FDM October 2009

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OCTOBER 2009

Drafting

Cabinets

Manufacturing Operandi

Contemporary

Ergonomics Modern Design Elements Gems

In The

Rough

Abrasive Sanding Technology

ADHESIVES ON FIBRE MATTERS

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american hard maple flooring, castellón auditorium, by carlos ferrater.

No Added Formaldehyde – The Right Choice

I-Bond resins, the family of no added formaldehyde MDI resins from Huntsman, are the natural choice when trying to satisfy emissions standards like CARB I and II, or the Japanese F****.

To find out more about the many benefits of the I-Bond range of no added formaldehyde resins, please contact us: Huntsman, No. 452 Wen Jing Road, Minhang Development Zone, Shanghai 200245. Email: ibondwood@huntsman.com. Telephone: +86 21 6462 6868

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

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CONTENTS OCTOBER 2009 • VOL. 21 NO. 7

24

Cabinet Art

28

Scheming To Q-Mark Paint

Woodworking industries incline towards certifications for legality, quality and standard setting.

Contributed by Jean Kloos, BM Trada.

EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS: INTO MDI

PAGE

42

An exclusive interview with Iain Stanton, Huntsman’s composite wood panel marketing manager

FOCUS 20

Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Manufacturing and Computer Numerical Control in the woodworking industry have been evolving for the last 30 years. by Terry Gregory, GM of Microvellum Asia.

Established since 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

TECHNOLOGY 30

24 and authenticity of information appearing in the magazine, the Publisher accepts no liability for damages caused by misinterpretation of information, expressed or implied, within the pages of the magazine. All correspondence regarding editorial, editorial contributions or editorial content should be directed to the Editor.

The magazine is available on subscription in Singapore at S$126.00 (GST applicable) per annum by surface mail. Subscription by airmail to readers in the Asia Pacific costs S$160 per annum; Europe and the Americas S$230 per annum. For further details refer to the subscription card found within the pages of each issue. For more subscription information, please fax to: (65) 6379 2806 or email: brendatan@epl.com.sg

Abrasive Sanding Technology – Basics & Application

Abrasive sanding of wood and wood-based materials is a compulsory surface preparation process before a final finishing is applied. by Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam

34

CADCAM – Evolving Convenience

The art of cabinet making dates back to the ages of antiquity, where skilled craftsman were responsible for both the design and production of cabinets.

Modern cabinets however, require the right combination of relevant equipments. by Augustine Quek

Smooth Sanding

Steinemann Technology observes several important factors in the industrial development of sanding machines. Research and development takes priority to achieving benchmarks in the panel manufacturing industries.

Hansjörg Fritsche, head of Steinemann sanding division discusses the rough.

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Associate Of of Associate

FDM Asia is published eight times a year (printed 2nd week of issue month) by

OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

The Academy TheChinese Chinese Academy of of Forestry Forestry

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ENQUIRY NO. 088

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CONTENTS OCTOBER 2009 • VOL. 21 NO. 7

36

38

Editorial

Fine Position For Sanding Lines

IMEAS, a producer of wide-belt sanding machines, discusses the evolution of machining software that is designed to add value to the production of wood based panels. by Marco Ossana, export sales manager, IMEAS S.p.A.

Jointless Design With New Possibilities

New postforming developments allow for a breakthrough in product design, by Bernd Schwarze, Homag Asia

38

PANEL 40

Direction Of Print

Printing on panels is a field that has consistently developed in step with the advancement of flooring techniques and contemporary interior design. Contributed by EPLF

Regulars

A

Editorial Industry News Product Highlights Calendar Of Events Enquiry Form Subscription Form

06 08 18 70 72a 72b

72 Page

COVER CREDIT: HUNTSMAN

MARKET REPORT 46

Understanding Between Singapore and Italy

Early September 2009 saw the formalisation of a memorandum of understanding between the Singapore Furniture Industries Council and the FederlegnoArredo, the Italian Federation of Wood, Cork, Furniture and Furnishing Industries. Daniel Cai reports

Institutional Sh In Economics

shift in business paradigm has set in this industry. A a change in economic growth forecast by the As Asia, excluding Japan, will expand by the end of 2 beyond five percent in 2010, the ADB stated in Following closely on the direction of market le into East and South-east Asia. Manufacturers find it inevitable th a merger of responsible corporate governance and redirection The eyes of the world watch Asia’s growth closely as wood more capital machines. New emphasis is placed on reducin an increase in official certifications on responsible supply prac especially in the face of increasingly limited material supply.

Major events such as the unprecedented property boom in C for construction materials, and factors that limit wood materials poor forestry management in the South-east and more, has ha The US House of Representatives passed its first legislatio gas emissions. Also known as the Waxman-Markey bill, th reduction in gas emissions by 80 percent in 2050. The bill also standards, increases in energy efficiency for buildings and electri of the electrical grid and more. All agree that it will increase the and consumers.

One controversial provision could impose tariffs on imports f similar cuts and China had criticized it, calling it an attempt to under the pretext of action against climate change.

Several related associations are also concerned with the i will hurt the industry’s competitiveness. Materials for increased short supply in the near term, driving up the cost of new home Environmental responsibility versus cost constrained busin tempered economy. Obstacle or opportunity? You decide.

advertisers’ enquiry numbers.

HARDWOOD & SOFTWOOD 56

Discoloured Wood, Cause For Concern

Fungi colonising building materials is a 6 popular topic due to health concerns.

Contributed by FPInnovations, formerly Forintek Canada.

FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Optimising Cabinet Manufacture

48 50

Optima China integrates design and manufacturing technology to achieve market share in the cabinet industry. A case study by Jean Soucy, director, 2020 technologies

64

EXHIBITION PREVIEWS

Contemporary Asian Ergonomics

4 FDM ASIA

OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Demand For Wood Substitutes To Reach New Heights

A study from the Freedonia Group indicates the demand for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber will advance at a rate of 9.2 percent per year to US$5.3 billion in 2013, creating a market for 3.3 billion pounds of plastic.

Bamboo products provide environmentally design solutions for the kitchen, bath and entire home. by Ann Knight, executive vice president and global brand director of Teragren.

Cilicon Faytory is a Singaporean company with multiple accolades for their furniture and product designs. Partners Cici and Honfay, share their opinion on contemporary ergonomic furniture design.

Tight Market – Hidden Profits In Timber Processing As master sawmillers retire, it seems that the younger generation would rather spend their time browsing in air-conditioned IT malls. Many have not found the gem in the timber Industry. by Markku Ranin, MD, Fintec Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd

Kitchen Cabinetry With Chinese Bamboo

MATERIAL & SURFACES 53

60

53

52

66

AFIC Explores Emerging Vietnam

68

A Bout Of Change Bautec 2010

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Book your space TODAY !

ENQUIRY NO. 095

For International and China Participation Koelnmesse Co., Ltd Ms. Karen Lee Tel: +86 20 8755 2468 ext 12 Fax: +86 20 8755 2970 k.lee@koelnmesse.cn

For Asia Pacific Participation Koelnmesse Pte Ltd Ms. Evangeline Ho Tel: +65 6500 6719 Fax: +65 6296 2771 e.ho@koelnmesse.com.sg

March 27-30, 2010

China Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex

/ Held concurrently with

CIFF 2010 (March)

Editorial Published by:

EASTERN TRADE MEDIA PTE LTD (a fully owned subsidiary of Eastern Holdings Ltd) Registration No: 199908196C

managing director

Institutional Shift In Economics

Kenneth Tan

kentan@epl.com.sg

assistant editor

Daniel Cai

danielcai@epl.com.sg

editorial assistant

Eunice Tay

eunicetay@epl.com.sg

A

senior art director/studio manager

shift in business paradigm has set in this industry. Asian currencies are rising upon a change in economic growth forecast by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Asia, excluding Japan, will expand by the end of 2009 and growth may accelerate beyond five percent in 2010, the ADB stated in a September report.

Following closely on the direction of market leaders, investments flow heavily into East and South-east Asia. Manufacturers find it inevitable that the industry heads towards a merger of responsible corporate governance and redirection of economic development.

The eyes of the world watch Asia’s growth closely as woodworking companies purchase more capital machines. New emphasis is placed on reducing raw material wastage while an increase in official certifications on responsible supply practices have never been higher, especially in the face of increasingly limited material supply.

Major events such as the unprecedented property boom in China and India creates demand for construction materials, and factors that limit wood materials, such as forest fires in the US, poor forestry management in the South-east and more, has had its impact on this industry.

The US House of Representatives passed its first legislation that would limit greenhouse gas emissions. Also known as the Waxman-Markey bill, this legislation would require a reduction in gas emissions by 80 percent in 2050. The bill also includes renewable electricity standards, increases in energy efficiency for buildings and electricity generation, modernization of the electrical grid and more. All agree that it will increase the cost of energy for the industry and consumers.

One controversial provision could impose tariffs on imports from countries that do not make similar cuts and China had criticized it, calling it an attempt to increase trade protectionism under the pretext of action against climate change.

Several related associations are also concerned with the increase in energy cost, that it will hurt the industry’s competitiveness. Materials for increased energy efficiency would be in short supply in the near term, driving up the cost of new homes.

Environmental responsibility versus cost constrained business practices in the face of a tempered economy. Obstacle or opportunity? You decide.

Lawrence Lee

lawrencelee@epl.com.sg

art director

Phyllis Ng

phyllisng@epl.com.sg

graphic designer

Zhan Tao

zhantao@epl.com.sg

advertising sales manager

Canice Gan

canicegan@epl.com.sg

business manager (China)

Ding Yongmei

neweastern_sh@yahoo.cn

senior circulation executive

Brenda Tan

brendatan@epl.com.sg

contributors Augustine Quek Jean Kloos Terry Gregory Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam Marco Ossana Hansjörg Fritsche Bernd Schwarze Iain Stanton Ann Knight Cici and Honfay Markku Ranin FPInnovations the Freedonia Group AFIC EPLF

EXECUTIVE BOARD chairman

Stephen Tay

group executive director

Kenneth Tan

financial controller

Robbin Lim

etm

Eastern

Trade Media Pte Ltd an Eastern Holdings Ltd company

Head Office & Mailing Address: Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building #04-02, Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 Fax: (65) 6379 2805

Daniel Cai

6 FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Representative Office Shanghai, China Office: Shanghai New Eastern Media Co. Ltd 15D Block B, Victoria Plaza, No. 1068, Xikang Road, Shanghai, P.R, China 200060 Tel: (86 21) 6311 3676 Fax: (86 21) 6311 2960

ENQUIRY NO. 084

Industry News

Malaysia Minister Discourage Exports

Malaysia Watches China’s Shipping Rates Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Timber products manufacturers are watching their competitors in China, as China Shipping Container Lines Company,

Sabah, Malaysia: According to The Star,

the second largest container carrier in China increased its rates for Asia-

chief minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman

Europe routes by almost 100 percent from July 1st, 2009. “Rates for Asia

has encouraged Sabah to stop exports

to Europe routes would rise to as much as US$650 per 20 foot container.”

of logs and sawnwood in the near future.

Huang Xiaowen, the shipping company’s managing director said to the

This is to generate more employment

Business Times.

and investment in the downstream

The new rates may make timber products more competitive if other

processing sector. Musa further noted

shipping lines in China take similar actions and Malaysian shippers hike

that sustainable forest management would

their current rates only marginally.

be practiced in natural forests and that tree plantations would be established Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: The

in degraded and heavily logged areas.

In line with this transition, the minister helped launch a Sino-Malaysian Rm230 million (US$66 million) joint venture to

Minister Seeks To Raise Productivity

minister of plantation industries and commodities, Mr. Bernard Dompok, said Malaysia needed

create 12,000 hectares (120 million sq m)

to maximize major plantation

of rubber plantation in Sabah, reported

crop yields without expanding its existing planted land area. According

the Daily Express. The Bornion Guangken

to Bernama, he said the Ministry would encourage ‘better planting

Rubber Forest Plantation project is a joint

materials, good agricultural practices (GAP) and enhanced research and

venture between Bornion Timber and

development (R&D)’.

Guangdong Guangken Rubber Group

Currently, more than 70 percent of available agricultural land is

of Guangdong Agribusiness Group

planted with oil palms. A study conducted by the Malaysian standard

Corporation, China. It is expected to

organization, SIRIM Bhd, revealed that 2.65 million hectares (26.5 million

be finished in less than a decade.

sq m) of oil palm trees could yield up to 7 million tonnes of oil palm

SME Sector Grows Despite Economic Gloom

Asmindo To Address Export Decline

Jakarta, Indonesia: The deputy chairman of

Jakarta, Indonesia: A 20 percent decline in the exports of

the chamber of commerce and industry, Mr

furniture in the first half of 2009 has prompted the Indonesian

Sandiaga Uno, commented that the Small and

Furniture Entrepreneurs Association (Asmindo) to stem the

Medium Enterprise (SME) sector is poised for

decline in exports during the fourth quarter of 2009.

higher growth.

Tempo Interactive reported that Mr Uno said SMEs contribute up to 50 percent of national

The Jakarta Post noted that exports of wood and rattan furniture declined from US$300 million in the first half of 2008 to US$240 million during the same period this year.

economic growth. Most timber products producers

The chairman of Asmindo, Mr Ambar Tjahyono, expected

are SMEs, particularly furniture manufacturers,

the value of exports of wooden and rattan furniture to be

which are often community based or operated

worth US$372 million in the last quarter of this year.

by family owned businesses.

Only 160 furniture exporters have obtained certification

SMEs could contribute to growth of up to 25

out of a pool of 2,400 businesses. It takes up to six months

percent if given adequate government support

for a company to obtain certification, at a cost of Rp60 million

such as further capital and training on finance,

(US$6,000) to Rp100 million (US$10,000).

management and marketing techniques.

8 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Industry News

Trade Representatives Applaud Malaysia

Investment Derived From Latex Demand

Sarawak Malaysia: Bernama reported that a delegation of

Sabah, Malaysia: Rubberwood continues

European timber trade representatives visiting Sarawak drew

as the main raw material in demand by

attention to progress made by the timber industry to comply

the furniture industry. It has captured the

with EU regulations.

attention of investors and many are now

Rachel Butler, head of sustainability for the UK Timber Trade Federation, commended the timber sector for its compliance

interested in large scale cultivation of rubber trees.

with EU requirements. She said current standards and practices

The Star reports that rubber experts

for sustainable production of timber in Malaysia had placed

claimed those who have invested in rubber

the country a step ahead of a number of tropical countries.

tree plantations could expect an internal rate of return (IRR) of up to 12.8 percent from rubberwood alone. Over a 15 year period and with latex production factored in, the IRR

trunks and 26.2 million tonnes of oil palm fronds annually. Oil

could reach up to 13.7 percent in comparison

palm fronds are a source of fibre for the manufacture of MDF

with other plantation forest species, which

and other panel products.

yield an IRR ranging from 5.1 percent to 15

Rubber trees are a popular plantation species. Currently, there

percent. The IRR of rubber tree plantations is

are 1.24 million hectares of rubber trees. However, the Malaysian

comparable to the IRR of oil palm plantations,

Rubber Board (MRB) is working on creating future rubber clones

which stands at 15.6 percent.

that could yield at least two m³ of rubberwood per tree to meet the furniture industry’s demands.

Companies undertaking new forest plantation projects in Malaysia are granted

For timber under the country’s forest plantation programme,

a 10 year tax holiday initiating from the

the ministry is looking to produce 75 million m³ of timber by 2020

first year the company begins to make a

to meet the raw material requirements of the timber industry. Soft

profit. Those involved in reinvestments will

commodities accounted for RM112.43 billion (US$32.3 billion) or

receive a five years tax free from the year

17 percent of the country’s exports in year 2008.

it makes profit.

Sengon As Alternative Raw Material

Striking It Out Biesse, Cefla Finishing and SCM Group Spa have made a statement representing a shared position as a result of

Java, Indonesia: Timber products manufacturers are

deliberation during meetings that was held in recent months.

turning to sengon wood as an alternative raw material,

The three groups, which represent more than 50

reported the Jakarta Post. As a result, its price has

percent of the Italian woodworking machinery and

quadrupled to Rp800,000 (US$79) per m³. Sengon

production industry, are significant international industrial

wood is preferred by many manufacturers for its soil

businesses operating in a market wherein Germany and

adaptability and has a five to 10 year gestation period.

Italy have significant shares.

The physical properties of the wood also meet the

They have decided to accept the proposal offered

requirements of manufacturers for a wide range of timber products.

by Rimini Trade Fair, and confirmed their participation

With some companies utilizing up to 80 percent of sengon wood

in Technodomus 2010.

as raw material, competition is keen. Prices of high quality sengon wood can hit Rp1 million per m³.

This wood remains a favourite among timber products manufacturers, which are reported to have processed up to 4 million m³ of the wood over the last three years.

The group experienced the Rimini Trade Fair in 2009, and cited positive results. Although it was the first edition, the fair was identified by the group as a suitable solution to their approach for the current market.

The group highlighted that their commercial and distribution network supports this view.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

9

Industry News

New Certification From September

Ministries Wrangle Over Rattan Jakarta, Indonesia: The trade ministry

was undergoing further revision.

Jakarta, Indonesia: The Jakarta Post

and the industry ministry still face

The industry ministry states

reported that from September 1st 2009,

uncertainty over the rattan export

that the country produces 600,000

a new system is implemented for the

quota, the Jakarta Post reported. The

tonnes of raw rattan annually, and

country’s log and wood products.

new quota was the fourth revision of

represents 75 to 80 percent of the

The Institute of Independent Evaluators

a 2005 regulation, and has remained

world’s total production. Sumatra,

and Verifiers (LPVI) will be responsible

unchanged despite calls to reduce

Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua are

for issuing the certificates as well as

or ban rattan exports to address

the main rattan producing regions. The

standardising the documents to licensed

the shortage of the raw material.

Indonesian Furniture Entrepreneurs

holders of forest management units,

Industry minister, Mr Fahmi Idris

Association (Asmindo) said the

production forests and community forests.

indicated that the quotas could be

local annual demand amounts to

This system applies to Indonesian products

amended again as the regulation

300,000 tonnes.

sold domestically and internationally.

India Export For Timber Products Improves

Yangon, Myanmar: Export products

New Delhi, India: According to ITTO’s

such as teak, pyinkadoe and gurjan

Tropical Timber Market Report, the

have been selling in reasonable

economy grew by 6.7 percent during the

quantities. Buyers say grading and

first half of 2009 and the government

pricing are elements to bringing the

announced that the growth outlook for

market back to normal. Where price

2010 is maintained at seven percent.

is concerned, Myanmar Timber

As foreign trade figures for May 2009

Enterprise (MTE) is reluctant to

were in line with the expectations, it

adjust prices, while grading have

is hoped that many of the measures

been reviewed to accommodate

outlined by the government will be

daily requirements.

implemented.

Transport By Road Most Suitable

Murtaza Imran Ali, Karachi, Pakistan

Purchasing To Recovery

US and EU demand has been low,

the extent of value-added activities of

particularly for components made of

these products in the country must be

indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia).

at least 30 percent.

Before the ban on exports of rosewood

Door and window frames continue

logs and sawn timber exports, India

to be in demand from Middle Eastern

Yangon, Myanmar: The Myanmar Post

used to export approximately 35,000

countries and for flooring decking. Prices

noted the discussion of a paper presented

m³ to Japan, Italy, Germany and other

for Middle East quality for door and

at a meeting of the Myanmar Timber

countries that used to import them to

window frames were around US$2,200

Entrepreneurs’ Association that discussed

manufacture veneers.

per m³. Planks have been popular to

the pros and cons of various methods

Exports of all logs and sawn timber

Australia, Europe and North America.

of transport in the country including by

of Indian origin are banned under the

Plank (6’ to 6’) prices to Europe have

river, rail and road.

green cover programme. Only sawn

been up around US$5,000. Kerala teak

timber from imported logs are permitted

had been widely used by boat builders

for exports under this scheme.

in the Persian Gulf but having been

The paper highlighted the need to observe ASEAN standards for axle load, weight and dimension limits to reduce

The conditions set by the programme

banned, shipbuilding activity is now

wear and tear on roads. It was also

indicate that against 100 m³ of timber

done on India’s western coast ports

indicated that transport of logs was most

imported, not more than 60 m³ will

and the ships export mostly to the

feasible by trucks.

be allowed for re-export and that

Gulf countries.

10 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

edited Homag.pdf

9/24/09

10:35:41 AM

Changes in Teaknet spur new initiatives Kerala, India: A meeting was held at Kerala Forest Research

© www.M A R T I N I -werbeagentur.de 09/2009

Industry News

Institute (KFRI) to discuss future activities and areas where Teaknet could advise teak planters, traders and consumers.

The meeting was chaired by Dr K.V.Sankaran, director of KFRI and consisted of a variety of participants and other experts and researchers on teak.

Mr R.T. Somaiya, president of Timber Importers Association of India and member of Teaknet Steering Committee, provided an overview of the international teak trade. He emphasized the need to standardise specifications, measurement systems and more. He said there is a need to help teak planters improve the quality of growing stock, pest control and the integration of plantations with natural flora and fauna.

MDF Duties Affects Importers quality because many local factories had old technology

to increase the central excise

in place.

levy on plywood to eight

The plant size of local

percent, making imported

factories is also smaller

plywood more expensive.

compared to the factories

Postforming of HPL with radii ≤ 3 mm

An anti-dumping duty on

of other countries. Increase

imported MDF will remain.

in demand for plain MDF in

The following duties on

the country and expectations

imported wood and wood

of increasing profits, some

products apply for fiscal year

producers are planning to

2009-10. Timber logs at 9.35

establish new factories in

The HOMAG postforming technique provides the ideal way of producing hardwearing, durable furniture or components. It is now possible to produce radii of ≤ 3 mm with high gloss HPL.

percent, sawn timber at 14.71

India.

Top-quality design

percent and plywood, veneer,

Green Ply representatives

fibreboard, softboard and

have said that they have

MDF at 24.42 percent.

launched India’s largest MDF

The Indian government

board plant with an annual

has imposed antidumping

capacity of 180,000 m³ at a

duties on imports of plain

cost of US$53.20 million. This

MDF boards with thickness

is the first continuous line

of 6.0 mm and up. Imports

and will be manufacturing

are mostly from Malaysia,

plain MDF and prelaminated

Thailand, New Zealand, Sri

MDF in thicknesses ranging

Lanka, and China.

from 2.5 mm to 30 mm with

Inves tigations

by

a range of dimensions.

government had shown that

Currently, MDF of 2.5 mm

local industry was not able

up to 5.5 mm is supplied by

to compete with imported

imports.

Some typical examples: • Fronts and worktops for kitchens • Bathroom, office and laboratory furniture

HOMAG Asia Pte Ltd No. 68 Sungei Kadut Loop · #04-00 Nutzcentre Singapore 729504 Tel. +65 63698183 ext 551 · Fax +65 63698313 info@homag-asia.com

ENQUIRY NO. 094

New Delhi, India: India’s fiscal budget introduced provisions

Success with a system

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

11

Industry News

Sumitomo Forestry to establish joint venture

Dieffenbacher Acquires B Maier Zerkleinerungstechnik

construct the plant. Panca Wana Indonesia (PWI) will

Baden-Württemberg, Germany: Dieffenbacher has

supply the remaining 49

acquired 100 percent of B Maier Zerkleinerungstechnik

percent. PWI has been

shares. Agreements were signed for B Maier

involved in the business

Zerkleinerungstechmik to take over the practical

initiative as it has a history

process and the patents of B Maier and AB size reduction technology.

Within Dieffenbacher, Maier will be responsible

aspects of a complete production line from its group members. Maier has an excellent reputation in chip and particle preparation systems and is in a position to complement Dieffenbacher’s expansion plans.

Recovery For Machinery Far But Decline Stops

ENQUIRY NO. 7009

for the engineering of chip preparation systems.

With this acquisition, Dieffenbacher can provide all

of manufacturing interior

Nakae,Tokyo,Japan

Anlagenbau for the complete product range of

fittings for Sumitomo’s

Tokyo, Japan: Japan Lumber

Forestry housing division.

reported that Sumitomo

Most of the workers for

Forestry has set up a new

this venture will be hired in

interior materials joint venture

Indonesia, creating jobs for

in Indonesia. Operations are

local people. The plant will

planned to start in October

specialise in manufacturing

2009, with Sumitomo Forestry

interior materials from maple

investing nearly 51 percent

and teak, flooring, stairs and

of the capital necessary to

counters.

a 35.6 percent reduction.

indicating that they will not release

In this period, prices have recorded

people. The forecast survey shows a

a slight reduction (-0.1 percent), while the

situation of stability, although people

months of production at the end of the

are aware that a possible stoppage of

second quarter 2009 was at 1.2 percent.

orders will not allow them to believe in

Lombardia, Italy: The Acimall Studies

Based on the indications of the sample

Office states a quarterly survey results

companies, the survey gave the results

The general opinion is that the industry

show that orders went down by 53.8

of 68 percent that indicate decreasing

will come back to pre-crisis production

percent from the months of April to June

production, 29 percent stable and three

levels only in some years. International

2009 as compared to the same period in

percent growing.

orders are expected to increase and

2008. Foreign orders decreased (-58.5

Employment is considered mildly

percent) and national demand recorded

stable with more companies in the survey

Craig Boulton, GM of Jowat UK

a quick recovery process.

the Italian market is expected to have a constant trend towards recovery.

Change Of CEO In DLH

UK: As of May 1st, 2009, Craig Boulton

Taastrup, Denmark: The President and CEO

advances his career with Jowat, UK. Industrial

of the DLH Group, Jørgen Møller-Rasmussen

challenges are not new to Craig, with his

is succeeded by Kent Arentoft, who will take

experience in senior positions specialising

up the position as of September 1st, 2009.

in general management, logistics, customer service and business development.

Prior to his appointment, Kent Arentoft held the position of CEO for DISA Holding

Craig was offered the opportunity to

A/S where he spearheaded the group’s

further develop the UK market with Simon Preston and

revenue performance and development into a global

Stephen Parsons, a team of experienced professionals.

industrial group.

Craig’s objective is to enlarge the UK customer base, an

To ensure continuity in management, Jørgen Møller-

intent inline with Klaus Kullmann, member of the Jowat AG

Rasmussen will assist the DLH Group’s management with

board of directors and responsible for marketing and sales.

various tasks for the remainder of 2009.

12 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Industry News

Industry News

Homag Convention - Technics Schopfloch, Germany: The Homag

convention took place from September

‹ ŒŽ‘

22 to 25, 2009. Aside from daily

’ “ ƒ € ‚ƒ ”•–•—

workshops and lectures on various relevant topics, a key highlight was the ‘laserTec’ presentation– a method Using production cells for the manufacturing

coated and processed in a single step, a

of furniture components and structural elements

variety of interesting plants for batch size

was also a feature at the convention. In the

1 production in different performance

field of edge processing, the new Ambition

categories, batch size 1 production with

series was also presented.

the new laserTec technique, stationary

The convention also exhibited several

processing machines for furniture

plants in the production and running-in

production, a CNC production cell for

phase. These include an integral production

door production and processing centres

line in which the surface and edge are

for window production.

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 � � � �

 �­

Plywood Prices Could Increase According to ITTO’s Tropical Timber Market

also gummed up the European plywood

Report, plywood agents believe that CIF prices

trade in recent months. If credit is withdrawn,

may increase. Shipping lines, which have been

suppliers may demand upfront payments

shedding money over the last few months,

from customers or refuse to supply goods.

are laying up tonnage in efforts to drive up

The larger and better-capitalized companies,

freight rates. Long periods of low harvesting

has been trying to boost market share by

is contributing to a serious shortfall in log

selling in volume at low margins. Another

supplies which has increased raw material

group has been working off low stocks and

costs in major producing regions.

selling only limited volumes while trying to

Meanwhile hardwood plywood stocks

ensure a good margin on each sale.

in the EU are low, following a long period of

Malaysia and China are jostling for position

restricted forward buying, which began in

as leading supplier of tropical hardwood

the third quarter of 2008. There have been

faced plywood into the EU. Indonesia is

limited upturn in consumption during the

regarded as a spent-force in the UK market,

early summer months as good weather has

partly due to price and also, according to one

boosted construction activity in parts of Europe.

agent, ‘because Indonesia has not properly

Importers are concerned about market

addressed the environmental issue’.

prospects during the winter of 2009 and 2010

The market shift from tropical-hardwood

when construction activity across Europe is

plywood to combi-plywood (comprising

expected to stagnate once again.

a softwood or eucalyptus core), seems to

Another factor reducing prospects for

have deepened. In the case of Chinese

forward orders is the shift to containerisation

product, there is a shift from poplar-cores

of plywood imported into Western Europe.

to eucalyptus cores. There are also signs

The market tends to receive smaller volumes

that this shift to combi-products is going

on a regular basis.

further, with reports of tropical hardwood

The difficulty of obtaining credit insurance throughout the plywood trading chain has

faced plywood containing palm or coconut core penetrating the market.

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www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

13

ENQUIRY NO. 074

ENQUIRY NO. 7010

of edge processing.

Industry News

European Sawmillers Predict Consumption Fall

Quiet Second Half For Hardwood Flooring North Carolina, USA: Demand for hardwoods in North America will remain subdued for the second half of 2009, according to the Hardwood Review Weekly. Demand and price reports changes weekly and lack a clear trend. A slow recovery is expected in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Outlook is pessimistic for tropical imports. While residential home construction appears to stabilize, worsening conditions in non-residential construction, including offices and hotels, affect the flooring and architectural millwork industries that are key consumers of tropical hardwoods.

Canadian flooring plants have extended summer shutdowns, and bamboo flooring

Slagheap

imports continue to increase at the expense of wood flooring.

Brussels, Belgium: The European Organisation

Currency exchange rates and particularly the strength of the US dollar are

of Sawmillers (EOS) forecasts that overall

the biggest unknown factors affecting North American prices and hardwood

hardwood lumber consumption in the EOS

imports throughout the second half of 2009.

member countries will fall by 11 percent between 2008 and 2009 from 8.6 million m³ to

Summer Holiday, Slow Market

7.6 million m³. The downturn in consumption is

Demand for both tropical logs and lumber has

predicted to affect all EOS member countries.

slowed further during the summer vacation

In 2009, France and Romania are expected

period, following a fall in consumption across

to remain the largest producers of hardwood

all major European markets from 2008.

lumber in the EOS member countries by a

Customers’ unwillingness to commit to

significant margin. Italy is the largest importer,

purchases of larger volumes creates uncertainty

followed by France and Germany. Overall

and discourages moves by importers to enter

hardwood lumber imports into EOS countries

the forward market despite emerging signs

are expected to be down 6 percent in 2009,

of shortfalls in landed stocks. For example,

with Latvia and Germany bearing the brunt

lead times of four to five months are now

of the decline.

common for new orders from African sawmills.

In current conditions of very low consumption

Veneer Producers At 50-70 Percent Capacity Gernsbach, Germany: European demand for veneers has stagnated at a low level. EUWID anticipates overall

and supply, prices for logs and lumber to Liam Hughes, Milwaukee, US

European buyers are holding at low levels.

American Hardwoods in China

turnover in the sector this year may be as much as

Connecticut, USA: Rossi American

to support Rossi’s existing agency

30 percent down from last year. Overall European

Hardwoods announces that Weixun

business and further develop new

veneer manufacturers are operating at around 50-70

Yan has joined the export team with

markets for AHI group companies,

percent capacity and many operators are planning

responsibility for sales in China,

including ‘Blue Triangle and

long shutdowns over the summer months.

including sales in Hong Kong. Weixun

‘Emporium’ in Pennsylvania, ‘Graham

The downturn has affected all end-using sectors.

is a US citizen who speaks Chinese.

Lumber’ and ‘Linden Lumber’ in

Spain’s large door industry is particularly severe.

He has worked in sales, with

On the other hand, demand has held up better at

experience in the hardwood lumber

Matt Gauvrit, Rossi’s export sales

the higher quality end of the market.

Tennessee.

industry with known timber exporters.

manager for asia, will continue to

In addition to the downturn in overall

His area of speciality is in business

oversee group sales to China and

consumption, EUWID suggests real-wood veneer’s

development of the Chinese market.

work in close collaboration with

market share is coming under increasing pressure

Weixun will be based in Seattle,

Weixun and Rossi’s existing agents

from replacement products such as wood

and conduct trips to China in order

imitation plastics.

14 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

in the region.

Industry News

US company refuses to stock woodcomposite decking

Heart Of Okoume Business France lies at the heart of the European okoume

plywood, temperate

plywood business and currently hosts five

har d wo o d

New York, USA: The market share of

major manufacturers. Most have production

softwood plywoods,

wood-composite in decking is expected

plants in Gabon in addition to France.

and similar Chinese

an d

to continue growing but Advantage

The Netherlands is a major export

look-a-like products

Trim & Lumber announced that they

destination of okoume plywood and accounts

comprising a poplar

would not sell or distribute composite

for 55 percent of French exports (58,000 m続).

substrate to which is

decking materials.

Italy is the second biggest market, but only

added two 3mm faces

accounts for 15 percent of exports.

of okoume veneer.

Customers have increasingly inquired about composite decking, but the

The plywood is valued in European

Various alternative

company advises that the quality and

markets due to its versatility, durability, visual

products are also now

look of tropical hardwood decking

aspects, dimensional stability and strength

entering the market

such as ipe, is superior to composite

to weight ratio.

including Trespa (a composite material

materials.

Katherine Raz, Chicago, US

Despite its assets and market presence,

combining a woodfibre base and melamine

Advantage Trim & Lumber also point

this wood has been losing share in the

resins used both for internal and external

out that a deck from ipe lasts longer than

European market for the past 10-15 years

applications) and Rockpanel (manufactured

composite decking, and that composite

against a variety of competing materials.

from mineral wool fibres compressed under

materials are not environmentally friendly

These include Malaysian meranti

high pressure and used for external cladding).

since they are petroleum-based products.

T

he Shenzhen Xinyunxiang Precision Cutters Company is one of the largest manufacturer of woodworking cutting tools in China, it has 3 production branches, one for diamond cutting tools, another two for TCT sawblades, wood working drill bits and milling cutters. 速

The 12th China Beijing International Furniture Woodworking Machinery & Wood Products Exhibition Oct.22-24,2009 China International Exhibition Center Beijing,China Booth No. B101/B102

Shenzhen Xinyunxiang Precision Tools Co.,LTD

Wanted foreign general agent and Regional Sales Manager! www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009

ENQUIRY NO. 090

Add: 2D, Building A, Xingyi Industrial, Fuyong, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China Tel: +86-755-27703707 27703556 Fax: +86-755-27703750 Email: chxueli_lily@yahoo.cn Http://www.xinyunxiang.com

15

Industry News

NHLA Training School Offers Scholarships

Decline In US Tropical Timber Imports

Tennessee, USA: The National Hardwood Lumber Association will award five tuition scholarships to students for the Inspector Training School Programme. The three month programme begins in September 9 and concludes on December 11 this year.

“The NHLA Inspector Training School is

Patrick,Vermont,US

excited to offer its first ever scholarships for

Washington, USA: Import statistics for January to May 2009 show a steep

the 14-Week Lumber Inspection Program,” said

decline in most tropical timber products compared with the same period

Crystal Oldham, NHLA Director of Education.

last year. The value of lumber imports fell by 60-70 percent for most species.

“The scholarships are designed to offer

Imports of ipe lumber dropped by 69 percent compared with 2008

individuals knowledge and skills necessary

figures, mahogany by 43 percent, khaya by 72 percent, and sapele by

to be lumber graders. It also benefits NHLA

73 percent.

member companies that would normally cover tuition costs for its employees,” Oldham added.

and furniture are not included in the above trade figures. Continued

The scholarships will be awarded to

growth is predicted for wood-plastic composites and plastic lumber in

individuals selected by the Inspector Training

outdoor products.

School Committee.

Window Market Improves

Sustainability For Commercial Furniture The trade association for the commercial

suppliers, the following possible credits under

Gernsbach, Germany: The trade

furniture industry, Business and Institutional

the system are of particular interest:

journal EUWID reported that demand

Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA)

− The product contains at least five percent

for windows in central Europe has

International, has launched a product certification

of wood by weight, but not species listed in

remained reasonably stable over

program this summer. The certification for

CITES Appendices I or II. In additionally, a

the last six months and that this

sustainable furniture is called ‘level’, and it is

minimum percentage of the wood must be

sector has outperformed other

modelled after the green building standard of

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable

wood industry sectors since the

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Forestry Initive (SFI) or Canadian Standards

start of the year. EUWID notes

Design).

Association (CSA) certified or conform to

that demand is being boosted

‘Level’ is a third-party certification system

by residential renovation and

whereby four companies audit and verify

another qualified organization’s sustainable forest practices.

refurbishment activity.

products to the new standard (Intertek, NSF

− The product contains at least one percent of

However, activity in the new-

International, Scientific Certification Systems,

rapidly renewable material by weight or volume.

build and non-residential sector

and UL Environment). The standard was

− The product contains specific amounts of

is described as stagnant. Energy-

developed to be in line with the American

recovered material, including particleboard

related refurbishment projects,

National Standards

or fibreboard made from recovered wood,

which benefit from government

Similar to LEED, certification can be achieved

wood composite or other cellulosic material.

subsidies, are frequently cited as

at three levels, e3 Silver, e3 Gold, and e3

− The company identifies, quantifies and labels

the primary driver. These projects

Platinum. The higher levels require achieving

recyclable and biodegradable materials in

are resulting in particularly good

more points in the sustainability categories.

demand for triple glazed units, which

According to Environmental Building News,

account for around 30 percent of

the three levels are designed as stepping

the total German window market.

stones to sustainability.

For wood furniture manufacturers and

16 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

the product. − The product does not exceed prescribed air contaminant emission factors. − The product contains at least 30 percent climate neutral material by weight.

ENQUIRY NO. 7011

However, imports of value-added products such as flooring, decking

Industry News China FoCus

China Explores Rural Furniture Markets

Jiangsu Exports Slow Jiangsu: According to Nanjing customs

million, rising 10.3 percent, 72.7 percent

statistics, the value of furniture exports

and 3.5 percent respectively. The export

through Jiangsu ports were US$91.75

value to these three markets accounted

million from January to May 2009, up

for 88 percent of total exports through

15.8 percent over last year’s value, but the

Jiangsu ports.

export growth rate fell by 18.8 percentage

exports from foreign enterprises and private

points.

Jakob Montrasis,Shanghai,China

From January to May 2009, furniture

From January to May, furniture exports

enterprises were valued at US$52.88 million

were valued at US$51.84 million, down

and US$32.18 million, up 21 percent and

16.6 percent and accounting for 56.6

22 percent respectively, amounting to 92.7

percent of total export value.

percent of total exports through these ports.

Furniture exports to the US, Japan and

According to experts, the slow growth

Beijing: As one of the measures

EU through Jiangsu ports from January

rate of furniture exports through Jiangsu

to expand domestic demand, the

to May 2009 were valued at US$37.59

ports resulted from slow trade and reduced

Chinese Furniture Association initiated a

million, US$21.99 million and US$21.23

demand in the international market.

movement called ‘furniture rustication’ to assist farmers in rural areas.

‘Furniture rustication’ involves furniture associations, in cooperation

Imports of redwood fall by half through Guangxi Port

with relevant sectors, such as finance

Guangxi: According to Nanning customs report, in the first half of 2009 the

and commerce, to sell furniture in

value of redwood imports through Guangxi Port fell 52 percent to US$18.38

rural areas. This allows incentives so

million. Of the total, both redwood logs and sawnwood imports fell by 76

farmers can buy furniture at lower

percent and 96 percent to US$6.21 million and US$0.14 million respectively.

prices.

However, redwood furniture imports through the port skyrocketed.

It has been reported that the four

The value of redwood bedroom furniture imports rose 110 percent to

largest furniture markets in China

US$3.29 million. The value of other redwood furniture imports soared

will participate in this activity. These

190 percent to US$3.22 million.

markets are located in medium and

According to the analysis of Nanning Customs, the main reason for the

small cities, serving both urban and

sharp increase was that redwood furniture of good quality and high added

rural areas.

value were very popular in China.

Trade In Forest Products Dips value were US$11.1 billion, down 21 percent

7.69 million m³. Of the total log imports,

from the previous year. Exports by value

softwood imports were 9.72 million m³,

were US$14.9 billion, down 12 percent

valued at US$1.036 billion, down 1 percent

from last year.

and 15 percent respectively from last year.

However, exports by value during second

Imports of hardwood were 3.572 million m³,

Beijing: Imports and exports of major forest quarter rose 15 percent over the first quarter.

valued at US$773 million, down 45 percent

products dropped in the first half of 2009, A total of 13.29 million m³ of logs were

and 51 percent respectively. Compared

imported in China in the first half of 2009,

with the first quarter, hardwood imports

Saad Akhtar,New Delhi,India

compared to the same period 2008.

Despite the drop, a slight upward trend valued at about 1.8 billion US dollars, down

in the second quarter rose 7 percent by

was seen in the second quarter. Data from 19 percent by volume and 35 percent by

volume and 14 percent by value. Among

customs agencies show the total trade value value from the same period of 2008.

the imports of hardwood, tropical log

of forest products reached about US$26

Compared with that in the first quarter,

billion in the first half of 2009. Imports by import volume in the second quarter reached

imports amounted to 2.71 million m³, down 35 percent from last year.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

17

Product highlights Steinemann: Satosplus the Satoplus is a wide-belt sander that includes five functions and form the basis of an automated sanding process.

A quick lock function minimises abrasive belt change times and labour, reducing the risk of belt damage. An automated tracking control enables the belt to adjust positions.

A patented ‘hydro tech’ hydrostatic bearing house with integrated oil lubrication is included. the contact drum is embedded in an oil film that is decoupled from the machine to avoid vibrations. the ‘servo move’ allows adjustment and motorised positioning of the sanding pad. this is for sanding thin and finished panels, while the ‘inline set’ system is a thickness gauge monitor for the sanding process to increase manufacturing reliability. these additional controlling and operating functions in the Satosplus can be directly instated to improve production flow.

Enquiry No: 7001

SierraPine: Flame Retardant Particleboard the encore Fr is a class 1 (A) certified particleboard with no added urea formaldehyde (NAUF). It is the newest addition to a line of sustainable design particleboard products. encore Fr is designed for green building and environmentally sensitive applications where fire safety is a concern, and where fire code regulations must be met. this particleboard is produced with a non-borate flame retardant system, which expands lamination and coating options. encore Fr is available with additional options for FSc certification.

Enquiry No: 7002

Huntsman: MDI

Kabelschlepp: Covertrax 1555

Used in the manufacture of panels such as OSb, MDF, Particleboard and lightweight Wood Fibre Insulation boards, MDI technology was developed in the 1970’s to provide an alternative resin solution for the composite wood panel industry.

MDI resins have been used within a wide range of panel applications, binding wood with the benefit of a ‘no added formaldehyde’ solution.

Produced through a process of sequential chemical reactions, MDI provides a bond with wood particles or strands by having a reaction with the wood itself. When subjected to intense heat, MDI creates a chemical weld.

MDI bonds form a diffusion interphase. the resin spreads over the surface of the wood and penetrates into cracks, cell lumen and even cell walls up to one millimetre.

the covertrax 1555 is made for cable protection in harsh environments. this cable carrier prevents foreign objects from entering cable spaces.

An optimised geometry and a reinforced cover contour permits extremely small gap dimensions with large carrier widths. Additional features of the design include the contour of the sideband and the quiet operation resulting from the encapsulated stroke system. covertrax 1555 remains sealed close to the cables’ connection point, as it uses UMb universal mounting brackets, and feature cover systems catering to both the interior and exterior. A hinge mechanism allows the cover to be opened inside and outside or be completely detached. the dividers can be positioned across the carrier cross-section, and also fixed in place by a turning and locking mechanism. this product is designed for selfsupported (gliding) and unsupported installation.

Enquiry No: 7003

18 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Enquiry No: 7004

Product highlights Morbidelli: Author X5

Benz: Qinx, 5-axis Machine

the Author X5 work centre has 5 axes and a wide table base for a furniture manufacturing. the area of the worktable can reach up to 6.7 by 1.78 mm, offering a workstation that caters to a range of furniture manufacturing from office furniture to customized design pieces. the boring head holds up to 36 independent spindles, with a set of drilling bits that handles several wood pieces in shorter time.

An additional routing unit has been installed, and equipped with a 6 positions tool-room type rapid, which allows a change of tools while the main unit is working. the tool-room comes in two versions that hold 12 or 24 tools and both units can automatically acquire the tools from the tool-room, optimising the changing and working times. the working table and vacuum cups positioning can be fully automated for a quick set-up of the working area.

the Qinx functions in a compact design and can be retrofitted on every machining centre. the adaption mechanism makes for simple programming and provides several functions. the adjustment of the A-axis is done via the Z-axis of the machine. this makes it possible to adjust every angle in the A-axis stepless, fast, accurate and fully automated. During operations the spindle stays firmly in the set angle position, and makes processes such as folding, bevel cuts, drilling and routing operations that angles between 0° and 100° possible. compound angles can be further achieved by the coaction of the c-and A-axis.

Enquiry No: 7005

Enquiry No: 7006

TopSolid’Wood: CADCAM For Wood

Dmc System: System T5M Cross Sanding Finish

topSolid’Wood from Missler Software is an integrated design, manufacturing and management software for wood processing. this solution produces ISo code via a post processor to manufacture parts on cNc machinery. Data flow exists between the design office and the manufacturing facility. this prevents communication and technical errors and generates time.

It provides 3D modelling and component libraries, which includes machining processes such as hardware assembly, tools shaping, edgebanding and others. the programme offers direct interface to common software programmes such as Ardis or cadcode. the integration of topSolid’Woodcam with topSolid’Wood can be seen when a correlation between materials are defined in the cAD and the cAM database for automatic regulation and precision of cutting conditions.

to remove surface roughness more efficiently and to prevent the grain from expanding on contact with water, DMc has developed on a solution with an old sanding technique used in the manufacture of furniture components. the System t5M is a solution for universal use but specifically suited for large companies manufacturing frames for external use and for workshops producing frames and furniture components.

All the main and auxiliary machining units are located inside the machine structure. this reduces noise and dust levels and increases operator safety considerably when using the machine. the range features 31 characteristics, including one to pull out the crossbelt unit and facilitate belt change as well as access to the unit for operation and maintenance. otherwise, internal crossbelt units located in an intermediate position are difficult to access, and the belt change procedure becomes long and hazardous.

Enquiry No: 7007

Enquiry No: 7008 www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA october 2009

19

Focus

CADCAM – Evolving Convenience Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Manufacturing (CADCAM) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) in the woodworking industry have been evolving for the last 30 years. Its impact has been enormous. by Terry Gregory, GM of Microvellum Asia.

D

uring the late 1970’s, I was working in my father’s custom cabinet shop in the US and he taught me the process of estimating, laying out the manufacturing job, drawings as well as figuring the material take off and cutting lists by hand.

It was hard work and errors were common and accepted as part of the process.

We built a wide range of customised commercial and residential projects with the emphasis of always giving the customer what they want.

In the early 1980’s I bought the family business. With it, I invested in my first computer and cAD cabinet software that was written specifically for the woodworking industry.

At that time I learned about Vertical Market Software (VMS) that

From Two To Three back then, 3D drawings were not easily available. All commercial shop drawings were done in 2D. In the residential market, we were working directly for homeowners and always provided detailed floor plans and elevations. the customer had to sign on the drawings before production started.

We seldom started a job before we had a signed contract.

Methods for presentations improved, and we shifted our focus towards 3D presentations as a great sales tool. the

20 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

was written to function for a specific industry. It was an expensive programme when compared to the more common Horizontal Market Software (HMS).

Generic cAD programmes fit many industries and cater to millions of customers. I sought out simplicity and invested several thousands of dollars for a simple cabinet design programme that would print floor plans and elevations.

best way to increase sales and price was in providing a good presentation and accurate quote as quickly as possible to clients. cAD programmes started to provide estimating functions and computers got faster, so we started offering shorter, one-hour appointments where we could provide a simple design and quote.

Our company closed more sales and better prices for our products. even the length of time from providing the quote to signing the contract decreased.

the 1990’s saw to a decade of automation advancements. More was invested in another specialised cAD programme that provided features and flexibility for building a wider ranges of custom cabinets.

We started to explore the cAM software and realized that most cAM programmes were written for mass production purposes. the machinery was designed for large shops with beam saws that could stack five or more sheets of panel stock for cutting in one pass. the parts were subsequently sent to the

Focus

Focus

Before the convenience of modern CADCAM facilities, programming skills were required to design and construct furniture

With modern software, complicated codes such as G-codes that were essential for Furniture Manufacture are easily generated

by CADCAM programmes

ENQUIRY NO. 096

point-to-point machines, one part at a time. Although this sounded efficient, it usually created bottlenecks in production.

It required several point-to-point machines, a large amount of floor space and specialized operators.

At that time most CAM programmes required skilled operators to instruct the machine in machine language a part at a time. Eventually, a major breakthrough made most programming at the machine obsolete, as it linked the CAD drawing to CAM software. A CAD operator could sit in the office and design a cabinet or cabinet part and send the drawings to the machine, instructing it to produce the machine code.

This was a great step forward and it was only the beginning. 'Screen to machine’ was another major advancement.

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Focus custom cAD and cAM companies started cooperating and many cAD programmes created limited version of the cAM programmes into their own, creating a seamless process for machine coding. this saved time in linking the two programmes and eliminated the need for manufacturers to figure out which cAM programme to invest in.

When the Nested base Manufacturing (NbM) programme was introduced it revolutionised the cNc world for small custom shops. While nesting square parts for table saws and beam saws on a sheet has been around for many years, NbM technology offered the ability to run a nest of custom parts on a router. the initial attempts at nesting parts for routers took much time and effort, at times up to several hours to process a job requiring several hundred parts.

Many of us were initially puzzled.

Why would one want to put a four by eight sheet of material in a machine and wait for it to cut parts out? We learnt it could do more than cutting the parts. the software could optimize the parts on the sheet. the router could bore all the holes in the parts, cut all the dados and notches and then cut out the parts. When the router was done with the sheet, it was ready for the edgebander and eventually to assembly.

A Combination of Tools toward the late 1990’s, specialised software and computers

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evolved to a point that one could train a person to manage a cADcAM system that could work on the different functions of furniture manufacturing with little or no knowledge of cNc. the router operator needed little knowledge about what he was cutting.

All he needed was a picture of each nest, what the material was, the labels to accord onto the parts and a place to stack up the parts for edgebanding or assembly.

If we wanted to grow our sales volume as a company without more employees and bigger buildings, we had to decide on investing in automation. As the costs of cNc automation with nested base routers continued to descend, it became apparent that it was time to

invest in cNc automation. We upgraded our cabinet software to a cNc version and bought a cNc machine.

Since the router could put all the dados on the parts just where they needed to be, the machine allowed us time to rethink our process of building cabinets.

After several days of training we manage to cut and process the parts in one fifth of the time. We also built a better grade of cabinets that met and exceeded most industry standards. the last step for our shop was

What would I do if I needed CADCAM automation today?

• Think long term. You may only build simple cabinets today but tomorrow can open up a whole new adventure. Get specialised software that will grow with you.

• Look at any automation as an investment in your business, not an expense.

If you buy specialised software, tools or CNC it will pay for itself in a certain time period and contribute a reduced cost for the process of doing business.

• Do not get stressed over the little details of machinery. There are many companies that have great machinery. It is the specialised software that drives the machine, so focus on top-notch service from the machinery companies.

• Decide on your manufacturing software and learn it before the machine is delivered. You can start on jobs in the first week your machine is set up.

• Don’t spend cash reserves to purchase machinery. Short term bank financing may make more sense. The labour and material savings from running the software and machinery should easily make its own payment and it is a lot less stressful.

• Price is not the only issue. The old saying, that “you get what you pay for” is true. If one is a professional, buy professional software and machinery. In the long term it is less expensive than throwing out the wrong software or machinery and starting over.

Focus learning two basic aspects of CNC. First, what specialised software one has in driving the CNC router would dictate what one will cut out on the machine. If one buys a CAM program that designs parts, all it will do is to cut parts. If one buys a cabinet programme, it can cut out cabinets. If one buys a fixture programme, it can build fixtures.

Second, that we only needed a few hours a day to run the router, so we had time to try other projects on the machine. With that knowledge, we invested one more time in specialised woodworking software that was designed around AutoCAD. This allowed us to build custom cabinets as before, and opened up opportunities to design and build a wide range of products that included counter tops, fireplace mantles, bedroom furniture, office furniture, trophy blocks and so much more.

Focus

Heavy duty helical planer cutter head with disposable knives

Helical planer cutter head with disposable knives

Adjustable planer cutterhead

If It Was Without CADCAM

Planer cutterhead with disposable knives

Safety corrugate cutter head

Single/double surface planer - helical planer cutter head with disposable knives

Welding helical planer cutterhead

All kinds of profile cutters

ENQUIRY NO. 008

I have been fortunate to learn the woodworking business from my father and work with him and my brothers in the shop for the last 30 years. As an adult I learned about computers and specialised software for our industry. I also had the opportunity to work as a sales and service consultant for the best woodworking software programmes in the industry and visited thousands of shops across North America. I now explore Asia.

We started out with five employees that built residential and light commercial projects, which averaged about US$350,000 in sales. After adding software to provide designs and cutting tickets we increased our sales to $450,000 and still kept our shop employees at the same level. A year after adding the CNC router, dust collector, air compressor and a new edgebander, we closed the year at US$1,505,000 and never went past a 40 hour work weeks with the same employees.

Even though many told me it was possible, I really never believed we could increase our production and gross sales by that degree until I invested in first class software and CNC automation.

CADCAM has changed our industry. It will continue to be easier to manage and more capable of designing complex objects. We can now work on a fast 2D design and convert it into a 3D presentation. We can scan customers’ floor covering, tiles, wallpapers and counter top samples to show a photo with quality rendering. The job sells faster as it leaves little to imagine about what it will look like when the job is installed. From the design that sold the job, it can be sent to the shop floor for production. The CNC cuts out what was designed with 100 percent accuracy, little explanation of what to cut and proceed to assembly. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7101

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Cabinet t r a

Focus

C

abinet making The art of cabinet making involves techniques dates back to the ages of such as creating antiquity, where skilled appropriate joints, dados, craftsman were responsible bevels, chamfers and for both the design and shelving systems, and production of cabinets. the use of finishing tools such as routers to create Modern cabinets however, require the right combination decorative designs.

Today’s cabinets of relevant equipments. by and carcasses range in Augustine Quek materials, colours, and styles, including timber, metal, rock, or to be contrasted vinyl. Therefore domestic and commercial against various projects require different manufacturing background floors styles to enable the cabinet manufacturer and walls, while to complete the project on time and some also have within costing range. financial calculations In most cases, cabinets can be for various options, manufactured in three ways, the first such as the addition Start to Finish being the most popular. It is called a of glass panels, Photo Credit: Gemteck1, Washington, USA module form or system and is made different hinges of separate cabinets. The second is and more. kit-form or self-assembled units, and The flexibility of some software capabilities such as 3D rendering, panel the last is pre-fabricated cabinet, where caters for the creation of programmes optimisation, generation of cut lists, label the whole kitchen carcass or cabinet is for nested-based machining operations, printing, Computer Numerical Control constructed in one piece. as well as sizing and point-to-point (CNC) integration, and custom report Two major advances in cabinetry machining. The use of tool free assembly generation. are the use of dedicated software for with slides and connectors simplify the In most software available today, part design and planning the production cabinets’ manufacturing, shipping and the creation of both face-frame and process, as well as tool-free assembly installation processes. frameless cabinets with a variety of of cabinets. Modern software technology joinery configurations are allowed. These allows visualisation of the cabinet in many configurations include butt, dado, blind Software Installation colours, forms and textures, allowing dado and ready-to-assemble (RTA) Software created for cabinet making the user the capability to explore options. In short, most software now are now specialised Computer Assisted options before production begins. More gives users complete control of every Design (CAD) applications for designing sophisticated software allow for the cabinet facet of cabinet construction. and manufacturing cabinets, with

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Focus For example, Cabinet Cruncher, a simple software based on ‘Microsoft excel’ and ‘Google sketchup’, can create custom cut-lists for a large number of free-standing base cabinet, wall cabinet or bookcase configurations.

It supports industry standard case construction methods, like pocket holes, biscuits, dowels, dadoes, and flushed or rabbetted back panels. The frameless version supports ‘True32’ construction methods while face frames can be sized

requirements for mitered edges and other special features that are required during the fabrication and assembly process.

The ‘eCabinet Systems’ software is another example that allows for the creation of cabinets and assemblies in almost any configuration. It has a hardware display capability that shows doors, pulls, mouldings and more. These renderings of real items will be made available for purchasing through the system.

This software also allows for the

Manufacturing cabinets with modern technology allows quick assembly and usage Photo Credit: evan courtney, Mattoon, IL

The next step for trends in luxury is the self assembly market Photo Credit: evan courtney, Mattoon, IL

to support all scribe and case mounting requirements.

Specific details can also be calculated, such as the number of sheets and lineal footage of materials, as well as sorting cabinet components by size, width, length or material type.

Cut-list notes can also change automatically based on specifications regarding joinery methods, location and depth of rabbets and dados, face frame scribes and offsets. Other specifications include door and drawer overlays (or insets), shelving requirements, end panel details,

Photo Credit: Gemteck1,Washington, US

creation of programmes for nested-based machining operations, as well as sizing and point-to-point machining. The cabinet editing features include cabinet exploding and rotation, while the detail room editor allow users to plan the layout of an entire room full of cabinets with a variety of ‘props’, lighting, windows, doors and other miscellaneous objects

Including Hardware In recent years, tool-free assembly of cabinets have become popular. Among manufacturers, self-assembly cabinets

are commonly known as knockdown or flat-packed cabinets because they come in several pieces instead of single units.

There are several advantages inherent to RTA cabinets.

First, holes, bores and other openings can be made in cabinet components such as doors before staining or painting, preventing the delicate components from being scratched or damaged. Secondly, the pre-bored doors are protectively wrapped during shipment to the final location of installation. These measures preserve the finish on the wood, and even protect the condition of the hinges.

Avoiding the use of workers for assembly also reduce labour costs.

Lastly, transporting unassembled cabinet pieces also helps sellers save money on shipping costs and warehouse space while improving the efficiency of logistic operations, as they are packed tightly, avoiding spaces wastage, unlike assembled furniture.

Hinges, slides and connectors that ‘clip on’ have made the ready-toassemble furniture industry flourish and revolutionised the way cabinet companies and wood products companies operate.

Tool-free assembly hinges, slides or connectors are equipped with a spreading dowel that expands when the hardware is pushed into a pre-bored hole in the panel. This method of inserting hardware is designed to simplify the manufacturing, shipping and installation processes for a variety of manufacturing industries, including RTA, cabinet and store fixtures and displays.

One example is Slide-Lok, an Arizona based manufacturer of storage cabinets, whose patented dovetail design makes cabinet components slide together with little force or effort. Slide-Lok says this makes it easy for its stackable/modular cabinet designs to be assembled onsite.

In addition, each cabinet system from the company comes with the hardware needed for assembly and installation and

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25

Focus is accompanied by detailed assembly and installation instructions.

The increase in the sophistication and quality of tool-free assembly hardware is evident in recent years, prompting cabinet manufacturers to look for ways in applying clip-on hinges, slides and connectors.

For example, the Lift series from Italian Company Salice, comprises of a range of opening systems for cabinet doors that claim to better utilize space while being simple to assemble. The four systems of special hinges include opening for flap doors, folding doors, swing-opening doors and parallel-opening doors.

Other Side Of The Coin However, low costs can also be derived from the usage of more inferior types of wood found in the cheaper range of selfassembly cabinets. Cabinet frames are usually fabricated from solid wood, medium density fibreboard (MDF), particleboard (PB), plywood, or a combination of these different materials. Unfortunately, some selfassembled cabinets are made of fibreboard with wood skin surfaces. These kind of cabinets have shorter a lifespan.

Therefore, a new opportunity is emerging for the self-assembled furniture concept. This comes in the form of market demand for self assembled highquality furniture. Designer-standard brands using good quality materials such as PB with PVC edging are now available for installation in homes. This auger well for the industry and it is one of the many changes that developed from the skilled craftsman to computer technology and self-assembly. FDM

‘Clip on’ hardware makes for the easy assembly and disassembly of the kitchen cabinet, granting value to easy mobility Photo Credit: Jeff

ENQUIRY NO. 7102

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Product Highlight Microvellum: Toolbox Suite The ‘Toolbox Suite’ consists of optional software meant for woodworking professionals to customise their productivity levels.

The ‘Toolbox Lite’ is designed for production shops that need a quick order entry system to get data and machine codes to the plant floor without drawings. An advance variant is the ‘Toolbox Professional’, designed for customised commercial and high end residential shops that require architectural 2D drawings, 3D presentation, material takeoffs, assembly sheets and more.

A ‘Micro-Manager’ function helps to link and allow the same catalogue of products designed in Toolbox to be imported, saving setup time. This software tracks different labour and productivity operations, cost and accounting and more in real time.

‘Selling Point’ software connects the Toolbox product catalogue onto the web. Customers can access products from a secure website, select what they want, modify what is allowed and price the order. This programme automatically price the job and hold the quote until the job is ready for order.

ENQUIRY NO. 7103

Nakahashi: Hollow-square Mortice Chisel & Bit This product is designed for chisel mortising machines of various makes to create square holes in both soft and hard wood.

Manufactured with selected carbon steel from Japanese steel makers, all phases of production are done under strict quality control standards in Japan.

The steel is treated in the production facility to achieve uniformity and hardness while the sharp and polished edges give a clean cut.

The bits have a smooth chip ejection process and can be manually re-sharpened. It comes with a range of sizes (from 3.0mm to 36.0mm) and caters to many different functions.

Dovetail, Rectangular, Hexagon and other bit shapes are available because products with different specification and materials can be manufactured ENQUIRY NO. 7104 upon request.

Makor: Kronos The panel spraying machine module Kronos is for the painting of doors, furniture panels and general flat components.

This model is equipped with a wider chamber that provides benefits for air flow management, for overspray control and also for the possibility to apply a higher quantity of product at elevated speed.

The automatic set up of the cleaning system along with other improvements make the product change quicker and provide higher efficiency of paint recovery ENQUIRY NO. 7105 from the belt.

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At FDM Asia, we guarantee you Best Price We work around your budget Widest Reach Our BPA statement don’t lie Reader’s Enquiries Increased by 30% in 2009

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Furniture Design And Manufacturing Asia

Focus

Scheming To

Q-Mark Paint

Woodworking industries incline towards certifications for legality, quality and standard setting.

This demand does not restrict itself merely to the supply and manufacture process. Contributed

by Jean Kloos, BM Trada.

M

eeting demand from both paint and product manufacturers, bM trada certification has launched the Q-Mark Paint Application Scheme. this ensure that products such as windows, doors and other building components, which are sold as factory finished, will be coated in accordance with the paint systems manufacturers’ guidelines. the scheme does not certify the coatings systems, but specifically the process of applying the paint. this is a recently launched scheme and it is being presented in the UK and in countries where bM trada has a presence.

A company in Hong Kong that has a joint venture with bM trada will be the representative to manage this certification for the Asian region. the first company to gain certification is the industrial paint manufacturers, Movac Group. this company supplies coatings for wood, metal, glass, PVcu and other specialist materials.

According to bM trADA Senior technical consultant Andy Sumner: “It is very easy to get into bad habits when applying a paint finish, but it is critical that strict guidelines are adhered to in line with the coating system supplier’s specifications. each paint system

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Focus It would build higher levels of confidence with Movac’s customer base.

Booming Reliance On Quality Certification Facing increasing and intensifying competition, more woodworking companies are adopting regional, if not global quality benchmarking certifications. these certificates represent credible reputation as an additional appeal to their products and are expanding in scope to cover a wider range of manufacturing processes. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7106 Footnote: BM Trada is a leading multi-sector certification body accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and was established in the construction industry for more than 30 years.

will have been tested and approved for the substrate to which it is being applied, so we are not certifying the system itself. We are, however, certifying a company and nominated individuals within that company to apply a specific coating to a product. the Q-Mark gives reassurance that the finished product has been painted by a trained and certified person.”

For Quality Over Quantity this scheme is aimed at window and door manufacturers who factory finish their products. by adopting this certification for discipline, manufacturers will reduce the incidence of poor finishing which can occur when the coatings systems are not applied in accordance with instructions. Although it is not meant to increase output per se, it will reduce the occurrence of problems such as lower quality finishing, saving wastage, time and cost in turn. bM trada has issued a detailed checklist for applicants, who must confirm that they have an effective management system (ideally but not essentially to ISO 9001) in place, which can demonstrate that products are being coated consistently to a required standard and specification. these applicants must also hold specification documents outlining the

substrate and conditions necessary for application to a given substrate for each paint system to be incorporated into the certification.

Applicants should have a quality management system that must incorporate procedures, which ensure the specification is adhered to. For example, temperature or humidity may need to be controlled as part of the production procedures.

Movac group prepares fully coated panels for customers as a service, and they chose adopt a quality certification to emphasise the quality a coating should achieve when applied correctly. the group decided the bM trada Q-Mark is an appropriate benchmark to be used for this application. Group industrial sales manager, craig Matthews, commended that quality control schemes are a necessary market evolution. “As a supplier of coatings to many industries, we stress the importance of ensuring that these coatings are applied in line with the technical data requirements for each coating and see the paint application scheme as a way that this can be ensured,” he said.

He further states that for the standards to be upheld within the group’s business, it would be good credibility for their audiences if they were to enforce quality standardisation, such as the bM trada certification within their own organisation.

Measuring paint application with new standards, the Q-Mark is meant to ensure a higher quality finish

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Technology

Abrasive

technology

ross Angus

Abrasive sanding of wood and wood-based materials is a compulsory surface preparation process before a final finishing is applied. by Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam

The smoothness and finish of every wood product will significantly depend on the quality of the sanding process

T

he process of abrasive sanding on wood and wood based products has three main purposes: 1. to smoothen the surface 2. to flatten the surface 3. to bring the material to uniform thickness (also known as calibration). these objectives of the abrasive sanding process are crucial as they are prerequisites before the material can be further processed for furniture manufacture.

Wood has a tubular structure. In simple terms, it is akin to a ‘bunch of straws’. the wood’s structure is made up of different cells (such as vessels, tracheids, fibres, and others).

Hence, the surface of wood and wood products cannot be 100 percent flat and smooth. Surface undulations are

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inevitable. It must be emphasised that for most applications of wood and wood products, a 100 percent surface smoothness and flatness is not mandatory, but these features are important prerequisites for wood gluing and finishing operations. the abrasive-sanding process is not accorded the importance it deserve, primarily as its cost contribution makes up less than five percent of the total production cost. Nevertheless, its implications are far reaching as it affects the amount of finishing materials that needs to be applied as well as the quality of the finished product. Furthermore, abrasive sanding is a process not defined by a unified standard. Surface ‘smoothness’ is highly subjective and a matter of personal interpretation.

Abrasive sanding of wood and wood based panels is often perceived to be of little importance in most wood product manufacturing mills. In order to bring the abrasive sanding processes to a similar level as other value-added operations, there is a need to explore the sanding technology from an industrial perspective.

Structure of Coated Abrasives the structure of coated abrasive is complex. Grit particles (which could be aluminium oxide, silicone carbide, garnet, or others), which act as the cutting tools, are glued on to a piece of backing material (usually made of paper, cloth, fibre, or other materials). the grit of the sandpaper, the weight of its paper backing, and the type of abrasive material affects how the sandpaper works. the coated abrasive works by using particles to remove the surface of wood materials. Applying pressure to a piece of sandpaper and moving it over a surface causes the particles to act like the teeth of a saw, cutting off bits of the material. the number of abrasive particles on an inch of sandpaper measures the grit. A piece of sandpaper with high grit density (grit size 240 – 600) gives a smoother finish. A piece of sandpaper with low grit density (grit size 40 – 220) gives a rougher finish. the abrasive particles have two types of coatings: open and closed. An open coat means that there are more spaces between the particles and this is best used for soft metals, woods and painted surfaces.

Open coating allows for more pieces of the abraded material to slough off.

A closed coat has less space between

Technology

––– Basics & Application the particles and is best used on very hard metals and wood. With less space, closed coat sandpaper clog faster. the weight of the backing material indicates the amount of pressure the backing material can withstand before tearing. the lightest weight of paper backing is classified as A-type, followed by c, D and e, which is the heaviest weight. the weight of a cloth backing is more durable than that of paper as it can withstand higher pressure. In cloth backing, J-type is the most commonly used and provides the most durability. the type of glue or adhesive used to bond the grit particles to the backing material also influences the performance of the coated abrasive.

Synthetic resins (such as urea and

Figure 1: Structure of Coated Abrasives

phenol) are more heat resistant and durable compared to natural animal hide glue. As a result, coated abrasives using synthetic resins are meant for heavy-duty application, while coated abrasives using natural glues are meant for light-duty applications. the manner in which the adhesives are laid over the backing material also determine the degree of flexibility in the coated abrasives, which are usually required to conform to profiled surfaces or difficult contours. coated abrasives are technical products manufactured with a high degree of precision, and must be carefully selected to achieve the desired outcome. In many instances, the wrong choice of coated abrasives ends up being the culprit behind poor quality products and excessive manufacturing cost.

Make coat Backing

Abrasive grains Make coat (+) Backing

Abrasive grains (-)

Size coat

Backing

Mechanism Of Abrasive Sanding After machining operations, the surface of the work-piece is filled with undulations (peaks or valleys) that result from the intermittent engagement of cutting knives during the wood cutting processes. the sanding process is the removal of these undulations from the workpiece to provide a flat profile or smooth surface, achieved through a series of gradual abrading action, each with a reduced degree of abrading severity. the smooth surface is accomplished by using coated abrasives, which act as the ‘cutting tool’ during the sanding process. the coated abrasives are distinguished by different grit sizes, each producing overlapping scratch marks of reducing depths, which eventually leads to a flat and smooth surface. the abrading process must not be too harsh, otherwise it will cause

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31

Technology damage to the quality of the surface. the amount of stock removed from the surface of the work-piece depends on the function of the grit size, feed speed, belt speed and applied pressure.

Generally speaking, increasing the grit size will reduce the stock removal rate.

However, increasing the feed speed belt speed and applied pressure will increase the stock removal rate. A higher stock removal rate will lead to impaired surface quality and reduce the lifespan of the abrasive products. the challenge in optimising the sanding process in the wood products industry is in finding a compromise between these conflicting requirements (table 1). Unfortunately, standards for the abrasive sanding processes are non-existent and there is much trial and error within the wood processing industry. this factor has negative economic implications.

One of the challenges in the abrasive sanding processes is the application of consistent, uniform pressure. With the development of many different types of sanding machines, applying uniform pressure becomes possible. currently, with the advent of modern sanding machines, the abrasive sanding process has gained higher efficiency and throughput levels.

Abrasive Sanding Machines the sanding processes for wood products have been simplified with abrasive sanding machines. A variety of machines are available for sanding different profiles and surfaces in a wood products manufacturing factory. the full range of sanding machines available in the market includes hand-held portable machines to large wide-belt sanding machines.

According to a 2008 report by the International Furniture research Group (IFrG), the market size for

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Table 1: Effect of Sanding Parameters on Sanding Process Efficiency

Factor

Effect

Grit Size

Increasing the grit size reduces the size of the mineral particles and hence the amount of stock removed is also reduced.

Applied Pressure

Increasing the applied pressure makes the cutting edges of the mineral particles penetrate deeper into the work-piece to remove greater amount of stock. But this will also accelerate the wear of the mineral particles and reduce the life of the abrasive product. It will also increase the interface temperature.

Speed

Increasing the speed will increase the stock removal rate but also reduce the life of the abrasive product.

Source: ratnasingam (2004).

sanding machines in the South-east Asian furniture industry is valued to be in the range of US$30 million per annum, with Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and thailand being key markets. Furthermore, large wide-belt sanding machines account for almost 60 percent of the value of machine purchases. this reflects the maturity of mass production environments in the region.

Although the portable and small stationery machines are meant for specialised sanding of edges and profiles for components and furniture, the widebelt sanding machines are considered ‘work-horses’ in furniture factories. the high throughput and stock removal rates as well as the consistent surface quality are essential features of the wide-belt sanding operations. Although the basic design of these machines are similar among suppliers, the configuration of the sanding heads together with modern pressure application mechanisms in the wide-belt sanding machines differentiate each manufacturer, and allow a selection of the most appropriate machine for a particular application (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Sanding Head Configurations

Scheme with a sanding roller.

Scheme with two sanding rollers.

Scheme with a platen head.

Scheme with two sanders and platen head.

there are many suppliers of european and Asian sanding machines, but the preference is dependent on process economics, speed, volume throughput and desired performance of the machine. In fact, it is imperative that the appropriate abrasive sanding machine is used to ensure the proper quality of sanded surface, which will

Technology

ross Angus

Myth Of Abrasive Sanding

facilitate the value-added processes in furniture manufacturing.

Most of the developments in abrasive sanding technology have centred on the application of optimal pressure during operation. the invention of the

the coarseness of the wood surface due to both the inherent nature of the wood and the accumulated roughness through the machining processes will usually be remedied with the sanding process. this process, which produces a series of overlapping scratch marks of reducing depths, is limited by the stock removal rate. therefore, a higher degree of roughness will be too costly to be remedied by the sanding

process. It may seem logical that wood sanding processes are suitable for small stock removals, and therefore, surface irregularity of an average degree, can be remedied (for flatness and smoothness) through this process in an optimal manner. this frames the basic objective of the sanding process. the sanding process must be optimised to ensure that the resulting surface quality and cost are acceptable to the overall business objectives. In doing so, the sanding process must not become the ‘bottleneck’ of the manufacturing line, which has negative cost implications. considerations of quality and cost are foremost in deciding the best abrasive sanding operation for the task in hand. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7201

ENQUIRY NO. 035

segmented pressure pad together with floating heads have all allowed greater control over the abrasive sanding process, and with greater precision. the abrasive sanding process is now considered advanced machining technology.

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Technology

Smooth Sanding Steinemann Technology observes several important factors in the industrial development of sanding machines. Research and development takes priority to achieving benchmarks in the panel manufacturing industries. Hansjörg Fritsche, head of the sanding division, discusses the rough.

E

mphasising on the value of updated technology to be constantly ahead of the competition, Steinemann has committed more than five percent of its yearly revenue to fund continuous research and development. Several important points were uncovered over time.

Companies manufacturing panels for furniture production attach importance to machines that cater to both resource and cost efficiency. For the production process, machines that provide easy handling and ensure consistent quality will always be in demand.

With the inception of the satosplus, Hansjörg, vice president of Steinemann Technology and head of its sanding division, share the different aspects of sanding machines that will continue to stay in the limelight during volatile times.

Source of Convenience In panel sanding, there is a growing demand for the convenience of a smooth sanding process from a single source.

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Modern panel mills are designed to produce huge volumes of panels. A modern Particleboard (PB) production line has a capacity of up to 2,500 m3 per day. To ensure that the panel quality remains consistent, all panels must be calibrated and surface finished by one sanding line. All this does not only come from the sander, it requires a compatible sanding system.

Panels from a ‘state of the art’ production line usually have to fulfil two processing tasks. The machine has to calibrate the panels to a predetermined average thickness tolerance of +/- 0.03 mm and a uniform surface finish of up to P180 in grit.

Machines such as the satosplus can accomplish these tasks at a speed of up to 120 to 150 m per minute. Furthermore, the machine has been designed to operate without being affected by vibration. The rise and fall of the platen will avoid edge

sanding and with the finishing heads angled at five degrees, a cross finish is achieved.

The average thickness and the surface finish of the panel will influence its future uses (for lamination, direct printing, high gloss finish, or others), highlighting the importance of a controlled sanding process. Raw or semi-finished panels that have been processed properly will enable producers to create durable furniture that does not require many adjustments nor be susceptible to damage and repair work.

The important aspect is not only to achieve this level of quality, but also to produce each panel with a consistent standard so that high quality furniture can be manufactured.

Hansjörg admits that Steinemann had previously focused on improving the sanding machine technology further.

However, feedback points to the fact

Technology that, for manufacturers, aside from consistent quality and the availability of the sanding line, the most important factor is cost efficiency and avoiding wastage.

As a result, Steinemann technology recently initiated a holistic approach to offer support on their sanding machines.

In The Long Run Machines that produce consistent output in both quality and quantity face the problem of capital depreciation. Over a long run, all equipment experience wear and tear, with various parts requiring replacements or readjustments.

A stop in production, however temporary, is an expensive opportunity cost for a manufacturing plant. When machines break down, immediate repair is essential.

Manufacturers of Medium Density Fibre (MDF) panels and Pb seek not just to purchase efficient machines but also to secure and benefit from comprehensive long term servicing packages. Machine providers should do well to develop their after-sales services.

Hansjörg states that aside from quality and workmanship, sanding machines should be made with durability in mind.

When properly maintained, a good sanding machine will operate smoothly for more than 20 years.

Not limiting itself to providing new wide-belt sanding machines, Steinemann makes the effort to focus and improve on after sales services such as providing spare-parts, and delivering paper, polyester and combi-segmented abrasive belts that are directly manufactured in Shanghai, china, to customers.

A global network service and consultancy was also set up for process expertise, providing customer support to the global wood processing clients.

Steinemann provides this support from nine locations (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, russia, brazil, the US, china, Malaysia and Australia).

Smooth operations and convenient management is vital to the individual producers in the industry and a reason that a successful company maintains a forefront reputation.

Determining Necessity Hansjörg feels that a panel manufacturer has to have a clear vision on the future requirement of its products and target customer base. "the investment in a panel manufacturing plant is enormous, so to maximise returns, processing equipment have to last for several decades.

Proper equipment maintenance and servicing becomes key to maximising a manufacturer’s profit.

Some key factors include the sanding speed and the required surface finish that determines the configuration of the sander as well as the type and number of sanding heads. It is wise to plan ahead and leave some space for further extensions as customer requirements or production output may change in the years to come," he states.

With more than 950 units of the Steinemann’s SAnder for tOp Surfaces (satos) sander distributed over the last eight years, more than 120 sanding lines are equipped with satos machines, and this represents more than 70 percent of the production lines started since eight years ago.

In a bid to further production and cost efficiency, the satosplus, was introduced to the market at LIGNA 2009. It was created as an improvement to older models and to fulfil market demands for the following decades.

Sanding is an integral part of the panel manufacture process. Manufacturers require high quality panels for furniture.

With machines achieving breakthrough developments for cost and production efficiency, there is nothing more important at this point than the management of long-term production and its returns. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7202

Sanding machines are long term capital investments.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

35

Technology

Fine Position For Sanding Lines

M

ore than 10 years of continuous research and development have directed IMeAS to cater to demands for an automated system that can improve calibration and sanding efficiency. this creation is derived from the necessity in combing modern software and machine automation.

In 1994, a company called Masisa requested IMeAS to develop a system that could assist an operator in adjusting sanding units, a task that was usually performed manually. the solution was to implement a simple motor in each unit that was controlled by the operator through the HMI. the actual positioning was visually controlled and this saved manufacturers time and effort.

Over the years, additional controls were added on a step-by-step basis, as improved automation came into demand.

In the year 2001, IMeAS patented a close-ring system that enabled operators to identify and mark the working point of each sanding unit, so that the machine can automatically position them.

IMeAS presented their system at the Ligna exhibition in May 2009. It is also known as the Full control System (FcS).

Software Before Hardware engineers at IMeAS recognised that there was an opportunity to optimise sanding parameters and reduce operational costs at the same time. this was possible

36 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

by centralising as many operations as possible to the ‘control room’ and delegating the change of abrasive belts and the inspection of materials to the operator of the line. It resulted in the dual development and integration of software and mechanical automation.

In creating the software for resource optimisation, several core parameters for the sanding lines were identified.

Core Parameters – speed and thickness adjustment – fine positioning with centesimal resolution incremental positioning on each unit (based on sanding policies) – start and stop and feeding system management of each unit – recipes and sanding policies management – configurable warnings, alarms, and maintenance tasks – detailed information on key components – motors load (actual and historical) of each motor – high speed bearing temperature – actual belt position (left/right) – belt tensioning, belt tracking system status and belt breaking sensors on each unit – brake pads status on each unit – time-counter (total and partial) – board-counter (total and partial) users management Access level management

IMEAS, a producer of wide-belt sanding machines, discusses the evolution of machining software that is designed to add value to the production of wood based panels. by Mr Marco Ossana, area sales manager, IMEAS S.p.A.

before the invention of software for automation, every adjustment for each machine had to be performed on site, on each working unit. Different operators did this process during their shifts. based on these factors, time needed for the manual repositioning of each working head amount to several minutes. Furthermore, if a skilled worker left the company, knowledge would have also left with him.

In comparison, an automated system takes several seconds to adjust each working head and record parameters for the company. to a degree, automated systems are still dependent on the operator’s experience. All adjustments have to be initially performed by the operator during the ‘life time of a belt’, before being stored by the automated system. the system can then propose similar adjustments for the next belt, depending on its type. In addition, the system will also recommend a repositioning of the working heads to compensate for the current belt after working on a number of panels.

Implementation Automated systems can supervise and control the calibrating and sanding lines. this allows the possibility of remote and local control of all key operational parameters. the FcS screen depicted in Figure 1 shows a typical ten unit sanding line.

With an integrated and advanced ‘manual of use, maintenance and spare

Technology

Figure 2-3: This software is also proactively involved in the management of the line.

Figure 1: The software interface enables to analyze every single machine in detail, by displaying each ‘field element’ status.

parts’, this system also reports possible issues through photos, descriptions and spare part codes in a clear, detailed manner, making maintenance faster and easier (Figure 2-3).

Furthermore, to service varying numbers, the effectiveness of the system is independent of the number of working units. It does not depend on the unit configuration. Rather, it controls and guides it.

Remote Automation The core of the system can remotely control the positioning of the calibrating and sanding heads (Figure 4).

It is also possible to receive the thickness parameter of a panel batch from the transport system or the control room.

From there, the operator can automatically position the calibrating/sanding heads and use standard or customised parameters to obtain the desired thickness (Figure 5).

Setup time is reduced to seconds and operational costs are lowered, while line productivity increases.

Additionally, wear and tear of abrasive belts is considered: after a fixed number of panels, the automated system can notify that the position of the calibrating/ sanding heads has to be rearranged and recommend new positions to the operator.

All operational parameters can be stored by the operator in the system’s memory as ‘operational recipes’ and can be retrieved to speed up the pre-set of the line. This way, line management

and utility will be standardized and the final product will be consistent.

Without an automated system, all operations of line re-positioning are manual and depend on the experience of the operator in control at that moment.

Figure 4

Future Systems IMEAS is currently researching and testing another automated system that also provide for the exchange of information with the thickness control system. This involves the study of algorithms that will determine the arrangement of the sanding heads according to the set (target) thickness and the actually measured thickness.

It is dangerous to automatically set a machine while knowing only the measure of the thickness at its exit. A measuring system is needed at the entry, so that the difference between the two values (entry thickness and exit thickness) can be compared. The measuring system at the exit of the machine gives the operator a trend, which can be refer to, in order to adjust the thickness value.

IMEAS patented a system that represents a technological milestone for the next generation of calibrating and sanding lines. It allows operators control of the entire sanding process from a remote control room, starting from the positioning of each working unit to the exchange of data with the production line.

IMEAS is the first and only producer of calibrating and sanding lines who

Figure 5

have developed this system. The FCS, combined with construction technology, provides control on the process, surface finishing and reduces production costs through the optimisation of operational parameters. A step in advancing automatic control of wood based panel production lines.

Over the years of sanding automation, it will be possible to have sanding lines working without operators, because the intervention of an operator will be requested only to replace the belt on an average of once a day. Valuable knowledge will be stored and operated from just where it is needed: in the control room. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7203

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009

37

Technology

Jointless

Design With New Possibilities New postforming developments allow for a breakthrough in product design, by Bernd Schwarze, Homag Asia

T

he shaping of laminar coating materials around an edge is what constitutes the postforming process. It can be particularly difficult as many materials used to form the coating around wood panels are rigid.

Most coatings can have a high memory capacity and hence it can be difficult for the coatings to retain a new shape at first. Further to that cause is the dependence on quality adhesive to ensure a proper form on the wood.

However, recent progress in postforming techniques allows designers to improve the appearance of furniture edges. this is in line with modern demands for luxury furniture design and opens a multitude of opportunities to utilise this manufacturing process.

Whereas previous postforming practice was straightforward and required a longer time for the product finishing, technology has provided for a complete processing line. researchers note, however, that glue and the gluing process play an increasing importance to a quality process. A significant example would be that should the adhesive not be evenly applied, the subsequently trapped air bubbles would reduce the durability of the final product. technology has advanced to the extent that it is possible to impart a quality surface finish to a small radius.

38 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

For instance, while using a high-gloss High Pressure Laminates (HPL) with a thickness of 0.9 mm, it is now possible to produce a radius of just 3 mm. to achieve this feat, engineers had to pay attention to several important factors prior to, as well as during the postforming process. Several points of importance were highlighted accordingly.

Points Of Consideration One was the importance of freshly produced HPL. research has shown that the longer the HPL material is shelved,

the less flexible it becomes. For a good postforming process to take place, the ideal material should not be left on the shelf for more than four months.

Another point to note prior to the production process is the quality of the Particleboard (Pb). Due to the intensity of the HPL gluing process, a Pb of lower quality would disintegrate, wasting materials and time.

Also, during this process, two variable perimeters will have to be observed, namely the heating station and the feeding speed of the machine. A

Examples of postformed workpieces with a radius of 3 mm

Technology Case Study With Homag

Accepting Modernisation in Taipei.

Chuan Mei, located in Taipei County, Taiwan is a family run company that was established in 1990. The owner and managing director, Ms Yen produce a wide range of system and office furniture, as well as school and government project furniture for customers throughout Taiwan.

Since 2007 Ms Yen has consistently invested in the developing technology, recognising its importance in the process of modernisation. She also employed a fulltime sales team. This has seen Chuan Mei double its turnover every year.

Traditional edgebanding practices involve gluing the surfaces onto the edges and cutting it down from there to provide a smooth edge surface. In that point, the quality of the edgeband material and glue matters for aesthetics and durability.

Typically factories in Taiwan receive orders from designers, which come in different dimensions. Manufacturers commonly term this as a ‘batch size’.

The process of handling such orders can be tedious, human labour intensive and afflicted with human errors.

Four years ago, Ms Yen understood that she had to improve her production in terms of quality and efficiency. She had to break away from the traditional

good engineer overseeing the operation would take into consideration the effect heat has on HPLs with different colours, as well as the line of the heat distribution based on the feed speed. Postforming technology, which is meant to allow rounded edges to be applied to panel shaped workpieces, is meant to offer enhanced scope for creative design. this technique is an introduction to an imminent trend in furniture design and manufacture, namely that smaller and seamless postforming can be achieved. It is just a matter of working with the right technology. the significance of producing narrow edges with quality surfaces provides possibilities in the interior design field.

Furniture manufacturers can produce classy furniture with the surface and edge appearing to have been made from a single mould. there will be no interruption to the surface; no glue joints will be visible. conventionally in a pioneering role for postforming technology, this achievement was targeted from as long as 15 years ago. A plant, which combined all the work steps required for this process, was planned for and eventually created. FDM

form of investing with different suppliers, as they will not allow her to link her production together in a seamless manner to further develop Chuan Mei’s business.

She initially invested in a single edgebander, which improved the quality of the finished furniture. Then at LIGNA 2007, she sent a delegation to the exhibition to further investigate technology and modern methods for efficient production and consistent quality.

From that point, the process of modernisation took place. Investments to date have included two more edgebanders, a drilling and routering machine, with a panel saw as the latest addition to her manufacturing and woodprocessing arsenal.

Eventually, Chuan Mei made the necessary orders for a stock management system to its retinue. To compliment the investment in machinery, Chuan Mei has also added software such as ‘IMOS’ and ‘Cutright’ panel saw software.

Basically the drive behind these investments is a result of two factors: Ms Yen sought a continuous, complete and reliable support from the machining company. She also wanted the efficiency of a complete system. Investing accordingly will allow her to increase her productivity by more than 100 percent, keep the products quality consistent and obtain the highest possible yield from raw materials while using the same number of machines. At the same time, this system allowed her to reduce labour intensive manpower, minimise human errors and resource wastage.

All these investments have been facilitated by specialists from Homag Asia and supported and serviced by the staff of the Taiwan branch.

Believing in the strong foundation of a family business, Ms Yen enlisted the help of her son and daughter in this venture as well. Despite Chuan Mei’s leap forward and growth in performance in recent years, Ms Yen has never lost sight of her key business principles.

These principles were on staff welfare and relationship building with suppliers and customers alike.

ENQUIRY NO. 7204

Ms Yen with the staff & family, Matthew Sng & Chris Chan from Homag Taiwan.

ENQUIRY NO. 7205 www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

39

Panels

Print laminates have versatile uses and fit into any part of the house, be it in the living room or the kitchen

Interior decorations range from the modern to the classic, and print laminates provide a versatile look to interiors

For both flat and staggered floorings like stairs, laminates fit into the role of easily implemented decorations

Direction Of Print

Printing on panels is a field that has consistently developed in step with the advancement of flooring techniques and contemporary interior design.

Many professionals have stated that print designs, whether through direct or indirect printing, have expanded greatly. contributed by EPLF

P

rinting techniques are use to provide a variety of decorations on wood panel boards that would subsequently be used for many purposes.

Now print laminates is a regular feature in flooring designs. the european Producers of Laminate Flooring (ePLF) states that traditionally produced laminate flooring is made up of three layers.

Laminate coverings are materials, which can be used for decorative interior designing. they are durable, easy to install and manage. Laminate floorings are produced on an industrial basis with a range of application classes to cover different uses. these floor coverings consist mainly of natural wood and have numerous advantageous characteristics. two trends dominate the international laminate market. one is the continuous improvement in surfaces by means of

40 FDM AsiA october 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

synchronised grain and pore printing and the other is the development of direct print laminates using indirect gravure printing. this technology, which has been regularly used in the furniture industry, is a new development in flooring applications.

With its directly printed main boards and lacquered finish, this represents another generation of laminate floorings. And it is now, a sizable market.

At the same time, surface designs in conventionally produced laminate products are constantly improving. With synchronized grain and pore printing, it is currently possible to obtain a close reproduction of natural characteristics. Again, wood decorations continue to hold centre stage.

It was not long ago that Mediterranean designs in terracotta and white were in demand, but market forces demand for starker contrasts with slate and granite.

Fantasy designs with patterns from the

seventies, blue or green stripes, colourful floral patterns and other creative design themes are also being explored and developed. trends in wood designs are inclined towards the darker species such as walnut, wengé and merbau, and the mid-brown wood types, such as oak and acacia, are available in darker shades. the grained profile and high heartwood content breathe life into the product, creating movement and natural appearances. the play of colours introduces dynamic elements, with individual floorboard laminate floorings demonstrating much broader contrasts in colour and emphasise a natural appeal. to convey an impression of calm and elegance, the preference is for woods with matt surfaces, while for rustic designs, verging on the antique, it is the deep brushed or ‘scrubbed’ surfaces that enjoy popularity. the effect is that of handcrafted wood, hence the name ‘hand-scraped surfaces’. Attractive fruitwoods such as wild cherry and pear tree complete the decorative spectrum alongside exotic woods such as rosewood and teak.

Farmhouse And Oblong the classic ship’s deck pattern with its ‘three strips’ look may have been popular

Panels a few years ago, but the ‘two strip’ floorboards or single strip farmhouse floorboards have become widely accepted in the market now.

While floorboard width has become increasingly narrow, by 70 or 80mm, the length of floorboards range across a spread of 400 to 1300mm. the farmhouse floorboard with its aesthetic appeal is popular in home interiors, as flooring becomes subjected to individual design. oblong formats, such as those with a dimension of 200 by 2005mm, are becoming attractive, especially when large areas of flooring need to be laid out. the trend towards lacquered surfaces is increasing across the laminate market. the technologies for the production of direct print laminate floorings has seized on this idea, although it is also possible to find conventionally manufactured laminate floorings with lacquered surfaces.

In terms of both their optical and haptic qualities, they come very close to parquet and represent a further addition to the variety offered by the laminate flooring portfolio. Lacquered laminate floorings are usually available with matt or gloss surfaces.

Attributes Of Laminates Products such as laminate flooring are popular in newly built dwellings and grace many refurbishment. A variety of decors allows for versatile interior design ideas. Designs such as wood-grain reproductions are in fashion, especially those in light tones, like beech, maple or ash. reproductions featuring more reddish wood varieties like mahogany or cherry are also gaining popularity.

Laminate flooring is non-fading, resistant against impact, scratches, and abrasion. but one has to note that this is not a generic attribute. Different laminate flooring has varying quality levels.

Modern brands of laminate products can be used in a living environment as well as in projects and commercial areas.

Its simple handling enables the handyman to lay his laminate products himself.

Constructed To Nature In addition to their functional characteristics, laminate floor coverings have a harmless and environmentally friendly ecological profile.

Laminates are generally made of wood. the core board of laminate flooring is made of high-density fibreboards (HDF), which consist of about 90 percent wood fibre and 10 percent environmentally friendly glue resin. the top covering on the HDF boards is generally made up of several layers of paper impregnated with melamine resin. the underside is covered with backing paper. Laminate floor coverings are made mainly of the fibres from the renewable raw material wood, along with a relatively minor amount of synthetic resin. they are manufactured in modern production plants that meet today’s requirements in respect of emissions and environmental protection measures. Many of the plants also have their own energy and heat production systems. the melamine resin used for the impregnation of the surface layer paper is water-based. It contains no organic solvents and once cured, it provides a surface resistant to chemicals, water, organic solvents, light and temperature. the top covering also contains the decorative paper, without which the diversity of design ideas would not be possible. the decors are printed using modern technology with inks and pigments. the top surface layer of the covering panel contains a natural mineral based substance, usually ‘corundum’, which provides extra protection against wear.

In addition, the surface layers do not contain any plasticising agents. Laminate coverings are durable products. these coverings can be replaced or repaired thanks to the glueless click connections commonly used now. these coverings can

be disposed of as bulk waste without any problems as they are suitable for recycling. the decorative paper gives the laminate flooring its individual appearance and there is a wide range of authentic wood reproductions as well as a variety of tile designs and décors. the wear layer is provided by the melamine resin, a highly wear resistant material that makes laminate flooring durable. the backbone of the laminate is provided by the core layer, which supports the decorative paper and the overlay. It is made of compressed wood fibres, which is differentiated by High Density Fibreboard (HDF) or Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) depending upon its degree of density.

A variety of different papers with other functions can be inserted between the core layer and the decorative paper, for example, a footstep sound insulation layer. the production process involves the individual layers in the wood piece being compressed under pressure and at high temperature.

Directly printed laminate flooring is thus produced, whereby the core layer is directly printed on with the décor and lacquered. the flooring is subsequently electron-beamed-hardened and laminated with a foil-surface.

The first EPDs Environmental Product Declarations Laminate products are environmentally friendly. A survey of the Fraunhofer WilhelmKlauditz-Institute for timber research in braunschweig (Germany) provides a conclusion that laminate flooring that are usually free of chloride and PVc, do not contain any wood preservatives and can be used in sensitive areas.

Due to its high wood content, laminate flooring scores well in terms of using renewable resources and global warming potential in particular, because wood produces co2, a greenhouse gas, during plant growth. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7301

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA october 2009

41

Executive Insights

Executive Insights: Huntsman

INTO MDI An exclusive interview with Iain Stanton, Huntsman’s composite wood panel marketing manager for Europe and Asia.

O

ne of the world’s suppliers of Methylene Diphenyl diIsocyanate (MDI) resins, Huntsman produces over 700,000 tonnes of this versatile binder every year.

MDI has been used within the production of composite wood products for over 30 years. Despite having an established ‘tried and tested’ background, the wood industry has sometimes been slow to pick up on the possibilities that this technology has to offer.

However, more stringent controls such as the california Air resources board (cArb) come into practice, placing limits on the release levels of formaldehyde from wood based panels.

MDI resins quickly become the ‘no added formaldehyde’ option.

FDM Asia talks to Iain Stanton, composite wood panel marketing manager for europe and Asia, to find out how the economic climate has affected the industry and what the future has in store for the production and application of MDI resins.

For

Huntsman,

this is not a difficult decision

to

make.

We are committed to delivering innovation within all aspects of our business and none more so than within the composite wood division. Despite the challenges facing the wood panel industry in 2009, we have launched our I-bond brand for our range of wood resins, as well as our I-release brand of associated

Pacific technology centre at the Minhang

release agents. Furthermore, Huntsman’s

Development Zone in Shanghai, china.

investment in product innovation is ongoing,

china and Asean offer many exciting

and we feel that it is this dedication to

opportunities for growth and we will continue

finding new solutions for our customers, both

to invest in the region to meet the challenges.

current and prospective, that will hold us in good stead for the recovery of this industry.

Q: huntsman has operations and investments in south-east asia and greater asia. What regional activities Will be coming up in 2010?

Q: Where do you position yourself in the asian market? hoW do you see yourself evolving?

A: Our key strength lies in understanding our customers and ensuring we have a wide range of recourses and support teams

Q: With the volatile economy, What are the strategies that huntsman Will be employing to keep it ahead?

A: Huntsman Polyurethanes, formally ‘IcI

within the Asian market. Huntsman has local

Polyurethanes’, has actually been active

manufacturing facilities and local commercial

in the Asia market for over 25 years. In

and technical teams, which means we have

A: the way I see it, the current climate

2007, we opened our first MDI production

people on hand day to day who understand

presents us with two choices; companies can

facilities in china, where we now manufacture

the processes and activities and who are able

choose to lay low and wait for the storm to

approximately 120,000 tonnes of MDI

to deliver solutions for our Asian customers.

pass or to build for the future and emerge

annually. Our activities were expanded in

In addition, we have local environment,

stronger as a result.

September 2008 when we opened the Asia

health and safety experts to ensure compliance

42 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Executive Insights

Production plants face more controls with concerns to environmental protection

with all necessary procedures and practices.

there are a number of misconceptions

Fibreboard (MDF) and Particleboard (Pb) in

Huntsman also has a network of

out there and it is our job to reassure the

particular is more widespread in Asia, due

regional account managers and established

industry that MDI technology is just as safe

largely to the production of furniture, and

sales and distribution channels. I think that

as other resin technologies. there are certain

we have established clear targets based

having dedicated support at every stage

environment, health and safety practices

upon the existing industry demand as

of the process is a major strength we can

that need to be followed when using MDI

well as the levels of interest received for

be proud of.

in the production of wood panel products,

potential future business, which is being

but this is in line with the standards the

driven by the increasing demand for ‘no

Q: How is tHe AsiAn region’s reception to HuntsmAn products?

industry should be seeking to uphold when

added formaldehyde’ resins.

A: At this point, I would say we are at the

Our team of industrial hygiene specialists

of increased awareness on the benefits this

handling any chemical.

We believe that through a combination

start of a promising journey. there have been

can offer guidance and practical advice and

technology can offer, together with external

some encouraging signs and we are optimistic

we are confident that helping new customers

pressure on the industry towards ‘no added

about the future, with interest coming from

understand more about the product will

formaldehyde’ solutions, the market will

numerous potential customers. the immediate

lead to continued rising levels of uptake.

continue to move towards to the preferential

focus for Huntsman is to ensure that this

use of MDI resins for wood panels. information and the personalisation needed

will be education on the handling, applications

Q: wHAt Are tHe growtH tArgets for tHese Aspects And Are tHere plAns in plAce to Help meet tHese tArgets?

and advantages of MDI technology.

A: the manufacture of Medium Density

MDI technology. We offer technical support

reception is translated into solutions for these companies and instrumental to this success

Huntsman’s aim is to provide the to help companies make the change to

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

43

Executive Insights and realistic trials for new customers within their own production plants so that they can see how it works before they make the investment. this is something that no other MDI producer can provide.

Q: What can be expected in terms of huntsman’s product and technology in the next tWo to three years?

A: It can be hard to predict what innovations may come in the future, as this industry can be quite fast paced at times, but the strength of MDI technology is that the possibilities are endless.

MDI Resin in MDF Board construction

What I can say at this time is that our core science groups are currently working on ‘blue sky’ technology for changes to

resins will classify a product as both cArb

direct comparison of price per tonne of

our existing products as well as developing

I, II, as well as Japanese F**** compliant.

resin, as this will give a false perception.

Instead, potential customers must consider

enhanced solutions for the MDF industry.

shall also be investigating ways to speed

Q: please elaborate hoW the mdi product Will provide customer solutions in terms of efficiency and savings.

up processing times, to be ready when the

A: I-bond resins provide numerous processing

show MDI as a competitive resin proposition

market has recovered.

and performance benefits. For example, 100

over traditional formaldehyde resins.

Improvements in ‘release’ technology and optimised resin dosage rates are two areas that Huntsman is currently exploring and we

it from the cost of resin/m3 produced, as application rates of MDI resins have been reduced considerably over the years. this calculation will reveal a clear picture and

percent MDI can be used in the production

Q: What is the difference in mdi resin and its predecessor (such as toluene diisocyanate or tdi) and hoW Will the benefits justify the cost?

of special MDF quality grades like exterior grade panels, moisture resistant panels, thin panels for flooring applications and low density panels, all of which are produced according

A: It is important not to confuse MDI and

to the F**** or super e0 formaldehyde

tDI resins, as they are different from each

emission standard.

Q: hoW do the current market conditions affect customers? Will they hold off on purchasing neW solutions or Will the economic conditions spur them to make purchases?

other. tDI resin has traditionally been used

to illustrate, I-bond MDF 4330, a products

A: Once we recovered from the initial shock

in the manufacture of polyurethane flexible

for MDF production, is a result of continuous

of the scale of the economic downturn, it

foams for the furniture industry, but these are

development in resin technology. this resin

was clear that this situation has created a

being replaced by MDI based foam systems.

forms a stable emulsion with water, providing

lot of opportunities. the pressures for ‘no

Huntsman has pioneered the use of

better distribution on the wood fibres in

added formaldehyde’ solutions remain, but

MDI resins in wood based panels and has

the blow line and resulting in significantly

in addition our customers are often looking

accumulated 30 years experience in using

increased panel performance.

for new panel innovations, for enhanced

these resins in the manufacture of Oriented

Another example is I-bond Pb 4352,

physical properties or to develop products

Strand board (OSb), MDF and Pb. Wood

which has been developed for the Pb

with added value. these are all areas where

Fibre Insulation boards (WFI) is the latest

industry. this resin is compatible with standard

MDI resins can provide significant advantages

area in development.

(melamine) urea formaldehyde (M)UF resins

over conventional resin.

Our range of MDI resins are formaldehyde-

and is commonly used as a catalyst in hybrid

However, we are constantly looking

free and fast curing resins for the composite

systems, which can typically result in a 15

at ways of improving the whole process,

wood panel industry. I-bond resins contain no

percent increase in line speed.

working on the basics such as developing

added formaldehyde and are considered as

We are often confronted with the argument

faster resins, as these developments will

‘exempt’ within the requirements of section

that MDI resins are too expensive but this

bring further benefits to our customers when

93120.3 of the cArb standards. Using I-bond

is not the case. It is unfair to carry out a

demand picks up again.

44 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Executive Insights Q: what was your bIggest achIevement thIs year and what can we expect to see for the next 12 months?

A: Our biggest achievement this year has been the growth of the business despite the economic downturn, accomplished by proving that our MDI technology represents a real and viable alternative to traditional resins.

An illustration of which has been the launch of the first 100 percent MDI based MDF boards to be manufactured and marketed

by Zhenghe in china.

Q: If you had to make one predIctIon for 2010, what would It be?

A: Well, I can’t say too much yet, but I believe that 2010 will mark a milestone in the use of resins in Asia. We have some technology being developed for the wood panel industry, which we hope to commercialise in 2010.

Q: have there been any sIgnIfIcant breakthroughs In past years, whIch are provIdIng leverage for the company today?

A: the introduction of cArb Level I legislation The new Carb legislation allows environmentally safer homes

in the US, which was implemented from January 1st 2009, has put in place limits on the level of permissible formaldehyde emitted from wood based panels. In turn,

Q: In your vIew, please descrIbe the future of the adhesIve Industry and the IndustrIes that It wIll complement.

expertise and eHS specialists, will prove to

this has stimulated a number of initiatives

be the best way of servicing the market.

outside of the US, such as the development also stimulated major furniture producers to

wood panel industry for adhesive innovations

Q: your marketIng efforts wIll be focused on a key trend In the Industry In 2010, and thIs would be…

will continue to grow. Wood products are

A: As demand for ‘no added formaldehyde’

It has also increased consumer awareness

being used on a bigger scale within the

resins continue to gain momentum, we will

of the issue, which in turn has put pressure on

construction of houses, the consumer trend

be focusing on educating potential users

producers to provide acceptable alternatives.

in recent years has been in favour of wood

about the benefits our resins have to offer

the more stringent cArb level II comes

furniture for the home.

A: Huntsman anticipates that demand from the

of the ePF-S standard in europe, and has be far more aware and selective about the products they produce and sell.

wood product applications, not only to solve

into effect in 2011 for Pb and MDF, so

Innovation will continue to be a key driver

the legislative issue, but also to help them

it is clear that this is an issue that the

within the adhesive industry, as faster and

produce products at a competitive price. As

industry must face sooner rather than later.

more efficient resins are developed and as

the global market leader in MDI resins for

Many producers are currently trying our

the composite wood industry seeks to answer

the wood panel industry, we intend to inform

technology while they are not facing normal

the growing consumer and legislative push

producers of the possibilities and back up

production pressures. As such, they have

towards ‘no added formaldehyde’ solutions.

our words by showing them in their own

the time to fully evaluate the technology for

From a supplier’s perspective, I believe

production facilities that MDI resins are the

themselves.

that local supply, backed up by local technical

solution for their adhesive needs.

FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 8701

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

45

MARKET REPORT

Understanding Between

Singapore Italy

Early September 2009 saw the formalisation of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) and the FederlegnoArredo (FLA), the Italian Federation of Wood, Cork, Furniture and Furnishing Industries. Daniel Cai reports

S

FIC President, Mr Andrew Ng, and the President of FLA, Mr Rosario Messina, signed the MOU that is intended to pave the way for promoting understanding, knowledge sharing and the fostering of partnerships between Singapore and Italian furniture manufacturers.

Witnessed by Dr Massimiliano Sponzilli, the trade commissioner of the Italian Trade Commission in Singapore and Mr Chong Lit Cheong, chief executive officer (CEO) of International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, this is the first agreement of its kind between the local furniture council and a European counterpart.

Addressing the audience, Mr Ng said: “In April, Singapore Mozaic, the local furniture industry brand, participated in the Salone Internazionale del Mobile that was held in Milan, Italy. This was led by SFIC and IE Singapore, and supported by SPRING Singapore and the DesignSingapore Council.

Our participation was mentioned by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech, as an example of how Singapore companies are spreading its wings overseas. Italy is the world’s centre for quality furniture and designs.

46 FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Our local players will have much to learn from their Italian counterparts.”

The MOU signify a start to active expansion on the relationship SFIC has built with FLA, the parent organisation of the Milan fair. Both parties look to this MOU to open new gateways for trade, exchanges and collaborations that will add value to Singapore’s furniture industry.

Mr Messina said: “The consolidation of the world furniture market is now demanding for FLA to take part in worldwide projects such as the organisation of international furniture fairs, design exhibitions and other seminars and conferences which could strengthen our competitiveness. Our international strategy is to promote Italian wood furniture through global events, and close cooperation with fellow furniture associations such as SFIC that will result in ‘win-win’ situations for everyone.

Under the scope of the agreement, SFIC will work together with FLA to facilitate collaborations and match Singapore and Italian furniture companies that has capabilities to complement each other’s businesses.

Singapore manufacturers will have the opportunity to cooperate with Italian retailers and export products into the Italy

‘Dr Massimiliano P. Sponzilli, Trade Commissioner, Italian Trade Commission in Singapore and Mr Chong Lit Cheong, CEO of IE Singapore (standing, from left), witness the signing of the MOU by Mr Rosario Messina, FLA President and Mr Andrew Ng, SFIC President (seated, from left).’

market. Similarly, Italian manufacturers can forge partnerships with Singapore companies to add value to their existing products and penetrate emerging markets in Asia. Local companies can also take on distribution or franchising of Italian brands in the ASEAN region.

SFIC and FLA will link companies with furniture designers or architects to jointly undertake international projects.

They will search for suitable marketing opportunities and provide support to companies from each country in the sourcing of raw materials, technology and production related services.

They will also promote trade exchange by leading delegations to reputed global trade fairs in each country.

Accelerated Growth, Intensive Business Singapore’s Prime Minister singled out the local furniture industry for its transformation from a labour intensive trade into one that is known for design and quality.

Comprising of 2,020 companies and

MARKET REPORT creating jobs for 14,000 people in 2008, the Singapore furniture industry has operations in more than 16 countries. According to figures, Singapore’s total furniture trade hit S$4.2 billion (US$2.95 billion), with exports amounting to S$3.2 billion.

Its counterpart, the Italian woodworking and furniture making sector has a turnover of over €38 billion (US$55.2 billion), and employs around 410,000 people. exports represent more than 30 percent of the

bilateral trade between Singapore and Italy totalled S$5.77 billion in 2008 and reinforces sentiments that can possibly accelerate industrial growth with business connections between participants in each country.

Mr Messina elaborated further on the areas that FLA is responsible for, from the business development aspect of raw materials to finished Italian furnishing products, to the promotional aspect of

About FederlegnoArredo

furniture designers and manufacturers.

An area that FLA intends to explore is the export of Italian design and concepts rather than the finished furniture itself, and part of which is in the grooming and exchange of ideas between young local and Italian designers.

Mr Ng shared that cooperation and the exchange of ideas between local and Italian designers and manufacturers have been ongoing for the last one and a half

Federlegno-Arredo promotes two international trade fairs in

Founded in 1945, FederlegnoArredo (FLA) is the Italian Federation of Wood, Cork,

Milan:

Furniture and Furnishing Industries. It is part of Confindustria, the main confederation

Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano – “I Saloni” with the latest

of the Italian industry, which supports technical and economic development,

to be held from April 14-19 2010. In the 2009 edition, almost 313,000 (with

carries out professional training and technical education, and promotes the

more than 155,000 from abroad) visitors attended this event.

industry through exhibitions, professional trade fairs and consortiums.

MADE Expo – The International Event for Projects, Architecture and

With over 2,300 member companies, FLA represents quality Italian woodworking and furniture making. The wood and furniture industry sector in Italy has built

Building – Milano. This will be held from February 3-6 2010. The 2009 edition saw more than 200,000 visitors attended the exhibition.

most of its success on the continuous growth of their presence abroad.

total production.

Mr Ng said: “In the face of worldwide economic challenges, this MOU marks another step forward in the Singapore furniture industry’s efforts to expand business opportunities. We are confident that our collaboration with FLA will help Singapore and Italian companies open up doors of opportunities in areas of development and in new markets.”

In a question and answer session, both parties addressed topics on trade and development as well as the mutual exchange of ideas to facilitate the growth of the industry in the east Asian region.

Mr Ng emphasised on the advantage that Singapore had in terms of the many characteristics, such as effective management, skilled workforce, updated design capabilities and flexible production facilities owned by Singapore that is located within the region.

In addition, Singaporean participants are versed in both Western and eastern business practices as well as its languages, enforcing its role as a springboard to Asia.

Italian furniture in the form of trade shows and agreements.

“With an unavoidable movement in a globalisation process, Italy is slowly shifting to a position whereby the industry’s focus is in importing raw and unfinished materials for assembly and export. this comes in the face of limited resources and the need for raw materials.” He said.

Highlighting the length of time it took for Italy to arrive where it is, he stated that Italy had benefited from 70 years of experience, while trials and errors committed served to strengthen their position in the market. Mr Messina also said Singapore is a young country that has achieved much in a short span of time and he hopes this MOU serves as an opportunity for Singaporean participants to tap onto Italy’s experience.

Out of Trade When asked to provide further details on the objectives outside of trade, both parties reinforced their activities in providing opportunities for a future generation of

ENQUIRY NO. 7402

years. It has grown considerably with the help of the Singapore government trade agencies.

He also remarked that part of the MOU explores the idea of having Italian designs to be imported for assembly in Singapore.

Mr roberto Snaidero, FLA’s in-charge for international relations, reminds the audience that there will be a need to embrace a change in mindset. He feels that at this stage, an important objective is to stabilise growth with the support of both the government agencies and the Italian counterpart as well as to identify new angles for trade.

Mr James Koh, the current presidential advisor of SFIc and the chairman of KODA, an OeM/ODM furniture manufacturer in Singapore shared that the main challenge Singapore participants will face is the need for more exposure. Support for local firms in the Milan exhibition is important and he hopes to see the idea of having Singapore as a satellite for FLA’s “I Saloni” Milan in Asia. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7401

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

47

MARKET REPORT

Optimising

Cabinet Manufacture Optima China integrates design and manufacturing technology to achieve market share in the cabinet industry. A case study by Jean Soucy, director for Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East, 2020 technologies

A

s a notable manufacturer of kitchen cabinets, wardrobe, and bathroom cabinets in Asia and China, Optima spearheaded the development of the integrated home furnishings industry in China. Today, their integrated concepts have grown, and their products are exported to more than 50 countries.

Accelerating Design And Production Optima sought to improve its competitive advantage by offering choices to its customers. They encourage shoppers to customise their selection at the store and satisfy their furnishing needs that reflected individual tastes. This strategy worked and the company has established itself as a provider of integrated home concepts in China.

In its bid to modernise its production capabilities, the company took necessary steps to study and reallocate its current resources, which catered to its plans in offering large-scale customisation services while streamlining the manufacturing process. They focused on improving order accuracy by using modular designs and an integrated technology platform to connect their design and production teams into a seamless line.

During the course of research, Optima’s manufacturing machinery provider

48 FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Efficient workmanship are all based on a smooth integration of modern automation

recommended that 20-20Technologies should be involved in providing a solution.

20-20Technologies is a software and service provider that specialises in interior design planning and manufacturing technology.

After a few meetings, both parties agreed to cooperate. Mr Xiao, the wardrobe business manager stated that a mutual cooperation was possible because both parties had mutually aligned directions.

Integrating Technologies; Showroom To Production Using existing equipment and engaging the local 20-20Technologies team for advice, the company focused on improving their up-stream processes without incurring too much cost. A fully integrated software platform was implemented. It facilitated

showroom designers who needed more flexibility to respond to customer demands while making it faster to send custom orders into production.

Taking a step-by-step approach, the 20-20Technologies team first identified the ideal technology that would accomplish the objectives.

The solution included implementing point-of-sale software that allowed showroom employees to customise and visualise complex kitchen and wardrobe designs. The IMOS Computer Assisted Design/Computer Assisted Manufacture (CADCAM) programme and Homag’s WoodWOP, for production automation needs such as nesting and Computer Numeric Control (CNC) simulation, was also integrated into the production system.

MARKET REPORT

Initial furnishing procedures will include digitally rendered photos

Although 20-20technologies developed their own furniture design and specialised cAM applications, the solutions team in china made non-proprietary software recommendations that would fit well together and best serve the needs of the company.

for fabrication by applying construction configuration logic to each component. In essence, the cAD programme analyses the closet design and add the necessary hinges, dowels, hole patterns and other cut operations for the project’s part list to be ready for manufacture.

Designs In The Showroom

Planning CNC Manufacture

Software such as 20-20Design is commonly used for frontline employees in interior design firms. Since it specialises in complex projects like kitchens furniture, it was ideal to handle optima’s line of closets. It became possible for the consultant designer to ‘build’ a customised kitchen cabinet in a few minutes and present the finished arrangement as a high quality photo-rendered picture. the customer will be able to understand better what will be ordered. there will also be time to review the prints and make adjustments where needed.

At the factory, automated calculations, parts lists and documentation are sorted out. As the consultants and designers in the store cannot be expected to know the engineering process of complex furniture arrangements, this task was allotted to the IMoS software at the production end. It captures the furniture design specifications directly from 20-20Design at the front end and prepared each assembly

the yield obtained from woodworking machinery can increase significantly if the tools are fed by a powerful automation system. It was at optima’s factory in southern china where the 20-20 team performed the integration between IMoS and several manufacturing machines. the entire process took three weeks and included the integration with WoodWoP, for cNc simulation and control. once the platform was validated, the manufacturing experts at optima were able to push custom engineered designs, electronically through the machines with a high degree of accuracy in production.

Design and production time was recorded to be reduced by half as based on the company’s experience with the implemented solution. relying on modern software to make the furniture more flexible and modular, the company was further able to obtain automated documentation such as a custom bill of materials and cut list in a shorter time span.

A more rapid process based on front end and back end software

An integrated system allow for cNc machines to be used more efficiently.

“From the initial time that 20-20technologies came in to setup the IMoS software, connect it to our machines and train us to maintain it, less than a month had elapsed. We didn’t think such automation could be achieved so quickly. the final step was to have 20-20technologies create, in 3D format, our extensive catalogue so that our instore experts could have the freedom to quickly design and present what the customer expects. With the catalogues, it becomes possible to send customer designs directly to the factory, where IMoS will process the information to be sent to our manufacturing equipment.

So the time to create customer designs and send them to the factory is halved as well,” says Mr. Xiao. optima was able to achieve their aim of modernising their production line and increase their production efficiency. Software remains to this day, a relevant component of production and manufacturing. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7403

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA october 2009

49

MARKET REPORT

Kitchen Cabinetry with

Chinese Bamboo Bamboo products provide environmentally design solutions for the kitchen, bath and entire home. by Ann Knight, executive vice president and global brand director of Teragren.

F

or centuries, Asian cultures have relied on bamboo for sustenance, shelter and as a material for products ranging from furniture to musical instruments. Western countries have caught on to bamboo’s myriad attributes. It is durable, versatile and renewable resource, with aesthetic appeal to boot.

As a growing number of consumers seek ways to incorporate ‘green’ products into their decor, bamboo is an alternative to traditional hardwoods for products ranging from flooring to countertops to panels and veneer for kitchen cabinetry.

“As consumers become more environmentally aware and look to incorporate eco-friendly materials within their homes, we’re thrilled to offer sustainable bamboo products that meet this growing demand. Bamboo panels and moulding will make for cabinetry, window trims, backsplashes and more, helping homeowners create the ultimate ‘green’ experience in home décor.” Ann states.

Teragren’s bamboo panels are used for kitchen and bath cabinetry, as well as custom furniture. As a manufacturer, the company guarantees the quality of its products and uses materials that meet Japanese, European and US environmental standards. Its bamboo production is controlled from harvest to final product.

Teragren works exclusively with one factory group in the Zhejiang Province of China to ensure its supply is harvested and

50 FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

manufactured to environmentally conscious specifications. The factory group is ISO 9001 and 14001-certified (International Organization for Standardization) with 11 quality control inspection stations in the production process, plus a quality control engineer performing spot checks.

Furthermore, the manufacturing facility generates energy from the bi-product of bamboo sawdust that is created during the manufacturing process. This material fuel the boilers that generate steam and power the drying kilns, conveyor oven, hot press and caramelizing tanks. It is also used to heat the facility buildings.

This factory has received the chain-ofcustody (COC) certification through the Forest Stewardship Council.

Created through a patented manufacturing process that fuses bamboo strands with environmentally safe adhesive, the bamboo panels are durable offer and a complement to any décor, from traditional to contemporary.

For Kitchen Cabinetry Kitchen cabinets are often a defining element in kitchen space. Bamboo panels and veneer offer a viable choice for sustainable kitchen cabinetry. In particular, a wide selection of furniture grade bamboo panels and veneers offer a variety of grains and colours to complement any style of décor.

Traditional panels include the

consistency of vertical grains to the subtle interruptions in flat grains.

Another environmentally sensitive alternative to remodelling the kitchen is refacing existing cabinetry with bamboo.

Instead of replacing cabinets entirely, consumers can achieve a new look, while not affecting the overall layout. This keeps expenses down. Existing doors, drawer fronts and hardware are optional elements that can be removed and replaced with new ones.

Bamboo panels and veneer machine nicely, finish cleanly and are available in many standard dimensions as well as custom dimensions.

In addition, Teragren offers Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) ‘indoor advantage gold’ certified panels, that is recognized for preventing indoor air toxins.

Residential installations bamboo panels and veneer are plentiful. Popular products include traditional vertical grain caramelised and natural bamboo panels. Of casework applications, cabinetry is one of the highest uses in both commercial and residential applications.

Growing Demand for Bamboo Products In an age of heightened awareness about dwindling timber resources and climate change, the demand for ‘green’ products is also growing.

Bamboo is popular for products ranging from flooring to countertops to panels and veneer for sustainable, durable kitchen cabinetry.

MARKET REPORT

©2007 John Granen

According to a global survey by the boston consulting Group, more consumers purchased green products in 2008 than 2007, and buying green products has a remained a priority for those consumers, despite the economic downturn. the green building market is growing, as well. McGraw Hill construction states that the US green building market is expected to expand from US$12 billion in 2008 to US$60 billion in 2010. In china, it is estimated that the market for energy efficient buildings and green building upgrades will be US$55 million by 2012, according to the Asia eco Green building congress. Globally, 94 percent of construction industry firms expect to be significantly dedicated to green building by 2013, also according to McGraw Hill.

While bamboo has eco-friendly attributes, not all bamboo products are of the same quality. It is important to understand the manufacturing process and what makes bamboo ‘green’ in order to ensure sustainable and durable products.

Harvesting bamboo sustainably not only contributes to its ‘green’ attributes, it also contributes to product quality. traditional flooring and panel products made with Moso bamboo, when harvested and manufactured correctly, can be 25 percent harder than oak and twice as

©2007 John Granen

Colours plays a part in kitchen cabinetry, Wheat, Chestnut, Java, as well as Brindle—a color blending natural and caramelised bamboo strands

Bamboo panels and veneer machine nicely, finish cleanly and are available in many standard dimensions as well as custom dimensions. When fabricated into cabinetry, edge details do not require edgebanding www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA october 2009 51

MARKET REPORT Environmentally Friendly Bamboo

stable as maple. Strand bamboo products can be 154 percent harder than oak.

Bamboo harvested at maturity also leaves behind a thriving plant and new shoots, but harvesting it ‘too soon’ can result in performance problems like denting and cupping. It causes damage to the plant and negate the environmental aspects.

Growing up to two feet daily, Moso bamboo is among the hardest and most dense type of bamboo. It reaches maturity in approximately six years. It can be constantly harvested from the same root system.

Bamboo also relieves pressure on degraded forests and contributes to efforts to reduce global warming. Its canopy releases 35 percent more oxygen than a grove of hardwood trees, while its re-growth produces multiple canopies in a plant’s lifespan.

The environmental benefits of carbon sequestration in bamboo extend to the high quality bamboo products in residential

and commercial settings, which can last for many generations and ‘lock up’ the carbon over the product’s life.

Additionally, the proprietary manufacturing adhesive used in adhesives emits less formaldehyde than allowed by US OSHA, European E0, CARB Phase 1 and CARB Phase 2 and Japanese JIS/JAS F(****) emission standards. Select panels and veneer are available formaldehydefree for LEED project compliance.

Bamboo products should also be manufactured in a factory certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation. Teragren’s factory group in China shares a commitment to quality, environmental responsibility, safety and sustainable business practices. FDM

Purchasing Bamboo? Questions To Ask

Not all bamboo is the same. In order to ensure a beautiful, durable and renewable bamboo product, consumers should ask: When was the bamboo harvested?

Moso bamboo, takes five to six years to reach maturity.

Some companies harvest their bamboo prematurely, at three years or less, which result in bamboo as soft as fir, and which dent or warp easily. Harvesting early also causes damage to the plant.

What species is ideal?

Moso bamboo is a good choice. Bamboo may be soft and appear gray or dull if the wrong species was used or the bamboo was harvested too early.

and neither China nor the US has an independent grading system.

Consumers should ask retailers or other suppliers if the manufacturer uses a system of quality control and grading standards.

What will I get in terms of customer service?

Customers should know if the company supplying their bamboo could offer a high level of technical support and customer service.

Such service and support from reputable distributors and retailers are crucial.

How environmentally friendly is the bamboo?

How hard is it on the Janka ball test?

The Janka ball test is designed to measure the hardness level of wood floors and the higher the number, the better.

Teragren’s traditional bamboo products average 1820, resulting in products 25 percent harder than White Oak (1360) and 12 percent harder than Rock Maple (1450).

Is the bamboo coming from a reputable manufacturer, importer or trading house purchasing from any factories based on the lowest price?

Much of the bamboo sold in North America is grown in China.

However, quality control standards in China, where most bamboo is also produced, are inconsistent. There is little industry oversight,

Environmental friendliness is a big draw for many consumers, but not all bamboo is kind to the environment. Bamboo should not only be sustainably harvested but also feature components such as water-based, solvent-free, low VOC finishes and a manufacturing adhesive that meets European (E0) standards for off-gassing formaldehyde.

Will the product offer durability and value?

While some bamboo may be less expensive, it is also more likely to have been harvested prematurely, making it susceptible to denting or warping. A shorter product lifespan negates the eco-friendly aspects and results in higher costs in the long run.

ENQUIRY NO. 7404

52 FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Materials �Surfaces

Ergonomics Contemporary Asian

Cilicon Faytory is a Singaporean company with multiple accolades for their furniture and product designs. Having participated in several competitions and trade fairs, partners Cici and Honfay, share their opinion on contemporary ergonomic furniture design.

C

ilicon Faytory consists of two professionals with a combined background in architecture and product design. The company caters to consultancy services in architecture, interior, and product design.

Believing that a good designer has to be an all-rounder, with allowance to explore fundamentals and brainstorm for creative ideas, Cici and Honfay have applied these ideas into different design aspects.

This duo focuses on exploring what they term ‘marginal territory’, designs between Western and Eastern, between architecture and product. Their target is to create coherent works through a multi-disciplinary approach.

Emphasising on homegrown products, and tapping into the local or regional resources to establish a presence, Cilicon Faytory understands the uphill task that Asian designers face with European designers in the competition for market share. “Tapping into the capabilities of Asian manufacturers and services does provide some advantages,” says Honfay.

From services in heavy industries such as mass wood processing to light handicrafts such as carvings and bending wood into furniture produce, these services can be found in Malaysia

and Indonesia. Cici stresses that many such services still remain unique to Asia, and not many have tapped on its full potential as yet.

Inspiration For Ergonomic Design The concept of ergonomics work for many furniture designs, and Cilicon Faytory chooses to work with unique materials, while spotting trends in furniture manufacture. Raw materials can be found in places such as industrial sites, where their potential is not fully exploited yet. One of the series that was borne out of this is lightweight concrete furniture. Finding it being wasted in many construction sites, Cilicon Faytory created the Reco Sofa, a modern piece that finds a place in contemporary society.

However, wood is still the preferred medium of choice when it comes to furniture manufacture. “It is more flexible, pliable and many clientele look upon wood as a medium that relaxes the mind and body,” Honfay remarks.

When it comes to the production process, rubberwood from Malaysia is an underutilised source, as it provides a cost effective and durable raw material.

Another place where Cilicon Faytory visits regularly is Indonesia, where skills of woodworkers are suitable for intricate handicraft. The skills of the manufacturers are important, be it in furniture or furniture component manufacturing. The company works with many partners, providing the direction for furniture conceptualisation and product design, while partners focus on quality production. It is a two way process.

Researching raw materials for furniture, light weight concrete can be used for durability and style www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009

53

Materials �Surfaces Comfortable Ergonomics In Furniture Ergonomics has grown to an extent that it is beyond physical attributes. Now, it is also necessary for furniture to adapt to, first and foremost, different people’s psychology, to multiple functions and subsequently different types of body shapes. Furniture is no longer restricted to a single function. People now sit, work and even sleep on couches. Its design has to cater to such needs.

It is understood that ergonomic furniture includes the involvement of body posture principles such as having proper backrest, shoulder and neck support, among other functions, however, there are now different schools of thoughts and ergonomic principles have advanced to an integration of medical science and aesthetics.

Where furniture is produced with the necessary combination of both health and comfort, it is now necessary for furniture to be sufficiently generic so that the user can integrate it into different daily usage.

Function is up to the user’s imagination, and the key word is ‘comfort’.

In short, ergonomic furniture design is expressed on comfort in use, and not over much on the technical health and posturing aspect.

Exploring production and development from a commercial context, it is next to impossible to produce ergonomically designed furniture that would appeal to everybody, especially when different peoples have different body types. A key aspect is to work on taking the average body dimension of a group of people, as opposed to the alternative of working on making two sets of dimensions for both European and Asian clientele. “Most of the time, it is always about averages.”

Cici said.

So far, demand for furniture designs depend very much on the market, and demand is usually from European clients.

Honfay shares that solutions to cater

54 FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

for both demographics is possible. For example, dining chair with cushions will be much easier to cater to both parties. Different materials used in the manufacture can assist to buffer between sizes. Producing a basic wooden frame based with an average size will be commercially viable, while creating the cushion with another material, which can be moulded and fitted according to the consumer’s use, will provide the solution of a comfortable fit.

European furniture designs usually have an additional leeway of two cm, hence generic furniture dimensions would be different between Europe and Asia.

Additional spaces provide a different comfort level, The company works with the notion that creative furniture design and ergonomic furniture design goes hand in hand. Since the time of its inception, inspiration for furniture can come from a song, from movies, from anything in daily life.

An interesting furniture designer that left an impression was Tokujin Yoshioka, a Japanese artist and designer that always participated heavily in the production process of his furniture. Cici reminisces how Tokujin created a sofa with ergonomic form that was made of

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Contributed

by Dr Philip Koomen, Philip Koomen Furniture.

ENQUIRY NO. 7502

Materials �Surfaces clay and paper, with the simple action of sitting on it to mould a human body shape. He was an experimental designer who did not believe in simply engaging computer programmes, but was very involved in the process of prototype creation and development.

Honfay shares his thoughts on Charles and Ray Eames, another iconic US designer duo from 40 years ago who created moulded wood designs, experimented with body shapes and more. The shape of their furniture was inspired by the human body and provides the user multiple purposes.

For example, a dining table had generic shapes, but its surface was researched heavily to investigate on the curvature that is suitable for human sitting, for placing a wine glass and more.

Likewise, furniture production is no longer constraint by a single material.

More furniture designs are made with a mixture of different raw materials to fit into particular niches. It is not just about working with new technology. The duo works to identify missing links where raw materials can be used for its texture and characteristics to fit niche designs.

Company Structuring Cilicon Faytory serves as a design consultancy to cater to clients. It also builds on developing a personal brand of furniture as well. In here, the issue of ergonomics and lifestyle is driven by the demand of specific target groups.

Having designed and produced four furniture series at this moment, with many winning accolades, The company would be an authority on Asian furniture design. March 2009 saw their ‘Bloco Sofa’ in the highlight during the Furniture Design Award for the International Open Category. Prior to that, the same time in 2008 saw two designs in the limelight, the Quadra and TRI for Young Designer Category (best use of wood - American Hardwood Award) while 2007 also had

a coffee table design ‘ZHU’ winning an award.

Positioning itself for the middle to upmarket, Cilicon Faytory targets specific groups. Some of its series of furniture are meant to be collectibles whereas others are catered for function, but commercial viability means the issue of space saving gathers growing importance in specific places like Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Ergonomic furniture design catering to space saving concepts will have a major impact in Asia.

Asian for Asia “Without a doubt, Asian design tapping on Asian resources is in line with world demand now,” Honfay states. It would have been difficult without external help.

Singapore’s government and enterprise agencies have provided much assistance

in increasing the reputation of Singapore designers. Its involvement in the Asean Furniture Council and partnerships with other government agencies such as Hawa Corporation (Vietnam) and Asmindo (Indonesia) has not only provided opportunity for exposure, but also the chance to publicise the importance and relationship between comfort and ergonomics in largely cost conscious Asia.

Many have identified furniture, and woodcrafts in the Asean as a potential rising star and many governments provide support in the furniture and woodworking industry. However, to match the advancement of design in the European furniture industry, more initiatives should put in place to groom young companies and designers towards space saving ENQUIRY NO. 7501 ergonomics. FDM

Cilicon Faytory’s Original Sofa, Bloco, in collaboration with Massimmo.

Aesthetics for furniture architecture

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009

55

Hardwoods & Softwoods

Discoloured Wood, Cause For Concern Justin baeder, Seattle, US

Doug bowman, DeKalb IL, US

Fungi colonising building materials is a popular topic due to health concerns.

Contributed by FPInnovations.

M

any things can stain wood. the heartwood portion of a tree is darker than the sapwood and may appear to be discoloured.

Weathering can change the colour of wood. In most cases, wood stains are due to the growth of harmless staining fungi. However, some fungi can potentially colonise wood products.

Fungi In Construction Fungi are common in buildings because of the favourable growth conditions present. Moulds and yeasts are the most common fungi.

Fungi commonly found in air are generally cladosporium, basidiomycetes, yeasts, and Penicillium. of these fungi, Penicillium and cladosporium are moulds.

• Mould Moulds are a specific group of fungi that are often colourful and can appear as spots or fuzzy masses. the growth, when seen under a microscope, is a mat of thread-like structures called mycelia, which bear many microscopic spores that

56 FDM AsiA october 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Purplekey

can become airborne. Moulds are everywhere, and spore counts are typically much higher outdoors. It grow best on sources of nutrients such as sugar, starch and protein, and in the presence of moisture. besides the far corner of the refrigerator, they are mostly encountered indoors, on tile grout in the bathroom and windowsills. basements, garages, and the back walls of cupboards on a cold wall are also likely locations. Moulds can be found in the ducts of the heating and ventilation system and can grow on drywall, paint, wallpaper, insulation, acoustic tiles, wood products and a variety of building materials.

• Yeasts Yeasts, particularly black yeasts, are found on construction materials. they have slimy spores that are spread

in films of water. Like moulds, they are common outdoors where they grow in soil, on plants, and woody debris. on exterior wood that is regularly moist, they produce black stains, and rupture through paint and varnish. black yeasts can also be found indoors where moisture accumulates.

• Staining Fungi these fungi are especially adapted to grow on wet woody substrates, to which they often give a streaky blue or black colour. they live mostly in freshly felled logs or green lumber.

Most of the fungus is not visible on the surface but beneath it. there are two types of stain caused by these fungi. Deep blue-stain is associated with logs, and these fungi are often only revealed as a deep blue discolouration when the log is cut into wood products. At this stage

Hardwoods & Softwoods

rene ehrhardt, reading,UK

wood decomposition.

Decay fungi show up as a white or pale cottony growth, often fan-shaped.

It can grow on unprotected wood in the presence of moisture and mild temperatures. outdoors, wood is safe if protected by natural preservatives found in certain species like the western red cedar or by pressure treatment with preservatives. Indoors, wood is protected when it is dry.

Identifying Wood Discolouration

Doug bowman, DeKalb IL, US

the staining fungus has most often stopped growing and it usually dies after the lumber is air or kiln dried.

Surface stain is associated with green lumber, grows on the surface of the wood, and may still be alive upon purchase of the product. these fungi are likely to appear as black whisker-like hairs. the hairs produce slimy spores to be dispersed when stuck to passing insects. Spores from staining fungi are not easily dislodged from wood. they become airborne through rain splashes and are rarely picked up in the spore traps used to test air quality.

While common on wet construction lumber, these fungi are rarely encountered indoors. When a building is made from green framing lumber, stain fungi may be present in the wall cavity if they have not died by the time of purchase.

Growth will stop as the framing dries.

• Wood-decaying Fungi Decay fungi, which are in the group known as basidiomycetes, have complex enzyme systems that are able to break down wood and cause structural damage. this is different from the other fungi mentioned. A sign of the existence of these fungi are the presence of mushrooms or conks (the spore bearing structures) found in the latter stages of

If a wood product appears discoloured, dirt or dust can easily be confused with dark moulds. Dirt that has been rubbed into the surface usually has a smeared appearance, but is not fluffy like a mould, nor will it produce airborne puffs of spores when rubbed.

Lumber is sometimes also discoloured with iron stains, when iron particles react with phenolic chemicals in the wood, leaving behind black iron tannates (common ink pigment). Diagnosing iron stain can be done by spotting a diluted phosphoric or oxalic acid on the stained portion. the acid breaks down the iron tannate into colourless iron salts, and the ironstain will be decolourised. exposure to weather will also cause wood to change colour, usually first darkening or yellowing due to sunlight, then eventually weathering to a silvery grey if left outdoors long enough. the wood is unharmed in these cases of non-biological staining.

Fungi Strains If the stain is biological, then the discolouration is quite likely due to blue-stain or surface sap-stain. this is often the case for newly purchased wood products from a lumberyard or a construction site.

Sometimes there is more blue-stain wood on the market, such as those salvaged from trees killed by mountain pine beetles. A blue-stain fungus carried by the beetle causes the stain that

appears blue or black, and is often with streaks following the wood grain. the stain is not harmful, and the fungus will not damage the wood.

Mould Or Not to untrained eyes, a surface sap stain fungus may look like mould. Small amounts of mould will be detected on virtually all re-wetted wood products. Mould does no harm to wood and is most commonly found in situations where wood has been kiln-dried but poorly wrapped. the wrapping permitted water to enter and remain, forming humidity. this enables the localized growth of mould on otherwise “clean” lumber.

Moulds and staining fungi can sometimes be differentiated on the basis of colour. Moulds appear in a variety of colours, like white, black, grey, green,

Helen Jutras,Quebec,canada

Some fungi can already be visible upon the lumber’s preparation for sale

Doug bowman, DeKalb IL, US

Some coloured stains are not visible to the naked eye but others are obvious

dad1_

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57

Hardwoods & Softwoods brown, red and yellow. by contrast, sap-stain fungi are nearly always black and whiskery. If growth is active, some of the freshest growth may still be white.

Another way of distinguishing moulds from other fungi is if clouds of spores are produced when disturbing an affected area for the first time.

If this happens, the discolouration is due to mould. the safest action is to ventilate the area and let the spores settle to the ground before cleaning.

Building Renovation In a repair project, opening up walls may reveal discoloured wood. even if the wall cavity is dry, it is almost certain that spores may still be present. If the cavity is wet, there could be active wood decaying fungi or moulds.

Wood-decay fungi differ from the moulds and stains. they are frequently characterized by white, fan shaped and cottony mycelia. In addition, there may be clear evidence of wood decay.

If the wood is below 25 percent moisture content or if it feels quite dry, the mycelium will probably also be dry and not active. If the wood is damp or measures greater than 25 percent moisture content, the mycelium could be active. If the wood itself appears

Upon close examination, the fungi spreads in particular patterns

Wood: inedible For Most Fungi Wood can support growth of certain fungal species, but it provides poor breeding ground, as it is low in nitrogen, sugars and starches. Wood primarily consists of cellulose (strong fibres) and lignin (glue that holds fibre in place). Some fungi digest cellulose, but cellulose is protected in wood by a natural coat of lignin, and very few fungal species (like the wood-rotting fungi) can break this coating.

Additionally, heartwood (centre of the tree) contains naturally occurring compounds that can inhibit fungal growth and has little nutrients. Paper or fibres constructs, such as acoustic tiles, wallpaper and drywall surfaces, are often more favourable for mould growth than wood. This is because the pulping process removes lignin, exposing the cellulose to fungi. In addition, starch may be added as a glue or binder in pulp-based materials.

Green (wet) lumber may be pre-treated with fungicide to control stain, mould and decay fungi. Lumber pressure treated with wood preservatives to control decay is resistant to but not completely immune from mould.

Wood production often involves kiln drying, where the heat from the kiln destroys fungi in the wood. Following drying, there is insufficient water present in the wood to enable re-infection by moulds or other fungi. However, kiln dried wood must be protected from re-wetting to prevent re-infection.

altered, broken into a cubical pattern or a stringy mass, or feels spongy, or even if pieces of wood can be easily broken off, then the wood has been structurally damaged and should be replaced.

Structural damage can be obvious upon long-term neglect of wood

Fungi and Health

Doug bowman, DeKalb IL, US

Doug bowman, DeKalb IL, US

58 FDM AsiA october 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

of all the fungi species associated with wood, only moulds are considered to have potential health effects. Some mould colonies produce spores and sometimes metabolic by-products. Among these by-products are alcohols, ketones, esters and volatile hydrocarbons. these are called “volatile organic compounds�

(Voc). these Vocs contribute to the musty smell associated with active mould growth. other compounds produced by moulds may have no odour and be less volatile. Some of these compounds can be toxic to other organisms (including humans) and are called mycotoxins.

Mould spores may also have allergens on their surfaces.

Doug bowman, DeKalb

When a mould colony stops actively growing and begins to dry out, the Vocs will no longer be produced, but spores may still be dislodged if disturbed, and mycotoxins will still be associated with the mould colony.

Moulds have been found in buildings with moisture problems and have also been suggested as the cause of health problems. Identified species are from the genera Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, Fusarium, trichoderma, Ulocladium, Wallemia, Phialophora, Acremonium,

Hardwoods & Softwoods

What is Mildew?

Mildew is a non-specific term. the term mildew is a general equivalent word for mould. More specifically, the term is often used to describe the visible result of mould growth – for example, the dark stains often seen on damp bathroom walls.

exophiala, chaetomium, eurotium, and a bacterial group, the Actinomycetes. of these, Stachybotrys chartarum has drawn particular attention. this mould has an affinity for delignified cellulose materials such as wet wallpaper and the paper layers of drywall (charta is Latin for paper). the association of mould with damp buildings is well established, as is the association of damp buildings with some types of health problems. However, the

contribution of moulds to various conditions, such as sick building syndrome, is still being researched. the Vocs produced by certain moulds and actinomycetes under specific conditions may be toxic to people when they reach a threshold level in the air. the toxicity of the Vocs is dependent on the growth substrate and source of nutrition for the organisms.

What About Mould Indoors

by Vocs from furnishings and building materials. In general, visible mould growth is undesirable in occupied spaces. Heavily contaminated materials or furnishings should be removed and replaced with new materials. Fungal spores are found everywhere and there is no simple relationship between fungal spore concentration and health effects. the issue is not whether spores will be found, but whether there are more spores or moulds of concern than expected?

If there is visible mould or any other type of fungal growth indoors, then there is a moisture concern that may cause other, more serious problems, such as deterioration of the building. It is important to find and fix the moisture problem in order to prevent further complications, including the recurrence of mould growth. FDM

Irritations and allergies can be caused

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59

Hardwoods & Softwoods

Tight Market – Hidden Profits As master saw millers retire, it seems that the younger generation would rather spend their time browsing in air-conditioned IT malls. Many have not found the gem in the Timber Industry. by Markku Ranin, MD, Fintec Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd

A

s with the rest of the world, the forest sector has had a hard time attracting talented young people into this trade. Forest schools cannot attract the numbers of students they were designed to cater for. At the same time, with logs constantly reducing in size, log quality is decreasing and this makes it increasingly difficult to profit from sawing.

Smaller and Smaller Logs the lack of timely reforestation has led the industry to permanently shift to processing smaller logs. Monster bulldozers and chainsaws designed

processing industry is the plywood mills, whose machines were becoming increasingly obsolete in the handling

Solutions for cutting small logs are few and expensive as it is usually only through volume that one can extract profits from them. for giant logs have been found to be ineffective in the handling of the huge numbers of small logs rolling out of plantation forests.

Some comparisons show that using old tools for log extraction costs three times more in Malaysia than in europe, where expensive but efficient modern harvesters and forwarders are used in plantation forests for production. the first to be affected in the wood

60 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

of these small diameter logs. Older machines are simply not designed for small peeling jobs. today, it is the saw millers who are being affected with this same problem.

While traditional sawing machines can cut any log size, this technology is just not economical for small logs – they are too slow and the thick saw blades produce too much sawdust taken against the typically low yields of smaller logs.

Small Log Processing On An Industrial Scale there are plenty of solutions for cutting medium and large size logs, but for small logs, the options are few and expensive as it is usually only through volume that one can extract profits from them.

Saw millers in the region use simple vertical bandsaws, which typically produce about one m3 of sawn goods per hour using two workers, while a third worker will assist with heavier logs.

Workers are often unskilled immigrants.

Grading is done on site and usually only half of the sawn boards end up being selected for furniture because of the many defects ranging from colour to a tendency to warp. these defects come from rapidly grown tropical species.

Liberal sawing tolerances are also being used, adding up to slow recovery.

Due to the young history of rubber

Hardwoods & Softwoods

In Timber Processing wood for sawing, only three quality standards have developed: ‘A-grade’, ‘b-grade’ and ‘rejects’. Drying now takes 8 to 10 days with much loss of wood due to the cracking and distortion of lumber. It appears that more of this could be recovered should more advanced dry kilning technologies be used. these should reduce drying times to a range of 20 to 24 hours with no cracking.

Successful runs have been done in Malaysia with such high temperature drying in 150 oc.

Shift From Natural Forests To Plantations Continues Making money with small logs is not

only possible, but looks very attractive with the use of suitable mechanisation.

However, this requires smooth operations and handling throughout the logistic chain. Inefficiencies may easily jeopardize profitability and this becomes more likely when one’s logs are short and small in diameter. Such situations make proper log sorting crucial, since otherwise the yield may drop to unacceptable levels.

For tropical hardwoods with their inherent internal defects, grading is equally important. Automation in this area should reap large rewards in the future with a situation whereby specialised grading businesses will be set up to

serve a multitude of sawmill clients. In this a way we would get tabletops with uniform colour rather than the “stamp collection” type we now sell.

Big Machines Are Yet To Step In HewSaw is an example of a large-scale small log processor that has attained industrial leadership. this company claims to achieve the world’s lowest sawing costs, through a combination of the circular saw with a chipper canter, so that only 10 percent is wasted in the form of sawdust. Saw millers say they can sell the wood at cost with the profit coming from pulp quality wood

ENQUIRY NO. 066

RichfRuits machineRy manufactuRing co., Ltd. ADD: NO.10, SHIlONg INDuStrIAl rOAD, SHIlINg INDuStrIAl ZONe OF luNjIAO, SHuNDe DIStrIct, FOSHAN cIty, guANgDONg PrOvINce, cHINA. FAx: 0086-757-27721919 tel: 0086-757-27721959 e-MAIl: richfruitschina@163.com Web: www.richfruits.com cONtAct: 0086-13928252573

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

61

Hardwoods & Softwoods chips produced from a third of the log volume in a one-pass process.

All this sounds satisfactory and the fact that several lines have been delivered in a short period of time to New Zealand and Australia are testimony to the fact that clients agree with this assessment. but it comes at a price as the increasingly sophisticated high capacity machines of today start at a price of one million dollars. these machines also require equally expensive 180 m per minute laser and colour camera assisted log and lumber sorting lines, for input and output operations.

A unique dilemma in Southeast Asia is the fragmentation of the industry.

One HewSaw, if employed in a oneshift operation, needs 100,000 tonnes of logs per year. this means well over a million logs per year. triple that for a 24 hour operation and one would be speaking of a world-class economies of scale with unbeatable production costs. Unfortunately there are few who have access to that level of raw material resources in Southeast Asia.

Wood-Mizer from US delivers their fivemanned rubberwood processor to Malaysia, the first in Asia.

Low Cost Approach To Small Log Processing Wood-Mizer has introduced their low cost solution, which allows users to profit from small logs. All the necessary gear can be packed into two 40 feet (12.2 metres) containers and this come with a price tag of US$60,000, delivered to a South-east Asian port. their Small Log Processing (SLP) concept relies on a system of horizontal and vertical, water or palm oil lubricated bandsaws, all of which are arranged in a one-pass line. Wood-Mizer puts all necessary machines in a one-pass line: once the log is set on the infeed log deck, it emerges shortly after as a neat bundle of sawn lumber at the other end. the whole line can be operated with five unskilled persons.

62 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

Will Southeast Asian sawmilling ever look like this twin multimillion dollar line HewSaw in Sweden? A single operator can producse some 400.000 m3 of sawn lumber per year.

Hi-Tec Blades In Demand As wood is getting more expensive, the thin kerf blades will save considerable money when cutting valuable timber such as teak. One mm blades with two mm (or below) kerf save wood and money. energy is also saved if the blades are only 30 to 40 mm wide, run with 7.5 kW of electricity. two mm Wood-Mizer kerfs saves over 20 percent more wood in comparison to thick sawblades, and more savings come from the one mm accuracy of the cut. In trade shows, operators pride

themselves on cutting one mm thin slices, to the amazement of visitors. blades of this type can be repeatedly sharpened about a dozen times and have proven to cut up to 150 m3 of softwoods before being discarded. With satellite tip blades, one is now expected to run up to eight hours without blade change and at much faster speeds. Despite being up to triple the price of regular blades, such blades are likely to win more customers, especially for those who look for overall ENQUIRY NO. 7602 productivity. FDM

Hardwoods & Softwoods

Similar cutting and processing methods allows smoother transition, making composite lumber a viable alternative to natural wood

A

study from the Freedonia Group, a cleveland based industry research firm indicates the demand for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber will advance at a rate of 9.2 percent per year to US$5.3 billion in 2013, creating a market for 3.3 billion pounds of plastic. the gains will be driven by continued consumer acceptance of these products as replacements for traditional materials such as natural wood. Moreover, the demand is reinforced by a growing perception that these materials are environmentally friendly products, due to the incorporation of recycled materials in its manufacture. composite and plastic lumber will face continued increase in demand due to several positive characteristics such as its longer lifespan, minimal maintenance requirements, resistance to degradation caused by insect attack, exposure to nature, and ability to be cut like natural wood.

Reasons For Preference the gains will also be boosted by the rebound of residential construction from 2008’s low demand and economic development. composite and plastic lumber will continue to be the favoured application for decking in the US. Homeowners prefer these materials over traditional

bryn Pinzgauer

Patrick Fitzgerald, Atlanta, US

Alastair burt, Saarbr¸cken, Germany

Demand For Wood Substitutes To Reach New Heights

In contrast to natural wood and its seasonal supply, available recycled materials contribute to the composite plastic lumber supply

Resistance to degradation gives composite plastic lumber a significant advantage over natural wood

Wood-plastic Composite & Plastic Lumber Demand (million dollars) % Annual Growth

Item

2003

2008

2013

2003-2008

2008-2013

Wood-Plastic Composite & Plastic

2183

3414

5300

9.4

9.2

Wood-Plastic Composite

760

1434

2365

13.5

10.5

Plastic

1423

1980

2935

6.8

8.2

wood decks, as composite and plastic lumber require less annual maintenance and have a longer lifespan.

While decks made from these materials may initially cost more, they are relatively cost effective in the long term, since they do not require annual staining or insect treatments.

Wood-plastic composite lumber will post more gains than plastic lumber, advancing 10.5 percent annually to US$2.4 billion in 2013.

Gains will be driven by ongoing consumer interest in wood-plastic material as a substitute for wood. Moreover, homeowners will install decks, a popular addition to the home. this further advances demand for composite lumber.

Growth in demand for plastic lumber is forecast to rise 8.2 percent per year to US$2.9 billion in 2013.

Till The Next Decade through 2013, among the major applications, decking and fencing are forecast to see above-average gains, primarily due to rising interest in alternative materials in place of natural wood lumber. Moulding and trimming will remain a key market for composite and plastic lumber, but will see belowaverage growth, as plastic lumber has already attained substantial market penetration.

Demand for composite and plastic lumber in landscape and outdoor products, windows and doors, and other applications will be encouraged by consumers’ continued recognition of the material’s potential, as well as by their image as ecologically friendly products. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7603

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63

Hardwoods & Softwoods Hardwoods

Balau (Yellow Balau) Other Common Names: Selangan batu (Brunnei), Phchok (Cambodia), Sal (India), Anggelam, Balau, Bangkirai and Dammar laut (Indonesia), Mai chik khok (Laos), Thitya (Myanmar), Gisok, Malayakal and Yakal (Philippines), and Aek, Ak, Balao, Takhian-samphon, Teng and Rang (Thailand)

the Standard Malaysian Name for the heavy, yellow to brown timbers of the genus Shorea (Dipterocarpaceae).

Major species include S. atrinervosa, S. foxworthyi, S. glauca, S. laevis, S. materialis, S. maxwelliana, S. submontana and S. sumatrana. the sapwood is lighter in colour and is sharply defined from the heartwood, which is yellow or grey-brown and darkens to deep brown on exposure.

Shrinkage is high, with radial shrinkage averaging 1.8 percent and tangential shrinkage averaging 3.7 percent.

General Wood Characteristics

Natural Durability

the timber is a Heavy Hardwood with a density of 850-1,155 kg/m3 air-dry (Heavy Hardwood), and falls into strength Group A or SG 1 (MS 544:Part 2:2001).

Its texture is fine and even, with deeply interlocked grain.

When drying, the timber seasons slowly, with severe end checking and splitting, moderate surface checking and staining are the main sources of defects. 13 mm thick boards take four months to air dry, while 38 mm thick boards take eight to ten months.

Working Properties the timber is extremely resistant to treatment with preservatives. It is mildly difficult to saw and crosscut. Plane cutting is also mildly difficult and the planed surface is moderately smooth. this wood is poor material for nailing.

the heartwood of this timber is naturally durable, but the sapwood is liable to fungal infestation. Under graveyard testing, untreated specimens of balau kumus hitam (S. maxwelliana) gave a life span of 15.8 years, which makes it one of the most durable timber tested in Malaysia. other test results include S. laevis (eight years) and S. glauca (seven years). In a later series of tests, S. laevis lasted 7.4 years. balau is classified as extremely durable. treated specimens of balau laut (50 mm x 50 mm x 600 mm) gave

an average service life of 11 years.

Untreated railway sleepers (125 mm x 237 mm x 1,950 mm) of balau kumus and balau laut lasted a minimum of 15 years and 11 years respectively.

Uses All forms of heavy construction, marine construction, ship and boat building (keels, keelsons and framework), piling, beams, columns (heavy duty), bridges, wharves, cooling tower (structural member), railway sleepers, vehicle bodies (framework and floor boards), boat building, plywood, joinery, cabinet making, mallets, fender supports, door and window frames, staircase (carriage, newel and stringer), pallets (heavy and permanent type), tool handles (impact), telegraphic and power transmission posts and cross arms, posts, joists, rafters, flooring (heavy traffic), decking and heavy duty furniture. FDM Information provided by Malaysian timber council

ENQUIRY NO. 7604

Strength Properties of Balau species s. glauca s. laevis s. maxwelliana

Test Condition

Modulus Of Elasticity (MPa)

Modulus Of Rupture (MPa)

Compression Parallel To Grain (MPa)

Compression Perpendicular To Grain (MPa)

shear strength (MPa)

Green

19,400

115

60.3

7.52

12.1

Green

18,400

121

68.8

9.52

12.9

Air dry

20,100

142

76

9.79

15

Green

22,100

125

70.6

12.62

11.5

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Hardwoods & Softwoods

Dark Red Meranti (Dark Red Seraya) Other Common Names: Meranti ketuko, Meranti Merah and Meranti merah tua (Indonesia), Dark red Lauan, Dark Red Philippines Mahogany, Mayapis, Red lauan, Tangile and Tiaong (Philippines), and Saya and Saya-Daeng (Thailand)

the Standard Malaysian Name for the dark red and lightweight timber of the genus Shorea (Dipterocarpaceae).

Major species producing this timber include S. acuminata (partly), S. argentifolia, S. curtisii, S. ovata, S. monticola, S. pauciflora, S. platyclados and S. slootenii. the sapwood is pink with a grey tinge and is not clearly defined from the heartwood, which is medium red to deep red brown.

3.9 years (S. platyclados). For the species S. curtisii, S. pauciflora, S. platyclados and S. acuminata, the heartwood is classified as moderately durable (with an average service life of two to five years). Similar tests on S. pauciflora have indicated that the timber is durable with a service life of 10 to 15 years (under temperate conditions).

produces a smooth planed surface. the timber dries rapidly without any degradation. A prominent feature is the presence of numerous, conspicuous lines of resin canals. Small resin pockets are present.

Working Properties the timber is easy to work on but difficult to treat with preservatives. Meranti wood absorb preservatives poorly.

General Characteristics

Natural Durability

the timber is a light hardwood with a density of 415-885 kg/m3 air-dry (Light Hardwood), and the strength group falls under Group c or SG 5 (MS 544:Part 2:2001). Its texture is moderately coarse and even, with interlocked grain. It

the standard graveyard tests on untreated specimens carried out by the Forest research Institute Malaysia (FrIM) have classified dark red meranti as moderately durable with an average service life ranging from about two years (S. singkawang) to

Uses the timber is suitable for joinery, furniture, high class interior finishing, flooring, decking, panelling, partitioning, mouldings, skirtings, door and window staircase, plywood, railway sleepers, posts, beams, joists, rafters, pallets, vehicle bodies, ship and boat building, cooling tower and other light constructional works.

Information provided by Malaysian timber council

ENQUIRY NO. 7605

Strength Properties of Dark Red Meranti Species

S. acuminata

S. curtisii

S. pauciflora

S. platyclados

S. singkawang

Modulus Of Elasticity (MPa)

Modulus Of Rupture (MPa)

Compression Parallel To Grain (MPa)

Compression Perpendicular To Grain (MPa)

Shear Strength (MPa)

10,500

54

27.4

2.41

6.3

-

-

-

-

-

Green

12,800

69

36.3

3.86

7.2

Air dry

13,900

90

45.4

5.03

8

Green

12,700

71

37.7

3.45

7.5

-

-

-

-

-

Green

11,300

58

30

2.69

6.3

Air dry

12,100

77

39.6

4.14

8.7

Green

10,100

55

31.8

3.03

7.6

Air dry

11,200

74

38.8

2.97

8.3

Test Condition Green Air dry

Air dry

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65

Exhibition Review

Representatives share a token of goodwill and opportunities for cooperation

In line with its aims of promoting intra-ASEAN furniture trade and strengthening ties within the ASEAN furniture industry, representatives from the ASEAN Furniture Industries Council (AFIC) visited Vietnam from July 20 to 21 to explore partnership and growth opportunities. contributed by AFIC

O

ver the two-day visit, AFIC chairman dJerry Tan of Singapore, and Shermaine Ong, the executive director of the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) as well as the AFIC secretariat representative, met with key officials from the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA), and officials from the Binh Duong Furniture Association (BIFA). HAWA is a recent affiliate member of AFIC. Nguyen Chien Thang and K K Khanh, chairman and vice-chairman of HAWA, headed the meetings, while BIFA was represented by its chairman, Vo Truong Thanh, and Nguyen Van Huu, vice director of Binh Duong Industry and Trade Department.

Mr Tan expressed satisfaction with the business mission, stating that the series of meetings between AFIC, HAWA and BIFA had reaped mutual economic rewards.

66 FDM ASIA OCTOBER 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

He also said that all parties have gained a better understanding of their various projects and initiatives as well as the furniture markets in the respective countries. Discussions on challenges brought about by the current global economic climate were also conducted.

Mr Tan pointed out several important areas in which AFIC and fellow members in Singapore and Vietnam can cooperate for further cooperation and mutual benefit.

He is confident that such dialogue sessions will enable all members to work well together towards a common goal of bringing ASEAN furniture to the international front.

Representatives from the three organisations held exchanges over the two days, beginning with the AFIC-HAWA meeting on the first day, followed by AFIC’s meeting with BIFA on the second. During the meetings, officials noted that bilateral relations

AFIC

AFIC

AFIC Explores Emerging Vietnam

Seeking economic initiatives and mutual rewards

were good and agreed that a strong working relationship within ASEAN plays an important and useful role in raising the profile of the region’s furniture industries to the world market.

According to statistics compiled by the council that were shared during the visit, total intra-ASEAN furniture trade (excluding Myanmar) in 2008 reached a peak with exports coming in at US$502.7 million and imports hitting US$516.3 million.

Collectively, ASEAN exported US$11.85 billion of furniture, with Vietnam at the top position at US$2.8 billion.

To facilitate growth and exposure in the global market, AFIC shared with the Vietnamese furniture trade organisations the latest updates on the 27th ASEAN Furniture Show (AFS) which will take place in conjunction with the International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS) 2010 from March 9 to 12 next year.

The council hopes this show will be a useful platform to showcase quality furniture and furnishing products from

Exhibition Review the region to the world and encouraged greater participation from the Vietnamese furniture companies at IFFS/AFS 2010.

AFIC, SFIC, HAWA and bIFA also expressed support for the continued promotion of intra-ASEAN furniture trade with a series of activities. Plans have been put in place for a trade and investment mission to Vietnam in October 2009, where representatives from the ASEAN countries will be invited to participate.

The AFIC member countries, including Vietnam, will be embarking on a joint marketing effort to promote the seamless ASEAN furniture exhibition circuit in March 2010. This exhibition calendar is planned by AFIC member countries to allow international buyers to save time and expenditure while reaping the advantages of sourcing from

the ASEAN furniture industry.

AFIC is also exploring the option of holding a design seminar in Vietnam that will be jointly organised by SFIC and HAWA. Targeted at Singaporean design students and young designers from Vietnam, the seminar will feature speakers from both countries and encourage cross-cultural interaction in the field of furniture design.

Ahead With AFIC AFIC will be coordinating with its member countries Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to organise an exhibition circuit scheduled in March 2010 for six furniture shows.

To enable exhibitors and visitors to manage their participation and travel

ASEAN Furniture Industries Council (AFIC) AFIC was established in 1978 as a regional trade organisation with the primary objectives of promoting the interests of the ASEAN furniture industries.

Its current members are ASMINDO (Indonesia), Malaysian Furniture Industry Council (Malaysia), Myanmar Forest Products and Timber Merchants Association (Myanmar),

plans more productively, AFIC members fine-tuned the dates of the furniture trade fairs in their countries to bring the start and end dates close. This calendar will attempt to allow exhibitors and buyers to save time and expenses. This will in turn encourage higher participation and create greater visibility for participating countries.

Mr Tan hopes to build and strengthen global recognition for the ASEAN furniture industry. In view of the current economic climate and stiff competition in the furniture arena, AFIC and its member countries are aware of the importance of raising awareness on the strengths of the furniture products in member countries.

He feels that trade shows provide an ideal platform to showcase offerings and highlight competitive advantages in design, innovation, manufacturing and exhibition management to global audiences.

Each furniture trade show on the ASEAN circuit is meant to present unique strengths and identities that differentiate the ASEAN furniture industries from other regions.

Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (Philippines), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (Singapore), and Thai Furniture Industry Club - Federation of Thai

Highlighting ASEAN

Industries (Thailand). The Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh

To promote the ASEAN furniture show circuit, AFIC has also initiated a joint advertising campaign for the five ASEAN furniture tradeshows. Managed by the Secretariat in Singapore, this campaign is currently running in publications and serves to highlight the locations and dates of the respective shows.

AFIC will look to the implementation of coordinating value propositions from member countries. Combined efforts among members demonstrate the cohesiveness and cooperation within the ASEAN furniture trade industry.

AFIC will also continue to lead member countries to tap on growth opportunities and harmonise implementation plans for the ASEAN furniture trade. FDM

City (Vietnam) has recently joined AFIC as an affiliate member.

Singapore currently holds the chairman, secretary general and secretariat portfolios for AFIC for the 2008 to 2010 term.

Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) The SFIC was established in 1981 as the official representative body of Singapore’s furniture industry. It represents 95 percent of furniture manufacturers in Singapore, of whom 65 percent have subsidiary manufacturing plants in the region. Its role is to promote the interests of its members and the Singapore furniture industry.

SFIC is the parent company of International Furniture Fair Singapore, the organiser of the annual International Furniture Fair Singapore and ASEAN Furniture Show.

It also manages the International Furniture Centre, a platform for international buyers to source and trade for a wide range of furniture from Singapore and the region.

ENQUIRY NO. 7701

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OCTObER 2009

67

Exhibition Preview

A Bout Of Change - Bautec 2010 Bautec will explore a host of options that affects more than the woodworking industry in Europe

F

rom February 16 to 20 2010, the International trade Fair for building and construction technology will be held in berlin, Germany. better known as bautec, this event will take place for the 14th time on the berlin exhibition Grounds.

Organised by Messe berlin, bautec is one of Germany’s construction industry trade events and the 2010 edition is expected to attract over 75,000 trade visitors and private investors from around the world. the federal ministry of transport, building and urban affairs will use bautec 2010 as the venue for the “Future of construction”, an international congress and initiative on building research. this initiative intends to outline future challenges of european construction, showcase current products and provide insights into main areas of research.

Substantial increases in federal funding for this research emphasised its growing importance. the congress is concerned with applying the “building research” results to actual and feasible projects and developments for the construction sector. the main focus will be on the following topics: - climate protection - energy-efficient building - building and demographic changes - Strengthening building culture - building as an advanced technology sector

Industry Players Provide Impetus Industry participants have expressed

68 FDM AsiA OctOber 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

their interest and bautec will provide the platform for the first comprehensive presentation of building policy following the upcoming elections to the bundestag, the lower chamber of parliament.

In addition to the federal construction ministry, leading partners and respresentatives at bautec 2010 include both private and government entities.

Notable government bodies include the rationalization and innovation centre, the federal ministry of economics and technology, the regional building industry organisations, the forestry organisation.

Various guilds related to building and construction such as Landesinnung des Dachdecker-handwerks berlin (roofing), Fachverband SHK brandenburg (sanitation and plumbing), the national architects’ association and the organisation dedicated to building renewal (bAKA) would also be present. bautec 2010 has registered an increase in the number of new exhibitors alongside

Exhibition Preview

market leaders who regularly attend the fair. Hall 20 is fully booked ten months prior to the event.

Werner Mocke, director of the competence centre facility and construction said: “We are delighted that major industry players are taking part. the keen interest expressed by the industry provides a significant impetus for bautec 2010 in its role as a trade fair representing the capital. We are confident that bautec 2010 will be a complete success.” emphasising its slogan ‘Mission Dach 2010’, Hall 20 will become a venue for events, which the berlin regional guild of the roofing trade is organising independently at the exhibition for the first time.

Visitors can obtain advice on roofing issues as well as professional information on specific topics in this field. the collaboration between industry, commerce and the skilled trades and Messe berlin also contribute to bautec’s quality, emphasising its significance to Germany and its eastern regions.

Presenting The Prizes the ‘Urban Solutions berlin’ section, which was introduced at the last bautec, will be featured again at the 2010 edition. It will be branded as ‘Future markets for building and housing’. there will be a larger incorporation of

activities for the housing and real estate market in the congress at the show.

In conjunction with ‘Urban Solutions berlin’, the German building Developers’ Prize for innovative housing construction solutions will be presented for the first time. the prize is sponsored by Arbeitsgruppe Kooperation, the national organisation of real estate companies, the architects’ association, and the organisation that represent Germany’s municipalities, Deutscher Städtetag. the choice of berlin as the venue for the award of this prize highlights the regard in which participating organisations holds bautec. this also ensures that, along with planners, the housing industry is directly involved in bautec’s activities. the German building Developers’ Prize is awarded to projects combining quality standards with affordable costs. the competition has been in existence since 1986 and is regarded as the most prestigious award in the housing construction sector. there will also be an award for ‘climate Protection in Housing construction’, for outstanding construction projects in this field.

An expert’s symposium, jointly organised by the housing industry, bund Deutscher Architekten and Deutscher Städtetag will accompany this award. the subject is ‘Housing – education – Work: the requirements for new urban premises

during a time of change’.

Children For The Future In addition, freispielberlin is the organisation promoting children’s playgrounds under the name ‘ein Herz für Spielplätze’. they will be the focus in the section devoted to play areas. the Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk (German children’s Fund) will cooperate as their partner. this organisation has been promoting the needs and rights of children in Germany for more than 35 years.

Aside from involvement in appropriate construction of schools, playgrounds and youth centres, their emphasis includes children’s entitlement to education, health, suitable living standards and opportunities for leisure. the Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk will have an information stand at freispielberlin and will be organising discussions on related topics. together with its partners and access to ministries and political decision-makers, freispielberlin will be a platform to present many interests in urban development. bautec 2010 is organised in association with freispielberlin, 'Urban Solutions berlin', buildIt berlin and Solarenergy. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 7702

Bautec 2010 Berlin Exhibition Grounds Berlin, Germany February 16 – 20, 2010 www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA OctOber 2009

69

Calendar of Events 2009-2010

OCTOBER 1-4 – ZOW Istanbul Istanbul Expo Centre Istanbul, Turkey Deutsche Messe, Survey Marketing + Consulting Tel: +90 212 324 9610 Fax: +90 212 324 9609 Email: info@zow.com.tr Website: http://www.zow.com.tr/en/

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

21-24 – ZOW Italy Verona Exhibition Centre Verona, Italy Survey Marketing + Consulting GmbH Tel: +39 0458 298111 Fax: +39 0458 298288 Email: info@zow.it Website: http://www.zow.it/en/

27-29 – WMF Shunde 6-10 – Furniture and Handicraft Fair Ho Chi Minh City International Exhibition and Convention Centre Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Department Industry and Trade Tel: (84-8) 3823 9572 / 3823 9571 Fax: (84-8) 3823 4536 Email: trade@hchiminhcity.gov.vn Website: www.hcmcexpo.com.vn

7-10 – Woodmach Philippines SMX Convention Centre Manila, Philippines Global-Link MP Events International Inc. Tel: +632 750 8588 Fax: +632 750 8585 Email: info@globalinkph.com Website: www.globallinkph.com

8-10 – Designbuild Perth Convention Exhibition Centre Perth, Australia Diversified Exhibitions Australia Tel: +61 3 9261 4500 Fax: +61 3 9261 4545 Email: shows@divexhibitions.com.au Website: www.divexhibitions.com.au

Shunde Exhibition Centre Shunde, China Adsale Exhibition Services Tel: +852 2811 8897 Fax: +852 2516 5024 Email: exhibition@adsale.com.hk

28-31 – Hong Kong International Furniture Fair AsiaWorld-Expo, International Airport Hong Kong Hong Kong Trade Development Council & Kenfair International Limited Tel: (852) 2240-4323 / (852) 2240-4554 / (852) 1830-668 Fax (852) 3543-8713 Email: exhibitions@tdc.org.hk Website: http://hkfurniturefair.hktdc.com/

29/10-1/11 – Holzhaus Wood Building Crocus Expo Exhibition Centre, Crocus City Complex Moscow, Russian Federation MVK International Exhibition Company Tel: +7 495 982 5065, Email: hav@mvk.ru Website: http://www. holzhaus.ru/defaulteng.aspx

NOVEMBER 2-7 – BATIMAT Paris Expo Porte de Versailles Paris, France Reed Expositions France Tel: + 33 (0) 1 47 56 21 21 Fax: + 33 (0) 1 47 56 50 30 Email: sophie.guymier@reedexpo.fr Website: http://www.batimat.com/site/GB/ The_exhibition,C813,I802.htm?KM_Session=2d55 33b07ea01b80abea06cfe84b743a

3-6 – Maderalia – FIMMA Feria Muestrario Internacional de Valencia Valencia, Spain Tel: 0034902747330 Fax: 0034902747345 Email:feriavalencia@feriavalencia.com Website: www.feriavalencia.com/maderalia / www.feriavalencia.com/fimma

11-13 – Japan Home and Building Show Tokyo International Exhibition Centre (Tokyo Big Sight) Tokyo, Japan Japan Management Association Tel: +813-3434-1988 Fax: +813-3434-8076 Website: www.jma.or.jp/jhbs/en/index.html

12-14 – WMF Guangzhou Guangzhou Poly World Trade Expo Guangzhou, China Adsale Exhibition Services Tel: +852 2811 8897 Fax: +852 2516 5024 Email: exhibition@adsale.com.hk

20-24 – ASEAN-China Expo

29/10-2/11 – Jogja Furniture Show

23-27 – ZOW Moscow

Nanning International Convention & Exhibition Centre Guangxi, China Tel: +86-771-5813158 Fax: +86-771-5813355 E-mail: caexpo@caexpo.org Website: http://www.caexpo.org

Jogjakarta Expo Centre, Grand Birma Hall Yogyakarta, Indonesia Jl Parangtritis No Tel: +(62)-(274)-380708 Fax: +(62)-(274)-380708 Website: http://www.jogjaexpocenter. com/calendar2.php?id=329

Expocentre, Moscow, Russia Restec Exhibition Company Tel: +7 495 544 38 36 Fax: +7 495 544 38 36 Email: focus@restec.ru Website: http://www.zow.ru/en/

Kindly indicate the events you are interested in and fax the sheet/s along with your details in the Product Enquiry Page on page 72a to (65) 6379 2806 or enquire online at www.fdmasia.com

Calendar of Events 2009-2010

DECEMBER

FEBRUARY

March

1-4 – WoodEx International Trade Show

Surfaces 2010, Floor Covering Show Sands Expo and Convention Centre

4 – 7 - Manila Now – PIFS 2010 Philippines International Furniture Show

Las Vegas, US Hanley Wood Tel: + 972 536 6317 Fax: + 972 536 6401 Email: dteague@hanleywood.com Website: www.surfaces.com

Manila, Philippines SMX Convention Centre Global-Link Exhibitions Specialist Inc. Tel: +632 750 8588 Fax: +632 750 8585 Email: info@globallinkmp.com Website: www.globallinkmp.com

Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre Moscow, Russian Federation MVK International Exhibition Company Tel: +7 495 982 5065 Email: avn@mvk.ru Website: http://www.lestechprodukzia.ru/ defaulteng.stm

2-4 – IFFT – Interior Lifestyle Living International Furniture Fair Tokyo International Exhibition Centre (Tokyo Big Sight) Tokyo, Japan International Development AssociationFurniture Industry of Japan, Mesago Messe Frankfurt Corp.

Tel: +81 (0) 3 3262 8453 Fax: +81 (0) 3 3262 8442 Email: info@ifft-interiorlifestyleliving.com Website: http://www.ifft-interiorlifestyleliving. com/en/

2010

JANUARY 16 – 19 – DOMOTEX: World Trade Fair Hannover, Germany Deutsche Messe Tel: + 49 511 89-0 Fax: + 49 511 89-32626 Email: info@hf-singapore.com Website: www.domotex.de/homepage_e

21-25 - Vivi La Casa In Fiera, Furniture and Furnishing Exhibition Market Veronafiere Verona, Italy Ente Autonomo Fiere di Verona Tel: + 045 8298 111 Fax: + 045 8298 288 E-mail: info@veronafiere.it Website: www.vivilacasaweb.it/index.asp

2-6 – IMOB Istanbul Furniture Fair CNR Expo Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul Trade Fairs Inc Tel: + 90 212 465 74 75 Fax: +90 212 465 74 76/77 E-mail: info@itf-imob.com Website: www.itf-imob.com/content/en_fair_ info.asp

4 – 8 - Indiawood 2010

3-6 - MADE Expo

9-12 - IFFS – International Furniture Fair Singapore/ Asean Furniture Show

New Milan Fairgrounds Milano, Italy MADE eventi srl Tel: +39 02 29017144 Fax: +39 02 29006279 Email: info@madeexpo.it Website: www.madeexpo.it/it/index.php

8-11 - ZOW Exhibition of the Suppliers to the Furniture Industry Bad Salzuflen Exhibition Centre Hall 19-23 Bad Salzuflen, Germany SURVEY Marketing + Consulting GmbH & Co. KG Tel: + 49 521 96533-55 Fax: + 49 521 96533-66 Email: zow@survey.info Website: www.zow.de/en/

Bangalore International Exhibition Centre Bangalore, India PDA Trade Fairs Tel: +91 80 25513081 (Dir) Fax: +91 80 25542258 Email: Indiawood@pdatradefairs.com / christopher@pdatradefairs.com

Singapore Expo hall 3-8, Singapore International Furniture Fair Singapore Pte Ltd, Tel: +65 6569 6988 Fax: +65 6569 9939 Email: enquiry@iffs.com.sg Website: www.ifcsingapore.com

12-15 - TIFL – Taiwan International Furniture and Lighting Show Taipei World Trade Centre Exhibition Hall 1 Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Tel: 886-2-27255200 ext. 2629 Fax: 886-2-27227324 Email: tifl@taitra.org.tw Website: www.tifl.com.tw

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 #04-02. Singapore 169206.

Tel: (65) 6379 2888 | Fax: (65) 6379 2805 | Email: fdmasia@epl.com.sg

Advertising Index PAGE NO

ENQ NO

ADVERTISERS / AGENCY

093

adsale exhibition services ltd (WMF beijing 2010)

ibc

091

aMerican hardWood export coUncil

iFc

089

aMerican lUMber co

59

035

becker acroMa

33

094

hoMag asia pte ltd

11

092

hUntsMan (belgiUM) bvba

1

084

java incorporated bhd

7

074

jeFFer MachinerY co ltd

095

koelnMesse co ltd, gUangzhoU branch

066

richFrUits MachinerY ManUFactUring co ltd

61

096

bino (sh) MachinerY co., ltd

21

090

shenzhen xinYUnxiang precision tools co ltd

15

088

sieMpelkaMp Maschinen-Und anlagenbaU gMbh & co kg

008

tong Fong cUtters co ltd

23

009

Wen chih MachinerY indUstrial co ltd

72

058

WeYerhaeUser Marketing

Legend:

13 5

3

obc

ADVERTISERS wITh EBROChuRES

Head Office

RePReSeNTaTive Office

canice Gan Tel: (65) 6379 2888 fax: (65) 6379 2806 email: canicegan@epl.com.sg

ding Yong Mei Tel: 86 21 6311 3676 fax: 86 21 6311 2960 email: neweastern_sh@hotmail.com

SiNGaPORe eastern trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower delta road ePL building #04-02 singapore 169206

SHaNGHai, cHiNa sHanGHai neW eastern Media co. Ltd 15d block b, Victoria Plaza, no.1068, Xikang rd, shanghai, P.r, china 200060

ReGiONal SaleS RePReSeNTaTiveS TAiwAn

ENQUIRY NO. 009

robert Yu Tel: 886-4-2325 1784 Fax: 886-4-2325 2967

JApAn

ted asoshina Tel: 81-3-3263 5065 Fax: 81-3-3234 2064

KoreA

Young-seoh chinn Tel: 822-481 3411/3 Fax: 822-481 3414

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

www.fdmasia.com 72 FDM AsiA october 2009 | www.fdmasia.com

ENQUIRY NO. 093

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ENQUIRY NO. 058

E-mail: even.tong@weyerhaeuser.com or visit our website at wy.com

10/14/09 4:19 PM 10/1/09 12:04