A lot to Read

Our March edition has a good cross section of activities all demonstrating productivity amongst the trades we cover despite the pall of Covid 19. Of particular note is our coverage of the latest in CNC based machinery and related software. This field is ever evolving with CNC becoming embedded more and more in both small and large enterprises. The increasing dominance of CNC and the emergence of robotism in the factory environment are two themes we look at in this issue. Another theme is the continued rise of water based coatings. In an update we look at what suppliers are saying about this ever increasing move away from solvent based to water based. Coatings supplier Resene put their offering on the table for the first time in the magazine as well.

There are several interesting storylines on well known suppliers and joinery and cabinetry businesses in this issue from manufacturer Greenmount Espies on robots in the factory to Sage Manufacturing with their new air extraction system to Next Level Joinery and what they offer to Stack It and their useful factory storage systems. There is no underestimating the use of label systems to keep componentry in check from All About Labels either. The Master Joiners have their Annual Conference coming up in late March in Hamilton, a must attend really for all Master Joiner members: it promises to be an inspirational event. A really useful thing for readers are the State of Industry reports, a read I strongly recommend if you want to judge the pulse of the industry through the topsy turvy times we have endured of recent.

There really is a lot to look at in this issue: all the above and the latest in bin systems, the range of panel options available out there plus all our usual columns. As we move through the rest of our Summer with the ups and downs of Covd 19 and the promise of the vaccine to come we trust our industry insights give you the reader something both useful and as well as entertaining.

Bob Nordgren

Editor Michael Goddard michael@joiners.net.nz

Publisher Bob Nordgren bob@joiners.net.nz

Federation. It is distributed to members of the joinery, cabinetmaking and kitchen manufacturing industries and is published quarterly in March, June, September and December. Advertising statements or editorial opinion are not necessarily those of the publisher, its staff, the New Zealand Joinery Manufacturers Federation Inc., or their executives, unless expressly stated. All articles printed in JOINERS Magazine are subject to copyright and cannot be reproduced without the express consent of the Publisher or the authors therein. Advertisements and articles are accepted without liability as to the accuracy or otherwise of the factual matters represented.

NZ Panels Group new showroom opens in Parnell

NZ Panels Group has opened a brand new showroom which is open seven days a week, within the Home Ideas Centre in Parnell, Auckland. It replaces the showroom at the company's East Tamaki manufacturing site which is now closed.

Designed very specifically for the architectural and designer audience, the showroom features surfaces from Prime Panels, along with Bestwood and Dezignatek who are also owned by NZ Panels Group. New technology and imagery give visitors an inspiring view of how these surfaces can be used in both residential and commercial projects.

The concept design was developed by Spaceworks with Retail Dimension carrying out the detailed drawings and construction.

Key features within the showroom include:

• A dynamic wall that shows off the most popular melamine and laminate designs in large format.

• QR codes on all surfaces that take you directly to the swatch on our website so samples can be ordered

• Stone drawers that feature the entire Elements and Babylon Collection in large format

• A styling wall with stunning mood boards and installation shots

• A veneer space showing off NZ native veneers and Track my Tree QR codes which can be scanned to view the actual tree and location the veneer panel came from.

• A wall of four different finishes for American White Oak including Prime Art Veneer planked, and in a rustic, sawn finish.

• A beautiful island bench with stone benchtop in Prime Stone Statuario Venato leather finish and a veneer table workspace www.primepanels.co.nz

• A tablet allowing users to access a 'mini website' to browse ranges, view videos and order samples.

The Auckland-based specification team will be working out of the showroom by appointment with designers and architects.

European Federation of Woodworking Machinery & Tool Manufacturers turns 60

In 1958 and 1959, upon invitation of the French and German associations, the first meetings were held in order to explore an extension of French and German contacts for the foundation of a European committee. One year later in 1960 the “Comité européen des constructeurs de machines à bois” was founded with the immediate admission of Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Great Britain, and Netherlands. In 1964, the brand name Eumabois and the corresponding logo was adopted.

Today, Eumabois stands for 60 years of joint, European goals and achievements, transformations, and decisions for the benefit of the European woodworking machinery and tool manufacturing industry. Eumabois was born by the decision of some delegates of the main European national associations of woodworking machinery manufacturers, with the aim of studying and informing on specific technical issues of the sector and to organize common exhibitions spaces. The federation, always with a nonprofit statute, is committed to improve the knowledge of European and international legislations in the field of regulations, safety requirements and other legislative boundary conditions for the woodworking machinery manufacturers. Now as before, the Eumabois federation supports the activities of technical and scientific committees and the promotion of trade fairs, dealing with all matters of relevance to its members.

The success of Eumabois is driven by its member associations representing over 850 companies which jointly believe and support the European idea. This joint approach based on knowhow and passion is the basis for the global success of the European woodworking industry today as it was 60 years ago.

Visit Blum at the Master Joiners “Inspired to perform” conference

We would love to see you on our stand at the 2021 Master Joiners Conference! On display will be a showcase of the latest Blum innovations so you can deliver inspirational cabinet applications straight to your clients in all areas of the home. Take a sneak peek at how our cabinet applications like SPACE STEP and SPACE TWIN can increase your clients quality of living in a new and innovative way.

We would also love to hear your 2021 plans and how we can offer our support for your business. Our partnerships with our customers are our best channels of feedback so we can continue to serve your business needs, we look forward to those conversations again this year.

Optimism for year ahead

This time last year we were at the beginning of a journey most of us had not anticipated or forecast. Observing the ongoing reports of lockdowns across the globe we are very fortunate to be able to enjoy our freedom, the summer and the great outdoors with limited interruptions.

The start of 2021 saw us all restart work with full production. We’re hearing our customers are optimistic with order books full for at least the next three months and beyond. The new dwelling consent data released from December 2020 shows that the consents are up 18% for the December 2020 quarter compared to the same period last year,which provides a positive outlook for our industry.

We start 2021 with some exciting updates; we have opened a new purpose-built distribution centre in Hornby, Christchurch and are now fully operational.

At the end of February, we launched three stunning new Caesarstone decors – Empira Black, Oxidian and Black Tempal. You can view full sheets and order samples of the new colours at our website www.laminex.co.nz. This range update is just one of several we have planned for the year and we look forward to sharing the others with you soon.

We are rapidly approaching the 2021 Master Joiners Inspired Conference. As the Host sponsor, we are excited to be part of the conference which has a strong focus on education and well-being. Many businesses will have similar experiences with recruiting and retaining people, striving to continually improve and increase productivity to meet demand. Presentations covering these topics by subject matter experts will be extremely helpful, along with many others relevant to our customers and businesses.

During the Conference we are opening our doors to Master Joiner members to visit our Melteca Plant, so you can see how we manufacture one of our most popular products and learn about our solar panel energy efficiency project. If you haven’t registered yet, you still have time and we highly recommend it. We look forward to seeing you there!

Lastly thank you for your patience over the last year as we have experienced challenges, particularly related to supply chain. We are very conscious of the impact on our customers and have been working hard to minimise any disruption. After a positive start to 2021, here’s to a great year ahead for our customers and our industry.

Mike Arthur General Manager Laminex New Zealand