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TA K I N G
STOCK
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone: 334-834-1170 Fax 334-834-4525
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Publisher David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Editor-In-Chief Rich Donnell Senior Editor Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor David Abbott Senior Associate Editor Jessica Johnson Associate Editor Patrick Dunning
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Publisher/Editor Emeritus David (DK) Knight
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Production Manager/Art Director Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coordinator Patti Campbell Circulation Director Rhonda Thomas Online Content & Marketing Manager Jacqlyn Kirkland
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Advertising Sales Manager David H. Ramsey • (334) 834-1170
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES SOUTHERN U.S. Kathy Sternenberg • (251) 928-4962 ksternenberg@bellsouth.net Classified Advertising Bridget DeVane • (334) 669-7837 • 1-800-669-5613 bdevane7@hotmail.com MIDWEST USA, EASTERN CANADA John Simmons Mar-Tech Communications 32 Foster Cres. Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 (905) 666-0258 Fax: (905) 666-0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com WESTERN USA, WESTERN CANADA Tim Shaddick 4056 West 10th Ave, Vancouver BC Canada V6L 1Z1 604-910-1826 Fax: (604) 264-1397 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook (604) 619-1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com INTERNATIONAL Murray Brett 58 Aldea de las Cuevas Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain Tel: +34 96 640 4165 +34 96 640 4048 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net
SOMETIMES THE PATHS COME FULL CIRCLE
W
e know that people’s paths may cross; the same can be said of articles in Panel World. You’ve probably noticed that the cover article for this issue is on the Winston Plywood & Veneer operation in Louisville, Miss. It is somewhat of a sequel article, in that Panel World first visited the plant shortly after it started up; having heard it had gotten the kinks out, so to speak, Panel World recently visited it again, and it appeared to be hitting on all cylinders as plywood prices continued to skyrocket. Nice timing. It has taken a lot of focus and innovation on the part of the operators to bring it up to where it needs to be. Winston Plywood & Veneer is owned by New Wood Resources LLC, which is owned by Atlas Holdings. They built the new plant at the site of a former GP plant. They were originally going to resurrect the old GP plant, but a tornado in April 2014 wiped out the plant and those plans. So they built a new one with a lot of used machinery that they rebuilt. You might say it’s been “the great fine-tuning” ever since, and now it’s paying off. But let’s get to where I’m trying to go with this. Atlas Holdings formed New Wood Resources shortly after it sold its Wood Resources company and its two southern pine plywood plants to Boise Cascade in 2013. New Wood Resources was formed not only with the Winston operation, but two Western plywood operations as well—since sold off. Another company in the Atlas Holdings portfolio (operating partners as Atlas Holdings calls them) is RedBuilt. Redbuilt, based in Boise, Id., is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of engineered wood products—open web trusses, I-joists, LVL, glulam beams, etc. RedBuilt was launched in 2009, when Atlas Holdings and a group that included former Trus Joist executives acquired the commercial division of Trus Joist from Weyerhaeuser, which had acquired Trus Joist in 2000.
Trus Joist was the king of engineered wood products, and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the “Red” in the name Redbuilt stands for Harold (Red) Thomas, the co-founder of Trus Joist in 1960 in Boise and who with the other co-founder, Art Troutner, had developed and was marketing open web trusses and other engineered wood products even before then, and would go on to develop others, including laminated veneer lumber. Environmentally speaking, their products addressed a shrinking supply of quality timber, caused mostly by the environmental movement. On page six of this issue you’ll read of the recent death of Red Thomas, who was the salesman and promoter of the team, while Troutner, an architect, was the inventor. Thomas lived long enough this year to hear that RedBuilt had become in May the exclusive distributor of another engineered wood product that is coming on strong—cross-laminated timber; in this case produced by CLT manufacturer SmartLam. And to take the crossing of paths a step further, our friend Kurt Liebich, chairman of RedBuilt and New Wood Resources, began his career with Trus Joist in 1994 and was involved in all of the developments and transactions PW heretofore mentioned since then.
RICH DONNELL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Ph: 334-834-1170 Fax: 334-834-4525 e-mail: rich@hattonbrown.com
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(Founded as P l y w o o d & P a n e l in 1960—Our 505th consecutive issue) VOLUME 61 NO. 6
20
NOVEMBER 2020
Visit our web site: www.panelworldmag.com
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SUPPLIERS & COVID Maintaining The Pace
DRYER ISLAND
Latest Technologies
TAKING STOCK Small World
WHAT’S NEW Steam Recovery
PANELWORKS Classified Advertising
UPDATE Red Thomas, 94
SUPPLY LINES Familiar Faces
GEO DIRECTORY Veneer/Panel Suppliers
PROJECTS Egger Comes On
CLIPPINGS Retirement
EVENTS Maybe In 2021
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COVER: Commitment to detail and innovation have Winston Plywood & Veneer’s operation finding its rhythm at just the right time in Louisville, Miss. Story begins on PAGE 12. (Dan Shell photo)
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Panel World (ISSN 1048-826X) is published bimonthly by Plywood & Panel World, Inc., P.O. Box 2268, Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 (334) 834-1170, Fax (334) 834-4525. Subscription Information— PW is sent free to owners, operators, managers, purchasing agents, supervisors and foremen at veneer operations, plywood plants, composite products plants, structural and decorative panel mills, engineered wood products plants and allied exportimport businesses throughout the world. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $50 annually; $60 in Canada; $95 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries—TOLL-FREE 800-6695613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.panelworldmag.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe or renew via the web. All advertisements for Panel World magazine are accepted and published by Plywood & Panel World, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Plywood & Panel World, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Plywood & Panel World, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Panel World. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Printed in USA. Member, Verified Audit Circulation Managed By Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc.
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UPDATE RED THOMAS DIES AT 94
$8,000, some machinery, an old barn, and the idea that “we’ve got to have something better than a 2-by-4,” Thomas recalled. “We created a whole new industry of laminated veneer lumber.” Thomas convinced Troutner to make him the exclusive marketing agent. In 1960 they launched Truss Deck Corp. The first product used 2x4 machine stress rated wood chords and the tubular steel webbing. It was adopted for commercial construction projects ranging from office complexes, restaurants and convenience stores to apartments and warehouses.
Bloedel as Trus Joist MacMillan. In January 2000 Weyerhaeuser purchased Trus Joist International for $720 Harold Eugene (Red) Thomas, who million. Nearly 10 years later, in 2009, was the pitchman behind the developThomas was an investor when Atlas ment of open web trusses and engiHoldings LLC, in partnership with a neered wood I-joists and a co-founder of group of former leaders of Trus Joist Trus Joist Corp., died August 21 in Corp., bought the Trus Joist CommerBoise, Id. He was 94. cial business back from Weyerhaeuser. The son of Ralph and Ruth Thomas, he They named it RedBuilt in honor of Red was born in Glenns Ferry, Idaho and Thomas. RedBuilt remains a significant grew up in Nampa and Boise during the producer and distributor of engineered depression. His father operated pool halls wood products to this day. Troutner had and at a young age Thomas became a died in 2001. proficient pool player standing on a RedBuilt released a statement upon the wooden Coke box when he wasn’t death of Thomas: “As co-founder of cleaning up. At 11 years old he beTrus Joist and RedBuilt’s namesake, came deeply religious. Thomas graduHarold’s business values of respect for ated from Nampa High School in 1943 the associates, great customer service, where he also met Phyllis Swayne and strong communities, along with who would become his wife and comhis passion for a better way to build, panion for 68 years. They would have are at the core of who RedBuilt is three sons. today. From all of us, ‘Thank you, After one semester at the UniversiHarold, you will be missed.’” ty of Idaho, Thomas left school to Thomas loved to fly and was a join the Navy, where he received the skilled instrument pilot with more WWII Victory Medal. He went to than 10,000 hours logged. He owned Meteorology School and was eventumany airplanes and used them in ally stationed at Sandpoint Naval Air business, adventure and philanthropy. Station in Seattle. His contribution to In 1987 he and his wife volunthe war effort was to collect weather teered to fly in Ethiopia for humanidata for ships and planes, which tarian purposes. For three months meant flying out to sea on blimps to Thomas flew for many relief organireport the weather. zations providing food and medical Thomas graduated with a degree in supplies during the famine. In 1998 Red Thomas, left, and Art Troutner check out their forestry from the University of Idaho wood I-joist. Thomas was a driving force behind in 1951. He sold lumber for a compathe development of a new modern airny in Minneapolis and developed a plane to replace the Cessna fleet in love for the lumber industry and made it Throughout the 1960s the company mission aviation. This airplane would be his goal to become proficient in every developed a family of trusses for the known as the Kodiak, now used around aspect of the business. His motto was to light commercial market. In 1969 they the world by mission organizations. make a decision about what you want to produced the wood I-joist with 2x3 or Thomas established a Foundation for do then learn everything you could to 2x4 flanges and plywood as the web. the purpose of helping Christian organimake it succeed. Thomas and Troutner had always been zations. Some of Thomas’ last words, In 1956 he was selling lumber for sevconcerned about wasted wood from which he wanted everyone to know, eral wholesale lumber companies when their production, especially as access to were: “True happiness in this world is he met Art Troutner, a well known area high quality timber resource began to simply to know the Lord Jesus Christ and architect in Boise who had use curved decline due to the environmental moveallow Him to be the center of your life.” laminated beams in the design of the ment. Then in the early 1970s they deThomas was preceded in death by his Boise Little Theater. It was during this veloped a laminated veneer lumber parents and his wife. He is survived by meeting that Troutner mentioned a new product called Micro=Lam for use in three sons and an extended family intype of joist that he had invented, which headers and beams and as the flange for cluding two great, great grandsons. he called “truss deck,” built with 1x6 the I-joist. Ultimately the company inboards for the chords and connected by troduced LVL flanges with OSB webs. ADEL MOVES AHEAD steel rods. This was the beginning of a As Truss Deck grew, Thomas and very unique partnership that would Troutner began franchising and in 1969 WITH PELLET MILL evolve into Trus Joist Corp. and Trus the company merged its franchise operA proposed 450,000 metric tons per Joist International, a public company ations into one company called Trus year industrial wood pellet mill to be whose annual sales would reach a billion Joist Corp. In 1990 Trus Joist entered built in Adel, Ga. is gaining steam. On dollars—after starting in 1960 with into a joint venture with MacMillan 6 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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UPDATE
September 21 the Adel City Council voted to annex a 171 acre industrial park area in Cook County into the city of Adel and to re-zone the property from agricultural to heavy-industry. Meanwhile the wood pellet plant project owner, Renewable Biomass Group, has applied for air construction permitting for the plant, which would export its wood pellets to overseas markets as fuel for electricity generation. The company hopes to commence construction in the fourth quarter of this year with commercial production beginning in the first quarter of 2022. It plans to operate 11 pelletizers, one dryer, an RCO and RTO for air emissions control. The Renewable Biomass Group web site indicates the company wants to develop 2 million metric tons per year of industrial wood pellets projects over a seven-year period. Dogwood Alliance, the extremist Southern-based environmental group, has taken an aggressive stance against the plant. Dogwood Alliance promotes
only solar and wind renewable energy while citing environmental dangers of wood harvesting. The RBG air permit application indicates the plant will procure 1.1 million tons of softwood annually.
IT’S PHASE TWO FOR SMARTPLY OSB
Ireland’s largest commercial forestry and land solutions company, Coillte, has approved a €44.4M investment to improve and upgrade Medite SmartPly’s SMARTPLY OSB plant in County Waterford. The investment will upgrade the drying plant, which has been in continuous operation since 1996, and will deliver a world class drying/energy/screen system that will enhance resource efficiency and asset reliability while greatly increasing plant capacity. SMARTPLY placed the order with Büttner, which reports this is the largest order in Büttner’s history. Four older
drum dryers will be replaced by a new, large Büttner OSB dryer. This dryer will also include new wet material conveyors and a Büttner wet material bunker above the drum. The new dryer will be connected to the existing exhaust air purification system. ➤ 10
SMARTPLY plans major drying/energy improvements.
8 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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UPDATE
➤ 8 SMARTPLY will convert its energy production to a new Büttner heat energy plant replacing the existing dryer dust suspension burners and biomass furnace. The dryer will include optimal recovery of heat energy from its exhaust gasses to maximize energy efficiency. It also includes a thermal oil heater for supplying the continuous press. Besides the comprehensive engineering, the order includes all supplies including integrated automation for the entire process, the entire logistics, the complete mechanical and electrical installation, commissioning and final service. The first stage of the project is due for completion over the coming weeks. The project is due to finish in second quarter 2022. The improved output, as a result of the project, will further increase product availability as well as enable the company to develop new market sectors and opportunities as part of the company’s strategy and growth plan. “We are delighted to announce the
latest investment into our SMARTPLY plant which will provide a welcome economic boost to the region while enabling us to deliver our best in class timber panel products to even more customers,” comments Pat Beardmore, Chief Operations Officer, Medite SmartPly. “This is the second significant investment we have made in SMARTPLY in the past five years, with a €59M project back in 2016.” The 2016 modernization included a new Siempelkamp forming line, 45 m long Contiroll continuous press, new cooling and stacking line and new cutto-size and packaging line.
AWC PICKS MORRILL, CPA TAPS O’HARE
Jackson Morrill, president of the Composite Panel Assn. since 2015, has resigned from that position to become President and CEO of American Wood Council. AWC contributes to the development
of public policies, codes and regulations that allow for the responsible manufacture and use of wood products. It has been out front in recent years in its support of mass timber construction. CPA meanwhile welcomed Andy O’Hare as its new president. He was recently the vice president of Public Policy at The Fertilizer Institute (TFI). Prior to TFI, O’Hare was vice president of Government Affairs for the Portland Cement Assn. His lobbying efforts at both the federal and state level covering a wide range of issues, including environmental, health and safety and climate change, will be a tremendous asset to CPA. Prior to his work at CPA, Morrill was director at American Chemistry Council and he practiced environmental law with a DC-based firm. Morrill graduated from Tulane University School of Law and gained a bachelor of arts from the University of Virginia. AWC was re-chartered in 2010 and has links to the old National Forest Products Assn.
10 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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SOUTH’S NEWEST PLYWOOD FACILITY GROWS UP Almost three years after startup, the mill hit its stride—and then the virus hit. BY DAN SHELL
LOUISVILLE, Miss. fficiency and production are both on the increase here at the South’s newest plywood plant that started up in 2016 as the facility grows into its potential. The irony, says Winston Plywood & Veneer (WPV) President and CEO Bruce Warren, is that the plant had been having some of its best months since startup going into March 2020—then the COVID 19 pandemic hit and threw operations and markets across the forest products industry into disarray. “When COVID hit we had just started to see some record weeks, the best we’ve had since starting up,” Warren says, noting that March was the plant’s best month yet—until now. In late July, Warren said the plant was back to about 80% of its preCOVID output. Now, after a major market turnaround and record prices that have boosted all segments of the industry, WPV is making progress in all areas of the mill. “Productivity is up roughly 40% throughout the mill” from the startup phase of three years ago, Warren adds, citing several initiatives implemented at the facility. These include changes in company culture and an emphasis on continuous improvement and data-driven operations implemented in the past two and a half years. “I expect the fourth quarter to be the best we’ve had by every single measurement,” Warren says.
E
Mill’s two-lathe design handles logs up to 24 in., with a sweet spot half that size.
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Rebuilt from 2014 tornado disaster, mill covers 287,000 sq. ft. under single roof.
In addition to in-house veneer, plant also sells strength-tested veneer on open market.
New six-deck USNR veneer dryer is the workhorse dryer of the operation.
WPV’s story is one of investment and resurrection: The former GP plywood plant in Louisville had been idled, and Atlas Holdings subsidiary New Wood Resources had stepped in to purchase the facility, invest and re-establish a new mill on the site. But the company’s initial plans were blown away when the facility was destroyed by a tornado in April 2014. The disaster meant the scope of the project was greatly enlarged and included a new 287,000 sq. ft. building. Both
lathes, a dryer and two presses along with complete plant infrastructure were rebuilt following the tornado. Plant personnel followed New Wood Resources’ approach in re-establishing other forest products manufacturing facilities: upgrade existing equipment when possible, buy new equipment if needed and update it all with newer controls and electronics. The WPV plant started up in late 2016. Despite its location on the site of the former GP plywood facility that
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closed in 2009, the plant’s startup phase had more of a greenfield feel to it, Warren says. “When we started the mill we had so few people who were plywood-experienced,” he adds. “We brought in some from other locations, but it’s taken us time to build that experience.”
INITIATIVES Warren, who comes from an automotive industry background, began to apply data-driven principles to make operations more consistent. “We implemented a data-driven approach to running this business with software that helps to quickly identify and resolve issues,” he says, adding that managers are also using statistical modeling to optimize production processes. As examples, he notes projects that have correlated peel quality with vault conditions, and running computational models to optimize the balance between grade and moisture content at the dryers. Warren says the moves were fully embraced. “We added a great deal of analysis to what I call ‘tribal knowledge’ to create the best of both worlds,” he adds. “Tribal knowledge is there for a reason— people know things even if they can’t prove it scientifically. But sometimes that knowledge goes awry and you find you need to optimize and that’s what we’ve done.” l The plant has smoothed operations by establishing an engineer-
A big focus has been improving efficiency and production at the layup line.
Log supply study prior to mill rebuild has only grown more favorable in the past five years, analysts say.
14 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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ing department to help implement continuous improvement projects but also solve problems with machines and operations. Warren notes that members of the engineering and maintenance teams have rotated through and worked running the plant so they can understand the problems and issues operators face every day. “Sometimes an operator will ultimately accept a problem and just work with it, but now they realize we have the ability to solve those problems and that’s contributed to improving quality and productivity,” Warren says. As leaders of the continuous improvement effort, the engineering department holds weekly meetings and reviews progress made in each area. “It’s very formal, a system we used in the automotive industry,” Warren says, noting that meetings review each area of the mill and current projects that are ongoing. “We’ll review the status, make recommendations and look for possible Production is up roughly 40% across all plant segments changes.” l Another automotive industry since startup in late 2016.
technique that Warren applied at WPV is building a “dojo” line to improve efficiency and production at the layup process. “When I got here I realized one of the bottlenecks was the layup line and how to train operators for the layup line,” Warren says. “The line can’t be any faster than the slowest person, and training people live on the line is very inefficient.” The dojo line is a replica of the rebuilt GP double 5-ply layup line built so operators can train off-line. “People are able to get used to it, work on their hand-eye coordination, and we can better tell if people are suited to working the layup line before they get on the plant floor,” Warren says. One silver-lining impact of dealing with COVID by using Zoom meetings is that instead of jotting a few KPI numbers on a board at a face-to-face meeting, supervisors are now sharing more data in PDFs and on-line documents. “With more granularity, we
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have a better view of the business,” Warren says. “We’re able to go back and look at not just what happened last shift but also to see if something is happening long term that’s harder to identify.”
MILL FLOW Three Taylor log lifts handle log truck unloading and log decking duties and feed a Nicholson A8 debarker and LogPro merchandising line with seven
saws that can handle stems up to 50 ft. The peelers are then moved to a set of 14 hot water conditioning vaults. Logs are moved from the vaults and fed to lathe infeed with Cat wheel loaders. Before the mill was built New Wood Resources had commissioned a fiber supply study as part of making the decision to invest in the facility. The results were positive, Warren says. He adds that he recently met with forestry department personnel at Mississippi State University to see what might have
changed since the study was done fiveplus years ago. “They went back through the study and said if anything, it’s only gotten more favorable for us,” Warren says. The mill can handle up to 24 in. log but prefers a smaller diameter. Around 11-12 in. is the sweet spot, Warren says. “That size balances the feeding of the trays; larger logs have to be separated and go to another tray.” The plant operates two 8 ft. Coe lathes that were extensively rebuilt for the 2016 startup with new drives, planetary screw actuator servo carriage controls and updated x-y chargers. Lathes peel 1⁄6 and 1⁄8 thicknesses, and both machines handle the same size logs. The lathe lines feed to two Raute clippers (Ventek scanning) and on to two Raute green stackers. Strip and random material is pulled on a green chain. Dryers are a new six deck Coe M62 unit and a rebuilt four-deck Coe M72 dryer, steam heated with natural gasfired boilers. The dryers feed to Ventek veneer scanning and grading systems and Metriguard Sequoia 200 veneer strength-grading machines, and veneer flows to two Raute dry stackers. Panels are laid up on the GP double 5-ply layup line (Hexion resin). Globe pre-presses precede two Williams White 4x8 presses. A Spar-Tek saw line sizes panels at press outfeed. Finishing equipment includes a Kimwood sander and TNG line that was added after startup.
VIRAL IMPACT “I think we’ve done a pretty good job with the virus,” Warren says, adding there have been a few outside-mill positive tests that left some employees quarantined, but no in-mill transmissions. A temperature scanner sits at both the main office and mill entrances, and employees are 100% masked or faceshielded. Warren adds that the mill has pursued social distancing, holds meetings outdoors when possible, and reduced employee numbers in the break room where dividers were also added. Plus, he says, the common areas are almost continuously cleaned and wiped down. Some employees were furloughed in the spring when market conditions were poor. “Now we’re scaling back up but at a higher productivity level,” Warren says. “One commitment we made was not to sacrifice what we’ve learned as we regain our volume numbers.” PW 18 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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PANEL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS RISE TO THE OCCASION Whether the “new normal” is here to stay, suppliers have proven they can adjust to whatever comes their way. BY JESSICA JOHNSON
or everybody, the majority of 2020 has not been exactly as predicted, but despite travel restrictions, the global pandemic hasn’t slowed the panel industry; instead it’s pushed everyone to be that much greater. After an initially sluggish economy, market tracker Random Lengths has been reporting more than doubling of pricing over last year in North America, with OSB pricing even tripling. Production numbers continue to stay strong as supply rises to meet the growing demand as housing starts continue to climb. With the red-hot market producers are not looking to slow down for anything, and despite in-plant labor challenges, machinery upgrades are reportedly staying the course and new projects are being put out to bid. For the first time ever, many producers were searching for equipment without the traditional channels in place. Dieffenbacher, for example, has been winning projects using online video negotiations and remotely pushing them through startup. Markus Trame, Marketing and PR manager for German-
F
“Video and screen sharing technology has been very beneficial in sharing information, and still allows the ability to grow relationships face-to-face.” based Dieffenbacher, comments: “We have opened up more communications options to customers. For example, our sales, project management and service personnel are setting up online meetings to have virtual face-to-face communication with customers and partners. We have also successfully completed the first online/remote startups. Customers are instructed by Dieffenbacher experts and so are able to start up their machines and systems themselves.” Keeping employees as safe as possible is a critical element for panel producers and equipment supplier companies, and the move to just digital communications is not where the line stops. Worldwide health guidelines are being implemented across the industry, as employees that are able work from home
offices, PPE wear is strictly enforced, and travel is limited. “We increased our dialogue with customers about COVID prevention to protect our employees and theirs. I’ve been impressed with how versatile our employees are and their willingness to find alternative solutions for supporting our customers and progressing customer projects forward,” comments Jason Corkle, Corporate Service Manager at USNR. These health guidelines aren’t slowing projects down. For Dieffenbacher, travel restrictions delayed some projects in March and April, but most cases saw things restarting relatively quickly. Trame reports that one new project was paused for a few months, but has now been restarted. A limitation Dieffenbacher still faces is restricted world- ➤ 24
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21 ➤ wide travel. However, Trame adds that representatives are available on all major continents. Adding, “This gives us the capability to provide critical onsite service through local representatives.” Allen Wagoner, President of Flamex Inc., based in North Carolina, says Flamex has had some project delays to a certain degree, but no significant cancellations or delays. Same for Dürr Systems, says Rodney Schwartz, Vice President-Global Sales: “Some have been delayed longer than others, but none cancelled at this point.” Aside from three days in March, while Dürr (Megtec) made the determination as to their “essential” status, the manufacturing plant has been running through the entire pandemic. Schwartz adds, in order to create more socially distancing, the group went to a twoshift operation that has since been changed to a single shift. For office workers, about five operations people and leadership came to the office in Wisconsin, while close to 250 worked from home. On June 1, about 20 from the management and leadership group went back to the office, and now the office is operating on a two-week interval with employees rotating work from home and work in the office. “As our customers began to open up their facilities,” Schwartz comments on current projects, “we sent our people to continue project execution and commissioning, as long as we were convinced it was safe to do so.” “Our first line of defense is remote support, but sometimes problems require
Zealand still have many restrictions including 14-day quarantine upon arrival, and various government/visa requirements the company is having to work through to enable onsite presence in order to move these projects forward in conjunction with remote support from North America. USNR says that most delayed projects were due to COVID restrictions, though some were delayed because of the healthy price of panels right now. Predominately delayed projects were international, where 14-day quarantines and other local government restrictions either prevent entry into the country, or small projects that can wait or are not economically feasible to proceed during COVID.
VIRTUAL But it is not just new projects that producers are looking for suppliers to help with during this time. As mills ramp up production and hit higher production numbers, equipment can hit a snag. Suppliers around the globe quickly became experts at connecting with mills virtually to troubleshoot and offer other support. Aside from the popular video call and applications like Zoom, GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, Skype and FaceTime, suppliers got creative. Flamex is making use of Microsoft Teams for even in-house training and screen sharing for collaboration. By using augmented reality (AR) glasses for technicians that are able to travel within the U.S., Dieffenbacher was able to have multiple people in-
“While virtual tools can be quite effective, they won’t replace travel 100%.” onsite support to resolve,” explains USNR’s Corkle. By operating under the essential service provider to critical infrastructure guideline, USNR service and engineering teams are able to cross the U.S./Canada boundary uninhibited for most regions. As European restrictions loosen for some countries, USNR is now able to provide onsite support for many European customers, including a startup in Germany that had techs from the U.S. traveling in September. Additionally, USNR is working with Australian and New Zealand customers to provide onsite installation and startup for projects starting this fall and into January 2021. Australia and New
cluded in a service visit with real time video and audio, while reducing the amount of people physically present, but not sacrificing experts needed to complete the call. For Flamex, Wagoner says initially many scheduled service obligations were cancelled by customers. But as the months have progressed, and safety protocols established, like requiring negative COVID tests before entry, Flamex has been able to safely service mills. USNR has used webcams and other remote support systems in the past, and now newer platforms have allowed augmented reality via remote camera sharing and real-time video streaming using mo-
“The pandemic has also speeded up digitalization. That will help us in the future.” bile devices. Corkle says this allows for techs to observe customer systems whether it’s machinery, PLC controls, optimizers, or anything else. Service experts can then guide customers through the solution repair by placing arrows and markers on objects as they are displayed on a mobile device. Video and screen sharing technology has been very beneficial in sharing information, and still allows ability to grow relationships face-to-face.
BOTTOM LINE For most equipment suppliers, the pandemic has brought to light what the companies always knew: the key to success is their people. Wagoner says taking everything in stride has been critical to Flamex’s response to the pandemic while still servicing customers. USNR Senior VP Chuck Wert says the pandemic has taught their company how to collaborate online, train online and most importantly, support customers more extensively online. Adding, “No doubt, when we combine our newly acquired virtual skills with our more traditional in-person support, we now deliver a significantly improved overall package of sales and support.” “The pandemic has once again shown very clearly that first and foremost it is our employees that make us strong,” comments Trame of Dieffenbacher. “The crisis has impressively shown the importance of our good, very close and partnership-based customer relationships. The pandemic has also speeded up digitalization at Dieffenbacher. That will help us in the future.” Most everyone agrees travel is definitely going to be permanently altered thanks to the pandemic, but for Schwartz, Dürr has learned that while virtual tools can be quite effective, they won’t replace travel 100%. “We have very strict approval policies in place to control our movements in the marketplaces we serve. Our number one priority is to keep our employees safe and PW healthy,” he adds.
24 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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D RY E R
ISLAND EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements elsewhere in this issue. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.
BÜTTNER With the acquisition of the Metso energy system division in 2007, Büttner expanded their product portfolio from dryer system solutions for MDF, particleboard, OSB and pellets, to complete dryer islands for all biomass and wood-based material industries. For Büttner, this decision was both strategic and a step toward “returning to the roots.” The company, which was established in 1874 by August Büttner, started out by engineering and manufacturing energy systems. Büttner started focusing on dryer solutions in 1928. The 2007 acquisition resulted in numerous advantages and benefits for plant operators. Büttner offers, designs and supplies Büttner provides dryers and energy systems with combined engineering. dryer and energy systems from a single source. With a combined engineering effort, the design work is not only significantly reduced, but more importantly a completely integrated energy-dryer system concept is developed and implemented. The traditional concept of energy system “A” exchanging limited data via “handshake” with dryer system “B” is obsolete. A fully integrated energy-dryer system concept, supplied by Büttner, allows for faster reaction times for heat transfer, significantly faster drying temperature adjustments needed for varying infeed moistures, better drying quality of the dried fiber/material with regard to moisture variation and tolerance, and last, but not least, improved system emissions. The logistics processes, as well as assembly and startup, have also become more efficient. From the process point of view, energy and dryer systems clearly belong together. With their approach, Büttner already went one step further. Büttner not only supplies an energy system together with a dryer system, it also designs and engineers all from one source. As energy source Büttner offers two concepts: a multi-fuel suspension burner system for fuels such as wood dust, natural and syn gas, as well as a step-grate furnace for fuels like hog fuel, bark and wood trimmings. Both concepts allow for the utilization of the fuels in any combination or concentration. For the step-grate furnace concept, course material injection or dust/gas suspension burners can be added as an option. With such, wet fuel for the grate and dry fuel are separated and individually combusted in a controlled manner. Sparking, typically occurring when wet and dry fuels are not properly mixed, is greatly reduced. Both—course material injection, as well as dust/gas suspension burners—can be retrofitted to all existing furnaces. For engineered board plants, Büttner also designs and supplies thermal oil and steam generation with the energy systems. From 2007 to now, a total of 38 complete dryer islands were supplied and commissioned. Enviva at Southampton, Va.; Arauco at Bennettsville, SC; Uniboard at Vald’or, Quebec; Swiss Krono at Barnwell, SC: CalPlant at Willows, Calif.; Egger at Lexington, NC; and Pinnacle at Demopolis, Ala. are some of the recent North American installations. (Written by Dirk Koltze.)
DIEFFENBACHER Dieffenbacher provides energy systems and dryers with integrated solutions from a single source. Dieffenbacher drum and flash tube dryers are well recognized for their efficiency, reliability and ability to meet high safety standards. Energy systems with capacities of up to 120 MW thermal capacity can use a wide range of biomass fuels to generate hot gas for the dryer or produce steam or hot thermal oil for various heat consumers. Dieffenbacher drum dryers are the ideal solution for drying wood particles for particleboard production, strands for OSB production, disintegrated seasonal annual crops and other biomass. The dryer internals are designed according to the material characteristics for high thermal efficiency, low moisture fluctuation and low emissions. Flash tube dryers from Dieffenbacher should be the first choice for efficiently drying wood fibers for the production of MDF, HDF and THDF. Dryers with a dry fiber throughput of more than 60 t/h have been operating for many years. In addition to single-stage dryers, Dieffenbacher offers two-stage dryers and single-stage dryers with air recycling system, offering energy cost savings of up to 28 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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ISLAND 15% and a significant reduction in the exhaust gas flow. With robust design and low maintenance requirements, Dieffenbacher energy systems allow long operation periods without forced shutdown. This provides high availability and reliable operation. The firing system consists of an air-cooled reciprocating grate using the coarse biomass fractions of the wood panel production process (bark, wood chips, coarse trimmings) as fuel. The system can be equipped with various injection nozzles for combustion of dust and granulate fractions from screening, sawing and sanding as well as additional gas burners. Generating hot thermal oil and providDieffenbacher offers integrated energy and dryer solutions. ing hot gas to the dryer system can be controlled independently of each other in order to meet individual peak load demands. Recirculating hot gas from downstream of the thermal oil heater optimizes the combustion process and operational flexibility of the energy system. The perfect integration and compact design of energy system and dryer helps reducing operating costs and creates additional value for customers, from the planning phase through the complete lifecycle. The hot gas cyclone connecting energy system and dryer minimizes ash carry-over, thus reducing wear of the dryer cyclones and RTO ceramics. Integrated into the panel line control infrastructure, fully automated operation controls minimize the number of operators, further reducing operating costs. The interconnected mechanical and process design reduces interfaces, and the system’s fast and effective adaptation to changing loads supports plant efficiency.
MOISTTECH MoistTech is the diamond standard in moisture measurement and control worldwide, providing both online and laboratory solutions. Insensitive to material variations such as particle size, material height and color, our moisture sensors provide continuous, reliable readings with zero maintenance and a one-time calibration with a non-drift optical design allowing operational personnel to confidently make immediate process adjustments based on real-time measurements. Controlling the amount of moisture in wood products is a critical concern of the forest industry. An excess of moisture can have large impacts on final product quality and production. With MoistTech’s NIR moisture sensor, wood product manufacturers can adjust moisture levels on real-time information lowering raw material and fuel costs, higher yields, and more uniform products. Near-Infrared moisture measurement is a non-contact measurement that offers clear advantages over the traditional methods, most importantly being ease-of-use, elimination of hazardous chemicals, and increased efficiency of product testing. With NIR analysis, all manual steps of collecting, drying and accurately weighing samples are eliminated. Moisture management tools such as MoistTech’s IR-3000 Online Sensor allow for moisture content to be continually monitored and adjustments made on the fly. MoistTech’s non-contact online moisture sensor provides instant measurement, thereby improving performance, reliability and consistency. Benefits include: l Reduced Energy Usage l High Quality Product Through Instant Accurate Moisture Control l Reduction in Fire and Explosion Risk Moisttech IR-3000 Online Sensor l Plant Production Efficiency Monitoring 30 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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ISLAND l Prevention
of Board Press Explosions Control l Blending Monitoring for Control of Moisture & Resin l Increased Productivity l Low Cost l Highest Performance Operation l Reduced Downtime Contact our corporate office to see how proper moisture measurement and control can have a drastic effect on your production line. l Dryer
RAUTE As a key element in veneer production, drying seems like a simple process, but the nuances in drying can be complex. Mastering the drying process involves a number of factors with two pillar fundamentals: drying method and production costs. To appreciate the intricacies of drying, it’s best to start with the foundation of drying. Drying essentially means to remove water. You may think that the hotter the dryer, the faster the veneer dries. However, if you don’t consider how natural wood fibers behave, you’ll lose veneer in the process and leave profit on the table. Drying veneer starts with the most complicated part, the veneer. As a natural resource, each piece of veneer (even from the same log) can behave differently. That’s because trees are influenced by its environment. Everything Raute industrial veneer drying: back to basics from wind, drought, pests and other issues can change the direction of the wood fiber, moisture content, and where knots or defects occur. These differences when exposed to high heat can cause warping, breaks and splits. So, what are the things to consider when drying veneer? Veneer needs to be dried in order to facilitate the gluing and pressing processes down the line. If veneer is too wet, the glue may slip, not bond sufficiently, or the hot press may cause moisture pockets to release steam or pop. When veneer is too dry, it is vulnerable to handling damage. Therefore, drying veneer only to the point where glue will adhere, and trapped moisture pockets aren’t affected will maintain the integrity of the veneer structure. This will vary from species to species. Optimizing the drying process starts before veneer sheets go into the dryer, by sorting and stacking sheets by moisture content. Measuring moisture content is only accurately done with analyzers. The more categories of stacks, the greater control you have in the dryer. If you have a single stack of mixed moisture content, you can only dry based on the average moisture content. Inevitably, some veneer will be over-dry and some will be under-dry, which requires another round in the dryer. Drying veneer over and over again changes the structure of the fiber, making it prone to damage. This step is crucial for efficient and effective drying. By having two or more (ideally 12) stacks of veneer sorted by their average moisture content categories (wet, 10%, heavy moisture pockets, etc.) your dryer can work within a smaller tolerance for significant energy savings. Costly re-drying is reduced, as is loss from damaged veneer. Finally, it’s time to dry. Automated drying eliminates any guesswork by managing the speed, temperature and humidity inside the dryer. If you’ve stacked based on tight moisture tolerances, the automated dryer won’t have to manage large fluctuations to achieve the correct end-moisture content. Continuous feeding and consistent conditions are necessary to produce high-quality and perfectly dried veneer. Removing trash and unwanted particles away from the dryer and keeping the dryer well maintained will ensure that the process is operating at peak efficiency. As consistent conditions are required for best veneer quality, it is imperative that any damage, defect or issue with the dryer is taken care of immediately. Raute veneer dryers optimize drying conditions, equipment and process to produce more high-quality veneer with less energy consumption, less raw material usage, and less waste. What does successful veneer drying with Raute veneer dryers look like? 1) Up to 10% more high-quality veneer per stack 2) Up to 3% more valuable face veneer (increasing sheet value and profits) 3) Even moisture content reduces glue requirements up to 20% To keep your dryer at peak performance, find out how Raute can help you produce better quality veneer, decrease costs, and increase the value of your yield by talking to one of our experts. 32 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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D RY E R
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SCHEUCH
With thousands of models built and shipped all over the world, the impulse-filter is one of the company‘s core products. The bag filter has been part of the Scheuch product range since 1979, and has been fitted with the impulse cleaning system since the middle of the 1980s. With plant availability of more than 99%, the impulse-filter meets the high requirements for maximum productivity in the wood based panel industry thanks to its robust design and the use of reliable, tried-and-tested components. The filter also benefits from 30 years of experience, which Scheuch has used to continually develop and improve the product. The impulse cleaning system developed by Scheuch is highly efficient and energy-saving. With a high proportion of secondary air, the specially shaped twin nozzles ensure efficient and extremely gentle cleaning. This results in low compressed air consumption and longer cleaning cycles, which in turn means that the bags last longer. The filter bags are cleaned using compressed air pulses. The dust-laden crude gas enters the filter casing and is diverted upwards by a baffle plate. This process protects the filter bags from wear and allows pre-separation of coarse particles. The dust particles are retained on the surface of the filter media and, in a subsequent step, are blown off the bags using compressed air. The separated dust falls into the dust-collecting trough, and the discharge screw continuously conveys the separated material out of the filter. The clean air leaves the system via the clean gas chamber or, if required, can be fed back into the production hall as return air. l Control units are a key component of filtration plants from Scheuch. They are used in anything from simple extraction units to complex process dedusting systems. In conjunction with the impulse-filter, Scheuch has developed a new filter control unit: the PulseMaster-advanced new-generation device fitted with a powerful processor and a touchscreen with full graphic display and user-friendly menu navigation. Scheuch impulse-filter: a classic l The certified Scheuch safety concepts guarantee availability and legal compliance for the operator. They can also help to reduce insurance premiums. Conventional fire and explosion protection measures require large safety clearances, which are often not available in practice. Scheuch has therefore developed and tested customer specific solutions according to the installation location in question. For example, Scheuch can provide explosion protection concepts with flame ranges of five meters if necessary. This enables the filter configuration to be adapted to particular requirements, even when space is extremely limited. The certified, ATEX-compliant design is complemented by a report describing the limited impact on the rest of the hazard zone. Vehicle routes, walkways, storage areas and site boundaries are permitted within the vicinity of the filtration plant. The filter casings and separation distances have been tested in accordance with fire protection class EW 120. A distance of one meter between the filter and the building is sufficient. This ensures maximum safety with minimal restrictions.
STELA LAXHUBER The drying of shredded wood as a raw material in the panel board industry is one of the basic production stages. Prior to gluing, it is essential to set a defined, process-friendly sawdust moisture content. The low-temperature belt drying system from stela Laxhuber has recently caused a sensation precisely here. Stela Laxhuber is a third-generation family business founded in 1922 and is internationally active. The company is specialized in low temperature belt drying technology. It currently employs around 200 highly qualified staff in engineering, construction, manufacturing and service of drying plants with a very high vertical range of manufacture. To date, more than 300 industrial drying plants based on low temperature belt dryers have been installed worldwide and in a wide range of different applications. The first low-temperature belt dryers in the wood industry went into production at the turn of the millennium, mainly for wood pellet production. In 2007, one of those belt dryers to produce pallet blocks made of wood chips, designed for final moisture contents below 3%, was put into operation. Five years later an “EU project” for quality drying of OSB strands started in Italy, focusing on energy saving. This was followed in 2018 by the first low-temperature belt dryer for raw fiber for particleboard production with a capacity of 12.8 tph (100% to 1.5% residual moisture), among others in Turkey. The highlight to date in the engineered wood segment, and a major milestone, is a drying plant in Luxembourg, which comprises two double lines, each with a drying capacity of 30 t/h atro. Low-temperature belt dryers have so far been used primarily as an expansion investment and as a replacement investment—the 34 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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D RY E R
ISLAND reliable “trouble shooter” after a fire incident. However, the first greenfield project as part of a complete planning and implementation project is still pending. This is the next step and a concrete future prospect for Stela Laxhuber alongside the establishment of low-temperature belt drying on the market as an alternative to conventional drying technology. Advantages in emission behavior, flexibility in capacity expansions as well as in heat utilization concepts around power generation are decisive criteria, in addition to the fast installation times with a shortest commissioning phase. The dryer belt widths have increased from originally 2.7 m to today’s 6.2 m or a maximum of 8.4 m, at lengths of up to 60 or 80 m. In principle, low-temperature belt drying is suitable for all chip sizes in fiber and OSB sector with largely comparable techniques and efficiencies; only the product distribution and the handling of material differ. Here, the equipment varies, e.g. for overflow handling by means of a Stela OSB dryer at Swiss Krono, Zary, Poland specially shaped distribution screw, which in the case of OSB strands, among other things, ensures continuous uniformity of the product to be dried on the dryer belt. The transport of OSB strands into the dryer is—due to the shape and sensitivity of the product—a key issue that needs to be focused upon. Depending on the wood species, the emission behavior naturally differs; the TOC values usually remain within the range of 50 mg/Nm³ to 100mg/nm³ and particulate emissions below 10mg/nm³. A special quality aspect of low-temperature belt drying is its uniform, gentle drying, which takes place without mechanical stress. Deformations due to the influence of higher temperatures or boarding are avoided at standard levels of 80-90°C. The thermal influence on the material to be dried is therefore basically very low; this concerns product heating, color changes (e.g. in poplars), or the expulsion of VOCs, etc. Thanks to the minimized heating of the product by low process temperatures, neither wet electrostatic precipitators (WESP) nor thermal afterburning (RTO) are required to comply with the strict emission limits.
WESTMILL INDUSTRIES Westmill Industries, a leader in veneer drying technologies, has completed a record year for FY 2019/20, more than doubling revenues from the prior year. The company continues to expand into new industries and markets and to build-out its world-class management team with key leadership additions. During the past fiscal year, Westmill completed several large projects including some firsts for the 45-year-old company. Project highlights include: l Westmill supplied a new 6-deck, gasheated jet dryer line for West Fraser’s Edmonton, Alberta, Can. plywood plant. This Westmill co-dryers installation at Coastal Plywood in Havana, Fla. dryer incorporated many innovations and firsts for Westmill and is located immediately beside West Fraser’s other 6-deck Westmill jet dryer, which was installed back in 2005. l Westmill was chosen as both the installation project manager and the prime contractor for the West Fraser dryer and stacker project, a first for the company. Westmill was responsible for all site construction and installation of the equipment, including all mechanical and electrical installation and providing WF with a truly “turnkey” solution. Despite considerable challenges dealing with COVID precautions during the installation and commissioning process, this project was completed on-time and on-budget and without a single reported injury. l Westmill completed two major dryer projects for Coastal Forest Products in Havana, Fla. After having selected Westmill on 36 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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D RY E R
ISLAND
many previous new dryer and remodel projects, these were the fifth and sixth dryer projects that Westmill has completed for Coastal operations over the past six years. l Westmill upgraded and modernized an existing Coe M-72 dryer for Lumin’s plant in Uruguay, installing Westmill’s proprietary (patents pending) 2-PEx Advanced Exhaust & Humidity Control System. The 2-PEx Advanced Exhaust & Humidity Control System not only increases humidity levels along the entire dryer but is also designed to provide unparalleled control of the humidity-ratio along the entire length of Lumin’s M-72 dryer. This technology results in increased production, reduced energy consumption, while greatly improving veneer quality. The technology is designed to easily retrofit onto any underperforming jet dryer including any M-72 or M-208 model dryers. “Our 2019/20 fiscal year was challenging in so many respects, but also very rewarding. To realize record sales in our 46th year of existence was fantastic,” comments Michael Crondahl, President and proud owner of Westmill. “Our success can be attributed largely to our continued investment in innovation, our willingness to custom-tailor solutions to meet the customers’ needs and budget, and to our sterling track record of supporting everything we sell.” Westmill Industries has been serving the plywood and veneer industry since 1975. Recognized as a world leader in veneer drying technologies, Westmill supplies new veneer drying systems, material handling equipment, as well as remodeling of existing dryers. Westmill is the largest stocking supplier of dryer parts in the world for every make and model of dryer. Headquartered now in Abbotsford, BC, Can., Westmill also has stocking warehouses in Eugene, Ore. and Atlanta, Ga.
DÜRR MEGTEC Dürr Megtec is a global supplier of turnkey clean air solutions that meet stringent emissions regulations, improve process performance and protect thermal downstream equipment. The engineered wood products industry relies on Dürr Megtec for effective emissions control of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from dryers and press vents. With thousands of systems installed worldwide in many process industries, we have the knowledge to provide an optimized solution engineered to meet specific needs. Our designs are modular, operator-friendly, and cleanable, including alkali-resistant ceramics and corrosion-resistant materials of conDürr Megtec air emissions control technology at an OSB facility in the Southern U.S. struction to suit the application. Dürr Megtec is a single-source suppler offering optimized systems, including the CleanSwitch regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) to control VOCs, combined with our SonicKleen wet electrostatic precipitator to remove sub-micron particulate and fumes from dryer and energy-system gas streams with unparalleled uptime and reliability. Wet scrubbers provide high-efficiency particulate removal for dryers, press vents, and energy systems, thereby preventing buildup on the connecting ductwork and downstream equipment. Our selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) DeNOx systems chemically reduce NOx to clean nitrogen gas and water. We also cost-effectively control particulate emissions and opacity with dry electrostatic precipitator (ESP) technology. We further confirm our commitment to the wood products industry with the availability of a pilot unit scrubber/wet ESP/RTO for testing process slipstreams to determine the optimal pre-filtration and RTO ceramic bed configuration. The Dürr Megtec aftermarket services team delivers right-from-the-source expertise. Our people are skilled in helping you maintain your equipment by recommending upgrades and rebuilds of your existing equipment, with the goal being to optimize its efficiency and performance, which reduces energy costs.
PanelWorld • NOVEMBER 2020 • 37
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USNR
USNR has developed a new all-electric veneer dryer infeed, and it’s designed to accommodate veneer lengths of 8 ft., 9 ft. and 10 ft. This new technology was installed and commissioned earlier this year in a plant in Washington state as part of a complete new 4-deck veneer dryer project. The new feeder is rated at 69 sheets per minute, does not require a hydraulic power unit, and is adaptable to all USNR veneer dryers. Spring-loaded feed wheels ensure precise loading of veneer onto the dryer infeed. The feedrolls are powered by a 3 HP electric motor. A single electric motor drives a linkage connected to each side of the tipple to provide smooth, fast and accurate indexing of the tipple from deck to deck using an alternate deck-feeding program. The feeder system is designed to process 8 ft., 9 ft. and 10 ft. veneers. USNR’s new all-electric veneer dryer feeder accommodates up The feeder is equipped with an electric-operated load-lift to to 10 ft. veneer lengths. maintain proper load height ahead of the indexing tipple. Using a single electric motor, the load-lift will raise three stacks of veneer 54 in. wide by 8 ft., 9 ft. and 10 ft. lengths, and up to 36 in. in height. The X-lift elevator chains are powered with a 7-1⁄2 HP gear motor drive for rapid movement. The dryer vacuum feeder provides the ability to feed either 27 in. or 54 in. wide by 8 ft., 9 ft. or 10 ft. veneer into the feeder automatically. The feeder system utilizes a single vacuum fan. The dryer feeder accumulator enables the dryer feeder operator to continuously feed veneer up to 10 ft.-6 in. in length to the dryer while new veneer packages are loaded onto the X-lift. A supply of 1-1⁄2 in. to 2 in. of veneer from the diminishing load is accumulated at the working level, while the dryer feeder hoist is lowered, recharged, and then brought back up to feed height.
38 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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PROJECTS
EGGER STARTS UP AT LEXINGTON
gger completed its first raw particleboard production at its new manufacturing facility in Lexington, NC. Employees watched as the first panel underwent the final stages of production, transforming raw wood chips into a finished board as it moved through the press and finishing line. Production of particleboard, as well as thermally fused laminate (TFL), will be a major focus for the Lexington plant. “With this major milestone, the exciting and challenging journey of this greenfield project will soon come to an end,” says Bernhard Vorreiter, technical and production project manager for Egger. “It is an emotional moment, and our project team is proud to have had
E
the privilege and opportunity to build Egger’s first U.S. plant.” The start of production comes as the company prepares to launch its first Egger Decorative Collection with a full range of decorative surface options, including TFL, lacquered boards, laminates and edge banding. The Lexington facility is the company’s first manufacturing plant in North America. Development and construction of the three-phase project began in 2018. The first phase was the development of a state-of-the-art particleboard manufacturing plant with lamination capacities. The project involves an investment of $700 million and will create an estimated 770 direct jobs. Founded in 1961 in St. Johann in
Tyrol, Austria, Egger Group is a more than $3 billion privately-held, familyowned company composed of more than 10,100 associates. With 20 production plants worldwide, Egger is a global leader in the manufacturing of woodbased products for the furniture and interior design, flooring and building products industries. PW
Signing the first board
Employees capture the big moment.
Forming and press line
Cooling station comes alive.
A $700 million gameplan
40 • NOVEMBER 2020 • PanelWorld
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W H AT ’ S
NEW
SUNDS FIBERTECH PROMOTES STEAM RECOVERY, MAT PRE-HEATIING
Sunds Fibertech over the last two years has become a market leader in steam recovery and mat pre-heating
Sunds Fibertech EVOfuge steam recovery in refiner l Steam savings in MDF blow lines—30% reduction in steam consumption and lower VOC levels During recent years there has been a significant breakthrough in the reuse of steam in MDF blow lines. Sunds Fibertech is the market leader in this area with more than 30 EVOfuge systems sold. A number of the biggest groups globally have signed agreements to install EVOfuges in their lines, some motivated by its steam recovery capability and others by VOC reduction. The EVOfuge has patented technology and is the only recovery system on the market that uses non-mechanical technology to create a centrifugal force.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Product information and images in What’s New were submitted by the companies. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.
The centrifugal force pushes the fiber to the outer radius of the bend to separate market leader during this period. The steam from the fiber flow. PressBooster increases press capacity Through an EVOfuge, fresh steam by 10-25%, depending on the type of consumption in the refiner system is product, and improves the appearance typically reduced by 30%. The recovof the board surface. ered steam is recirculated back into the The new generation of Pressbooster pre-steaming bin prior to the refiner. has improved steam injection, improved The investment cost for an EVOfuge cleaning of the belts and a system that system is only one-third of the cost of a guarantees that no condensation issues mechanical recovery system. Operaarise. Product development for belt tional and maintenance costs are also cleaning has been driven by the inconsiderably lower as no movable parts creased use of MDI resin, which makes are used, no need for power for any wire cleaning even more important. motor, no water for mechanical sealPressBooster’s unique design has alings and no need for a foundation. All lowed it to achieve the highest capacity of these advantages have made increase on the market. It is the only mat EVOfuge the market leader for steam pre-heater with steam injection directly recovery systems. connected to the press l Increased press inlet. Our designers have capacity for particlealso been working on board, MDF and OSB making the PressBooster presses The new generation maintenance-friendly and very easy to operate. of our mat pre-heater One special feature of has been a big success the PressBooster is its with 15 units installed m-pro software. The mduring the last two pro app makes life easiyears. Sunds Fiber by providing permaertech’s mat preheater, Pressbooster, Sunds Fibertech mat pre-heater: nent process-condition PressBooster has become the global monitoring.
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W H AT ’ S
NEW
IMAL OFFERS COMPLETE LAB WORK
Imal expertise in the laboratory: upper left and clockwise—belt dryer; glue blender; former; press
Imal is pleased to inform all the major panel production manufacturing groups, schools and universities involved in the wood-based panel industry that it is able to supply a full range of equipment to produce special board samples in a laboratory. l Laboratory belt dryer: This small size dryer can dry the particles to a moisture content as low as 1-2%, after which they may be resined and pressed. The dryer runs with hot water that can be produced by a small electric boiler. l Laboratory glue blen der: Suitable for blending wood chips or fiber with a pre-set quantity of glue. l Laboratory former: a pre-weighed amount of
resined material is placed in the former, where a mat of several small layers is formed. There will be one layer of material in the case of MDF production and three layers, one on top of the other, for particleboard. l Laboratory press with computercontrolled press cycle in relation to thickness and hydraulic pressure. The panels are pressed to a size of 600x600 mm and to a specific pressure of 540 N/cm2. Once the special panel has been produced in the laboratory, it is possible to conduct all the relative board property tests with the IBX 700: —Dimensions —Density —Tensile strength —Surface soundness —Resistance to axial withdrawal of screws —Modulus of Elasticity in bending and of bending strength —Density profile taken on the thickness of samples
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STILES WILL SUPPORT MINDA NORTH AMERICA Building on their long-term relationship, MINDA and Stiles announce MINDA’s immediate acquisition of Deal Manufacturing in North Carolina and the subsequent formation of MINDA North America. MINDA’s acquisition of Deal Manufacturing and newfound presence in North America will further and better support Stiles’ efforts to grow the mass timber industry and continue their delivery of world-class customer service. Stiles will continue to be the sales, service and support partner, while MINDA North America will continue to integrate and manufacture various technologies necessary for the mass timber industry. With the anticipated growth of the mass timber industry in North America over the next decade, both parties are proud to form an even closer partnership in order to better serve the market and their customers.
LINES Charles Martin, who has been with Stiles for more than eight years, becomes President and CEO of MINDA North America overseeing the continuity of success that both companies have had since their partnership began more than 10 years ago. MINDA North America will be based in Granite Falls, NC.
MURPHY JOINS UNIFILLER AS CEO Longtime veneer and plywood industry equipment manufacturing veteran Martin Murphy is the new CEO of Unifiller Systems, Inc. Unifiller, based in Delta, BC, is a leading global manufacturer of portioning equipment for the baking and food industry, and a subsidiary of the Linxis Group of Companies focusing on mixing technologies. Murphy will be responsible for driving Unifiller Systems to the next level, building on the solid foundation
of his predecessors. Murphy was most recently president of Raute North America and spent 32 years with Raute since joining them in 1988 as a custom service engineer. He became area sales manager for Raute and VP of sales and marketing before becoming president in 2014. According to Murphy, “I chose Unifiller and Linxis because our values are very similar. Agility and innovation are key to building our customers’ success and building the business for years to come. My role is to lead the team and Linxis Group in growing the business. This can only be done by doing things the right way. We are nothing without our customers and my job is to build a strong, innovative and motivated team. The results will be customer satisfaction and a partnership that yields mutual benefits for all our futures.” Murphy is an accomplished leader with a high performing track record. He plans on supporting Unifiller with his fundamental value of building great re-
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LINES lationships with customers and delivering excellent support and service. He brings a great mix of leadership, technical breadth, and passion for customer care and company culture.
RAUTE PROMOTES TREVOR WENDT Raute Canada Ltd. announced two updates to the Raute North America Sales Team. Trevor Wendt has been promoted to Vice President of Sales, North America. As a veteran of the wood products industry for more than 20 years, Wendt will oversee and direct the Sales Department in North America. Spencer Pringle moves from project cost estimator to Key Account Sales Manager. As a mechanical engineer, he understands the technical mechanics of Raute equipment, which gives him the ability to recommend the best equipment, modernizations and customizations to increase recovery, productivity and profitability for Raute’s North American customers.
FIBERPRO FOCUSES ON WOOD YARD FiberPro is a new company spearheaded by Josh Krauss, who hopes to build upon past success and provide the industry with robust and innovative wood yard and lumber handling equipment systems. FiberPro proudly notes that with more than 23 years in the industry, Krauss has designed and sold the majority of the high-speed transverse merchandiser systems and drum debarking systems in the Southeastern U.S. Krauss took a brief retirement, but says he quickly realized the industry need for custom processing solutions. FiberPro headquarters is in Hot Springs, Ark. with a remote sales office in Winlock, Wash. FiberPro reports it has received multiple large orders and has developed a new log feeder system called the Cam Feeder for which they applied for a patent earlier this year. FiberPro’s engineering team reports it has redesigned the popular Log Trimmer Series Merchandiser System for greater safety and reliability. “FiberPro understands our customers’ raw fiber is their greatest single cost, so
processing it safely, correctly and reliably is the key to primary and secondary breakdown processing success resulting in higher mill profitability,” Krauss comments. FiberPro’s engineering team is headed by Jeremy Hutson and Andy Raybon and comprises a group of experienced engineers who have worked with Krauss for many years. Fiberpro engineering utilizes 3D SolidWorks for all design, manufacturing and installation assistance. E-mail: info@fiberprollc.com; visit fiberprollc.com.
KERWOOD JOINS HANSEN-RICE Hansen-Rice, Inc. (HRI) announced that Terry Kerwood and Matt Peerboom have joined their heavy industrial team as a business manager and director, respectively. Kerwood’s role is owner/ client advocate and liaison. As director, Peerboom oversees the project from start to finish. Kerwood was managing director of the Engineered Wood Technology Assn. (an affiliate of the American Plywood Assn.) for 21 years.
WOODWORKING FAIR HAS SOLID DEBUT More than 150 people participated in Woodworking Fair Midwest (WFM), a regional trade show created in light of the IWF 2020 cancellation. Eighteen exhibitors showcased their products and services to attendees from 12 different states, as far away as Georgia and Pennsylvania. “This was an experiment. We didn’t know what to expect,” says Kirsti Nelson, Director of Marketing and Communications at Vecoplan. Nelson served on the event steering committee and managed the show’s marketing. In a post-show survey, “Over 85 percent of exhibitors stated they were satisfied with the quality of attendees. We may not have had huge groups of people inundate us, but that’s a pretty impressive satisfaction rating considering this was a first-time event,” she says of the event held August 26-28 in Borden, Ind. Many exhibitors set up their machinery to do demonstrations. Six had a 600 square-foot or larger booth to display
their equipment. WFM also surveyed attendees on their impression after the show. Their consensus was that they want the show to return. “Seventy percent of attendees said they’d like the show to happen each year. They were pleased with the products and services at WFM. Half of the respondents said they’d like to see even more exhibitors. “So who knows? WFM may be here to stay. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Nelson says.. Exhibitors included: Cefla Finishing, Dekker Vacuum Technologies, Dubois Equipment Co., Honeyville Metal, IVEC Systems, CasadeiBusellato, Lamello, Northtech Machine, Nova Dry Kiln, PMK Systems, Pyramid Technical Group, Striebig, TigerStop, Timesavers, RUF Briquetting, Vecoplan, Weinig Holz-Her and Woodtech Machinery.
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CLT IS BIG FOR KALESNIKOFF Kalesnikoff announced new mass timber projects at three Canadian educational institutions: Bayview Elementary in Vancouver, BC; Humber College in Toronto, Ontario; and the University of Victoria in British Columbia. “These are among the first major cross laminated timber (CLT) projects that will be built with our local, highquality mass timber products, and we are especially proud to support the development of our education infrastructure products and services,” comments Chris Kalesnikoff, Chief Operating Officer of Kalesnikoff. “This is just the beginning of this next phase of our company as the use of mass timber in North American continues to expand.” Kalesnikoff was selected for these projects through an open competitive procurement process.
BUFFINGTON RETIRES FROM ROSEBURG After 14 years of service with Roseburg, industry veteran Jim Buffington is retiring from the company at the end of 2020. Buffington joined Roseburg in 2006 with the company’s acquisition of Georgia-Pacific’s composites mills. For the past year, he has served as Roseburg’s director of business management, wholesale and retail distribution, leading the team in strategy execution and new product development for this important market channel. During his time with Roseburg, Buffington has held a number of high-level
positions, including general manager of sales, and business director of composites. He also served the industry as chairman of the Composite Panel Assn. in 2019 and was active on countless CPA committees and boards. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Jim over the past few years,” Senior Vice President Chief Commercial Officer Ashlee Cribb says. “His leadership and passion for the industry have had a significant impact on Roseburg and our clients. His focus on value creation for our clients and his care for our team members is evident everywhere.” Bryan Kubitz will transition to the role Buffington is vacating. Kubitz joined Roseburg in 2019 as the eastern sales manager for engineered wood products. Earlier this year he moved into the business manager role for engineered wood products, with a focus on commercial strategy for the startup of Roseburg’s Chester Engineered Wood plant in South Carolina.
HORSTKOTTE LEFT IMPRINT ON MILLS Fredrick William (Brud) Horstkotte Jr., who designed sawmills and plywood plants for more than 60 years, died August 15 in Portland, Ore. He was 97. Horstkotte was born in Spokane, Wash. and moved to Portland at an early age. He served in the Army 13th Airborne Division and spent VE day in Paris. Upon graduating from MIT he served as Clerk-of-the-Works for the expansion of the Oregon Lumber Co. mill at Dee, Ore. in the Hood River
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Valley. He soon went to work with his father, Fred Sr. at F. W. Horstkotte and Associates where he spent the next 63 years designing sawmills and plywood plants from the same office in the American Bank Building. Horstkotte was incredibly dedicated to his clients, many of whom became lifelong friends. These included SDS Lumber Co, Brooks Scanlon, Ochoco & Malhuer Lumber Companies, Willamette Industries, Collins Pine and many others. Early years were spent skiing on Mt. Hood and Horskotte joined the Multnomah Athletic Club Ski Team as an Athletic Member and later won the Oregon High School Ski Championship. He continued to cherish his time skiing Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor and Sun Valley with his buddies and especially his two granddaughters. He is survived by his wife, Joan Preble, whom he married in 1955. They had two children.
CORE CARBON MAY ASSIST LANDOWNERS Finite Carbon, a developer and supplier of forest carbon offsets, announced it will launch the first web-based global platform that enables small landowners to access the carbon offset market. The platform, known as CORE Carbon, will make it possible for millions of small landowners to generate new annual income through long-term commitments to good stewardship, helping to sustain the legacy of their land for future generations, according to Finite Carbon. When CORE Carbon launches in late
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2020, landowners will be able to get a real-time value assessment of how much income their forestland could generate in the voluntary carbon market. If the landowner chooses to enroll their property, they will lock in multiyear payments for the resulting carbon offsets from buyers seeking to offset carbon emissions. There is no cost to landowners to use CORE Carbon. “Good land management decisions made by millions of small landowners can directly improve their bottom lines while creating clean air and clean water for the rest of us,” says Sean BP ventures announced a $5 million investment in Finite Resources, parent company of Finite Carbon, in 2019. CORE Carbon’s initial protocol will make it possible for 1.2 million U.S. landowners with 40 to 5,000 acres, who control a combined 200 million acres, to quantify and receive payments for the environmental benefits of their good stewardship. Visit finitecarbon.com.
NEW LEADERSHIP AT FAGUS GRECON Dr. Michael Gawronski is the new Managing Director of Fagus GreCon Greten GmbH & Co. KG. He’s now part of the new dual leadership team that also includes Uwe Kahmann, managing director since 2007. Gawronski succeeds Ernst Greten who performed the functions as managing director on an interim basis since the beginning of this year. Kahmann will continue to focus on the commercial and sales activities of the Fagus New dual leadership at Fagus GreCon Greten GreCon Group, while GmbH & Co: left to right, Uwe Kahmann and Gawronski will primarily Dr. Michael Gawronski work with the vast technical portfolio. Gawronski, with a PhD in physics, was vice president Business Segment Enterprise & Industrial Projects and member of the board of the Business Group Industrial Solutions of the LEONI AG with headquarters in Nuremberg. Gawronski will focus on the current and future technology of Fagus GreCon based on his strategic experiences in identifying and the development of new digital business opportunities. “I’m looking forward to driving the technological development of this very innovative company, and I am confident to provide valuable insights from my years of experience in technologically demanding industries,” Gawronski says. For the first time in the company’s 109-year history, there is no family owner representation in daily management. “Michael Gawronski and I are fully aware of the enormous responsibility we are undertaking,” Kahmann emphasizes. “The values this company stands for will continue to be maintained with great commitment and the support of the shareholders. These values stand for continuity and will be the basis of our entrepreneurial decisions and positioning.”
SEARCH NA NAMES SENIOR RECRUITER Search North America, a leading wood products-based search, recruiting and placement firm, is proud to announce and welcome Richard Poindexter as a new Senior Recruiter. He joins the Search North America team from Columbia Forest Products plywood division located in Greensboro, NC. Poindexter worked for Columbia for the last 23 years and has experience in management, sales and marketing. He has also conducted numerous presentations and webinars for architects, designers, and green building enthusiasts, helping to educate them on hardwood plywood and hardwood veneer.
Poindexter’s home office will be based out of the Greensboro area, while Search North America’s main office will remain located in central Oregon. Poindexter graduated in 1995 from North Carolina State University with a BS degree in Wood Products. In 2004, he earned his LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation. As Search North America’s new senior recruiter, Poindexter will specialize in client and candidate relationships in the Eastern and Southern parts of the United States, including Texas. Carl Jansen, Search North America’s Owner and President, will concentrate on SNA’s recruiting efforts on the West Coast. Poindexter can be reached at 336456-8657 or richardp@searchna.com.
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LINES
WESTMILL MOVES HEADQUARTERS
Westmill Industries, a leading manufacturer of custom veneer drying equipment for more than 45 years, is excited to announce it has moved headquar- Westmill’s new home in Abbotsford ters to a new, larger facility located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Can. With more than five-times more office, warehouse and shop space, and more than 10-times more yard and covered outside storage space than its previous facility, Westmill now has the much needed, and long overdue capacity to continue its strong growth. The new expanded facility will make possible many years of future corporate growth while supporting Westmill’s innovative work culture. “We are extremely fortunate to have found such a perfect new location to call home,” comments Mike Crondahl, President and owner of Westmill. “A freestanding building beside the airport, large offices, warehouse and a wonderful private gated property—we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect location to call home.” Along with its new headquarters in Abbotsford, Westmill has warehouses in Eugene, Ore. and Atlanta, Ga.
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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Recruiting Services Executive – Managerial – Technical - Sales
JOHN GANDEE
THE Forest Products Group
Contingency or Retained Search
jon@olsonsearch.com
Jon Olson
9237
Depending on Circumstances / Needs
“Your Success Is Our Business” Serving the Wood Products and Building Materials Industries For more than 26 years.
Tel: (800) 985-5191
Custom search & recruitment services for the complete range of composite panel and related careers in the U.S., Canada and Europe. www.olsonsearch.com
512-795-4244
4231
& ASSOCIATES, INC
1615
Call or Email me anytime! john@johngandee.com www.johngandee.com
Austin, Texas
3220
Top Wood Jobs 1009
Recruiting and Staffing George Meek geo@TopWoodJobs.com www.TopWoodJobs.com (360) 263-3371
3779
PROJECTS 80 METER CPS+ BOUND FOR CHINA
VMG OPENS P’BOARD MILL
With the construction of an 80 m length CPS+ continuous press, Dieffenbacher reports it will set a world record for the longest continuous press used to produce wood-based panels. The press is the core component of an MDF plant ordered from Dieffenbacher in July by China’s Guangxi Lelin Forestry Development Co, Ltd. “In planning the world’s largest MDF plant, we are excited to have Dieffenbacher at our side once again as a project partner,” says Guangxi Lelin President Wei Mingkuai. A high-speed THDF plant in Nanning that produces up to 1 mm thin boards was ordered by Guangxi Lelin from Dieffenbacher in June 2018 and commissioned in October 2019. In addition to the CPS+, Dieffenbacher will supply equipment ranging from the air grader to the storage system. Plant construction is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2021 in the southern Chinese city of Chongzuo, not far from the Vietnamese border.
The grand opening of one of the most modern particleboard plants in Europe, which Klaipedos Mediena (VMG) operates in Akmene, Northern Lithuania, was held September 4, following firstboard production on July 31. This is the third greenfield particleboard plant that VMG has ordered from Siempelkamp. The plant in Akmene supplies material for VMG’s expanding furniture and kitchen production. For many years the company has been manufacturing exclusively for IKEA. Siempelkamp personnel were unable to travel to the grand opening due to virus protective measures; however, several sent their sincere congratulations to VMG Chairman Sigitas Paulauskas and his team. The new plant is equipped with a thinboard package starting with a board thickness of 3 mm. An innovative glue technology for low-formaldehyde or formaldehyde-free glue systems is also used. Control technology includes the
Grand Opening in Akmene: On stage is Sigitas Paulauskas, VMG Chairman
Siemens S7-1500 TIA Portal, as well as Siempelkamp’s Prod-IQ control system. The centerpiece of the plant is a ContiRoll Generation 9 continuous press for particleboard in the 8 ft. x 45.4 m format. VMG is also the first customer to commission an innovation: a RoundTrack carriage, which moves knife rings between the Pallmann knife ring chipper and the sharpening robot. The plant includes size-reduction and front-end technology from Pallmann and CMC; planning from Sicoplan; and a Büttner drum dryer.
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VENEER/PANEL SUPPLIERS
DIRECTORY ■ Taiwan
ASIA ■ India
■ Italy
GREAT GIANT INC. VENEER AND VENEERED PRODUCTS 260 Dachang Road Niao Song District Kaohsiung, Taiwan 833 Tel: 886 7 3790270 Fax: 886 7 3790275 E Mail: jc.giant@msa.hinet.net
AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA
■ Poland
SPECIALISTS IN AUSTRALIAN & PACIFIC VENEERS FSC & PEFC ECO-CERT Veneers from around the world Over 150 species in stock Reconstituted veneer/spliced faces/rotary veneers Website: Email: Tel:
www.briggs.com.au admin@briggs.com.au +61 2 9732-7888
EUROPE ■ Malaysia
www.fsc.org FSC™ C004099 The mark of responsible forestry
NEXT CLOSING: MARCH 23, 2021
■ Switzerland
■ Austria
Manufacturer In Malaysia CARB P2 / EPA Certified Fancy plywood/MDF/ Particle Board/ Blockboard Layon Veneer, Veneer Parquet, etc. Lot 488, Jalan Jati Kiri, Kg. Perepat 42200 Kapar, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Tel: +603 3259 1988 • Fax: +603 3259 1886 E-mail: bungaraya@bungarayapanel.com Website: www.bungarayapanel.com
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VENEER/PANEL SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY
NORTH AMERICA ■ Canada
■ Indiana Amos-Hill Associates, Inc.
■ British Columbia
6670 - 144th Street, Surrey, BC V3W 5R5 Plant: (604) 572-8968 Fax: (604) 572-6608
Producers of high quality fine face veneers. Specializing in species indigenous to the West Coast. We manufacture Music grade solids and veneers. We also offer custom slicing, cut-to-size and log breakdown. Fir • Hemlock • Spruce • Pacific Maple (Figured and Plain) • Alder Western Red Cedar
Quality Veneers Manufacturers of Decorative Hardwood Veneer Domestic and International Markets Species include: Walnut, White Oak, Red Oak, Hard Maple, Cherry and Birch “Quality is the Lifeblood of our Business” 112 Shelby Ave. ◆ P.O. Box 7 Edinburgh, IN 46124 Phone: 812-526-2671 ◆ Fax: 812-526-5865 E-mail: info@amoshill.com Website: www.amoshill.com
RSVP is proud to offer a full line of imported and domestic veneer that includes burls, crotches and highly figured woods. If you would like more information pertaining to these products or others we offer please contact us directly or visit our website.
4920 N. Warren Dr. • Columbus, IN 47203 Ph: 812-375-1178 • Fax: 812-375-1179 www.RSVPveneer.com
The mark of responsible forestry FSC Supplier: SCS-COC-002445 * SCS-CW-002445
■ Ontario
A FULL SERVICE PLYWOOD & VENEER COMPANY WE OFFER: Short turnaround time, In-house veneer mill—ROTARY, FLAT CUT, RIFT and QUARTERS, Custom pressing capabilities, Architectural specified plywood jobs, Huge veneer and core inventory, Over 100 natural species and engineer veneers in stock, All sizes and thicknesses–6'x4' to 5'x12', Internal logistics for fast on-time deliveries Contact us: Birchland Plywood-Veneer Ltd. TeL: 705-842-2430 • Fax: 705-842-2496 Visit www.birchlandplywood.com to view our “Live Log Program”
■ Michigan Reserve your space today. Call Melissa McKenzie 800-669-5613
■ United States ■ Georgia A new “Dimension” in Veneer & Plywood
Dimension Plywood Inc. Custom Architectural Plywood & Doors 415 Industrial Blvd. • New Albany, IN 47150 Tel: 812-944-6491 • Fax: 812-944-7421
Dimension Hardwood Veneers, Inc. Rotary & Sliced Veneers 509 Woodville Street • Edon, Ohio 43518 Main Office - Tel: 419-272-2245 • Fax: 419-272-2406
www.dimensionhardwoods.com
LOCATE VENEER & PLYWOOD PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WORLDWIDE. Call Melissa McKenzie 800-669-5613
■ Mississippi
NORSTAM VENEERS, INC.
Reserve your space today. Call Melissa McKenzie 800-669-5613
Proud to announce we have the “Newest Veneer Mill in the World” MANUFACTURER OF QUALITY HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD VENEERS
Green & Kiln Dried Hardwood Lumber
P.O. BOX 32 HWY. 135 BUS: 812.732.4391 MAUCKPORT, IN 47142 FAX: 812.732.4803 EMAIL: info@norstam.com
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VENEER/PANEL SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY ■ Pennsylvania
■ Vermont
North America’s largest manufacturer of fancy face rotary decorative veneer and platform solutions. Offering FSC® 100% [FSC®-C017500] production in ash, basswood, birch, hard maple, tulip poplar and red oak in stock panel & cut-to-size lay-ons as well as unspliced veneer .4mm to 1.5 mm thickness.
Plain sliced Alder regularly available. Offering domestically produced FSC MIX Credit, TSCA Title VI compliant platforms - both long grain and cross grain dimensions in a variety of thicknesses.
Contact Sales at 802-334-3600 • Fax: 802-334-5149 www.cfpwood.com 324 Bluff Road Newoort VT 05885
■ Ohio ESTABLISHED 1972
Proudly serving our clients in the hardwood plywood sheetstock, plywood component, solid wood component, face and core veneer markets for over 40 years. Looking forward to applying our worldwide knowledge and resources to help create the solution you need. inquiry@pittsburghforest.com Office: 724.969.5000 375 Valleybrook Rd, McMurray, PA 15367
Reserve your space today. Call Melissa McKenzie 800-669-5613
VENEER/PANEL SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY NEXT CLOSING: MARCH 23, 2021 Write your ad information below and we will typeset it for you for FREE. Please be sure to include this form for payment/contact information. Please send any good-quality artwork that should be included. We will fax or email you a proof before final print for your approval. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ❑ Payment enclosed ❑ $325-3x or ❑ $615-6x ❑ Bill my Visa or Mastercard Card# __________________________________________________________________________ Exp Date ________________ Signature ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Company __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street _______________________________________________ City ________________________ State _________ Zip _______ Phone: __________________________ Fax: __________________________Email: ______________________________________
Please return ad info to: VENEER/PANEL SUPPLIERS DIRECTORY PO Box 2268 • Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 or send ad and above information to: melissa@hattonbrown.com 11/20
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EVENTS MARCH 2021 4-7 • Delhiwood 2021, India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida, India. Call +91-80-4250 5000; visit delhi-wood.com. 11-13 • BIFA WOOD Vietnam, Binh Duong Convention, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam. Call +84 274 222 1735; visit bifawoodvietnam.com.
APRIL 2021 6-8 • American Forest Resource Council annual meeting, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Wash. Call 503-222-9505; visit amforest.org. 14-16 • International Wood Products Assn. annual meeting, Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, Calif. Call 703-820-6696; visit iwpawood.org.
MAY 2021 10-14 • Ligna: World Fair For The Forestry And Wood Industries, Hannover Exhibition Grounds, Hannover, Germany. Call +49 511 89-0; fax +49 511 89-32626; visit ligna.de. 16-18 • American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, S.C. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com. 21-22 • Expo Richmond 2021, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com. 23-25 • Decorative Hardwoods Association 100th anniversary celebration and meeting, Sonesta Resort, Hilton Head, SC. Call 703-435-2900; visit decorativehardwoods.org.
JULY 2021 20-23 • AWFS Fair 2021, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. Call 800-946-2937; visit awfsfair.org.
AUGUST 2021 11-13 • Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-4434464; visit sfpaexpo.com.
SEPTEMBER 2021 12-14 • Composite Panel Assn. Fall meeting, Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Montreal, QC, Canada. Call 703-724-1128; visit compositepanel.org.
27-30 • American Wood Protection Assn. Technical Committee meeting, Eldorado Hotel, Santa Fe, N.M. Call 205733-4077; visit awpa.com.
OCTOBER 2021 16-19 • APA-Engineered Wood Assn. annual meeting and Engineered Wood Technology Assn. Info Fair, JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa, Palm Desert, Calif. Call 253-5656600; visit apawood.org and engineeredwood.org. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
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This issue of Panel World is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. PG.NO.
PH.NO.
Altec Integrated Solutions
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Durr Systems
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Engineered Wood Technology Assn.
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Evergreen Engineering
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USNR
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Westmill Industries
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