Australasian Timber Magazine

AUGUST 2014 The trade show for the cabinet, joinery, furniture, timber and panel industries

www.awisa.com

PROCESSING • PRODUCTS • DESIGN • SUPPLIERS

Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman – Established 1977.

• AWISA is here • Devil in the detail

• It’s a CLT first • EWPAA leads way • Wood Innovations

Australia’s Leading Dust Control Equipment Company Visit us at AWISA Stand 2101 - 2104 or call 1800 673 828 Branches in: Brisbane Sydney Melbourne www.eziduct.com.au www.polex.com.au

BLUE Framing - Proven Performance LASERframe TERMINATOR Blue uses Determite preservation technology successfully used in Australia for nearly 10 years. Ongoing testing and proven performance in Australian houses equals peace of mind protection from one of Australia’s largest wood product producers.

D LASERframe TERMINATOR Blue is treated for protection from termites for up to 25 years* AND has been specifically tested and approved** against European House Borer (EHB). Determite preservative is highly repellent to termites and has been used and proven effective in Australian homes below the Tropic of Capricorn.

D LASERframe TERMINATOR Blue is produced by an innovative quality controlled factory process to ensure correct coverage of timber framing products in compliance with Australian Standards and building regulatory requirements D LASERframe TERMINATOR Blue framing is backed by Osmose, one of the world’s largest supplier of timber preservative treatment products and covered by a limited guarantee* against termites and EHB for 25 years.

For product support visit chhwoodproducts.com.au/laserframeterminatorblue * The guarantee is provided by the chemical supplier for the benefit of the property owner. It is a limited and conditional guarantee covering the provision of replacement product used in Australia. The full terms and conditions are available at www.chhwoodproducts.com.au/guarantees. See guarantee for details. ** Approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority Osmose® and DeterMite® are trademarks of Osmose, Inc. or its subsidiaries. DeterMite treated timber products are produced by independently owned and operated wood preserving facilities. © 2014 Osmose, Inc.

The natural solution for you.

NEWS

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

3 – August 2014

Partnership saves the national wood collection A

PA R T N E R S H I P between CSIRO, Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) and the Gottstein Trust has revived the national wood collection and made it in a fit state for inclusion in the CSIRO Collections of National Significance.

The partnership provided funds for Dr Jugo Ilic, formerly of CSIRO and currently running the consultancy Know Your Wood, to prepare the collection for transfer to Canberra in order to colocate this internationally significant collection within the Biological Collections Unit of CSIRO. “The Dadswell Memorial Wood Collection was collated over seven decades to make it the largest wood

collection in the southern hemisphere and the third largest in the world,” explained Dr Ilic. “With the changes in CSIRO’s research priorities the future of the collection was unclear, and uncertain.

“I’m thankful that the CSIRO and the Australian forest and wood products industry, through FWPA and the Gottstein Trust, formed a coalition to prepare the wood collection for functional access and transfer to Canberra. The wood collection required much updating in terms of digitalising much of the information and ensuring that this information could be linked to an on-line resource – the Atlas of Living Australia,” he said.

“The funding provided

by the three organisations allowed a master collection index to be developed that provides a means of linking collection information from scans of the original log books, the original index cards, 41,600 wood specimen photos and 4,500 images of microscope slides for ready reference. The slide images have been forwarded for inclusion in the InsideWood database maintained by North Carolina, USA for use by wood researchers worldwide.

“I understand that the transfer of the wood collection, which takes up about two normal size bedrooms, will be happening soon. I have been in touch with the Biological Collections Unit in Canberra and look forward to assisting

n Jugo Ilic – Managing Director, Know Your Wood, former CSIRO curator of the Wood Collection.

n End grain image of PNG Rosewood.

them with the move.” Dr Ilic said.

Both the FWPA and the Gottstein Trust are proud to have been associated with this significant project.

research over recent years it is essential that Australia maintains a credible wood collection for both national and international reference and research purposes.”

Ric Sinclair, Managing Director of FWPA said: “It’s important not to throw out the baby with the bath water – with the decline in investment in wood

Perth community set to get “on board” PERTH IS the only region in Australia still predominantly building double brick homes, and the long asked question is ‘why’?

This year’s MBA awards seemed to recognise the need for some changes to the construction landscape with timber frame building specialists Bluewater Building honoured with awards, among other sustainable building trailblazers.

Other States long ago embraced the efficiency of timber framed homes, as has wider WA, so why has Perth been so slow to catch on?

Leading international building materials company James Hardie believes timber frame homes to be smarter on many levels, being more cost effective to build and run, quicker to build and more ecological in the short run and more sustainable over the long term.

“From a structural and

aesthetic perspective, nonbrick homes also perform really well,” says Darren Goodison from Goodison Engineering.

“Timber often results in less aesthetic defects than brick built homes, such as hairline cracking in walls.

This is because bricks are a relatively brittle material.

Timber on the other hand is flexible and accommodates natural movements from foundation settlement and roof framing movement.”

Bluewater Building director Anton Smith believes the days of a dominant traditional double brick home building industry may be numbered and will eventually be replaced by more and more sustainable construction methods.

“I think brick is being superseded by modern timber frame homes that are more sustainable and energy efficient,” the award-winning builder says.

“It’s easier to achieve the, now mandatory, six star energy rating in a timber frame house because timber doesn’t conduct heat and you can fully insulate all the walls, which means lower power bills and big savings over the long term.”

After seven years of building award-winning homes in the South West, Bluewater Building is seeing a rising demand for its custom-built timber frame homes in the metro area too. This surge in popularity has led the Dunsboroughbased builder to open a new office in North Fremantle to service the growing needs of the metro area.

“Construction tends to be quicker than a double brick build and all the new products on the market give you a lot of different finishes and textures rather than just rendered brick.”

The proof seems to be in the pudding, with industry

bodies encouraging the transition. It just remains to be seen if the Perth community will get on board (no pun intended)

Bluewater Construction recently won: 2014 MBA Southwest Excellence Awards Best Building Practices; 2014 MBA Southwest Excellence

Awards Excellence in Timber Framing $600-$800k and over $800k; 2013 MBA Southwest Excellence in Framed Construction.

Huge range of Energy Efficient Dust Collectors

See us at AWISA Stand 2101-2104 or call 1800 673 828

Ezi-Duct / Polex is Australia’s largest & leading company in the field of dust & fume collection equipment. We have branches in 3 states & manufacture the largest range of products including Modular Steel & Flexible Ducting, Fans, Rotary Valves, Auto & Manual Dampers n Brick is being superseeded by modern timber frame homes.

Victorian footnote THE BUILDING Code of Australia 2014 includes a minimum standard for slip resistance of stairway surfaces. This requires treads or nosings on treads to comply with a slip resistance classification, when tested to Australian Standard AS

4586-2013 Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials.

The introduction of this provision in Victoria has been deferred until 1 May 2015 to enable the industry to undertake the measures required to meet the provisions of the BCA.

The New Dust Collectors features include

• Fully Automatic self cleaning filter bags • The Dust Collectors have no dirty air going through the fan • High Efficiency Fans & Available with VSD = big energy saving • Waste feeds directly into a 3m3 bin • Unit can run while bin being emptied • Low noise levels for cleaning & general operation • Economically priced

www.eziduct.com.au

www.polex.com.au

SEE MORE ON AWISA PAGES 5-6-7

BUSINESS PROFILE

August 2014 – 4

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Nelson Pine continues to build on its market leader reputation N

ELSON PINE Industries has a reputation for product consistency and quality, sustainable timber resource management, low environmental impact practices and Innovative market-led research into product and production development.

It’s something the company is justifiably proud of and it leaves no stone unturned in a bid to remain a leader in its field.

Founded in the Nelson region of the South Island, Nelson Pine Industries has supplied New Zealand and the global market with sustainably sourced wood products since 1986. The manufacturing company was established to utilise the pinus radiata plantation forests, a renewable resource found in incredible abundance around both the North and South Islands.

Nelson Pine Industries has capacity to process one million cubic metres per annum and provides direct employment for about 220 people involved in forestry,

processing, administration and marketing.

Unlike tropical hardwoods that take up to 200 years to mature, pinus radiata reaches its full maturation within approximately 25 years, making it the most extensively-used wood in the country. Nelson Pine

NelsonPine LVL currently operates the largest and most modern production line in the Asia Pacific region sources from the 175,000 hectares of raw timber from the Nelson/Marlborough region, processing nearly a million cubic metres of logs per year – equivalent to 170 log trucks per day – and distributing the wood to kitchen and furniture manufacturers, joinery companies and builders around New Zealand and abroad.

Since 1986, Nelson Pine

australasian

magazine Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman – Established 1977.

August Vol.22, No.5

Postal Address: 630 Regency Road, Broadview, South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9555 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins Suite 103, 486 Whitehorse Road, Surrey Hills, Victoria, 3127, phone (03) 9888 4822 General Manager: Elizabeth Bouzoudis Editorial: John Hudswell j.hudswell@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide: (08) 8369 9512 Out of office VOIP (08) 7127 6370 Advertising: Norm Nelsen n.nelsen@ryanmediapl.com.au Melbourne: (03) 9888 4820 Timber classified: n.nelsen@ryanmediapl.com.au Melbourne: (03) 9888 4820 Production: Simon Miles Subscriptions:

has been recognised as both a national and global leader in the production of Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF). Its staple product, GoldenEdge MDF, is used primarily in the construction of furniture, cabinets and as a general building material. Its high regard

among others in the industry was so substantial that a second production line was commissioned in 1991.

A third line, which debuted in 1997, made Nelson Pine one of the world’s largest single-site producers of MDF. Part of this success may be attributed to the wide range of wood densities and panel thickness available for order: While most of the industry has an average panel thickness range between 9 and 20 millimetres, Nelson Pine has a leading edge in the industry with a 2.5 to 32 millimetre range.

Because it also offers a lighter density, easier-toship wood, Nelson Pine has expanded its crosscontinental clientele as far out as Europe, South Africa and North America.

In addition to leading the industry in MDF production, in 2002, the company began engineering NelsonPine Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), an environmentallyfriendly, high-performance structural alternative to solid lumber, concrete and steel. In this process, logs are lathe peeled and clipped to the proper size before the veneer sheets are laminated into a beam form by way of a

subs@forestsandtimber.com.au

Adelaide: (08) 8369 9522 Accounts: Adelaide: (08) 8369 9555 Conditions: Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editor/publishers; information is published in good faith and we do not accept responsibility for damage which may arise from any possible inaccuracies. All rights reserved, none of the contents may be used in any other media without prior consent from the publishers.

Published by Ryan Media Pty Ltd.

MEDIA

INDEPENDENT & AUSTRALIAN OWNED

nF ront Page Photo: THE SPECTACULAR New South Wales central coastline provided the perfect backdrop for an outdoor renovation boasting natural Australian hardwood timber. Read more about this project on page 13.

hot press, creating a strong support for residential and commercial construction, scaffold planks, and other custom projects.

Creating a niche market product for the local and international construction sector, NelsonPine LVL currently operates the largest and most modern production line in the Asia Pacific region. The state-of-the-art veneer and LVL plant, where veneers are laminated by hot pressing into a beam form, was commissioned in 2002 and continues to develop targeted products for new markets world wide.

This year Nelson Pine Industries Ltd has taken a new manufacturing direction by adding LVL component manufacture to its suite of products on offer to the market. To enter into this market Nelson Pine commissioned a Hundegger K2i and Anthon saw capable of machining both hot pressed LVL and built up cold pressed LVL from the LVL laminating plant. The Hundegger K2i CNC automated beam machining centre can accept sections up to 1250mm wide, 18000mm long and 300mm thick and mill on five axis’s, with a specification that is concentrated on cutting, milling, slotting and hole drilling. Thanks to the handling system, even round logs, log house profiles, T-sections or multiple layers (stacks) are fed in, safely transported and accurately processed. The transport and positioning system with two gripper and guiding wagons guarantee the highest accuracy. The machine which has a modular structure can be retrofitted with any units and expanded anytime, if necessary.

For the K2i, Hundegger Germany provided initial commissioning training then backs this up with hotline support direct back to Germany and also to their representatives in Australasia.

The machine accepts computer modelled componentry in CAD type forms that are converted into language for the Hundegger machine control program, Cambium. Nelson Pine uses CADWORK drafting software that will deliver 3D component data to Cambium, deliver shop drawings and provide a valuable marketing graphics tool. The components will be sold into the market in an added value form, allowing NelsonPine LVL to compete toe-to-toe with concrete and steel as a building material.

n The warehouse.

Professional go-getter required Australian Forest Contractors Association Limited (AFCA) is seeking a person with great organizational skills and a passion for representing the interests of members to join our association as General Manager.

The right person will work with the board to convert strategies into actionable campaigns while ensuring each AFCA member’s needs are properly identified and looked after. Supported by a small team in the national office, the General Manager will also directly engage with the various networks, government departments and other associations that have a direct impact on the long-term viability and welfare of Australian Forest Contractors.

The person we are looking for will be highly organized, experienced in corporate governance, be computer literate and able to work autonomously.

While previous work experience in the forest industry is not necessary, an understanding of the industry and experience in a not-for-profit and/or professional association would both be highly desirable.

Australian Forest Contractors Association Ltd

For a complete position description or to submit your resume, email:

Ian Reid Chair of AFCA E: ian@afca.asn.au Applications close 15 August 2014

AWISA

August 2014 – 6

6-9 AUGUST

The trade show for the cabinet, joinery, furniture, timber and panel industries

Transcending usual design boundaries

By Peter Llewellyn Technical Representative Timber Veneer Association of Australia

W

INNER OF the category Best Use of Timber Veneers in the 2013 Australian Timber Design Awards was Sydney’s Grain bar, located on George Street. The award was sponsored by the Timber Veneer Association of Australia (TVAA) and the judges were impressed by the high standard of entries. The Grain bar was selected from a group of five finalists, all of which feature wood veneers used in striking ways.

The design of Grain transcends the usual boundaries of interior design and takes it to a level where the interior is a work of art in itself. The team at Dreamtime Australia Design describe Grain as an “artisan” bar, by which they mean many of the interior fittings are hand-made, commissioned works.

These include a floor to ceiling wall panel of New Guinea rosewood which sits behind a custom-designed Tasmanian oak table. The oversized entry doors were hand-made and feature a patchwork of different Australian hardwoods.

Walls are clad in American cherry veneer, adding a subtle shade of red. One wall has

a back-lit section of laser-cut perforations which allow the veneer to glow, bringing out its natural red colouring.

A stunning island fireplace is clad in vavona burl veneer (another name for the giant redwood, Sequoia sempervirens). The burl is actually sliced from the root of the redwood tree and is therefore a very exclusive veneer, needing great care in handling. It has been book-matched to bring out its intricate pattern.

The artisan theme in the Grain bar is carried through to the preparation of drinks where patrons are served by “mixologists” who craft unique infused alcohols and cocktails made in-house. The name itself – Grain – was selected to reflect the link between grains used in alcohol distillation (grain alcohol) and wood grain.

The interior of Grain borders on the theatrical, yet at the same time creates an elegant, warm and comfortable environment assisted by the imaginative use of wood veneers.

For more examples of the use of wood veneers, visit TVAA’s Uniquely Veneer website at www.uniquelyveneer.com.au, set up by the Timber Veneer Association to stimulate the imagination of architects, interior designers and all veneer users.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

More than a shred of evidence EXPERIENCED OFFICE Furniture started out 45 years ago as a second-hand office furniture dealer, and since then they have expanded the family business into the largest showroom north of Sydney.

Their range of products are manufactured on-site in the factory and comply with Australian Standards.

The factory combines highly trained and extremely experienced staff working with only the best German machinery. This combination means they can provide their customers with a premium product at a standard second to none.

Jonathan Tan caught up with their Director Andrew Wildschut to talk about their newest commission – the Weima WL 4 Shredder.

“We only invest in the best equipment. I’ve been to Germany many times to check out machinery for the factory. This approach fits with our vision, which is to manufacture quality furniture with only the best equipment,” said Andrew.

“Most of the furniture we make is manufactured from particleboard and MDF. The ‘off cuts’ were originally placed into a bin and removed two times per day.

“There used to be a lot of wasted space in the bins due to the size of the off-cuts.

“We required a solution that would shred the wood and in turn reduce our waste removal costs,” Andrew explained.

“The savings are fantastic.

We’ve achieved a saving of over 20% in transport costs using the Weima. I’m really happy about that!”

Andrew visited DKSH at the AWISA 2012 exhibition where a Weima was being demonstrated.

“We looked at a few shredders, however the reason we decided on the Weima WL 4 over others on the market was because of the references that were supplied by DKSH. “I was able to talk to other companies who were using a Weima. After I did that, the decision was an easy one.”

“The thing I like about the Weima is its size and the German engineering. It’s small enough to sit at the end of our extraction line and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

“We even installed it ourselves without any hassles.

It was up and running in about a day.” Currently, the Weima WL 4 runs three times a day for 15 minutes. The shredded wood, along with saw dust (which is extracted during manufacturing) fills

n Andrew Wildschut (Experienced Office Furniture Director) and Jonathan Tan (DKSH’s Sales Engineer).

a bin with reduced wood waste.

“Reducing wood waste is not only good for the environment it also ensures that we can work as efficiently as possible.

“It used to drive me crazy seeing big pieces of wood waste and a lot of air in the bins.

“Now the bins are completely full. We’re doing everything we can do to achieve the highest level of quality.”

For more information on how DKSH Environmental Technology Services can assist your company contact Jonathan Tan on +61 3 9554 6666 or Email at jonathan. tan@dksh.com.

Multi-rip saw with programmable saws and auto infeed LEADING THE way in the solid wood range at AWISA will be Advanced Timber Systems with the new Fullpower MRS340M2 multi-rip saw with programmable saws and automatic infeed table.

With high power lasers on each saw and a servocontrolled line bar on the infeed table the operator can not only choose the board width combination but also the angle and position of machine entry giving the best possible optimization of the work piece. The

MRS-340M2 has one fixed and two programmable saw stations that can each be fitted with single or multiple saws depending on the work required. The automatic infeed table allows the operator to align the wood for machine entry and automatically feed once the position is selected. The MRS-340M2 is the answer for those customers requiring the very best recovery on short batch runs.

Established in 1996 Advanced Timber Systems sells and services a full

range of solid timber woodworking machines throughout Australasia from their premises in Darra, Queensland. Work this year on a dedicated sales and service facility in Raceview with a 300m2 workshop complete with general engineering machinery and 500m2 of showroom, office and spare parts. This will allow us to stock, display and demonstrate and broader range of equipment and improve on our already highly regarded service support.

TIMBER VENEER PANELS Readily available from TVAA members To find a supplier check “About Us/Industry Members” at:

www.timberveneer.asn.au Millwide. Worldwide.

AT_2014-08_USNR-6-Deck-Jet-Dryer.indd 1

7/1/2014 6:00:36 PM

AWISA

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

The trade show for the cabinet, joinery, furniture, timber and panel industries

AWISA exhibitors AWISA 2014 EXHIBITORS @ 26/6/2014

STANDS

Admonter Natural Flooring

7 – August 2014

AWISA 2014 EXHIBITORS @ 26/6/2014

STANDS

6 - 9 AUGUST

AWISA 2014 EXHIBITORS @ 26/6/2014

STANDS

3211

Forestry Tasmania

3509

Multicam Systems

Advanced Timber Systems

2314

Form-tek Products Pty Ltd

3216

Multimaster

3205

Airtight Solutions Ltd

2316

Furnishing Industry Association of Australia

3214

New Age Veneers Pty Ltd

3213

Alsert Doors

3105

Furniture Cabinets Joinery Alliance

3407

Obara Australia Pty Ltd

2513

Oz Shelving

3502

Altendorf Asia Pacific Pty Ltd

4416, 4511

Gabbett Machinery Pty Ltd

Andstine Services

2506

Gregory Machinery Pty Ltd

4517

Planit

4301

Austech Saw & Tooling

4201

Hafele Australia Pty Ltd

3301

Polytec

3404

Austedan Fabrications Pty Ltd

2416

Hawley’s Pty Ltd

4430

Precise Precut Pty Ltd

3112

Becker Pumps Australia

4414

Hettich Australia

3505, 3513

Proform

3101

Bench Standard

4228

Hideaway Bins

3603

Pytha Partners Australia

3602

3105

QST Systems Pty Ltd

3207

Quickcam Systems

2419

Beyond Tools

4517, 4424 2117, 2219, 2319, 2214

Biesse Group Australia Pty Ltd Blum Australia Pty Ltd

3419, 3613

Hodge Systems Pty Ltd Holz-Her Homag Australia Pty Ltd

4102, 4205, 4211

4306, 4313

2107, 2111 2201, 2301, 2313, 2501

Recycling Technologies Group

2414

Boge Compressors (Australia) Pty Ltd

4427

Hordern & Company Pty Ltd

4330

Rhino Panel Equipment

2422

Briggs Veneers Pty Ltd

3606

Housing Industry Association

3503

Robland

4517

Brisbane Saw Service

4217

HPP Group

3122

Sharp Plywood

3117

C.R. Kennedy Survey Solutions

3103

Idacs Pty Ltd

Slice Veneers

3507

Cabinet Makers & Designers Association

3614

Imos AG

3210

Solid Setup

4224

Cabinet Makers Insurance Brokers

3102

Impact CNC

2508

Stefano Orlati

3201

Cabinets Online

3124

Integrated Joinery Solutions

3609

Striplox

3401

Camco Cutting Tools International

4110

Internetit Pty Ltd

3104

Surteco Australia

3206

Carb-i-tool (Aust) Pty Ltd

4221

IVA Distributors

4429

TABMA

2507

CDK Stone Pty Ltd

2401

Kaeser Compressors Aust Pty Ltd

2102

Tambortech Doors

3105

Compusoft EQ Pacific Pty Ltd

4305

Kockums Bulk Systems Pty Ltd

4413

Tasman Sinkware Pty Ltd

3501

DKSH Australia Pty Ltd

2103

Lamicolor Pfleiderer

3607

Thatcher Engineering

DMK Forest Products

3619

Leda Machinery Pty Ltd

4319

The Wood Tech Group

Elite Publishing Co Pty Ltd

3621

Leitz Tooling System Pty Ltd

2417

Thingamejig

Elumatec Australia

4415

Lematic

2514

Titus Tekform Pty Ltd

Empower Software

2420

Leuco Australia

2105

Tuckwell Machinery

2405, 2411

Epac Productions Ltd

4305

Linak Australia Pty Ltd

3504

Ville-Tec

2405, 2411

Eurofit Hardware Pty Ltd

3215

Lincoln Sentry

Ezi-Duct Pty Ltd

2101

Magenta Publishing

4328

Weinig Australia Pty Ltd

Fein Power Tools Pty Ltd

2402

Materials Handling Pty Ltd

4327

Wilson & Bradley Pty Ltd

3519

Felder NSW Pty Ltd

4521

MD Tools

4307

Wood Machinery Maintenance

2405

Festool Australia

4203

Micronair

2213

Woodtron

2505

Finlease (Aust) Pty Ltd

2418

Microvellum Software Pty Ltd

4202

Xtreme Doors

3204

Flex Corporation

3610

Millsom Hoists Pty Ltd

4419

3116, 3121

3219, 4222

2422 4401, 4501 4223 3110

Virutex

4424 2107, 2111

Software specialist sets up office in Australia MICROVELLUM INC., a leading cabinet design and manufacturing software provider, specializing in AutoCAD based CAD/ CAM/CIM technologies, has announced its new Australianbased team.

Microvellum Australia, now based out of Brisbane and locally managed by Ray Brimelow, has been moving forward with its “rebuilding” efforts for the past few months and recently made significant progress related to the sales, service and support of its software in Australia.

Incidentally, Microvellum has just announced its soonto-be-released 2014 R3 suite of software products which delivers new functionality, redesigned user interfaces, enhanced performance and a new quarterly release schedule.

“We’re excited to be able to officially announce the fact that we’ve added to our team in Australia. Our goal is to make sure our customerbase in Australia knows that we are committed to improving customer service and expanding in Australia,” says Davis Fairbanks, Microvellum’s Director of Operations.

“These guys have vast experience in the woodworking industry and Microvellum software and together we’re going to accomplish great things in 2014,” he said.

One familiar addition to the Microvellum team is Jamie Broadbent who started out as a shopfitter and went on to work in solid timber furniture where

he gained experience working with solid timber window and doors, PVC windows and doors and carpentry.

Another recognizable addition is Matt Davies, a skilled cabinetmaker and trusted service provider.

Davies came to know Microvellum when he first implemented the Software in his own business in 2004.

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AWISA

the show for wood and panel processing AWISA 2014 is the international exhibition of machinery, materials, fittings and services for the Australian and New Zealand cabinet, joinery, furniture, timber and panel industries.

6-9 August 2014 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

www.awisa.com

ORGANISED BY THE AUSTRALIAN WOODWORKING INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS ASSOCIATION LIMITED T: 02 9918 3661 E: Info@awisa.com

FRAME

August 2014 – 8

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Frame conference record attendance A

E NE CO

R

RECORD 400 attended the Frame Australia 2014 conference on pre-fabricated timber framing and engineered wood in building construction on May 19 in Melbourne.

The largest increase in attendance was the building design and construction sector with 20% of all delegates.

Survey feedback revealed very high interest with 98% indicating they would attend again, and in the building sector 81% would prefer the conference be held every year to keep up to date with developments.

The topics “Supply of timber and wood systems for construction”, and “Residential building with timber panels to lower costs” were of particular relevance to designers and builders, with almost 80% rating the sessions as outstanding.

A session highlight was the presentation by Australand Property Group in demonstrating how they reduced costs by 25% in

Q U A L I T Y & I N N O VAT I O N

the construction of a 57 apartment 5-storey building in Parkville completed in just 11 months.

Delegates from timber supply and frame prefabrication responded with high ratings for “Timber & engineered wood products” and “Truss & frame manufacturing” which indicated the calibre of local and international speakers representing the world’s largest suppliers of timber and wood processing equipment.

One of the conference speakers Johann Betz, international consultant on prefabrication commented “Frame was a very well organised conference which has its origins in traditional truss and frame manufacture but very rapidly is morphing into arguably the premier event on panelised prefabrication in Australasia.

I have a feeling the event will keep growing from here”.

The interest shown by delegates from all sectors in the supply chain

was very encouraging and confirmed that timber prefabrication and wood products in

building is continuing its newfound impetus for both residential and commercial construction.

Cost-effective termite protection for your home

TM

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Acora’s local knowledge is always on hand and with EWD’s depth of engineering, we offer a great solution for your operation PO Box 122 Eden NSW 2551, Australia www.acora.com.au

Tel: +61 (0)2 6496 1222 Fax: +61 (0)2 6496 3097 Email: info@acora.com.au

A NEW home is a large investment and it’s natural to want to protect it from termite and borer damage. LASERframe TERMINATOR is a termite treated framing solution providing long term protection against structural termite damage. The upfront cost of using LASERframe TERMINATOR is only a fraction of the price you’ll pay if termites make themselves at home at your place. Insurance often won’t protect you, but TERMINATOR can.

Unlike other termite management systems, LASERframe TERMINATOR doesn’t require ongoing application of top up chemicals or completion of an annual inspection to maintain your warranty. The TERMINATOR guarantee applies for up to 15 years longer than some other termite management system guarantees. It conforms to the Building Code of Australia and Australian Standard 1604.1 and treatments do not affect material properties of the timber so you can upgrade to TERMINATOR without the cost and hassle of re-submitting plans.

LASERframe TERMINATOR is suitable for internal wall frames, roof trusses and any other internal load bearing application where termite protection is required. LASERframe

TERMINATOR should not be used outdoors or in contact with the ground.

The product is backed by a transferable 25 year chemical supplier guarantee* so you can be confident that your house frame is protected.

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LASERframe TERMINATOR is available in two different types of treatment depending on what area of Australia you are building in. For the majority of the population TERMINATOR Blue is the ideal choice, but in Australia’s far north (above the Tropic of Capricorn) stronger protection is required against the Mastotermes darwiniensis termite species. TERMINATOR Red provides this higher level of protection. To understand which TERMINATOR product is right for you please visit http://www.chhwoodproducts. com.au/laserframeterminatorblue. * The guarantee is provided by the chemical supplier for the benefit of the property owner. It is a limited and conditional guarantee covering the provision of replacement product used in Australia.

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FRAME

August 2014 – 10

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

How panelised timber systems are designed and built successfully

The devil is in the detail P

ANELISED PREFAB timber systems in multi-residential buildings have proven to be successful but they rely on key factors during planning and construction.

The process has so many facets - building design and engineering certification, the design for fire and acoustic performance, the supply chain structure, pre-fabrication of panels or cassettes, delivery and handling, installation and services integration.

When you put it into context you can see it’s a much bigger issue than putting together panels in a shed and what it means is that details become more than important, they become the core of the project.

To obtain the necessary

time saving required for cost reductions to be achieved the supply process must be faultless; it must meet construction schedules.

Rob de Brincat, commercial development manager for Tilling SmartStruct worked on the Australand project and integrated the company’s SmartFloor system into the build.

Rob spoke at the recent FRAME 2014 event on how his company designed the floor cassette systems and the steps that had to be taken to make it all come together seamlessly.

Key design factors for panellised construction “So many lessons can be learnt when we look at what’s been done in the past

- concrete precast, structural steel - so many systems exist in the construction industry and it’s silly for us as a timber industry not to focus on those and not to learn from their mistakes or their technologies,” he said.

performance and design, and you have to satisfy that over and above.

“Shop drawings and documentation, without achieving that it’s just not going to happen, it won’t fit and it won’t be a success.”

Quality assurance and control was absolutely critical “There’re some key factors that exist in any panelised system or prefabricated system.

“Firstly the engineering performance, you need to know what the client wants from an engineering

He said that quality assurance and control was absolutely critical. What is on the drawing must be right and then what goes on the truck must be right, and then what ends up on the site must be right. You need to control

the entire process.

Equally importantly, you must be prepared to work collaboratively, in conjunction with builders, consultants, suppliers – everyone.

Drawing on the detail Rob said that when Tilling was working on the Australand project and integrating its SmartFloor systems there was a list of items that had to be considered in a lot of depth: • Drawings & detailing • Engineering details & connections • Construction features • Service integration • Engineering certification • Lifting design • In-situ performance.

“The shop drawing details … firstly, what we did was a wall setout plan, it seems pretty basic but it was a time consuming process,” said Rob. “Then from that we generated a cassette layout drawing and then we broke it down into different components.

“They say the devil is in the detail and it truly is, if you don’t spend the time in the detail in these projects they will not be a success. I can’t stress that enough.

“Talk about the millimetre perfectness of the project, but it’s true. It really was millimetre perfect and I shouldn’t say this but it surprised me a little bit.”

According to Rob, it sounds pretty basic but every job should have a wall setout plan, as the level of detail required is so very critical.

With Tilling they went back and forth between the consultants to make sure everyone was working off the same drawing. It was agreed at the start, that every single contractor was to work off the same plan all the way from the architects to the

plumber, the guy lifting the walls up, and concreters everyone needed to know where the walls were going.

“If those walls were in the right spot that’s what we were working off for our floor cassettes. We had about 2mm tolerances in construction and a 5mm tolerance in the design,” said Rob, “so we’re talking millimetres here and those walls had to be perfect.

“Every level had a different wall design … based on the compressive loads and the bracing … what we needed to do was actually have a setout for every single wall. That took a significant amount of time.

“From that what we did is generated a cassette layout drawing … it broke it up per unit and then broke it down to every cassette.

“Once the set downs were in place that’s where the walls had to go in. The set downs were a huge feature in the system, it allowed you to incorporate that high end finish, your floor finishes to your wet areas rather than having a flat area or a step up. The exact location of these had to be identified so that we could cut that into the i-joist.

“Stacks, balconies, so on and so forth, these all had to be identified so there was no clash with joists but also strongbacks.

“Linked strongbacks that would click into the floor cassettes temporarily then unclick and slide into the adjacent floor cassette after installation then nailed off, that gave us the continuation ... strongbacks throughout the entire system.”

Tilling designed two cassettes, TecBeam cassettes and i-joist cassettes. “[With] TecBeams, there are key factors involved in continued on page 11.

FRAME

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

11 – August 2014

The devil is in the detail continued from page 10.

this. We brought the surfaces across into the drawing, the TecBeam locations as well as the set down. There is detail in the drawing,” Rob said “Each individual joist, and exactly where the set down needed to be cut out of that joist.

“Another important factor to note is the engineering stamp. This was fully engineered and certified

by Tilling SmartStruct by the engineering division but it was about not only engineering it for use once installed but also engineering it for lifting.

“Another important factor is the weight of each cassette.

That had to be part of the certification so that when the craneage crew picked it up they knew how heavy it was and where it needed to go.

“The i-joist floor cassette is a lot simpler, there was no set downs; we had some lifting details shown but really ... it is quite simple from a detailing perspective away from ensuring the cassette is the right size around the perimeters.”

Drawings showed each different connection and how each cassette joined together, and whether there was sufficient load bearing walls underneath - whether

it was a cassette to a corridor or a cassette into masonry or something else. Everything was detailed.

The engineering certification included: • In-situ performance • Lifting design • Lifting loads modeled • Lifting method developed for ease of installation • De-slinging from underside of cassette “The lifting (certification) was very much driven by Australand which is probably a very, very good thing,” said Rob. “We had our own way of doing it and we weren’t really seeing it from their perspective.

“From the safety side of things they were looking at not allowing anybody on top of the deck until the entire deck was installed.

Everything had to be deslung from underneath so we developed a system in conjunction with Australand.”

Concrete solutions What many people in the timber industry focus on, is what they do best, according to Rob. But there’s a huge market opportunity existing outside that at the moment for this type of construction.

It means taking on the

people traditionally building out of concrete.

Out of the types of buildings available for this construction system there is: • Student accommodation • Health & aged care facilities • Government & education buildings • Multi-storey residential ≤ 5 Levels • Multi-storey residential > 5 Levels • Modular construction “Firstly, look at the less than five-storeys and greater than five-storeys,” said Rob. “What I see here is a great interstate opportunity when you look at where these markets exist throughout Australia. It is clear that it purely exists in Victoria.

These buildings are not being built in other States, there are reasons for that but I think the technology is here and the opportunity is here.

“The Australand project is a clear indication that it works. That it is cost effective and very fast.

“There are suppliers out there who can very easily supply these projects. We are focussing ... with companies

we are working with like Timber Truss and Bowens, in generating a full package for the floor cassette system as well as walls.”

The idea is to stabilise here and then move to other States.

“Other systems start coming into play with greater than five-storeys - timber frame walls start to be a little bit less in compression, the

bracing components start to become too shaky let’s say, and products like CLT really start coming into their own as a wall system,” explained Rob. “I think the main point here is that in all these opportunities you are up against concrete and it’s very important to understand that but it’s also important to understand there are

products existing in the market that really can take the fight to concrete.”

Timber vs concrete: • Equivalent concrete performance • Suitable timber solutions • TecBeam • Cross Laminated Timber • Faster construction • More cost effective • Environmental benefits

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WOOD INNOVATIONS

August 2014 – 12

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Wood preservation and modification to be showcased in September T

HE LAST independent technology update for wood treatment and manufacturing operations in Australasia was over two years ago. Since the last event ran, changes to the industry have been significant. The structure and ownership of the industry is quite different with changes still underway. New wood treatment formulations, processes and systems, standards, legislation and the increasing competition now being seen with alternate wood products in the marketplace has changed the Australian and New Zealand timber industry.

The good news though is that these new treatment processes offer traditional wood producers the ability to diversify their manufacturing operations” says FIEA Director Brent Apthorp.

“They’re relatively low capital, flexible and highly automated manufacturing operations which can complement local wood treatment operations”.

Wood Innovations 2014 will be running in Rotorua, New Zealand on 17-18 September and again in Melbourne, Australia, the following week on 23-24 September. “It’s been designed with local companies to provide a well-deserved and timely technology update” says Brent Apthorp. “To cater for the significant and growing interest in alternate wood treatment options, the two day programme will be focusing on wood preservation, wood modification and wood plastic composites”.

At this stage, all major wood industry associations in both countries are supporting this technology series. In Australia, the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) has also partnered with the Timber Preservers Association of Australia (TPAA) to ensure maximum coverage and integration with wood treatment operations across the country. TPAA will also be running their Technical and Council Meetings along with the Annual General Meeting at the event venue the day before the two-day conference, on Monday 22nd September.

Wood Innovations 2014 will provide a unique programme for local wood producers to update themselves on new wood treatment technologies, advances in alternative products and outline the industry’s response to increasing environmental issues and changes that are occurring now in production, distribution and retailing in Australasia, North America and Europe.

Thermal and chemically modified wood along with wood plastic composites (WPC’s) are now a commercial reality.

They’re competing with traditional preservative treated wood products and are growing their place in the local market.

Accoya Wood, using NZ grown pine in an acetylation treatment process located in the Netherlands for example is gaining traction with both architects and end-users. It’s been used extensively for both structural (bridges throughout Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, glulam beams…) and for aesthetic applications such as timber cladding.

In Europe, when market conditions have been less than ideal, sales of Accoya Wood shot up by a healthy 80 percent to Euro 13.9 million in the first half of last year compared to the same period the previous year. In New Zealand, they increased by over 50 per cent over the same time frame. Total Accoya Wood volumes for the nine months ending December 2013 also jumped by 89 percent (revenue by 74 percent) compared to the same period in the previous year. The founder of the UK Company, Accsys Technology, that produces Accoya Wood

n Onepoto footbridge.

Using thermal modification the treated timber can now be used to an equivalent of H3 level – providing a 30 year expected service life in above ground vertical (cladding) applications. will be presenting at the Wood Innovations 2014 event in September. In New Zealand, thermally modified wood (simply achieved by treating wood with steam and high temperatures in excess of 200 degrees Celsius) is now being produced and sold in commercial quantities. Thermowood, originating from Finland, is probably the most recognised brand of thermally modified wood. It started in New Zealand with timber joinery but now bevel back, rusticated and vertical shiplap weatherboard profiles are being produced in increasing quantities and are certified for compliance with the New Zealand building code.

Their selling points are the vertical grain being used in the weatherboard, a product that’s free from chemical preservatives, improved stability in the timber (claims of approximately 50% less swelling and shrinkage), the slim chance of resin bleed and improved insulation properties (improvements of around 20% are claimed). Using thermal modification the treated timber can now be used to an equivalent of H3 level – providing a 30 year expected service life in above ground vertical (cladding) applications.

Instead of changing the structure and properties of the wood through modification, wood plastic composites are instead produced by mixing wood particles or fibres in melted resin and then shaping the product by heat and pressure through injection moulding or extrusion. The product itself has been around for a few years now. World-wide, analysts are forecasting that the global WPC market is expected to grow by around 9 percent over the period 2013-2018 with one of the main drivers being house building and construction.

Recently, there have been well documented drawbacks with

WPC’s. Lower strength, composites containing 50 percent or greater wood fibre can be adversely affected by moisture (warping and tannin staining) and microbial action, there have been stability and weathering issues (significant colour fading) with some products and they have been expensive when compared to traditional timber products.

After some product failures, companies have adjusted formulations and processing to lower costs and produce higher quality products. The focus has also switched to producing more durable and “engineered” products and volumes certainly are increasing.

China, as expected now has substantial WPC production.

Some of the largest Chinese operations have more than 100 extruders operating. This product increasingly is finding its way into the Australian and New Zealand markets. Decking still continues to be the major WPC product but fencing, railing and other applications are growing. Australia has had several producers (Advanced Plastic Recycling and Australian Vinyls) of WPC decking, posts, fencing and external garden products that have been supplying the market.

Bio-composites are also providing an opportunity for diversification of a wood products business and are on the leading edge of current wood fibre research. The President and CEO of North America’s only biocomposite fibre mat plant, Tam Tekle of Tekle Technical Services will also be presenting at Wood Innovations 2014. Their operation based in Alberta, Canada produces engineered biocomposite fibre mats for auto parts makers. He’ll be outlining a raft of innovative uses for biocomposites and the road his company has travelled to take research from the lab to a commercial product in the very competitive North American market.

In two years, the changes being seen by local wood producers and wood treatment operations have indeed been significant.

These will all be integrated into this year’s Wood Innovations 2014 event in September – both in Australia and New Zealand.

If you’re in the business of producing wood or treated wood products, if you’re looking for an independent overview of the technologies on offer or if you’re thinking of new opportunities to diversify your current manufacturing or product mix, then this technology programme will provide you with a rare insight into future business opportunities.

Full details for this FIEA technology series can be downloaded from the event website, www.woodinnovations2014.com

Online academy for distributors, designers and architects A C C O Y A ® , MANUFACTURED by Accsys Technologies, has launched its Accoya Academy an on-line learning resource providing extensive information and details about the worldleading modified wood.

The training tool is free and easy to use and at the end of the short course participants will have an in-depth understanding of Accoya and the acetylation process used to produce it.

The Accoya Academy has been designed to give distributors, architects and designers a better understanding of the revolutionary product and the benefits it can bring.

The resource comprises a presentation which talks users through Accsys Technologies, the history and process of acetylation and the environmental and performance benefits and attributes of Accoya. This is followed by a portfolio review of inspirational projects which have used Accoya from around the world.

Finally participants are given a short test, involving 10 multiple choice questions, to test their knowledge and understanding of the product. Those who achieve 90% or more will receive an Accoya certificate for their effort.

Speaking ahead of the

launch, Bryan Crennell, director of sales and marketing at Accsys Technologies, said: “Over the past few years we’ve seen demand and interest in Accoya grow. We’ve agreed new distributor contracts and Accoya has been used in various extraordinary and ordinary applications around the world.

“With this in mind, we wanted to ensure everyone is able to understand the process behind Accoya and the outstanding benefits of the product. The course is very short, easy to access and navigate through and it will provide participants with a greater understanding and knowledge of Accoya.”

Accoya is created using Accsys Technologies’ propriety acetylation technology; it delivers outstanding levels of performance, including excellent dimensional stability, class 1 durability and sustainability. Made with FSC® certified wood from legal, manageable and sustainable forests, Accoya is in an attractive wood product which is Cradle to Cradle Gold certified, certified to hold the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and which is perfect for a variety of uses from windows and doors to external cladding, structural projects and decking.

Given its strength and environmental credentials

n Moses Bridge, Holland. Photo: Accsys Technologies PLC

Accoya has been specified in wide of range of projects globally including the underwater Moses Bridge in Holland, the restoration of an historic Israeli

Windmill near Jerusalem and as cladding for several global brands including Louis Vuitton and KFC in their stores and restaurants respectively.

NEWS

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

13 – August 2014

Timber renovation connects family home with natural surroundings T

HE SPECTACULAR New South Wales central coastline provided the perfect backdrop for an outdoor renovation boasting natural Australian hardwood timber.

At a McMasters Beach holiday home, timber in Blackbutt species was chosen for a range of exterior timber applications including decking, screening, cladding for the outdoor ceiling, doorframes and window sills.

According to builder Kerry Stirling, the holiday homeowners wanted to replace the old, tired looking pine deck with an attractive, easy-to-maintain outdoor area.

“Renowned for its strength and versatility, Blackbutt was the natural choice and helped to create a continuous flow from the home’s Blackbutt indoor flooring.

The decking’s natural golden hues blend well with the beach and stunning coastal landscape and also offer a nice contrast to the red tones of the home’s ironbark structural supports,” Kerry said.

Blackbutt was a natural choice

“As the outdoor area is quite small, 130mm wide boards were chosen to help create the illusion of space. For added privacy a timber screen, also in Coastal Blackbutt species, was installed to the north and south ends of the deck.

To ensure the connection to the natural surroundings wasn’t lost, a hole was left in the screening so the trees and foliage could remain visible.”

The feature ceiling was finished with 250mm wide board timber run into tongue and groove cladding. Lights were the finishing touch, illuminating the outdoor space to help create an inviting entertaining area.

“As the house is located in a highly corrosive area, it was important to use 316 marine grade stainless steel brackets and screws to finish off the deck renovation,” said Kerry.

Blackbutt is an ideal solution for outdoor renovations because of its density, toughness and natural beauty. Blackbutt has one of the highest Janka (hardness) ratings of 9.1

and is a durability class one timber above groundi, making it a durable species for decking. Blackbutt timber is also naturally fire and termite resistantii, treatment free and non-susceptible to

lyctus borer making it ideal for the Australian climate.

Boral has achieved Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) chain of custody certification (AS 4707-2006) for its timber products. This

means that the timber used to produce Boral Timber’s hardwood flooring; decking and structural timber has been sourced from certified, legal and sustainably managed resources. The Australian

www.woodinnovations2014.com .woodinnovations2014.co

Forestry Standard Scheme also has mutual recognition by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Scheme (PEFC) - the world’s largest forest management certifier.

August 2014 – 14

ENGINEERED WOOD

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

EWPAA leads the way Materials testing for the 21st Century

S

ENATOR RICHARD Colbeck, federal Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, officially opened the new administration offices and testing laboratories of the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia in Brisbane.

About 40 industry leaders and EWPAA members were shown through the new facility by EWPAA general manager Simon Dorries and his technical staff.

Senator Colbeck was in Brisbane also to address a special industry luncheon at Moda Events at the Portside tourist complex at Hamilton, which celebrated the concept of the International Day of Forests.

“The transfer of EWPAA’s headquarters from Newstead to Eagle Farm is a sensible move,” Simon Dorries said.

“It consolidates all of the administration and laboratory testing facilities at the one site.

“EWPAA can now be justly described as providing the most up-to-date timber testing services in Australia, and possibly Australasia.”

n Senator Richard Colbeck and Simon Dorries with the plaque commemorating the official opening with EPWAA staff members (from left), Sonia Moore, Ahasan Quereshi, director, administration manager, Suzie Steiger, laboratory manager, Dennis Morrell, company secretary, and Andrew McLaughln and Karrin Ryan, laboratory assistants.

THE AUSTRALIAN Forest Products Association strongly supports the work of the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia which is testing timber building materials to ensure they meet Australian standards.

Visiting the EWPAA materials testing laboratory in Brisbane recently, AFPA chairman Greg McCormack said: “The materials testing that is happening here is vital to the Australian building industry and gives builders and architects peace of mind when specifying engineered wood for highload applications.”

EWPAA general manager Simon Dorries said: “It is not going too far to say that lives are being placed at risk through the use of some cutprice imported products that claim to meet the Australian standard, but when tested, clearly fail.”

Simon said certification testing of plywood, LVL, MDF and particleboard was being conducted to ensure manufactured products were continuing to meet standards.

‘Far too often we discover serious flaws in some of the materials coming into the country,” he said.

“The message is clear – look for the EWPAA ‘tick’ of approval and help keep workers safe.”

He said Australian wood products were also tested to ensure they met the standards applicable to overseas markets.

“Materials testing is one part of the scientific research and development that is currently under threat and yet the field should be growing,” he said. Greg said timber was enjoying something of a renaissance,

replacing concrete and steel, as architects and buyers looked for more sustainable building solutions.

Lend Lease’s new Forte building or the library at Docklands in Melbourne were great examples, as was the new Australand development at Parkville in Melbourne where 1000 units were being built using engineered wood products.

AFPA has proposed establishment of a National Institute for Forest Products Innovation to coordinate the

disparate, but vital, research efforts in Australia; all six states have thrown their weight behind the proposal.

“Research and development into new products, such as the possibility of manufacturing cross-laminated timber from Australian plantation sources, must be an important focus in our national future research efforts,” Greg said.

“It is absolutely imperative that Australia gets behind our forest products industry or we will lag further and further behind our competitors.”

nA FPA chairman Greg McCormack (centre) looks over a reaction testing frame at EWPAA’s Brisbane laboaratories, during a tour of inspection hosted by EWPAA general manager Simon Dorries and laboratory manager Suzy Steiger.

ENGINEERED WOOD

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

15 – August 2014

First public CLT building open

n Australia’s first public building constructed using CLT, Melbourne’s Dockland library and community centre.

A

USTRALIA’S FIRST public building constructed using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), Melbourne’s Dockland library and community centre, has opened its doors to the public. The complex was built in partnership between the City of Melbourne, Places Victoria and Lend Lease. The major structural components of the threestorey building are made from more than 500 cubic metres of CLT, produced at Stora Enso’s manufacturing facility in Austria and shipped to Australia.

One of the many advantages of building with CLT was the short construction time that, in the case of the Docklands project, was just two and a half months.

“The Australian construction industry is well used to working with wood, and CLT has recently been gaining a lot of attention from construction companies due to its many advantages.

The Docklands library and community centre is an excellent example of how wood, and especially CLT, can deliver added value as a construction material,” says Matti Mikkola, Vice President, Building Solutions, Stora Enso Building and Living.

The library and community centre complex has been constructed on a wharf originally designed in 1879. Because of the light weight of CLT, only a limited amount of additional pilings and repairs of the old timber posts were required, which also considerably reduced the

cost of the project. In addition to the advantages with speed and weight, there are also strong environmental arguments for CLT. “CLT offers a sustainable alternative to conventional materials given its potential to be carbon negative,” says Andrew Nieland, Head of Timber Solutions for Lend Lease.

“CLT is a lightweight, strong, solid wood and given its pre-fabricated nature drives efficiency improvements onsite.”

Setting new environmental standards, the Docklands complex achieved a 6 Star Green Star rating fromthe Green Building Council of Australia.

John Halkett, General manager of the Australian Timber Importers Federation, congratulated Stora Enso

Medium rise housing is where advantages of CLT truly come into play SPEED, STRENGTH and sustainability … they’re the key benefits of cross laminated timber (CLT) construction. But what does this actually mean in practice?

CLT is now extensively used across the commercial construction sector and the benefits have been widely acknowledged, but it has not prolifically been used in residential developments in the UK, however this is set to change.

According to the findings of a recent survey by the Structural Timber Association, 74% of the nation’s contractors, developers, architects and registered social landlords revealed they plan to increase specifications of structural timber due to benefits such as thermal, acoustic and sustainability performance, together with speed of build - especially when looking at multi-storey solutions.

But it is medium rise housing where the advantages of CLT as a core structural solution will truly come into play. The key is in the strength to weight ratio of the engineered timber - factory manufactured to exacting standards - CLT is an extremely stable solution which has little shrinkage or movement post construction. It has proven multi-storey capability, up to 9 floors in the UK and a structural capacity beyond this. Typical walls for 5-6 storey construction are often in

the region of 100-140mm thick solid timber.

The benefits in construction are numerous - from reduced loading on foundations and infrastructure services, to impressive thermal, acoustic and airtightness performance over more traditional materials.

Due to the offsite manufacture of CLT, onsite construction time, vehicle movements and construction noise are all greatly reduced - vital in dense, urban infill sites.

One of the most crucial advantages, particularly for multi-storey developments, is cross laminated timber’s inherent fire resistance. The panels can be designed to accommodate substantial fire resistance and unlike steel, remain structurally stable when subjected to high temperatures. CLT panels can be designed to fire resistances of 30, 60 and 90 minutes.

With the housing shortfall making the headlines on a regular basis and the 2013 Offsite Housing Review highlighting the potential for offsite construction methods to play a more significant role in the housebuilding industry, the housing sector is increasingly turning to cross laminated timber as the optimum sustainable solution for medium rise housing, particularly in highly populated urban areas. Source: Specification Online

Building and Living on their central role in the seminal Docklands project.

“The opening of the Docklands centre provides yet another example of the critical role being played in Australia by major timber product importing companies like Stora Enso in leading

innovation in commercial and residential prefabrication.

“Maintaining this innovation in panel products like CLT and palletised wall and flooring systems will be essential as Australia’s commercial construction activity continues to ramp up and as residential housing construction nudges

toward 200 000 starts a year,” John said.

It is estimated that by 2030 Docklands will be a residential area for about 16 000 people. Upon completion, the Docklands precinct is expected to attract 20 million visitors a year and to be a workplace for 40 000 people.

ForestWorks’ activities are assisted by funding provided by the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Industry.

Improving productivity in your workplace A learning program is now available for leaders, managers and workers to improve the operation of your business. · Build innovation capability at all levels · Improve innovative thinking, practice and development · Make innovation a workplace reality for future business growth

FIND OUT MORE: 1800 177 001 forestworks@forestworks.com.au www.forestworks.com.au

ASSOCIATION NEWS

August 2014 – 16

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Skateboards get a lift with marquetry veneers From Peter Llewellyn Technical Representative Timber Veneer Association of Australia

1

T

HE TIMBER Veneer Association is always interested to find veneers being used in novel ways.

One such interesting use is decorating the tops and bases of skateboards. Last year a group of about 30 industrial arts teachers attended courses organised by Steve Delaney at Warrawong High School through the IIATE (Institute of Industrial Arts Technology Education) to construct a skateboard each.

The course was taught by Martin Naughton from

2

Murwillumbah High. Martin has been making skateboards with marquetry bases or tops in his classes for years.

The aim of the course was to show teachers how to make skateboards in class with their students.

Martin organised kits from Australian Skateboard Kits, a company that specialises in supplying everything needed to construct a board. The kits contain a vacuum bag, pre-cut veneers, vacuum pump, glue, roller to apply the glue and a CNC-cut foam mould, cut to the shape of the skateboard.

The only thing that

The trendsetters WOMEN IN building took another step forward with Master Builders recently appointing Emma Peters as Membership Recruitment Officer for North Queensland. Proud to be an all-female office, it proves there really are no gender barriers in the north of the State.

With a background in real estate, recruitment and painting contracting, Emma is an experienced sales professional who is looking forward to assisting Master Builders’ members to grow their businesses using the suite of products and services on offer.

“I feel very passionately about working with Master Builders to help members stay at the forefront of the building and construction industry by offering a wide scope of services

isn’t in the kit is the variety of veneers to construct the marquetry pattern on the base of the board – in this case they were sourced from Briggs Veneers in Sydney, but other members of the Timber Veneer Association could supply similar materials.

Suppliers’ names can be found on the TVAA website at www. timberveneer.asn.au.

After a general introduction the teachers were given a demo on how to use the vacuum bag.

The glue-up process was done in three stages. The first stage was to glue three layers of rock maple veneer, put it into

like workplace relations and employment advice, training and licensing, insurance, and dispute resolution,” Emma said.

Emma will cover the North Queensland territory that stretches from Home Hill to Ingham and west to Mount Isa. She will play a role in delivering industry events in the region that will provide important and relevant information for anyone who works in the building industry – information that is vital in helping businesses stay competitive and one step ahead in the current climate.

She joins Lili Kilmartin, the regional assistant for the past four years, and Master Builders’ North Queensland Regional Manager Melissa Coulter.

the vacuum bag, and pump out the air. Pic 1. This was left for about two hours when two more layers were added, then the last two layers a couple of hours later. Martin said he normally leaves the glue 24 hours to dry between layers but in this case there were time constraints. The glue used was Titebond Ultimate III wood glue which gives you about seven minutes to assemble and get into the vacuum bag.

The next stage was to tidy up the shape of the board and prepare it to have the marquetry pattern attached.

Martin had advised us to edge

glue all the veneer pieces together to reduce the chance of pieces moving when in the vacuum bag. This was a slow process that took about three hours, but made the pattern easier to handle.

The pattern was then glued to the board, the edges of the veneer trimmed, and the board was prepared for applying the finish. After lots of fine sanding, a Bondall product, Monocel Gold, was applied.

This is a marine grade clear timber varnish, applied with five or six coats to build a good layer, sanding between each. Pic 2.

Focus on helping businesses grow

By Eric Siegers Executive Officer Timber Merchants Association

n Lili, Melissa and Emma … the trendsetters.

The Timber Veneer Association of Australia (TVAA) acknowledges the assistance of Bruce Powell of Kanahooka High, NSW, in preparing this article. For more inspirational ideas on using timber veneers visit www.uniquelyveneer.com. au. *The students are about to start their boards and reportedly are very keen and enthusiastic. The trucks, wheels, bearings and grip tape were purchased from the “Boardshop” an online suppler based in Australia.

THE TMA is increasing its activity across the supply chain and is engaging builders through a series of business events across Victoria in the month of August. It is part of the Victorian Government’s Small Business Festival which is focused on helping businesses grow and prosper in this new economic environment.

Why are we doing this?

Every year we see small trades businesses rise up only to see a good number of them collapse and fail leaving merchants to pick up the bill. Through greater involvement and stronger relationship building, the TMA hopes to increase the dialogue between merchants and builders and strengthen the proposition that the independent and local merchant is able to offer a distinct business advantage over the big box stores.

This year the TMA will focus on connecting with the many of the fledgling and existing small businesses across the state and share with them the ways we as merchants can help them be better business people in an attempt to improve communication and offset losses.

We have learned that many apprentices, for instance, know a lot about building but learn very little when it comes to dealing with customers and being responsible business people. Starting to fill the gap by increasing awareness of the support that the TMA and the merchants can provided to help strengthen small business operations is the objective of this activity. If successful we hope it will be a model that we can share nationally with our fellow associations.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

ASSOCIATION NEWS

17 – August 2014

Timber floors on slabs – what do we need to know?

David Hayward, ATFA Technical Manager discusses some of the aspects often overlooked when assessing the suitability of floors to be adhered to concrete slabs.

L

AYING TIMBER floors over concrete slabs, particularly when by direct adhesive fix adds another level of complexity and risk and due to this it is necessary to take a thorough approach to guard against possible future problems.

Although much of our concern and effort with concrete often lies with possible moisture migration affecting the floor, there are many other aspects that need to be considered and if not, they can result in expensive repairs. We will discuss some of these important but often overlooked aspects.

Over the years we have noted that when some floors have failed there has been a commonality that relates to the height of the timber floor above the ground outside. That is there have been a number of instances where the internal floor is at, not far above and at times below the level of an outside patio. At the time of floor installation it is doubtful whether moisture detecting equipment would highlight a potential problem but installation in such instances is of higher risk.

The telltale signs of cupping and expansion are apparent and in more severe cases floors can separate from the slab. As such, the risk needs to be recognised and precautions taken prior to laying the floor.

A related area to this is floor to ceiling windows and weather

exposed patio doors that are so often associated with slab on ground construction and the risk of problems increases if the house design has minimal or no eaves.

Again, whether it is a single dwelling or multi-storey apartment, leaks associated with incorrect fitting, incorrect sealing and blocked drain holes results in moisture ingress and problems that will initially manifest themselves in the timber floor.

At times we hear the myth that the timber has been around so long that it must have no moisture in it. A similar myth prevails in thinking that an old concrete slab must be dry and will not be associated with moisture issues.

Frequently timber floors are being laid on older ground floor slabs that may be 30 or more years old, at times in the main body of the house but at other times to say an adjoining garage that has been converted. Moisture migration through a slab does not relate to its age just as water passing through a sieve is not dependant on the age of the sieve.

Three aspects are important and these relate to whether a polyethylene moisture barrier was placed under the slab, what the water cement ratio was of the mix and how well the concrete was placed and cured.

As a floor installer you are unlikely to know any of

n Severe discolouration around this patio doorway indicates high levels of moisture and is the cause of the boards cupping.

these, so old slabs need to be treated with due respect.

From time to time moisture ingress from cracks in slabs through capillary action or construction joints where a slab has been added for an extension, can be sources of moisture that affect floors. In such instances the moisture only becomes apparent during wet periods of the year often well after the floor has been in service.

In one instance moisture was observed in cracked topping compound that had been used to prepare the slab.

This highlights the fact that cracks and joints in slabs must be appropriately assessed and sealed to prevent the possibility of future problems.

One further area we should touch on relates to products that may have been applied to the slab surface to assist with the curing of the slab. A slab that cures slowly by reducing the rate of moisture loss from the exposed surface generally results in a stronger slab of lower permeability. Therefore, from a concrete perspective it has benefits.

Some of the compounds used can be clear and are non-permanent, wearing off during the course of construction.

However, if not known about or not sufficiently removed, severe problems can be experienced as these compounds prevent the necessary adhesion of the flooring to the slab.

The final area to be considered relates to levelling compounds and again to dispel a myth where some consider that as floors are only walked on then the levelling compound only needs to be able to withstand the pressure of foot traffic on the floor.

There is often a failure to realise that when we adhere one material to another then we are creating a composite product where one part can expand or contract quite differently from the other.

The consequence of this is that very strong forces can develop, including both a sideways (or shear) force and an upward (or tensile) force that must be resisted by the levelling compound.

There are many good products on the market for levelling and it’s necessary to realise that it cannot be treated as if it was just a packer and that it is a very important and integral part of the overall system.

We have covered a number of specific areas relating to aspects that need to be considered when laying floors over concrete slabs. The risks that need to be assessed are not always directly associated with installation and the potential source of the problem often lies with other trades or can be accentuated by aspects of building design.

However, flooring professionals need to be aware of these things and guard against potential problems as best can be. Whenever a problem occurs even if not of your doing, inevitably both time and money are lost, but by being a little more proactive in these areas, maybe it will be less of your time and less of your money.

ATFA can be contacted via our website www.atfa.com. au by phone 1300 36 1693 or email admin@atfa.com.au

n The patio is about 200mm higher than the floor.

Drainage through at paver edges and poor detailing resulted in moisture migration and cupping of the flooring adjacent to the window.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

August 2014 – 18

Annual Wage Review

By Brian Beecroft Chief Executive Officer TTIA

T

HE FAIR Work Commission has released the 2014 Annual Wage Review decision under the Fair Work Act, 2009 on 4 June 2014. This is the fifth annual minimum wage review to be conducted by the Fair Work Commission.

This decision increases modern award wage rates by 3% and also increases the national minimum wage from $622.20 to $640.90 per week being $16.87 per hour, up by 50 cents per hour. This constitutes an increase of $18.70 per week to the weekly rate and 50 cents per hour to the hourly rate.

The increased rates will take effect from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2014.

The following are extracts from the decision: [59] We have decided that the range of considerations we are required to take into account favours the award of an increase which will result in a modest improvement in the real value of modern award minimum wages. There has been almost no growth in the real value of award rates over a period when other employees have had substantial wage increases in circumstances in which the economic environment has been sound. The deterioration in the relative living standards

of award-reliant workers; the needs of the low paid; the recent widespread improvement in labour productivity growth; the historically low levels of real unit labour costs; and the absence, in aggregate, of cost pressures from the labour market are all factors favouring a real increase in minimum wages. These factors are moderated by the SG rate increase to apply from 1 July 2014.

[60] As to the form of the increase, past flat dollar increases in award minimum rates have compressed award relativities and reduced the gains from skill acquisition.

The position of the higher award classifications has reduced relative to market

gottstein trust applications for 2015 awards

the Joseph william Gottstein Memorial trust invites applications from interested persons for Gottstein fellowships and Gottstein industry awards.

GOTTSTEIN FELLOWSHIPS Fellowships are awarded to people from or associated with Australian forest industries to further their experience, education or training either within or outside Australia by undertaking a project. Appropriate project topics are listed on the Gottstein website (www.gottsteintrust.org).

Candidates will be selected on the focus of their project, and on their ability to complete and disseminate the information acquired.

GOTTSTEIN INDUSTRY AWARDS These awards are available to assist workers in the Australian forest industries to improve their industry knowledge and work skills.

Applications focusing on small group study tours will be favourably viewed, although any relevant project topic may be proposed.

Candidates will be selected on the value of the project.

INTERVIEWS Applications for each category will be considered by the Trustees and promising applicants will be selected for interviews in October 2014.

FURTHER INFORMATION Further details may be obtained from the Trust’s website at www.gottsteintrust.org, or from the Secretary.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS The closing date for applications is 19th September 2014.

Applications should be forwarded to: Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary, J. W. Gottstein Memorial Trust Fund, Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169 Telephone: 0418 764 954 Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Regulation welcomed by timber industry rates and to average earnings and has fallen in terms of real purchasing power. These considerations led the Panel to determine a uniform percentage increase. The increase in modern award minimum wages we have decided on is 3 per cent.

Weekly wages will be rounded to the nearest 10 cents.

[270] In summary, Australia’s economic performance and outlook remains sound. It continues to exceed that of the major OECD economies. Economic growth at the aggregate level has been solid, although growth in RNNDI continues to lag GDP growth as the terms of trade continue to fall. While multifactor productivity shows no sign of increasing, labour productivity has sustained its recent increase, having risen by a total of 7.6 per cent over the past three years and by 1.9 per cent in the last year. This growth in labour productivity is not confined to mining. The outlook for economic growth remains positive, although forecast to moderate slightly as the sources of growth shift toward net exports and households.

Australia’s labour market has performed reasonably both in terms of employment growth and a recent stabilisation of unemployment levels. Some aspects of labour market performance, especially weak growth in hours worked, continuing high youth unemployment and a falling full-time employment to population ratio for the working age population, are a cause for concern.

Further, whilst vacancy surveys suggest an improved employment outlook, the budget forecasts a slight increase in unemployment.

Although it has risen over the last year, inflation remains moderate, and wages growth is benign. Real unit labour costs remain at historically low levels. The profit share has increased over the past year, as has gross operating surplus of companies, although the growth has been driven by the Mining sector, with limited growth in the non-mining sector in aggregate. There is no evidence of unusual levels of business failure.

Transitional instruments that are still in existence will be adjusted in line with the 3% increase and the minimum casual loading has been increased from 24% to 25% as part of the final transitioning.

All Employers should ensure they meet the new minimum obligations from 1 July 2014. Please remember, the increase is fully absorbable into over award payments.

If you are unsure where your employees are classified, it would be wise to contact the Association on (02) 9264 0011.

THE TIMBER Development Association (TDA) has welcomed the release by the Australian Department of Agriculture of a position paper on the Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation and guidance on how timber and wood products industry can comply at www.daff.gov.au/illegallogging. The release of the Government’s guidance coincides with the release of industry developed timber due diligence tools and information through the industry website www.timberduediligence.com.au “While many in the timber and wood products industry will argue the merits of the Regulation the reality is that it is now law and from 30 November 2014 most timber and wood product importers and domestic processors will have to comply” said Andrew Dunn, CEO of the TDA, in a June 6 press release carried by IHB (the Belgium-based organization that manages the leading online market for wood professionals).

“The position paper clarifies two important points that have been of concern. Firstly, whether or not an importer declares they have complied with the Regulation when their goods enter Australia, their goods cannot be held up at the border. Secondly, for 18 months following commencement, the department’s focus will be on helping importers and domestic processors comply with the due diligence requirements.

“The guidance, while quite broad, will assist timber and wood product importers and domestic processors of raw logs clarify if they are affected and what they can do to meet the due diligence requirements in the Regulation.

“The release of the Government’s guidance coincides with the release of industry developed timber due diligence tools and information. These have been developed by TDA in a two year project with the support of Australian importers and domestic processors, via Forest and Wood Products Australia.”

“The tools and additional information we have developed as part of this project will set Australian importers and domestic processors up to be much more prepared than those in the European Union and United States when similar regulations in those jurisdictions” said Stephen Mitchell, Sustainability Program Manager with TDA. The Australian Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation applies to importers into Australia of “regulated timber products” such as sawn timber, wood panels, pulp, paper products, and wood furniture. It also applies to Australian processors of raw logs.

The Regulation commences on 30 November 2014 and requires that before import of these products or processing of raw logs, due diligence is undertaken to minimise the risk that the timber products or raw logs were illegally logged or incorporate illegally logged timber. The Australian Department of Agriculture has stated that for the 18 months following commencement, the department’s focus will be on helping importers and processors to comply with the due diligence requirements.

But, according to an online comment on the press release, Jamie Buchanan was far from impressed with the TDA stance, and posted: (1) The TDA is meant to be non-political. Why are they commenting on what is such a political issue?

(2) The TDA does not represent the opinion, views or interests of timber importer and processor businesses or business members. It is a technical organisation.

(3) Nor is it a disinterested party in this process. It has been in receipt of significant amount of money from the government and from COMPULSORY industry levies, to come up with documentation to support the government’s policies.

TPAA administrative changes

From Contact Timber Preservers Association of Australia THE TPAA Council met by teleconference in June to discuss a range of administrative matters. Significant among those was the decision by David Marlay not to seek renewal of his company’s current contract for the provision of the Association’s Secretariat services, after its conclusion on 30 June.

In this regard, the Secretary had invited Jack Norton to attend the Council meeting following a couple of meetings with him where he indicated that he would be prepared to undertake a trial period as TPAA National Secretary. There was general agreement that accepting Jack Norton’s cooperative offer would give Council breathing space to address the various issues raised and to come up with a new direction and plan for TPAA, to be presented at the next Council meeting in September.

The following motion was passed unanimously: “That Jack Norton be appointed as National Secretary of TPAA for a trial period from 1 July 2014 until 30 September 2014 on the same basis and contracted fee structure as the current Secretary”.

During discussion of more general matters, it was suggested that Council should consider its strategy as well as its structure and come up with a program to achieve this.

TPAA is at a crossroads!

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE GOLD SPONSORS

ASSOCIATION NEWS

19 – August 2014 BRONZE SPONSORS

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Stricter guidelines needed to ensure delivery to top plate is safe

By Kersten Gentle Executive Officer FTMA

D

ELIVERY TO top plate has been an ongoing issue for some States and Territories in Australia for many years. FTMA Australia thought the National OHS Harmonisation program was the perfect opportunity to get some uniformity throughout the country and introduce regulations that either prohibited the practice or introduced stricter guidelines on how the task was to be undertaken.

In a tight economic market whether you deliver to top plate could be the difference between getting a job or not and some members have reported builders giving them the job only to take it away once the fabricator explains it doesn’t deliver to top plate.

Some building companies such as Simmonds Homes have designed a large yellow sticker that goes on the front of the building and can be clearly seen

from the road that indicates it is safe to deliver to top plate, however, some fabricators have said this doesn’t go far enough and that a representative of the building company must be on site to oversee the delivery ensuring products are placed in the correct place.

The impact on the fabricator or timber company is huge if there is a failure and last year in Victoria unfortunately there was a failure when a large load of timber flooring was delivered to what was deemed a safe environment only to have a collapse resulting in a fatality.

There are other factors such as the use of cranes and ensuring that cranes are serviced, staff are trained and that fabricators ensure all procedures are followed to avoid an accident.

However, due to the chain of responsibility laws companies must cover themselves.

I do not know anyone who doesn’t want an accident free environment for their employees and wants to ensure all their workers go home

safe at the end of their shift.

Sometimes, though, no matter how strict the company is and how much they comply there is always the chance of an accident.

Recently a member explained an accident where their employee was operating the crane via the remote around his waist. The training and regulations mean that when he isn’t using the remote and moves away, the crane is disengaged, however, during this incident the operator forgot to disengage the crane and bent over, knocking one of the paddles resulting in the crane coming down and hitting him in the head. Luckily he survived but he was seriously injured.

Once the employer knows his employee is okay and being looked after it is an automatic reaction to ensure that they have ticked all the boxes; that manual was in the truck, that training had been done, licences were completed and documentation was on hand to prove it etc as

this is what WorkSafe will want to see.

Delivery to top plate causes many issues and there is no doubt stricter regulations or at the very least guidelines need to be put in place by the authorities. In States and Territories where delivery to top plate is an accepted practice the authorities say it is up to industry to implement a ‘best practice’ but we all know best practice goes out the door for some fabricators if it means you risk losing a job.

FTMA Australia strongly believes this is an issue for all State WorkSafe authorities to deal with and unfortunately we have heard rumours that NSW where it is currently outlawed, that they may be following Victoria’s lead and allowing this potentially dangerous practice.

FTMA Australia is holding a Breakfast on Friday 22 August, 2014, at Hotel Bruce County in Victoria where Andrew Kidd of Dahlsens and a WorkSafe representative will present on

Practical solutions to better growth

By Colin Fitzpatrick Chief Executive Officer Timber & Building Materials Association (Aust.) Ltd TABMA IS a national member based industry association representing building material suppliers, timber merchants, retailers, timber importers, frame & truss fabricators, and timber manufacturing and related service providers.

TABMA provides companies with practical solutions to improve business management, growth and profitability.

Timber Industry Dinner As previously mentioned the 2014 Timber Industry Dinner will be held in Sydney on Friday October 10. In conjunction with the NSW Timber Development Association and the NSW Forest Products Association, TABMA will be supporting a three-hour seminar to be held late morning/early afternoon on that date. Maree McCaskill from FPA is arranging for three interesting and diverse speakers and details will be released in the near future.

Fitec TABMA has now assumed management control of Fitec

and the merger is complete subject to ASIC and ASQA approval. Tim Isaacs continues as general manager and the expansion of Fitec into new markets is planned for the 2014/15 financial year. On June 30 TABMA Queensland vacated their Fortitude Valley location and moved into Fitec’s Rocklea premises.

Dinner with Politicians On September 24 the Boards of TABMA, NSW Forest Products Association and the Timber Development Association will be attending a dinner in the Sydney CBD to be addressed by political luminaries such as the Deputy Premier, State Treasurer and the Minister for Primary Industries. As well as providing the opportunity for the 3 Boards to meet in a social situation it promises to be a very interesting evening.

Trainees and Apprentices The growth of TABMA placed trainees and apprentices continues at a rapid rate across Australia with the magical 200 placement figure rapidly approaching.

TABMA’s Workforce & Career Development division headed

up by Steve Cunningham is the way forward for any employer looking to grow their business through youth development. TABMA trainees and apprentices are recruited, inducted, trained and monitored by us. It is the way an employer can add staff without a long term commitment.

WH&S Audits TABMA offers WH&S audits at very competitive rates including specialist work place inspections, reports, a reference manual and information hotlines. Just contact Steve

Cunningham on steve@tabma. com.au Insurance Savings Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers are Australian owned and endorsed by TABMA. Gow-Gates have vast timber industry experience and provide excellent service, they only select reputable and reliable underwriters and most importantly save TABMA members substantially on premiums. An obligation free evaluation of your current insurance is available at no cost to members.

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this important issue ensuring plenty of time for feedback from fabricators.

Another key topic for our breakfast will be a presentation

by Harley Dale who will present on HIA’s latest Housing Forecasts before the FTMA AGM. Following the breakfast and AGM, FTMA Australia will join forces with the Timber Merchants Association, Victorian Association of Forest Industries and ForestWorks to deliver an Innovation Skills Forum titled “Improving Growing and Changing Our Business” In challenging times, it is innovation practices, improvements and changes that can make the difference in delivering future business success.

Innovation practices can be company specific or can involve the entire supply chain and comprise of skills and processes that can be learned and implemented in businesses of all shapes and sizes.

ForestWorks’ CEO, Michael

INDEPENDENT & AUSTRALIAN OWNED

Hartman, will present the latest developments and learnings on developing innovation capabilities in a thought challenging but practical forum that will explore what it takes to make meaningful and lasting changes in a business, sector and region.

Funded by the Department of Industry, the Innovation Skills Program brought to you

by ForestWorks supports the development of innovation skills and capabilities across forestry and wood products industry supply chains. Over the last year, hundreds of people from around Australia have participated in Forums.

Participants have the opportunity to partake in further and more detailed activities that can lead new ways of thinking and working and introduce practical innovations to their business. The feedback from past forums with other sectors of the industry have overwhelmingly supported the attendance at these events.

Registration forms will be sent to members shortly.

Yes – It’s true, Whittakers Timber Products is closing down!

Our Sawmill at the Greenbushes site in Western Australia has already closed and the dry mills and kilns will close towards the end of this year.

All plant & equipment is being offered at super low prices on an as is where is basis!

The Company Directors say, “SELL IT ALL” Complete near new 2006 MEM sawmill 2 x other comprehensive hardwood mills 3 x moulding lines 15 x conventional kilns Kiln sawdust/thermal oil heating system 2 x optimising docker lines 2 x chipper lines Loaders & forklifts Edgers Cherry picker, scissor lifts Tool grinding shop Log debarkers Compressors Gang saws Maintenance work shop equipment & spares Weigh bridge Large clam shell storage bin Dust extraction systems Comprehensive sawshop Office equipment & furniture Huge inventory of materials handling gear Everything must go! We are even selling the buildings!

View our website www.whittakersequipmentsale.com.au or telephone Geoff on (08) 9302 2022 – mobile 0409 302 200 or Chris on (08) 9459 6877 – mobile 0409 083 977

ABN 52 060 402 860

155 Burnside Rd · Stapylton QLD 4207 · Australia T: +61 (0)7 3297 3280 · F: +61 (0)7 3382 0741 · E: enquiry@multinailmachinery.com · W: www.multinailmachinery.com

Multinail Machinery Pty Ltd

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