest areas. Another notable outcome of forest certification is the realisation of the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to forestry, which has resulted in the strengthening of collaborative efforts between the various government agencies and NGOs to address the certification requirements, for example through the many joint scientific expeditions conducted, research projects and development of guidelines, etc. Studies have shown that certification actually improves ecosystem functions, increases biodiversity and promotes the survival of endangered species. There is general consensus that improved protection of biodiversity seems to be a consistent benefit of forest certification.

The implementation of the MTCS has also provided the avenue for the revision of the certification standards based on the experience gained through field application, as well as new scientific and technological knowledge obtained in the intervening period. Some of the input in the revision process has come from the output of joint projects conducted with MTCC. One significant project has been with the city of Hamburg, which involved many stakeholder groups in the country, and has generated useful outputs to help refine the existing forest management certification standard. It is quite evident that forest certification has played a very useful role and contributed effectively in enhancing forest management planning and implementation, including the conservation of biological diversity in Malaysia.

Certified Forest in Malaysia

The measures taken, by the forest managers in their efforts to meet the requirements of the certification standard have certainly improved the forest management practices, and efforts in biodiversity conservation in Malaysia. The positive attitude and the efforts put in by the forest managers as well as the licence holders and concessionaires towards undertaking the additional work needed to comply with the requirements of the certification standards is commendable, and augurs well for the further improvement of forestry management practices in Malaysia. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 5602

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIAâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; july 2011

Exhibition Review

Interzum May 25 – 28, 2011 Cologne International Expocentre Cologne, Germany

nterzum 2011, one of the biggest international trade shows for the furniture supplier industry, was held in Cologne, Germany, from May 25 to 28, 2011. This year’s show played host to 1,434 exhibitors, 378 of which came from Germany, with the remaining 1,056 from abroad. Italy was the most represented country with 276 companies displaying their products, followed by Turkey with 88 companies. In total, these figures represent an increase of almost six percent as compared to 2009. The total exhibition space grew by eight percent, occupying ten halls (one hall more than in 2009). A total of 52,400 trade visitors (46,345 visitors in 2009) attended the fair. There were 17,900 visitors from Germany while another 34,500 came from 147 countries around the globe (approximately 66 percent). The supporting programme for this year's fair was more extensive than before and was well received by visitors. In particular, the second edition of ‘innovation of interior’, a forum for interior architects, tradesmen, architects, designers and developers, was a success.

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Together with professor Hartmut A Raiser and Antonius Quodt, Koelnmesse has created a special exhibition on materials, finishes and lighting. Lectures, events such as the presentation of the VDID newcomer award, guided tours and theme days brought a lively and energetic feel to the exhibition area, which was equipped with display ‘cubes’ for individual companies. This year’s ‘interzum award: material innovations and design’ honoured some of the best furniture designs on offer. In its fifth edition, a total of 208 products from 124 companies in 19 different countries were submitted. The jury, consisting of professionals from across the globe, awarded prizes to a total of 43 products, which were

Exhibition Review

presented in their own special exhibition on the boulevard for the duration of the trade fair. The stated aim of the award is to put spotlight on qualities such as innovative design, intelligent details, aesthetics and functionality. Eight products that were considered to have embodied these perfectly were awarded the title of ‘best of the best’. Ecological compatibility and sustainability has transformed from being a mere trend to become a matter of principle as displayed by many of the entries. Amongst the winning products, many do not offer revolutionary designs, but slight changes that help address the growing environmental concern. For example, lightweight panels with alternative cores play a particularly important role in reducing transport costs and conserving scarce resources. The use of natural, recycled resins in place of chemical adhesives to produce finishings is good for the environment and helps ensure a healthy outdoor climate.

A development from the veneer industry reflects the philosophy in waste material recycling. Made from banana fibres, ‘Beleaf’ can be used to produce veneers for floors, cars, boats and furniture. The raw material is a waste product of plantation farming that manages to preserve the fibre’s natural water-repellent and fire-retardant properties. Besides products with focus on the environment, some entries showed the infusion of technology into conventional furniture designs. The ‘Smart Wrap’ mattress by Bekaert Textiles is equipped with sensors that measure and record bodily functions such as blood pressure and temperature. The data will be useful in aiding doctors in making a rapid diagnosis. The next installation of this furniture supplier trade fair will be held in Cologne, Germany, from May 13 to 16, 2013. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 5701

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011

Exhibition Review

Furnishing For The During a media tour at the start of Interzum 2011, organisers introduced the latest in furniture design and trends as displayed by products from recognised manufacturers.By Wong Tsz Hin

Future

ver the years, Interzum Cologne has proven to be more than just a furniture market place. The consolidation of manufacturers who are eager to showcase their products has naturally generated a platform for the exchange of ideas. At the event this year, a media tour was organised to get the press acquainted with some of the offerings available at the show, revealing a few key philosophies behind design concepts.

Functionality & Ergonomics Functionality and ergonomics have become prominent considerations in consumer choices. Instead of expecting revolutionary revamp of existing systems, buyers are looking for added features and improved accessibility to traditional designs.

a digital door viewer module as well as streamlined cable outlets and cable ducts.

Machinery & Technology Technology and automation takes centre stage as companies displayed convenient solutions that enhance efficiency and materials with improved properties. Machine maker Fecken-Kirfel showcased its horizontal CNC contour cutting unit ‘C 69’ with an oscillating knife and the vertical CNC contour cutting unit ‘F 62’ with ‘Pick by View’, a programme for simplifying order picking, especially for the furniture and packaging industry. Kingsdown offered a coordinated system to give consumers the bed system they need with it ‘Bedmatch’ and ‘My Side’ technologies.

Decoration & Environment

Furniture component manufacturer Wagner System adopts these principles by presenting its Silencer chair glide, which reduces noise levels by around 80 percent. Blum enhanced usability of cabinets and cupboards with the Clip top Blumotion fittings and the Aventos flap range with Servo-Drive movement support system. Japanese fittings producer Sugatsune displayed the LDD, a damping system for swing doors, while Siso announced

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When it comes to what tomorrow's furniture will look like, the latest developments originating from decor paper, melamine and finish foil producers as well as laminate manufacturers play a crucial role. Schattdecor, for instance, described melamine coating in combination with synchronous embossing on the press plates as one of the most important developments of recent years. Pfleiderer presented the ‘BalanceBoard’, a type of board that replaces up to 35 percent of the wood used and is therefore up to 30 percent lighter than comparable particle boards. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 5702

ENQUIRY NO. 240

Exhibition Review

Ligna Hannover 2011 May 30 – June 3, 2011 • Hannover, Germany

igna Hannover, one of the biggest woodworking shows around the globe, was held in Hannover, Germany, from May 30 to June 3, 2011. The biennial event saw significant increase in international participation this year. During the five-day run of the fair, some 1,765 exhibitors from 52 nations showcased their products and services on a total display space of 130,000 square metres. Alongside Germany, the most strongly represented exhibiting nations were Italy, Austria, Spain, China, Switzerland, Denmark, Turkey, Sweden and the Netherlands. The show attracted a total of 90,000 visitors, an increase of 13 percent over the previous installment. While the fair has always demonstrated great international appeal, this year’s upsurge in foreign visitors marked a milestone in the event’s history, with some 40 percent of the visitors attending from abroad, a 26 percent jump over foreign participation in 2009.

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Exhibition Review

There was keen interest from visitors over the show’s keynote themes: lightweight construction, surface finishing and bioenergy from wood. Efficient use of resources is rapidly becoming a top priority for many sectors of the industry. The ‘lightweight network’ presentation highlighted the links between machines and subcontracted components in the furniture industry. Companies took advantage of the display to showcase their lightweight furniture production solutions. Activities here included the first ‘Think Light’ international conference on lightweight designs. Industrial surface finishing technologies also enjoyed a high profile at the show, with exhibitor displays covering the different aspects of the subject — from coating materials and production systems to auxiliary materials and services. The professional audience was particularly interested in the latest design trends and surface finishing processes, with demand focusing mainly on products characterised by a high degree of individual flexibility, for example, digital printing. Bioenergy from wood was a hot topic at the fair and in the media. At the 3rd international BBE/VDMA Business and Export Forum for Bioenergy, experts from around the world discussed ideas for creating and expanding international bioenergy markets. ‘Handwerk, Holz & mehr’ enjoys recognition as a dedicated showcase for joiners, carpenters and cabinetmakers at the show. Exhibitor displays there covered every area of wood crafts and timber-based construction. One of this year's highlights was the ‘International Year of Forests’ conference. This well-attended event discussed future strategies for a sustainable forestry and wood industry in Germany and Europe. The show also featured the ‘IN2WOOD’ EU research and innovation project, involving 13 project partners from six European forest regions.

The conference on ‘Sustainability in the Forestry and Wood Industries as a Key to Building an Intelligent Europe’ provided a forum for the forestry and wood industry to debate the challenges of climate change and formulate new strategies to maintain and increase competitiveness. Along with the ‘Teaching and Research’ presentation, the ‘Young at Art’ prize was awarded in connection with the ‘Wonders in Wood’ show. Meanwhile, Ligna Talents provided an ideal vehicle for the participation of school groups. The young people’s enthusiasm and creativity was demonstrated by their projects submitted in the categories of film, CNC programming and journalism. There were also special presentations like the ‘Energy from Wood’ show, a firewood production line, a data flow chain, education/training in the forestry and wood industry, the crane driving championships and a whole range of forums and conferences. The next edition of Ligna will be staged from May 6 to 10, 2013 in Hannover, Germany. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 5703

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011

Exhibition Review

Going Green

Is Serious Business Special presentations at Ligna Hannover 2011 illustrate how the green movement creates business opportunities for the forestry industry. By Wong Tsz Hin the processing of firewood, tools and equipment, as well as transport systems for bioenergy products, harvesting machines specialised in the gathering of lowgrade timber for energy use and quality assessment for wood as a solid fuel. Under the tagline ‘NRW — Making more out of wood’, companies and

he year 2011 has been designated by the United Nations as the ‘International Year of Forests’. As part of the national campaign in Germany to draw attention to the special responsibility mankind has for our forest, a series of activities, presentations and seminars were held at Ligna Hannover 2011.

Special Presentations The special presentation on ‘The firewood production chain — Solutions for transport, drying and utilisation’ demonstrated how firewood can be prepared in the form of logs, chips and pellets using saws, chippers and cleavers. The range of combustion options extends from wood stoves to automated boilers fuelled by wood chips or pellets. The Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture and other organisations, such as the Lower Saxony Network for Sustainable Resources (3N) and the Regional Bioenergy Consultancy Council, were present to offer objective information and advice on all aspects of the subject.

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Bioenergy From Wood Agricultural publisher DLV and the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture organised a series of lectures on the topic of ‘Energy from wood’, covering silvicultural aspects of firewood production, the latest technical developments in converting wood into electric power, and the cultivation of fastgrowing tree varieties on farmland. The Board of Forestry and Forestry Technology presented numerous demonstrations that combined theory with practice. Together with the Lower Saxony Forestry Training Centre and the German Association of Forestry Enterprises, displays were presented reflecting four core topics: ‘Data flow from forest to sawmill’, ‘Training for forestry professionals’, ‘Protecting the forest floor when using heavy machinery’ and ‘Resource efficiency in machine operation’.

Professional Clinic At the Bioenergy Advice Clinic, professionals offered guided tours on safety equipment and measures for

institutions from the North ThingWestphalia Forestry and Timber Cluster presented their products and services for the utilisation of wood. These include sawmill products, timber-frame construction, the ‘CO2 Bank’, which documents the lowering of carbon emission through the use of wood, GIS-based timber harvesting, transport logistics and the technology required to extract and utilise energy from wood. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 5704

Exhibition Review

China Furniture & Woodworks June 9 – 12, 2011 • Dalian World Expo Plaza • Dalian, China

omprising three separate shows, China International Furniture Exhibition, China International Furniture Components & Raw Material Exhibition and China Woodworking Machinery Exhibition running concurrently, China Furniture & Woodworks 2011 was held from June 9 – 12, 2011, at Dalian World Expo Plaza in Dalian, China. The 16th edition of China International Furniture Exhibition attracted over 300 exhibitors, occupying 20,000 sq m of show area and played host to a total of 30,100 visitors. Application of environmental friendly materials was a highlight of the fair with many companies displaying products made of green materials. Besides the focus on green technology, a large number of original designs were also present at the event. As the impact of the international economic crisis weakens and domestic demand increases, the Chinese furniture industry is on its way to recovery. This is reflected by the high number of participants this year. Over 30 categories of furniture were showcased, including wooden furniture, modern panel furniture, rose wood furniture, upholstery furniture, children furniture, rattan furniture, overall cabinets, and outdoor furniture. During the show, the Dalian Furniture Association unveiled the Neowise Furniture Design and Research Institute. Established in collaboration with Neowise Furniture and Dalian Polytechnic University, the school will be a platform for nurturing young designers with fresh ideas. China Furniture Component & Raw Materials 2011 grew in scale compared to previous installments to feature around 100 companies. The show welcomed over 20,000 visitors, including 2,100 overseas ones from locations such as Japan, US, Russia, Germany, South Korea, UK, France, Denmark, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South East Asia and the Middle East. Buyers from second-tier and third-tier markets increased by 32 percent this year. A series of seminars were organised alongside the two exhibitions. At the ‘Path of Chinese Furniture Dealer’s Growth’ session, Dr Zhao Long shared an insightful analysis on the current situation of the domestic furniture trade and its development. There was also the Commercial Furniture Design Competition and Artwork Show where 30 entries were recognised with awards.

Nearly 200 woodworking machinery and technology suppliers, from places like US, Japan, Taiwan and other parts of China, participated in the 16th China Woodworking Machinery Exhibition. With a total floor space of 12,000 sq m, the show is one of the largest in the region. Approximately 15,200 domestic and 2,500 overseas visitors attended the show, which saw marked improvements in terms of exhibitor profile and range of selection compared to last year. Having all three exhibitions going on concurrently helps put furniture manufacturers and woodworking machinery makers under the same roof, providing a more comprehensive coverage from production tools to end products. The event also creates a unique opportunity for both parties to interact and engage in knowledge sharing. This is made possible with the assistance from various associations involved in this trade. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 5705

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA july 2011

Calendar of Events

2011

July 21-23: WoodMach Cebu 2011 Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, Lahug City, Philippines Tel: +632 750 8588 Fax: +632 750 8585 Email: info@globallinkmp.com Web: www.globallinkmp.com

25-28: Cambowood 2011 Diamond Island Convention & Exhibiton Centre, Cambodia Tel: +886 2 2659 6000 Ext. 322 Fax: +886 2 2659 7000 Email: steven@chanchao.com.tw Web: www.asiamachinery.net

31-4: Bife-TIMB 17-20: Manchester Furniture Show Manchester Central, UK Tel: +44 0 1923 670 997 Fax: +44 0 1923 671 119 Email: enquiries@manchesterfurnitureshow.com Wed: www.manchesterfurnitureshow.com

21-24: Furnitex Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Australia Tel: +03 9654 7773 Fax: +03 9654 5596 Email: furnitex@aec.net.au Web: www.furnitex.com.au

Romexpo Exhibitions Centre Bucuresti, Romania Tel: +40 21 207 10 00 ext1096 Fax: +40 21 207 70 70 Email: bife@romexpo.ro Web: www.bife.ro

September 6-9: Dragon Furniture Fair Qianjin Exhibition Center Shunde, China Tel: +86 0757 2388 8888 Fax: +86 757 2388 8799 Email: info@qianjin.com Web: www.qianjin.com

August

6-10: International Furniture Market Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang, Malaysia Tel: +603 8024 7736 Fax: +603 8024 7735 Email: info@ifm.net.my Web: www.ifm.net.my

17-20: Mexico International Furniture Fair Expo Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico Tel: +52 33 3343 3400 Email: carlos.delgadillo@afamjal.com.mx Web: www.tecnomueble.com.mx

To be considered for inclusion in the Calendar of Events, send details of event (name, date, venue, organiser contact) to: The Editor FDM Asia Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road EPL Building #02-05 Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 • Fax: (65) 6379 2805 Email: fdmasia@epl.com.sg Kindly indicate the events you are interested in and fax the sheet/s along with your details in the Product Enquiry Page to (65) 6379 2806 or enquire online at www.fdmasia.com

Jakarta International Expo Indonesia Tel: +886 2 2595 4212 Fax: +886 2 2595 5726 Email: event@kaigo.com.tw Web: www.kaigo.com.tw/ifmac

13-16: International Fair For The Wood Furniture and Forestry Industries Expotrade Convention Center Panara, Brazil Tel: +55 41 3027 6707 Fax: +55 41 3029 6486 Email: femade@hanover.com.br Web: www.feirafemade.com.br

14-17: FMC China Shanghai New Int’l Expo Center Shanghai, China Tel: +86 21 64371178 Fax: +86 21 64370982 Web: www.fmcchina.com.cn

15-18: Cairo International Wood & Wood Machinery Show 2011

20-23: AWFS Mandalay Bay Convention Center Las Vegas, USA Tel: +1 702 322 5700 Web: www.awfsfair.org

11 – 14: IFMAC 2011

7-10: China International Furniture Fair China Import and Export Fair Complex Guangzhou, China Tel: +86 20 8912 8062 Fax: +020 8912 8251 102 Email: yuw@fairwindow.com.cn Web: sepciff.fairwindow.com

Cairo International Convention Centre Egypt Tel: +971 4 28 29 299 Fax: +971 4 28 28 767 Email: marketing@cairowoodshow.com Web: www.cairowoodshow.com

21-24: NHLA Annual Convention & Exhibit Showcase Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Tennesse, US Tel: +901 399 7551 Email: l.browne@nhla.com Web: www.nhlaconvention.com

22-25: Aseanwood Woodtech 2011 8-10: Woodworking Ireland 2011 National Show Centre Dublin, Ireland Tel: +00 44 0 1474 536535 Fax: +00 44 0 1474 536552 Email: exhibitions@nelton.co.uk Web: www.nelton.co.uk

Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Trade-Link Management Services Sdn Bhd Tel: +603 7842 9863 Fax: +603 7842 7863 Email: info@tradelink.com.my Web: www.tradelink.com.my

*All details subject to change without notice. Please check with organisers for updates.

Product highlights Burkle: Digital Printer

Holy Wood: Edgebander

The digital printing line, developed in cooperation with Durst, enables a high level of individual surface finishing of all workpieces made of veneered MDF, HDF and chipboards. The machine can be combined with roller coating machines, air-jet drying tunnels, UV units and handling elements.

The AEB-25 automatic throughfeed edgebanding machine is equipped with four machining heads for gluing, end-cutting, top and bottom trimming, as well as buffing.

The photo-realistic prints can be applied on boards with a maximum width of 2,500 mm. Since digital printing enables decoration of neutral parts, material and intermediate storages can be saved by means of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;printing on demandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Moreover, change of patterns and project-related designs can be implemented directly with repeat accuracy within a short period of time.

Manufactured in Taiwan, the machine is capable of handling various materials such as PVC, wood strip, melamine and ABS while providing thickness capacity of up to three metres per minute.

Dascanova: Wood Panel

Jeffer Machinery: Saw Grinder

Dascanova Technology redistributes density inside the particleboard, fiberboard, or insulation boards before or during compression, enabling the production of strong 3D load bearing structure. With higher concentration of particles in areas subjected to compression and less concentration of particles in the remaining areas, a significant amount of raw materials can be saved. The result is improved mechanical properties compared to standard wood-based panels with only horizontal density profile. Simulations by the Louisiana State University and the Technical University in Zvolen, Slovakia, have shown that wood-based panel producers can save up to 30 percent on raw materials (wood particles, resin and other chemical components) as well as the energy required for production processes such as fibre drying.

The ASG-025 automatic carbide saw grinder is suitable for sharpening the inner and outer diameter of saw blades used for timber, plastic, aluminum and steel cutting. When applied on blades with general geometricshaped teeth, the machine requires just one cycle to complete the grinding process. The simple and user-friendly graphic control system enables operator to familiarise with the machine in a short time. The PLC offers an easy and intelligent platform, allowing the operator just need to provide the number of teeth with several key data needed, and adjust the gear gap manually via the hand wheel, the carbide saw grinder will finish the job and then stop the machine automatically.

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Advertising Index Enquiry Number

Advertisers / Agency

Page Number

263

American Hardwood Export Council IFC

272

ATI Limited

199

Bino (SH) Machinery Co Ltd IBC

240 Chan Chao International Co Ltd (Vietnamwood 2011)

262 Dieffenbacher GmbH maschinen-und anlagenbau

253 DunHua Yalian Machine Co Ltd

083

French Timber

204

Fulpow Industrial Corp

267

Huntsman (Belgium) BVBA OBC

266

Homag Asia Pte Ltd

258

Holy Wood Industrial Corp

270 IMA AG Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

264 Internet Wood Glue Co Ltd

180

Jeffer Machinery Co Ltd

260

KAIGO Co Ltd

271 MIFF Sdn Bhd

269 NHLA

261

108 Taihao Woodworking Machinery Co Ltd

Siempelkamp Maschinen - und Anlagenbau GmbH & Co KG

265 Trade-Link Management Services Sdn Bhd (Aseanwood woodTech 2011)

239 UBM Sinoexpo Ltd

214 Weyerhaeuser Marketing

268 Wagner Meters

Legend:

Advertisers with e-Brochures

This quick reference guide is provided as an additional service. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or ommission.

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July 2011

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We are an expert supplier of MDF, PB and OSB production lines, with a good performance of 140 complete lines in China and export markets, due to our innovative technology and high accuracy of manufacturing ability.

Product in good demand:  Size 4’ X 16’ and 18 layer multi-opening production line with 150,000 cubic meter capacity per year (samply factory can visit)  Size 4’ X 8’ and 30 layer multi-opening production line with 120,000 cubic meter capacity per year (samply factory can visit)  100,000-200,000 cubic meter capacity per year continuous pressproduction line (200,000 capacity samply factory trail run in this year)

ENQUIRY NO. 199

No added formaldehyde. It’s the small things that count. I-BOND ® resins are the natural choice when trying to satisfy emission standards like CARB II and the Japanese F**** standard. I-BOND ® methyl diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) resins from HUNTSMAN are a family of powerful and fast curing, no added formaldehyde resins for the composite wood industry. They are used for bonding oriented strand board, medium density fiberboard, particleboard and wood fiber insulation boards. To find out more about the many benefits of the I-BOND ® range of resins, please contact us: Huntsman, No 452 Wen jing Road, Minhang Development Zone, Shanghai China 200245. Email: ibondwood@huntsman.com Telephone: +86 21 2403 7288.

I-BOND ® is a registered trademark of Huntsman Corporation or an affiliate thereof in one or more, but not all, countries.

ENQUIRY NO. 267