Australasian Timber - April 2015

APRIL 2015

PROCESSING • PRODUCTS • DESIGN • SUPPLIERS Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman – Established 1977.

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BE PART OF THE BIGGEST INDUSTRY EXPO IN AUSTRALIA ...and Get 10% up front on your investment!

AUSTimber2016 will give you a world-class context of demonstrations, conferences and field trips in which to tell your story face to face with thousands of forestry and timber industry people from across Australia.

It’ ll be bigger than ever before with a major focus on timber processing and prefabrication.

With a strong communications program through our industry media partners, Ryan Media and a television advertising campaign on WIN in the major timber regions around Australia, AUSTimber2016 will attract serious wood products industry people to Traralgon, Victoria throughout the week of 11-16 April, 2016.

Traralgon is in Latrobe City – home of Australia’ s first Wood Encouragement policy.

Check out our website for updates and general information but contact us direct to receive our current prospectus and to discuss how you can use this event to meet and mix with the industry people who can help you meet your sales targets.

Do it now and secure the first reward for taking action to boost your sales in 2016.

Book and pay for your exhibition space at AUSTimber2016 before 30 June, 2015 and get a 10% discount on the rate.

Email our General Manager Laurie Martin on: laurie@austimber.org.au

Expo days will run on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 April, 2016.

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AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

NEWS

3 – April 2015

Timberlink Tasmanian Sawmill – successful grant to support ongoing improvement program

T

IMBERLINK AUSTRALIA’S application for a grant under the Australian Government Innovation and Investment Fund (Tasmania) has been approved. On 11 March, the team at Timberlink welcomed Ian MacFarlane MP, Minister for Industry and Science, and Andrew Nikolic AM CSC MP, Member for Bass, to their Tasmanian sawmill at Bell Bay in Northern Tasmania, where the certificate of the grant was presented.

The Bell Bay sawmill will use the grant funding to invest specifically in the log sorting infrastructure.

More specifically, the project involves the expansion of log sorting capacity allowing batching of logs into their similar diameter classes, allowing a more optimal cutting pattern to be applied to the sawmill’s current log input.

The site currently process approximately 400,000m3 Radiata pine logs per annum with a particular focus on outdoor treated products, known as Timberlink GreenTM, which is used extensively across Australia in outdoor projects such as decks, patios and pergolas. The log diet at Timberlink’s Tasmanian sawmill is unique in Australia in terms of access to pruned log resource which makes for a superior appearance large end section material for outdoor structures.

Already employing a significant amount of people in the region, Timberlink is committed to ongoing training and upskilling of these 182 employees along with strategic investment in additional roles as the business expands.

The process change will require the log debarking and sorting infrastructure to be run on a 3-shift basis rather than the 2 shifts run currently, this will lead to providing three new jobs.

Timberlink Australia, a national softwood products manufacturing business, applied for the grant under merit criteria set out in the grant scheme including but

not limited to; proven capability in capital improvement projects and financial and engineering capability to deliver project co-funding and project execution.

“Given there are always competing priorities for funds in any business, this aspect of Timberlink’s re-investment program would not be proceeding without the co-funding under the grant scheme”, said Timberlink’s CEO Ian Tyson.

This improvement project represents ongoing investment by the new Timberlink owners since they acquired the softwood sawmilling assets of Gunns back in February 2013. The Timberlink business has reinvested more than $5m in its Tasmanian facility alone since relaunching the business two years ago. This latest project, to be managed over the remainder of this financial year and into financial year 2016, will involve a total additional $620,000 investment in their log yard area specifically.

This overall reinvestment program will be co-funded 3:1 Timberlink to Government funds. Timberlink’s proven track record in capital improvement projects with respect to cost & time management make the business a reliable low risk partner in this grant agreement execution.

Timberlink is a leading national timber products manufacturing business. The business has two sawmills at Bell Bay (Tasmania) and Tarpeena (South Australia) that manufacture Australian grown plantation pine, national sales and distribution teams based in Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne, and a sales team based at the Bell Bay mill. Timberlink produces fit-for-purpose indoor and outdoor structural timber for Australian new homes and renovation projects. Aligning the Timberlink business with the forest resources enables the company to have a long-term committed approach to its business and customers.

Hyne Timber supports students to experience Kokoda Trail

HYNE TIMBER has presented a $10,000 cheque to the Rotary Club of Tumbarumba to assist in funding 17 Tumbarumba High School students participating in this year’s trek of the Kokoda Trail.

Hyne Timber Manufacturing Manager, Chris SkeelsPiggins said this was an excellent individual development opportunity with significant community support which Hyne Timber hads proudly sponsored since its inception in 2007, “The 2015 trek will be the fifth Kokoda Trail experience Hyne Timber has supported and each time we see more and more community support and hear about the life changing experiences of the students.

“Hyne Timber is a large employer in the town so it isn’t surprising that many of the students to have benefitted from this experience over the years have been children of our employees and a number of them now work at the Hyne Timber Mill. “In addition to this financial support, we are pleased to support Hyne Timber staff who wish to accompany the students as guides and supervisors.

This year Bruce Wright, Site Services Manager, and Judy Kelso, Dispatch Officer, will be accompanying the students,” Mr Skeels-Piggins said.

The year 11 and 12 students have been training and fundraising in anticipation of the two week experience which sees them walk the Kokoda Trail while experiencing local villages, exploring the Isurava Battlefield Memorial, the Eora Creek battle site, the Brigade Hill Memorial and

many other historic sites. Upon completion, the students visit Bomana War Cemetery and the sights of Port Moresby.

Fundraising towards this biennial experience requires significant community involvement such as charity dinners and community functions, ‘trekathons’, catering for the Bridge Congress, Tumbafest food stalls, stage plays, clean up Australia Day and catering at the Lions Club New Year’s Day BBQ. Tiarne Powell, a year 12 student who will be participating in the 2015 Kokoda Trail experience, said this has already been a life changing experience ... “We have been training hard around the local region, working as a team, getting fitter and mentally prepared for what lies ahead.

“I’ve been studying the history and was privileged to have learnt first-hand of the plight of those who spent time on the track back in 1942 from the late Veteran Bede Tongs, who was a member of the Third Battalion.

“I’m really looking forward to living this experience, meeting local villagers and appreciating their lifestyle.

Our sponsors such as Hyne Timber make this opportunity a reality for students like me.

“This really is such a big experience; a life changing experience. I’ve got no doubt once I’ve done this I’ll look back and it will be the most challenging thing I have done so far. I can’t think of anything else that would reach the level of this,” Ms Powell (17) said.

 (from left) Trevor Innes - Timberlink’s GM Technical and Environment, Ian MacFarlane MP - Minister for Industry and Science, and Andrew Nikolic - AM CSC MP, Member for Bass.

 (from left) Andrew Nikolic – AM CSC MP, Member for Bass, Phil Moir – Timberlink’s Bell Bay Site Manager and Ian MacFarlane MP – Minister for Industry and Science.

Master Builders National Conference

THE MASTER Builders National Conference and Exhibition will be held at Jupiters, Gold Coast, 12-14 November.

The National Conference ‘Building Australia’ focuses on leadership and assisting members to make informed decisions in continuing to grow their business while developing and maintaining strong leadership attributes within their business ethos. High profile speakers will examine the building industry outlook and topics relevant to today’s building and construction industry.

The Exhibition is a key component of the conference and very much the gathering place for delegates with morning coffee on arrival for delegates, morning tea, lunch and happy hour all served in the exhibition area as well as an opportunity to exhibit your product to Master Builders from around Australia.

Delegates will access seminar sessions via the exhibition.

Tanalith® Ti Insecticide

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✓ Effective against termites and EHB ✓ Easy to use with spray or dip systems ✓ Low odour ✓ Low cost ✓ Guaranteed **

To find out more phone: 1300 650 636

 Hyne Timber Manufacturing Manager Chris Skeels-Piggins presenting the $10,000 cheque to the Rotary Club of Tumbarumba and some students who will be participating on the Kokoda Trail. Photo: Hyne Timber

* Excluding Mastotermes Darwinienis. **Refer to Tanalised® Termite Resistant Structural Wood Products Limited Guarantee for details.

Tanalith® and Tanalised® are registered trademarks of Arch Wood Protection (Aust) Pty Ltd, A Lonza Company. ©2015 Lonza

NEWS

April 2015 – 4

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Tutorials prove popular and beneficial for many

T

HE TIMBER Development Association (TDA) delivers the WoodSolutions program of onsite tutorials and seminars to building professionals in NSW, ACT and SA. Other timber organisations deliver them in Victoria, Queensland, WA and Tasmania.

TDA started delivering WoodSolutions tutorials in the offices of architects and engineers in early 2012 with a pilot and since then has delivered more than 200 WoodSolutions tutorials and seminars to over 1200 building professionals in these three States.

The seminar are a must for all building and design professionals including architects, building designers, engineers, certifiers, developers, builders, regulators and educators.

“At the moment we average one of these every couple of weeks but towards the end of the financial year CPD (continuing professional development) accounting period for architects it is often twice a week. We have a minimum attendance of 6-10 depending on location,” said Stephen Mitchell (WoodSolutions and TDA).

“The WoodSolutions seminars started at the end of 2013 and we now run them every quarter in NSW and about every six months in Canberra and Adelaide.

“For these seminars we organise for architects and engineers to speak on timber aspects of their projects as well as arrange for wood product experts from within our industry to explain detailed technical aspects of timber specification and use. We run them around rotating themes of Exterior, Commercial/Multistorey, Residential and Interior applications,” said Stephen.

“Our most popular topics requested for the in-house WoodSolutions tutorials is “How High can Timber Go” and Design for Durability as well as Timber Finishes and Coatings. How High Can Timber Go includes information about cross-laminated (CLT) timber use in multi-storey buildings such as Forte and Library at the Dock in Melbourne. These ground-breaking projects

Montrose, has been operating since 2003. Originally it was set up to provide glue laminated timber (glulam) for the Melbourne residential market via timber merchants and wholesalers but has since expanded to become the direct supplier of pine, cypress and spotted gum glulam for many commercial projects in Victoria and other States.

Bronwyn Foord, General Manager Window and Door Industry Council (WADIC), presented on BAL29 bushfire compliant Western Red Cedar windows and doors.

Paul Kremer (Tilling) presented on Bushfire Resisting Timber Claddings.

People can go on the WoodSolutions website at www.woodsolutions.com.au and check out the Calender of events for upcoming seminars in their region.

 At the Adelaide seminar.

AWISA returns to Melbourne after 25 year absence

australasian

magazine Incorporating Australian and New Zealand Timberman – Established 1977.

April Vol.23, No.2 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: (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: Luke Westle

have stimulated a lot of interest in greater use of timber across the board.

“Our next series of WoodSolutions seminars will be in June this year and we will also be holding a two-day details workshop late in the year in NSW,” he said.

A recent WoodSolutions seminar in Adelaide attracted more than 30 professionals including, builders, manufacturers, engineers, designers and Government officials.

Stephen opened the seminar with a presentation on External Timber Durability and Building with Timber in Bushfire-prone Areas.

Tim Wallace, from the family-owned VicBeam, a premier laminated timber manufacturer based in Victoria, kept the attendees interested at all times during his presentation. Vicbeam, located in

Subscriptions: 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.

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PLANNING IS already well under way for AWISA 2016, the trade show for the Australian and New Zealand cabinet, joinery, furniture, timber and panel industries.

Organised by the Australian Woodworking Industry Suppliers Association to provide suppliers with the opportunity to present and sell their products to the Australian and New Zealand woodworking and furniture industries, the exhibition has been held regularly since 1988, with the 2016 exhibition being the fourteenth of these well-supported and successful exhibitions.

“AWISA 2016 will be the first AWISA to take place in Melbourne since 1990, and the first to take place at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre,” said AWISA General Manager Geoff Holland.

Geoff said the majority of the space at AWISA 2016 would be allocated to companies exhibiting panel processing, solid wood and timber machinery, tooling, manufacturing software, plus ancillary products such as dust extraction and materials handling equipment.

“This part of the exhibition will be the place for the cabinet, kitchen, furniture, joinery, timber, fit-out and panel industries to visit to select new equipment.

“The AWISA – Design area was introduced at the 2012 exhibition as a separate area for products presented by suppliers of hardware and decorative products.

“It has been a stand out success, and is possibly the best presented interior design show in Australia,” said Geoff.

“The hardware, decorative products and design software exhibited at AWISA have increased in sophistication over the years, as has the quality and size of the displays of these products. Coinciding with this has been the increasing importance of the design community to this sector of AWISA’s membership.”

By creating the separate AWISA – Design area, AWISA puts emphasis on the exhibition’s strong design component. This makes the exhibition attractive to architects and interior designers as well as the traditional AWISA visitor The Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre features 30,000 square metres of column free exhibition space in one building, making it the largest exhibition building in Australia. AWISA has committed to 18,000 square metres of this space. The facilities also include a large number of meeting rooms and other multi-purpose event spaces.

Product categories targeted to exhibit at AWISA 2016 include: Woodworking machinery & accessories Woodworking tooling Cabinet, furniture and joinery hardware Panel products and timber Surface materials and surface treatments Portable tools, staples and nails Decorative hardware Computer software Aluminium profile machinery Sawmilling equipment Frame and truss machinery Stone machinery and equipment Materials handling equipment Dust extraction equipment Components and semi-finished products General plant and safety equipment Services and organisation

The centre has hosted a number of other machinery trade shows with the logistics and services requirements of AWISA. The venue is next to Melbourne’s casino complex and is just across the Yarra River from the CBD. There are a substantial number of hotels within 2 kilometres of the venue making it an ideal location for the many interstate and overseas visitors who spend more than one day at the exhibition.

The venue has direct access from Melbourne’s airport by motorway.

NEWS

April 2015 – 6

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Govt department backs Australian Paper P A

P

E

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MANUFACTURED in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley is now available for use in the photocopiers of the Department of Agriculture.

Minister for Agriculture and Nationals Deputy Leader, Barnaby Joyce, recently received his first load of Reflex paper reams made at Australian Paper in Maryvale, after a change in departmental procurement processes.

However, it’s been a long and sometimes frustrating journey to achieve a successful outcome.

“This process of making Government departments more aware of the benefits of procuring Australian paper started back in 2012 and had its origins after meeting with representatives of workers at Australian Paper in Maryvale,” said Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester.

“Most Government departments didn’t have the option of procuring Australian-made paper and instead used imported products.

“While the previous Government made all the right noises about supporting the pulp and paper industry, we really didn’t see that come to fruition when it came to changing procurement practices.

“The most significant breakthrough I believe came after I invited Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce to tour the Maryvale Mill last year,” said Darren.

“Together with Parliamentary Secretary Senator Richard Colbeck, we were able to

work through the process to allow the Department to effectively put Australian Paper on its office ‘shopping list’.

“Both Richard and I both use Australianmade paper in our offices and this recent change means Barnaby is now using Australian paper in his Parliament House office,” he said.

Latrobe City Mayor Cr Dale Harriman was another who backed the change but was also quick to point out that the Federal Government should follow Latrobe City Council’s procurement policy which was to use only Australian made paper.

“Our whole policy is based around 100% Australian paper and 100% Australian grown timber. That’s what we work on.

“It is good to see the Federal Government starting to make that change, but they’re still using imported paper,” Mayor Harriman said.

Darren said that while the latest achievement was a really positive step forward, he would still like to see more Commonwealth Departments recognise the merits of procuring recycled Australian Paper in terms of its quality and benefits to the environment.

“I know Richard and Barnaby are both on board with me in this regard and we will continue to lobby our colleagues in Canberra.”

“I’m a firm believer that all Australians – whether they be individual or businesses – should look to support Australian owned, made and produced wherever possible,” Barnaby said.

“I’m particularly glad that that my department

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 Plenty of timber on hand for the Maryvale Mill.

 S enator Richard Colbeck.

 Chips destined for the Maryvale Mill (seen in the background)

 Barnaby Joyce.

now has access to paper made in the Latrobe Valley, as it is another vote of confidence in Gippsland jobs and the domestic timber industry.”

“I urge Australian businesses to follow this expression of confidence in the sustainability of the Australian forestry industry and paper sector, and not be intimidated by false and misleading anti-forest industry campaigns,” he said.

“I have always used Australian paper in my electorate office and it is great to see the department now able to make the same choice.”

“Australian Paper is the largest private

 Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester and Minister for Agriculture and Nationals Deputy Leader Barnaby Joyce during the mill visit last year.

employer in the Latrobe Valley and it is important we try to support our local businesses as much as possible,” said Darren.

“I’ve been a strong advocate of supporting jobs at the mill and will continue to pressure other departments to put

local industry first.”

The Latrobe Valley will be the centre of next year’s AUSTimber, the major event on the forestry calendar and for the first time a major event for wood processors and suppliers.

Paper-based packaging preferred PEFC UK has welcomed the results of a Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) commissioned YouGov Poll, which showed that more than half of the UK’s consumers visiting their local supermarket or food retailer prefer their groceries and fresh produce to be available in paper-based packaging.

The research revealed that over half of the 2,289 people surveyed in the nationwide poll, (some 57%) said they preferred their grocery and food packaging in paper-based material, whilst some 31% expressed no preference and just 8% preferred plastic containers.

The consumers surveyed were also asked how likely they were to purchase a product from a retailer using paperbased containers as opposed to plastic containers. Some 46% said they were more likely to purchase an item if the packaging was paper-based, compared to 47% who said it would make no difference.

Briefly Boyer boost bottom line outcome NORSKE Skog has reported that its Europe operating revenues, cost of materials and fixed costs increased slightly compared to the previous quarter, all caused by a weaker NOK. Gross operating earnings declined to NOK 129 million in the quarter, from NOK 159 million in the third quarter, with a weak magazine paper market in Europe. Its Australasia operations increased operating revenues and cost of materials in the period which was due to full production at the new magazine paper machine at Boyer. Gross operating earnings increased to NOK 92 million in fourth quarter, up from NOK 59 million in the third quarter, due to completion of the ramp-up at Boyer, lower fixed costs and seasonally higher sales volumes.

New owners outlay $30m for upgrade CARTER Holt Harvey Pulp and Paper has announced that NZ$30 million is being invested to expand and upgrade the Penrose Paper Bag manufacturing facility in New Zealand. Only recently the pulp, paper and packaging businesses of CHH was acquired by Oji Holdings Corporation and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan to be operated as Carter Holt Harvey Pulp and Paper Limited.

School to boost supply chain credentials

AUSTRALIAN construction and infrastructure industry leaders have joined forces to create an online school aimed at increasing sustainability knowledge and competency across the supply chain. In a unique industry collaboration, a number of construction and infrastructure companies are working together to improve industry standards and promote their shared vision of a more sustainable supply chain with the launch of the Supply Chain Sustainability School in Australia.

Leveraging the standout success of a similar model in the UK, the School is launching an online self-assessment tool for businesses, e-learning modules and a resource library– addressing topics such as waste, water, carbon and energy, environmental management and climate adaptation. The School will be delivered by the Net Balance Foundation, with support from Ernst & Young.

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NEWS

April 2015 – 8

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

New CEO to help drive offsite construction in Oz

A

USTRALIA’S PEAK industry body for off-site construction, prefabAUS, has appointed a new CEO to help manage rapid growth in the sector.

Newly appointed CEO, Warren McGregor, says he is determined to “connect clients, suppliers and allied interests, nationally and internationally, and to ensure that prefabAUS represents the full spectrum of Australia’s off-site construction industry.”

McGregor’s appointment marks the beginning of an exciting new phase for the industry and for prefabAUS, established in 2013 to help advance the growing sector.

As part of this, in April prefabAUS is bringing internationally recognised prefabrication expert Amy Marks to Australia for a series of presentations.

Amy will draw on her extensive experience in the field to discuss the opportunities and challenges for the off-site construction sector and what it means for the way projects are initiated and delivered as well as the supply chain implications.

Australia’s off-site construction industry currently supplies three per-cent

of all housing but is expected to account for 10 to 15 per cent by 2023, according to prefabAUS. “The prefabricated construction sector has to prepare for growth and the changes that will entail,” McGregor says. “It is forecast to grow by more than 5 per cent per annum compared to overall building industry growth of 2.3 per cent over the next decade.”

McGregor has a diverse range of skills appropriate for a diversified construction sector that brings together project managers, architects, engineers and researchers, product suppliers, builders and freight companies as well as government agencies, client organisations, developers and finance organisations.

McGregor has broad experience in management consulting, project development, finance and construction, in Australia and Southeast Asia. He has more than 20 years’ professional experience in financial and management consulting.

“Financial approval is the ‘gatekeeper’ for project approval,” Mr McGregor says. “This aspect becomes even more important when new processes and technologies are involved, as is the case

with prefabrication. Preparing robust business cases is a crucial part of achieving much wider adoption of prefabrication.”

McGregor lived and worked in Southeast Asia as a management consultant for nine years. This experience is expected to help the Australian offsite sector forge ties with suppliers and clients in those competitive but crucial manufacturing environments.

McGregor was General Manager of the Asia region for KPMG, and as principal of Apriori Advisory Services and Senior Adviser at Thinc Projects he helped companies test project proposals, develop business cases and source finance. He has advised private projects and major privatepublic partnerships in East Timor, the Philippines and Indonesia and arranged contract manufacturing for Australian companies in China.

McGregor also has essential handson experience in the Australian property sector as research director for m3property strategists, and director of a property development company since 2010.

Patenting is another essential tool in the off-site construction industry and McGregor will draw on his experience with a successful start-up business that

 CEO Warren McGregor.

commercialised patent technology to guide members on this potentially complex aspect.

Founding Board Director, Damien Crough, says Warren McGregor is the right person to take Australia’s prefabrication industry to the next level.

“If Australia doesn’t increase off-site construction capabilities now, we could lose a major slice of our construction industry off-shore. Warren has all the skills required to ensure rapid growth continues in Australia.”

Solid Wood: mass timber architecture, technology and design

‘When we think of hi-tech buildings we do not often think of wood, but we should. Its performance characteristics are unmatched-powerful structurally, aesthetically and environmentally. Solid wood architecture, for these reasons and many more, will have an increasingly important role to play in this century’s rural and urban landscapes'. - Joseph Mayo IN THE last decade there has been a renaissance in wood architecture. With the development of new wood building systems and design strategies, wood has been elevated to rival concrete and steel construction for a variety of building types.

This new solid wood architecture offers unparalleled environmental as well as construction and aesthetic benefits, and is of growing importance for professionals and those involved in green design.

Solid Wood, by Joseph Mayo, is the first detailed book that allows readers to understand new mass timber/massive wood architecture. It provides: historical context in wood architecture from around the world a strong environmental rationale for the use of wood in buildings recent developments in contemporary fire safety and structural issues insights into building code challenges

detailed case studies of new large-scale wood buildings and building systems on a country-by-country basis.

This title highlights the most ambitious education, hospitality, industrial, multifamily, and wood office buildings in the world, examining the design strategies, construction details and unique cultural attitudes in wood design that make these structures truly outstanding.

With discussions from leading experts in architecture, engineering, and material manufacturing, Solid Wood disrupts preconceived notions and serves as an indispensable guide to twenty-first century wood architecture and its environmental and cultural benefits.

Joseph Mayo practices architecture in the Pacific Northwest where he concentrates on materiality, technology and form for a regionally appropriate building culture. He has worked on a variety of

building types, ranging from schools, student housing, university buildings and hospitals. Working with a City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development (DPD) Advisory Committee, Joseph led an investigation to use wood in applications that go beyond current building codes.

He has also been a jury member for wood design awards, served as Regional Associate Director for the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Young Architect Forum (YAF) Chair at AIA Seattle, and has assisted in teaching courses and served on architecture critiques at universities around the Pacific Northwest.

Solid Wood: Case Studies in Mass Timber Architecture, Technology and Design

By Joseph Mayo Published February 11, 2015 http://www.routledge.com/u/ routledge/9780415725309

Innovations showcase for the forestry and wood industries

LIGNA IS championing the cause of greater efficiency and integration in production by means of advanced technology. Like no other trade fair in the world, it features entire production lines in action – as tangible proof that integrated production and Industry 4.0 are indeed within reach.

“LIGNA is an absolute must if you want to find out about the latest developments and advances in automation and digitization in the wood industry,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, the member of the Management Board at Deutsche Messe responsible for LIGNA. “Survival in today’s competitive markets belongs to those who master the latest strategies, systems and solutions. The ‘fourth industrial revolution’ has reached the wood and furniture industries, sparking a move towards total integration that shows no signs of abating.

To take advantage of this trend and remain competitive, manufacturers need to optimize their data flows.

“And that’s true whether they are engaged in mass or one-off production. In the near future, workpieces, machines and logistic systems will be able to ‘talk’ to one another, and IT, telecommunications technology and manufacturing will merge to form a seamlessly integrated system. It’s a new production paradigm and it offers enormous opportunities for everyone concerned.”

The theme of integrated production is central to

many areas of the LIGNA show. Among much else, it will have its own Guided Tour and be addressed at a series of talks to be held within the on-site Robotation Academy.

The show will feature more than 1,500 exhibitors from over 40 countries, whose displays will fill some 120,000 square metres of space and impress solutionseekers in need of the latest furniture industry plant and equipment and innovative technologies for the wood and forestry industries.

“Quite a lot of first-time exhibitors will be using this year’s LIGNA to present their innovations to the world.

They include providers of solutions for the joinery and cabinetmaking trades, manufacturers of machinery for the furniture industry, production automation specialists, and suppliers of technology for processing solid wood and for sawmilling. These newcomers – and the fact that some of our regular exhibitors have markedly increased their booked space – bode well for LIGNA 2015,” said Köckler.

“LIGNA features a wealth of information on the latest products, trends and innovations. It provides the ideas, inspiration and solutions that wood industry professionals need in order to future-proof their business models.”

LIGNA’s strong level of international participation sets it apart from rival shows. This year, its top 10

exhibiting nations, apart from Germany, are Italy, Austria, China, Sweden, Taiwan, Switzerland, Turkey, France, Spain and the USA. Much of the growth in terms of leased exhibition space has come from Italy, China, Turkey and the USA. One of the exciting new developments at LIGNA 2015 is that some of the fair’s exhibitors of woodworking and processing equipment will be showcasing the non-wood capabilities of their machines. In other words, visitors will see machines that can handle not just wood, but plastics, composite panels, composites, insulation and construction materials as well. Some of the machine tools on display are even capable of processing light alloys. These additional, non-wood applications are advantageous in a range of fields, particularly caravan and boat building, vehicle customization, ship and aircraft interior finishing, and plastics processing and fabrication.

The ability to process plastics and composites is also becoming increasingly important in the joinery and cabinetmaking trades.

CNC technology is also growing in importance in these trades. More and more joiners and cabinetmakers are investing in CNC processing centres in order to be able to deliver on the most exacting customer specifications and produce custom furniture and joinery quickly and at highly competitive rates.

FRAME

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

9 – April 2015

Computers are doing it all!

FMS seamlessly merges detailing, estimating and quoting the entire building from the one program

W

ESTRUSS, BASED in Orange NSW, were the pioneers and first adopters of Multinail’s award-winning Factory Management System (FMS) when it came out in the 1990s and is still being used today.

FMS is a computerised system that automates the distribution of work from truss detailers to production managers through to the factory floor. All areas of the factory including picking timber, cutting components and assembling of products can be set up as a “Station” where all manufacturing data is available on screen for the worker to select, cut and produce trusses and wall frames. FMS is a paperless system that operates from a database and feeds live information to each manufacturing station and back to the production manager for instant work place updates through to detailed reports.

Building on this pioneering spirit and the need to constantly innovate, Westruss was one of the first truss plants to integrate the powerful tools of Multinail’s ‘The cornerstone project’ - manager module - which allows this evolution from a paperless factory towards a paperless office.

The manager also provides complete project control for any intercompany and external departments including the design office, factory, administration and other operations.

The Manager module allows all enquiries, tasks, quotes and jobs to be centrally and remotely initiated, allocated, compiled and reported

on. Any attachments can be added to an enquiry, task, quote or order thus eliminating the need for a physical job file at all.

As Garrett Sprenger (Detailing Manager at Westruss) puts it: “One person can create the building model and everyone uses it from then on, thereby seamlessly merging detailing, estimating and quoting the entire building from the one program, therefore giving you control of your business information seamlessly and without duplication or restriction, from your customer’s enquiry through to site delivery, and beyond.”

‘Manager’ creates order from chaos by providing the framework to accurately and effectively distribute, manage, and monitor all information at every stage. This means highly paid estimating and detailing staff can free themselves from most administrative duties and focus more on efficiency in their detailing functions.

As Jim Cheney, Managing Director of Westruss, commented: “Manager enables easy management, registration and allocation of work in the detailing department”.

The benefits accruing from the Manager module extend beyond the traditional truss and frame operations as explained by Mal Cheney of Westruss: “From the one database we can manage truss plant timber stocks and external timber sales.

Quotes for timber sales can easily be generated from the one database, managed independently yet with all

administration centralised in the one piece of software”. Highlighting a key feature of the Manager module is the open and flexible integration of data to other departments such as finance and human resources or, to online and local third party software systems.

The benefits of Multinail’s next

generation of software through Cornerstone are available today – not a distant promise -- and are currently in use by the majority of Multinail fabricators now. To see how Multinail’s Cornerstone can assist your truss business and beyond, please call your local Multinail representative.

Paper producer needs major changes to remain viable THE GOOD news announcements that Australian Paper products would now be used by the Federal Department of Agriculture has been tempered by details of a closure and a restructure by the major paper supplier.

The Maryvale-based business said a major turnaround of its business was required following a fourth year of consecutive losses.

“This situation has been driven by tough operating conditions and a flood of imported paper from Asia,” said Peter Williams, Australian Paper’s Chief Operating Officer.

“We want to see paper production continue in Australia, however, we have now reached a point where without significant improvement to our cost structures, the ongoing competitiveness, and therefore, viability of our operations will be severely tested.” He said changes would be required across all areas of the business over the coming months to remain viable.

“We need to restructure our operations and work practices to improve efficiency and productivity; work closely with all our suppliers to reduce input costs; and rebuild our market share and performance.”

He said Australian Paper’s parent company, Nippon Paper Industries (NPI), shared the long term vision of continuing to manufacture paper in Australia but a turnaround in financial performance was critical.

“The first step involves an organisational restructure of head office to improve efficiency and remove duplication.

“NPI wants to continue investing in Australian Paper and strongly believes we can effectively compete with overseas paper manufacturers, provided we take strong action now to reduce our cost base, rebuild market share for our existing products and capitalise on emerging growth markets such as packaging and recycled office papers.

“There are also a number of external factors that are impacting our operational viability and must be addressed as part of the turnaround plan. These include access to competitive long term pricing for key manufacturing inputs such as gas, certainty of fibre supply and a strong regulatory response to imports where these products are dumped into the Australian market.

“For the turnaround to be successful, we will require the support and commitment of our employees and their respective unions, the government, suppliers, and other key

stakeholders. We will work closely with them to transform the business together with a key need to develop the right platform for long term viability and success,” Williams said.

“We also recognise that the turnaround plan cannot be successful without the full support of our customers.

Our business has been founded on long term customer partnerships and the timely supply of high quality Australian made products and our commitment to these principles remains unchanged.”

Australian Paper is the only manufacturer of office, printing and packaging papers in Australia and is one of the largest private employers in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.

The company directly employs 1,250 people and supports nearly 6,000 full time equivalent jobs across its operations.

Earlier, Australian Paper announced the closure of manufacturing at its Shoalhaven Mill in NSW during 2015 resulting in the loss of 75 jobs. Despite the best efforts and support of employees to remain competitive, the declining conditions over several years in the specialty and security paper markets made ongoing operations at the site unviable.

FRAME

April 2015 – 10

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Prefab trend creates interest in Frame 2015

Evolving attitude to construction methods and materials is generating high interest

R

ECENT SURVEYS of the building industry reveal the number one trend is to pre-fab construction to achieve greater efficiency and keeping schedules on time to save cost.

Designers and builders are expressing greater interest in prefabricated construction with components built in a controlled environment rather than on-site to minimise risk and improve productivity.

This evolving attitude to construction methods and materials is generating high interest for attendance at the Frame Australia 2015 conference and exhibition ‘Building with engineered wood construction systems’ to be held June 1, 2015 at Park Hyatt Melbourne.

Conference Director Kevin Ezard said “Frame 2015 will be the first event held specifically on this topic to assist designers, developers and builders to be involved in presentations and discussion on residential and commercial construction utilising timber and engineered wood systems.

“We also have the support of major organisations in building design, construction and supply including the Housing Industry Association, Master Builders Association, Planet Ark and WoodSolutions, along with many other industry organisations,” said Kevin.

“Attendance by architects, engineers, building professionals, developers and builders will be a major component of the 300 plus delegates anticipated at the conference, which will provide a unique opportunity for suppliers to participate in the exhibition display.

“With this new construction trend now under way we welcome enquiries for booths in the display area, which has been a very important feature for attendees during the past 16 years of the event.”

For more information on the event visit the Frame Australia website www. frameaustralia.com or contact Kevin Ezard on kevin@frameaustralia.com.

Wood – the healthy choice, says Planet Ark report released for World Wood Day

A NEW report from Planet Ark, Wood - Housing, Health, Humanity, highlights the health benefits of building with wood and wood products. Released to coincide with World Wood Day, March 21, the report was sponsored by Forest and Wood Products Australia and is part of Planet Ark’s Make it Wood campaign.

An overwhelming 96% of Australians agree that wood products and homes are visually appealing, but Planet Ark’s newly released report shows there are also significant health benefits.

The Wood – Housing, Health, Humanity report explores the health and wellbeing benefits of wooden interiors in homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.

“An emerging body of research is beginning to show that being surrounded by wood at home, work or school has positive effects on the body, the brain and the environment and can even shorten hospital stays through reduced recovery times,” said Chris Philpot, Make it Wood Campaign Manager at Planet Ark. The report includes information from studies examining the effects of wooden rooms and furnishings that clearly demonstrate that the presence of wood has positive physiological and psychological benefits that mimic the effect of spending time outside in nature. The feelings of natural warmth and comfort that wood elicits has the effect of lowering blood pressure and heart rate, reducing stress and anxiety and increasing positive social interactions.

A growing number of architects who design buildings for healing, learning and relaxation are now incorporating significant amounts of wood into their structures to capitalise on its health and wellbeing benefits.

The report complements the forthcoming Australian visit of Canadian architect, Tye Farrow, whose work in the health sector is characterised by the use of wood and wood products.

For more information about Tye’s presentations, please check the WoodSolutions Events Calendar at www.woodsoutions.com.au.

1 i A survey commissioned by Planet Ark, sponsored by FWPA and conducted by research consultancy Pollinate in September 2014 on the current opinions and attitudes of Australians towards wood along with their exposure to it at home, work and school. 1003 Australians aged 14-­6 4 years old and nationally representative in terms of age, gender and location were surveyed online. The full report can be accessed here: http://makeitwood.org/documents/doc-1253wood--housing--health--humanity-report-2015-03-00-final.pdf

your

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wood

solutions

products

support

contact Rotho Blaas Australia PTY LTD: www.rothoblaas.com - silvia.pugnaloni@rothoblaas.com - phone: +61 0481 249 196

 Construction site overview of the five-storey all-timber frame residential building by Australand Property Group in Parkville.

Riding high with Rothoblaas New possibilities for multi-storey wooden buildings ROTHOBLAAS WAS founded in 1991 in Alto Adige, near Bolzano, distributing manual woodworking machines for carpenters. At that time, wooden structural work mainly consisted of the construction of roofs, assembled using nails. For 24 years the history of wood construction and that of Rothoblaas have been entwined, with the company focusing on the needs of the market while also developing solutions able to help it evolve from both a technical and quality perspective, guiding it towards a genuine “construction revolution” that today makes it possible to build multistorey buildings entirely out of wood, with excellent energy efficiency, lower costs, reduced construction time and the utmost architectural freedom.

Over these last 24 years the growth in wood construction has also meant growth for Rothoblaas: the machine dealer added the manufacturing of screws to its portfolio, with the introduction of the HBS screw onto the market in 2004, a true revolution for the sector thanks to its mechanical properties, fast initial grip, easy driving and dimensions which allow fixing of wooden elements of significant depths. Over the years, its awareness of important issues has also increased, such as the quality of living offered by buildings and the safety of the buildings themselves. Controlling water-vapour transfer through walls and roof, acoustic performance, ensuring the building envelope is airtight and improving earthquake and fire resistance are challenges for every carpenter and designer who aims for excellence in their work. This is why, in 2007, Rothoblaas introduced its first line of membranes, which today also includes strips, systems to ensure airtightness, to improve durability, to achieve soundproofing and to improve thermal-insulation performance.

Rothoblaas believes in its dreams, and strives to make them a reality.

Years of experience with fastening systems and waterproofing has led to the development of Zenit: not just a product line, but a collection of complete solutions that establish new quality standards in roof construction.

Membranes with tear resistance 10 times better than the market standard, strips with improved adhesive characteristics, increased width and anti-slip properties, as well as various accessories to make sure the details are just right and to ensure perfect joints on the worksite. Rothoblaas also developed screws able to halve thermal bridges and provide structural stability in any conditions and with any type of insulation. At the same time, around the beginning of the new millennium, a new technology began to be used in wood construction: the cross lam.

Rothoblaas was the first to develop, produce, certify and offer products specially designed for this type of construction. And today it is still Rothoblaas who leads a whole sector at the global level: X-RAD, officially presented in August 2014 at the World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE) in Quebec City, Canada, is a revolutionary construction system that aims high.

There is no theoretical limit on the number of floors for these buildings, taking wood to the top of every skyscraper. The level of prefabrication is increased while maintaining current construction standards, assembly time is decreased by 30%, the number of structural nodes is also decreased, while offering increased plasticity, protecting against earthquakes.

Rothoblaas, the right partner for anyone designing and building in wood.

We will be present at the FRAME AUSTRALIA 2015 on the booth number 21. We would be very pleased to meet you there and to show you our products.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

FRAME

11 – April 2015

WEINMANN – building trust

A

S PART of the German HOMAG Group, WEINMANN is a leading manufacturer of high-performance machines and equipment for timber work. With 30 years of experience, the WEINMANN portfolio includes beam processing, production of wall elements, roof and floor elements and the processing of large-scale board materials and handling, storage systems and providing solutions for cross-laminated timber (CLT).

With customers ranging from independent carpenters to large prefabricated housing manufacturers all over the world, the focus is always on the specific requirements and objectives. With more than 5.000 machines worldwide, WEINMANN does not only sell machines to customers, but - as a partner - also offers consultation and support during planning and installation of the line, plus an excellent after-sales service.

WEINMANN production lines are designed as modular units. Drawing on a sophisticated system module, they provide a range of proven and reliable components for optimal solutions which are tailored to customer needs. Working with modules means proceeding conceptually, and in particular it means being considerably more flexible and cost-efficient. WEINMANN provides maximum flexibility in minimal spaces, and in large spaces it increases production through automated production and thereby tap considerable savings potential.

Whether carpenters or industry – WEINMANN offers a perfectly coordinated program for: • T imber-frame house construction which is an important element for the construction of wooden houses, the addition of storey and building extensions. The timber-frame work is pre-fabricated and assembled later on site. Thereafter the remaining fitout (windows, doors and insulation) would be completed on site. With timber-frame house construction the loadbearing walls are insulated and sheeted on both sides. This acts as reinforcement for the framework, as well as closed elements. Timber-frame buildings are strong and stable, fireproof and have an extremely long life.

• T he multifunction bridge WMS is a real all-rounder. From classical carpentry work to caravan production – the machine covers a very wide range of applications.The CNC machine fully automatically performs all kind of operations in the matter of pro-cessing the sheathing of timber frame elements or solid wood elements: Not only the fastening process (nailing, clamping or screwing) but also the processing (sawing, routing, drilling, marking and labeling) is fast and reliably. The WMS can be equipped with further processing units, e.g. gluing, sizing or application of plaster are possible. Moreover, not only timber frame elements can be processed – materials such as sandwich elements can be manufactured easily and efficiently.

Carpenters appreciate the multifunction bridge because of its versatile range of applications, its low space requirements and easy handling.

• Prefabricated house construction from 50 to 10.000 houses.

• B eam processing – saw centre and carpentry machine for cutting trusses and beams as well as for the production of timber frame houses.

• M odular construction – machines for large appartment construction and commercial building.

• S teel-frame house construction – machines for multi-storey construction and frame construction with steel girders as filling elements.

• S olid wood processing – CNC controlled machine for processing of wood panels such as CLT. The Solid Wood Processing Centre WMP is suitable for processing large format board materials such as laminated wood, sandwich panels (SIP), solid wood panels (CLS, CLT), gluelam and similar structures. High performance is achieved by a fully automated data import and tool definition that allows optimised processing with short cycle times. The extremely precise high-load guiderail system ensures the required stability and accuracy. Therefore, a very high processing quality is guaranteed. With the 5-axis aggregates solid wood panels and also gluelam structures can be processed in large dimensions in the most complex shapes.

• S IP (Structural Insulated Panels) processing – for the precise processing of sandwich elements.

• Glulam timber – machine for glulam timber processing.

• Caravan elements - machine for caravan elements processing.

 Solid Wood Processing Centre WMP.

Building with engineered wood construction systems Frame Australia 2015 Exhibition display booths are still available – but hurry!!

• Unprecedented opportunity for timber products and building materials • Emerging new construction market in addition to existing product sales • Unique occasion to engage with residential and commercial building sector For Sponsorship information visit the website www.frameaustralia.com or contact Kevin Ezard email kevin@frameaustralia.com mobile 0419 538 638

2015 Conference and Exhibition 1 June 2015 Park Hyatt Melbourne  Production line.

Principal Supporter

FRAME

April 2015 – 12

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Timber building systems are the future Bid to increase allowable building height to 25m for construction of timber buildings up to 8-storeys

R

ESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION using timber and engineered wood building systems is becoming the future for many developers and builders, to meet the challenge of lowering costs to ensure housing affordability.

The use of MRTFC has largely been in the housing sector Class 1 buildings where timber construction is the most efficient and economic building material, however the multi-residential and commercial Class 2 and 9 building sector is now taking greater interest in utilising light-weight timber construction.

This trend is a result of increased density of dwellings required in the middle and inner suburbs, due to conversion of industrial land and infill projects surrounding city centres becoming the strategy to contain population growth in most Australian cities.

These medium density property developments are subjected to high land costs and typically need 3 or more levels to be economically viable for a developer to undertake the project.

A number of developers are building up to 5 storeys or more, and confirm that lightweight construction with prefabricated timber framing is the answer for fast construction, with savings of 25% or more over traditional materials, particularly on difficult sites where they can minimise crane or scaffold use.

However, a barrier to greater use of timber is the Australian Building Code that only allows up to 3 storeys for timber frame construction, whereas internationally this is generally much higher for timber buildings either with or without sprinklers.

Currently being prepared is a submission to the ABCB to seek permission for the NCC-BCA to increase the allowable building height to 25m for construction of timber buildings up to 8 storeys utilising DtS solutions.

If accepted, this would significantly reduce current regulatory requirements, lower costs of engineering and documentation, and improve productivity through

prefabricated construction of lightweight multiresidential buildings. These opportunities will be comprehensively discussed at the Frame Australia 2015 conference and exhibition ‘Building with engineered wood construction systems’ to be held June 1, 2015 at Park Hyatt Melbourne.

Conference Director Kevin Ezard said “The session topics will cover future housing trends; global and local building solutions; Building Codes and fire safety engineering, timber building project examples; labour skills and training; construction costs analysis; and supply chain requirements.”

“With this new direction under way for construction we expect high attendance from designers and builders, and welcome enquiries from Exhibitors for the conference display area, which has been an important feature for attendees during the past 16 years of the event.”

 Recently completed five-storey all-timber frame residential building by Australand Property Group in Parkville.

USNR acquires Söderhamn Eriksson “The combination of USNR and Söderhamn Eriksson offers customers far more options when planning a project,” USNR HAS acquired Söderhamn Eriksson and all of its subsidiaries from Cellwoodgruppen AB. Even before this acquisition, USNR was the world’s largest supplier of equipment and technologies for the sawmill industry, and the addition of Söderhamn Eriksson further cements USNR’s leadership position.

George Van Hoomissen, President and CEO of USNR, said he was very interested in the opportunity to acquire Söderhamn Eriksson because he felt that Söderhamn Eriksson’s strong market position in Europe would complement USNR’s strong position in North America, and that both companies’ positions would be strengthened as a result of the combination in South America, Australia/New Zealand, Russia, and Asia.

“We believe that Söderhamn Eriksson’s extensive sales, distribution, and service networks in Europe will help USNR to more broadly introduce

 Conference Director Kevin Ezard.

and support its products in Europe,” said Chris Blomquist, Vice President of Sales for USNR. “Lack of local support infrastructure can be a challenge, but now the combined organization has an extensive OEM support network spanning 15 time zones, 3 continents, 10 countries, and at least 9 languages.

No other company in our industry even comes close to matching this level of aftermarket support.”

Within the Söderhamn Eriksson organization, this acquisition is also viewed as tremendously positive and transformative. Henrik Lefvert, Managing Director for Söderhamn Eriksson, stated “We have products that are very well-suited to the North American style of sawmilling, and we are optimistic that with the support of USNR, we will be able to successfully introduce these products into the United States and Canada.”

Lars Lindvall, International Sales Manager for Söderhamn Eriksson added: “We are also very excited

to be able to creatively package solutions that combine products from Söderhamn Eriksson with those from USNR. We have of course been able to collaborate with USNR in the past, and have done so on a number of occasions, but we are now in a position to provide fully integrated, end-to-end solutions anywhere in the world.

“The combination of USNR and Söderhamn Eriksson offers customers far more options when planning a project,” stated Chris Blomquist.

“By combining our product lines and our service and support operations, customers will be able to design the solution that best meets their needs.”

Söderhamn Eriksson has a long history, dating back to the 1860s.

The Stenberg family acquired A.K. Eriksson in 1937, and then in the early 1990s acquired what had been Söderhamns Verkstäder and later Kockums Industries. A few years later, these organizations were combined to form Söderhamn Eriksson. Today, the company operates five facilities in Sweden in addition to maintaining local-language sales, service, and aftermarket support centers in the UK, Canada, Norway, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Poland, and Germany. The company is known around the world

for its high-quality log lines and edger systems, and for the Cambio debarker, which was invented by Söderhamns Verkstäder in the 1950s and subsequently sold many thousands of machines around the world. You can learn more about Söderhamn Eriksson and its product line at www.se-saws. com.

USNR operates seven facilities in the United States and Canada, including three large manufacturing plants, plus a sales and service center in Russia.

USNR is best known around the world for providing end-to-end solutions for sawmills and planer mills, including log lines, curve sawing gangs, edger lines, trim-sort-stack systems, dry kilns, and the optimization and control technologies that maximize the output and performance of that equipment.

USNR is also known around the world for its Coe brand products used in the manufacture of plywood and other panel products. You can learn more about USNR and its product line at www.usnr.com.

Henrik Lefvert will continue as Managing Director of Söderhamn Eriksson, and no interruptions to on-going projects, services, or other operations are expected as a result of this acquisition.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

FRAME

13 – April 2015

Builders attracted to prefab construction

R

ECENT SURVEYS of the building industry reveal the number one trend is to prefab construction, to achieve greater efficiency on-site and keep schedules on time to reduce costly delays.

Designers and builders are expressing interest in prefabricated construction with components built in a controlled environment rather than on the building site, to minimise risk and improve productivity.

At the same time, the latest Master Builders Australia National Survey of Building and Construction shows more building and construction jobs are set to be created by the looming housing boom, as business conditions and confidence about the pipeline of work and profits rise to levels not seen since before the Global Financial Crisis.

This evolving market will place more emphasis on construction methods and materials, which will be comprehensively discussed at the Frame Australia 2015 conference and exhibition ‘Building with engineered wood construction systems’ to be held Monday June 1, 2015 at Park Hyatt Melbourne.

Conference Director Kevin Ezard said: “Multi-residential construction is moving to timber and engineered wood with prefab building systems that lower construction costs, increase returns and improve housing affordability.

“A major boost for builders is the proposed changes to the NCC (BCA) which will permit increased height

ATM_2015-04_USNR-BlockLogix.indd 1

of timber buildings up to 8 storeys, to be more in line with international building codes.

“Both local and global experts with extensive experience in timber design and construction will provide presentations and engage delegates in open discussion forums.

“Speaker highlights include James Fitzpatrick, head of prominent architects Fitzpatrick + Partners, and Andrew Nieland, Head of Timber Solutions Property at Lend Lease.

“Andrew will discuss how engineered timber is changing the way construction projects are delivered based on CLT development project ‘Forte’ in Melbourne Docklands, Australia’s first 10 storey timber apartment building.

Suppliers of timber, engineered wood and building materials have an exceptional opportunity at Frame 2015 to access this emerging growth market for building products and services.

Sponsor exhibition displays provide face to face access for presenting new product innovations and information to delegates from design and construction, promotion of company brands, and a high potential to obtain new customers.

“This event will outline the future for timber construction in Australia, and is an opportunity not to be missed” he concluded.

For more information visit the Frame Australia website www. frameaustralia.com

 James Fitzpatrick, Managing Partner + Head of Design, Fitzpatrick Partners, Architects

 A ndrew Nieland, Head of Timber Solutions Property, Lend Lease

 Frame Aust auditorium last year

3/16/2015 5:42:24 PM

April 2015 – 14

FRAME

Fully automated truss line cuts time and costs

B

ACK ABOUT 10 years ago a young bloke was selling software to a local truss manufacturer and the conversation centred on how hard and labor-intensive the work was. The opinion was that it was about time someone came up with an automated system. It was long overdue!

Matti Turulin (the software seller) was a bit of an inventor and that conversation got him thinking and pondering the possibilities of an automated production line for the roof truss industry.

“After two-three year trials, 10 years and twelve million euros (!!) we have this line ready and producing trusses for our pilot customer,” says Martti Kauhanen, chief executive officer of Autoprod, the name given to the ground-breaking system. Autoprod Oy is a Finnish technology company specializing in development, production and sales of production automation for wood truss structures. Its assembly line is patented in Europe, Canada, the USA and Australia.

“The lines are extremely efficient compared to the commonly used, labor-intensive solutions of today,” says Martti.

“The assembly lines for wood truss structures are controlled by CAD/CAM programs where the designing data for the truss structures is transferred directly to assembly. This makes it possible to connect the assembly line control to the customers’ production control system. Therefore, productionrelated data is automatically transferred between production control and assembly.

“Our production lines are highly efficient and, thanks to their modular structure, can be tailored to meet customer requirements. Only one operator is required to run the assembly line,” he says.

Martti said some of the benefits related to production included: • Integration as an extension to sawing lines • Full automation encompasses the entire line from the sawmill to the product storage • Total efficiency and profitability of the production lines • Significant cost savings – only one operator needed to run the lines • Quick and predictable return on investments • Flexibility according to demand – obtaining labor force is easier • D ue to flexible production, there is less need for storage • Safe work environment He said the system also lent itself to cost-effectively completing short series and customized runs, short delivery times and better and more flexible customer service.

Tomi Meller, the chief executive officer of Kosken Puunjalostus Oy, the pilot business using Autoprod, was high in praise of the new system. ”For our needs, the timing of Autoprod’s development work was perfect. We were looking for flexible capacity, smooth communication, operational cost-efficiency and convertibility in roof truss production. Until now, the production of roof trusses has been underdeveloped, complicated to convert and extremely labor-intensive. Customers have different

needs when it comes to roof trusses, and there is immense seasonal variation in production volume.”

“We wanted an all-new solution that enables the automatic transfer of production-related data between design, production control and assembly. Now, data is transferred quickly and accurately and operating the line - from sawmill to storage - requires the input of just one operator.

“The assembly line was designed, measured and integrated as a direct extension to our sawing line.

“This investment certainly gives us a competitive edge, which will help us provide our customers with dimensionally accurate, top-quality products, reliably and cost-effectively. It feels good to be a forerunner in the field - for now, the only one in the world,” said Tomi.

“We can make the line with one wall/two robots or two walls/four robots depending the needed capacity.

The capacity with one wall line is over 100 000 trusses per year. Of course it depends on the truss types but that’s some idea for average trusses of private house,” says Martti.

Martti said there were approximately 5,000 truss manufacturers around the world, and it had been estimated that 1,000 of those manufacturers were potential customers.

“This makes a marketing potential of €2.5–3 billion.

“Autoprod’s chief market regions include the Nordic countries, northern Germany, France, England, Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Approximately 2 million houses, constructed using plated roof truss connectors, are being built around the world at the moment. About 50 % of the world’s markets are in the USA,” he said.

“Our services include installation, maintenance and servicing of the delivered assembly lines.”

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Briefly...

• Ten years and 12 million euros later • Modular structure means ease of tailoring system • Less need for storage • From sawmill to storage with one operator

 Martti Kauhanen, chief executive officer of Autoprod.

 Martti Kauhanen (right) with Markku Koski (owner of the pilot line) and the operator at work.

FRAME

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

15 – April 2015

Delta computer systems motion controllers add new features

D

ELTA’S HIGH performance motion control product line includes the RMC75 two-axis and RMC150 eight-axis controllers, which provide precise closedloop position, velocity, pressure, and force control for electric, hydraulic, and pneumatic applications. Designing with the controllers is supported by extensive “help” information on the company’s website and a powerful, free development software suite called RMCtools, which includes automated wizards for application tuning, motion programming, and plotting of motion results.

Recent developments have been new features which Delta has added to the software contained in the company’s motion controllers in response to customer requests for solutions to difficult application problems. One of the most recent enhancements is the ability to customize the feedback signals that are processed by the motion controller’s closed-loop control algorithms.

For example, customizable feedback enables Delta controllers to switch between redundant sensors if one should fail, allowing production to continue. This provides a degree of fault tolerance to machines in harsh environments, and enables maintenance to be planned, rather than totally reactive.

Delta controllers can also switch between sensors that respond to different measurement ranges or those that provide different sensitivities. This saves money compared to the need to purchase sensors that respond with high accuracy over a very wide range.

Delta Controllers can also perform mathematical computations on sensor data before it is processed by the control algorithm. This capability can resolve nonlinearities in sensor response.

Another new addition to Delta’s motion control capability repertoire is support for onthe-fly adaptive amplitude control for cyclic operations. Using this feature, the motion controller continuously adjusts the amplitude of the target signal so that the amplitude of the actual signal is where it needs to be (see Figure 2 below). This feature solves the following problems: System response can change after many cycles are run and the original tuning may need correction.

Tuning multiple gain sets for different operating frequencies is often time consuming, and adaptive control can make retuning unnecessary.

By building the above capabilities into the motion controller, Delta has freed machine builders from the need to design external hardware and software to deal with these issues.

For more information, visit www.deltamotion.com or contact Delta Computer Systems, Inc. 1818 SE 17th Street, Battle Ground, WA. 98604. P 360-254-8688, fax 360-254-5435, or email technicalsales@deltamotion.com.

 D elta’s RMC75 2-axis controller (left) and RMC150 8-axis motion controller (right).

 Using the adaptive control function, actual Amplitude changes are corrected by continuously adjusting the Target Amplitude. Note the adjustment in the middle of the motion plot where the actual amplitude went up and the Target amplitude adjusted downward to bring the actual amplitude back to the desired profile. The adjustment took about a cycle.

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DESIGN BUILD

April 2015 – 16

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

DesignBUILD welcomes structural and materials section in 2015

T

HIS YEAR’S DesignBUILD show floor will feature a dedicated structural and materials section for the first time, which will be home to more than 100 brands showcasing the latest design and technological advancements in the industry.

DesignBUILD Event Manager Ali Mead said the structural and materials section would take up almost 50 per cent of the show floor and feature several of Australia’s leading brands across timber, insulation and roofing.

“The 2015 event will also feature a dedicated Landscape Outdoor Zone for the first time. Developed in partnership with AILA, the area will showcase landscape product exhibitors ranging from timber, bricks and turf and provide an exciting addition to the DesignBUILD experience,” Ms Mead said.

Australian manufacturer of premium grade plywood, Austral Plywoods, is one of the leading brands that will be on the show floor and will use this year’s event to showcase two of its latest groundbreaking plywood products, Ariaply and Endurapanel.

Ariaply is a factory finished plywood feature panel that is ready to install as a ceiling, soffit or internal wall. Its unique three coat system protects the plywood to offer a long-lasting, high-end finish.

Ariaply is available in six colours, including natural hoop, blackbutt, spotted gum, jarrah, walnut and ebony.

Like Ariaply, Endurapanel is designed with easy installation in mind, as all components are factory finished. The product is a unique plywood panelling system that has the appearance of a traditional slat wall or ceiling. It creates a seamless look using tongue and grooved ends and offers either a slim line or bold cover strip.

Endurapanel is the first hoop pine product that has ever been recommended to be used as an external cladding. Prior to this product, Austral Plywoods had not recommended using hoop pine plywood in fully exposed areas.

To catch a glimpse of these new products, you can register to attend DesignBUILD for free online.

DesignBUILD also offers a free Industry Insights seminars, featuring local and international experts speaking about emerging trends in sustainability, technology and industry innovations.

DesignBUILD is taking place from April 28 to April 30 at Sydney Olympic Park’s Sydney Showground.

Website address: www.designbuildexpo.com.au.

 Endurapanel ceiling

 Ariaply house

 DesignBUILD show floor from a previous year

World-class products and services on display at DesignBUILD 2015 THE DESIGNBUILD trade event is returning to Sydney Olympic Park’s Showground from April 28 to April 30. The event represents the largest gathering in Australia dedicated to the architecture, building, construction and design community featuring 240 leading exhibitors hailing from Australia and abroad.

DesignBUILD will welcome international exhibitors from across

15 countries to its show floor in 2015 – a 40 per cent increase on the number of countries represented in 2014 – including Austria, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Austria’s Consul General and Trade Commissioner, Guido Stock, whose Sydney based office is responsible for promoting business relations between Australia and Austria, will be presenting this year’s visitors with some

of Austria’s world-leading products and services for the construction of energy efficient buildings.

The suite of innovative sustainable building materials will be on display under the banner of Advantage Austria. The products and services will be introduced by representatives of Austrian companies or their local distribution partners on the show floor and during the event’s Industry

 Forte Tower in Melbourne: Company Involved: KLH, represented in Australia by Tilling Timber.

 Dockland Library in Melbourne: Company Involved: Stora Enso Timber Australia Pty Ltd (CLT produced in their factory in Austria)

Insights seminar.

“Austria is one of the most densely forested countries in the world with approximately 50 per cent of the country covered by woodland,” Mr Stock said.

“A focus on timber as a resource over centuries has seen us become a world leader in the innovative usage of this sustainable building material.

“At this year’s DesignBUILD, visitors will learn more about some of Austria’s most advanced sustainable building products including hightech cross-laminated timber material which was a key component in the construction of the Forté Building in Melbourne – the world’s largest apartment building made of timber as well as the new wooden Docklands library in Melbourne.”

DesignBUILD Event Manager, Ali Mead, said that the level of involvement from international manufacturers and suppliers cemented DesignBUILD’s position as a world leading trade event for the building and construction industry.

“Local companies are looking to overseas experts for the best advice on sustainable building materials, particularly for commercial infrastructure given the construction boom taking place in Sydney,” Ms Mead said.

“DesignBUILD provides the unique opportunity for everyone to meet under the one roof.”

You can register to attend the free event by visiting www. designbuildexpo.com.au.

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

17 – April 2015

Land supply pressures mount Shovel-ready residential land is starting to dry up against the backdrop of record new home building activity

A

CUTE SUPPLY bottlenecks are affecting Australia’s residential land market, according to the latest HIA-RP Data Residential Land Report provided by the Housing Industry Association, the voice of Australia’s residential building industry, and CoreLogic RP Data, Australia’s leading property information analytics provider.

“During the September 2014 quarter, the number of land market transactions fell, while price growth accelerated,” said HIA Senior Economist, Shane Garrett.

“These are the classic hallmarks of a market

which is fast running into supply problems.

“Turnover in the national land market declined by some 16.7% during the September 2014 quarter. At the same time, price growth accelerated to 3.3% over the quarter. There are clearly pressures building in terms of new residential land supply,” he explained.

“It is important that land supply policy across Australia is consistent with the goal of housing affordability. The process of delivering new land supply and the requisite infrastructure for new housing is currently too slow and too expensive. It appears that shovel-ready residential land is starting to dry up against the backdrop of record new home building activity.

“Policymakers have to intervene in order to allow for Australia’s long term housing needs to be met,” Shane said.

During the September 2014 quarter the weighted median price of residential land rose by 3.3% to $212,727 per lot. This represents an alltime high for land prices nationally. Capital city land prices saw growth of

4.7% during the quarter, and were 10.0% higher than 12 months earlier, however, some of this was due to an increase in the size of land lots transacted. In regional Australia, land prices rose by 0.7% during the quarter and were 3.5% higher compared with a year earlier. Land prices reached an all-time high in both the capital city and regional markets.

According to RP Data research director, Tim Lawless, the increase in land prices is a concerning development particularly given that dwelling approvals and construction are currently at record high levels. “ D w e l l i n g commencements are currently at a record high and the Reserve Bank has previously highlighted

that their hope is to extend this current period of heightened construction over a number of years.

Given that land sales have been trending lower since the June 2013 quarter, it does not bode well for this period of heightened

construction to come to fruition,” Tim said.

“The vacant land which is being sold is selling for an increasingly expensive price, remember that it is the high cost of vacant land which significantly contributes

to the increasing cost of housing. Ideally we should be seeing more land bought to the market and sold during this period of low borrowing costs. This would help to curtail the increases in the cost of this vacant land.”

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April 2015 – 18

HOUSING / CONSTRUCTION

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

New home building boom continues

E

VERYTHING POINTS to a record number of new homes being started in the current financial year, according to the Housing Industry Association.

The good news outlook was contained in the HIA’s Summer 2015 edition of its National Outlook, Australia’s most comprehensive housing report card which identifies 2014/15 as the year when a record number of new homes will be commenced in Australia.

“Residential construction is the success story of the Australian domestic economy, although wide geographical divergences are still evident, trading conditions are more competitive than ever, and the renovations part of the market is still soft,” said HIA Chief Economist Harley Dale.

“National new home building activity is the star of the housing show with a record level of 195,936 new dwelling commencements forecast for 2014/15. That result would represent growth of 7.7% and cap a third year in a row where new home construction has headed higher. Imagine how weak the Australian economy would be without new housing and its economic multiplier benefits!

“We need to build on the lofty heights being achieved in this new housing cycle and ensure that supply in coming years meets the requirements of a growing and ageing population,” said Harley.

“The soon-to-be-released Intergenerational Report provides a golden opportunity to reframe the conversation about the economic challenges Australia faces in the decades ahead,” he said.

“Housing supply reforms are an integral component of any successful economic reform agenda and need to be given due emphasis and recognition in the approaching policy discussion.

“It would be pleasing to see renovations investment recover in coming years and there is a good prospect of this occurring,” Harley said.

“Renovations investment eked out a 0.5% gain from a 10 year low in 2013/14 and is expected to only sneak in further growth of 0.2% in 2014/15. However, renovations investment is forecast to grow at a faster pace of 2.8% in 2015/16 and 3.2% in 2016/17, bringing the total value above the $30 billion mark again for the first time since 2011/12,” Harley said.

Key Points for the HIA National Outlook • P rospects for the world economy have dimmed a little over the past few months. Accordingly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pared its forecasts for World GDP growth to 3.5% in 2015 and 3.7% in 2016. The good news story is the United States.

• T he RBA lowered the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 2.25% in the first week of February. A second rate cut appears highly likely, although the message from the bank could be clearer.

• W e noted in the last Outlook, when A$1 was buying around US$0.87, that mounting pressures should take the A$ lower. The A$ has depreciated further and as at Friday 20 February had sunk under US$0.78.

 HIA Chief Economist Harley Dale... “Imagine how weak the Australian economy would be without new housing and its economic multiplier benefits.”

0.3% to be up by 2.7% over the year.

Expectations for sub 3% growth persist for 2014/15.

• T he circuit breaker for once again achieving at least average economic growth lies in a sustained recovery in business and consumer confidence.

Taking interest rates down further to record lows doesn’t deliver that outcome on its own.

• O ur leading indicator table for housing activity shows upward momentum for ten out of twelve variables, compared to nine out of twelve in the Spring 2014 Outlook.

• N ew dwelling commencements are forecast to increase for a third consecutive year in 2014/15. Growth of 7.7% would take commencements to a record level of 195,936.

• W e retain the view that the 2014/15 year is likely to represent the peak in the current cycle, although the heightened uncertainty that comes with breaking records means further growth shouldn’t be ruled out.

• O ur central forecast shows that after three consecutive years of strong growth, dwelling commencements are set to decline by 5.7% in 2015/16 and a further 4.7% in 2016/17.

• F rom a national perspective, renovations investment continues to disappoint and only grew by 0.5% in 2013/14, from a decade low.

Renovations activity is forecast to grow by 0.2% in 2014/15.

• M omentum to the renovations recovery should build in coming years. We project an increase of 2.8% in 2015/16, followed by an expansion of 3.2% in 2016/17, taking the value of renovations to $30.3 billion.

State highlights New South Wales

• T he Federalism White Paper process is underway, but the sister Taxation process is delayed. The ‘biggie’ in early 2015, though is the impending release of the Intergenerational Report.

• D uring 2013/14, new dwelling commencements in NSW increased by 15.0% to 46,259. A forecasted increase of 11.6% in 2014/15 would take dwelling starts to 51,624. Activity will then decline towards 45,000 per year over subsequent years.

• D uring the September 2014 quarter, Australia’s economy (GDP) grew by

• R enovations activity in NSW declined by 1.2% during 2013/14. Activity is

projected to increase by 7.8% in 2014/15 and by a further 2.5% in 2015/16. This would bring the value of the state’s renovations market to $8.36 billion.

Victoria

• D uring 2013/14, new dwelling commencements in Victoria increased by 2.5% to 51,946. A further increase of 7.3% in 2014/15 is forecast to take dwelling starts to 55,762. Activity is forecast to then start to decline below 45,000 per year towards the end of the decade.

• R enovations activity in Victoria rose by 5.0% during 2013/14. Activity is projected to fall back by 8.2% in 2014/15 and by a further 0.7% in 2015/16. This would bring the value of the state’s renovations market to $6.78 billion.

Queensland

• D uring 2013/14, new dwelling commencements in Queensland increased by 20.9% to 35,548. A further increase of 14.9% in 2014/15 is forecast to take dwelling starts to 40,856. Activity is forecast to remain above 40,000 per annum over subsequent years.

• R enovations activity in Queensland rose by 2.0% during 2013/14. Activity is projected to increase by 2.8% in 2014/15 and by a further 5.9% in 2015/16. This would bring the value of the state’s renovations market to $7.01 billion.

South Australia

• D uring 2013/14, new dwelling commencements in SA increased by 21.3% to 10,712. A decline of 7.2% in 2014/15 is forecasted to take dwelling starts to 9,945. Activity is projected to increase modestly over subsequent years.

• R enovations activity in SA rose by 9.0% during 2013/14. Activity is projected to increase by 3.2% in 2014/15 to then remain largely unchanged (down by 0.2%) in 2015/16. This would leave the value of the state’s renovations market at $2.0 billion.

Western Australia

• D uring 2013/14, new dwelling commencements in Western Australia increased by 21.1% to 29,853. A projected decline of 14.4% in 2014/15 would take

commencements to 25,552. Activity is projected to continue declining over subsequent years • R enovations activity in WA declined by 7.9% during 2013/14. Activity is projected to decline again, by 4.7% in 2014/15, before rising by 5.2% in 2015/16. This result would leave the value of the state’s renovations market at $3.89 billion.

Tasmania

• D uring 2013/14, new dwelling commencements in Tasmania increased by 4.4% to 1,919. A forecasted surge of 24.2% in 2014/15 would see dwelling starts reach 2,383, the highest level in four years.

• R enovations activity in Tasmania eased by 0.7% during 2013/14.

Activity is projected to decline by 7.7% in 2014/15 and remain largely unchanged during the following year.

This would leave the value of the state’s renovations market at $642 million in 2015/16.

Northern Territory

• D uring 2013/14, new dwelling commencements in the Northern Territory declined by 14.3% to 2,026. Dwelling commencements are forecasted decline by 2.6% to 1,973 in 2014/15. A subsequent decline of 14.3% in 2015/16 is forecast to then take starts down to 1,691.

• R enovations activity in the NT declined by 7.3% during 2013/14.

Activity is projected to increase by 21.2% in 2014/15 and then by a further 10.6 cent in 2015/16. This would bring the value of the state’s renovations market to $291 million.

Australian Capital Territory

• D uring 2013/14, new dwelling commencements in the Australian Capital Territory declined by 5.6% to 4,244. A forecast decline of 16.6% in 2014/15 would take dwelling commencements down to 3,541. Activity is projected to fall again in 2015/16 which would leave commencements at 3,227.

• R enovations activity in the ACT fell by 12.5% during 2013/14. Activity is projected to increase by 8.4% in 2014/15 and then again by 8.1% in 2015/16. This would bring the value of the state’s renovations market back up to $394 million.

FLOORING

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

19 – April 2015

A

USTRALIAN HARDWOOD flooring from Boral Timber is creating visual interest at the Hawthorn Town Hall in Melbourne following a flooring refurbishment.

Part of a $19.7 million redevelopment project, Hawthorn Town Hall recently completed a flooring refurbishment wherein varying lengths of Boral Timber Australian hardwood solid strip flooring were installed. The redevelopment was supervised by Peddle Thorp Architects.

According to architect Andrew Gordon, a key objective of the project was to turn the floor into a stand-out feature; they worked with Boral Timber to identify a solution that would allow them to incorporate a combination of timber boards to create texture and interest.

Blackbutt flooring was specified by the architects for its hardness and character, which complemented the Town Hall’s existing heritage design.

Borthwick Timber Floors installed more than 1,250m² of Blackbutt solid strip flooring in three varying widths of 85mm, 108mm and 135mm, all laid in a recurring pattern from slim to wide in the galleries and surrounds.

BTF2 uniform profile boards were used for faster installation and a consistent finish. Machined to precision, the tongue and groove profile is consistent across board widths to allow the use of more than one width in the same application.

Clinton Borthwick, from Borthwick Timber Floors, noted that the high quality milling of the boards was an important part of achieving a welllaid floor. Emphasising that they only work with reputable suppliers who manufacture materials with high quality milling, he said this approach ensures they can complete flooring contracts

Briefly...

• Laid in a recurring pattern from slim to wide • High quality milling of boards an important part of achieving a well-laid floor.

• Nominated for the Australian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA) Floor of the Year Award. on time and with a high standard of workmanship.

Borthwick added that they always specify, support and prioritise Australian timber over imported timber. Blackbutt solid strip flooring used in this application is a stable, hard-wearing and good looking species that is also easy to work with during installation.

In addition to solid strip flooring, Borthwick Timber Floors also installed approximately 300m² of mixed blonde and red eucalyptus parquetry in a basket weave pattern in the entry way to replace the existing flooring. Over 700m² of existing flooring was also re-sanded and polished.

The flooring project was recently nominated for the Australian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA) Floor of the Year Award.

Boral has achieved Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) chain of custody certification (AS 4707-2006) for its solid timber products. The AFS Scheme also has mutual recognition by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Scheme (PEFC), the world’s largest forest management certifier.

 Mixed blonde and red eucalyptus parquetry in a basket weave pattern in the entry way.

R

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Floors a feature in major refurbishment

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 Varying lengths of Boral Australian hardwood solid strip flooring were installed at the Hawthorn Town Hall.

PO Box 122 11 Government Road Eden NSW 2551, Australia

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

April 2015 – 20

FLOORING

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

A new generation of quality, engineered flooring

F

LOORING HAS a huge impact and can immediately set the tone of a space.

Selecting a timber floor is a classic choice, its natural beauty will add depth and warmth to a home, enhancing the lifetime of family memories it will no doubt endure.

Choosing from Australia’s unique resource of native hardwoods Big River Group, Australia’s timber flooring expert, has launched a new generation engineered Australian hardwood flooring range to the market.

The range comes with the quality and assurance that Big River has been renowned for since introducing its market leading Armourfloor engineered hardwood flooring in 1998. With its unique construction of five layers of Australian eucalypt hardwood veneer Big River’s Armourfloor quickly established a reputation for being ‘Australia’s most stable floor,’ and is the only engineered flooring still manufactured in Australia today.

The newly-developed engineered flooring construction is an attractive solution for builders, architects and homeowners who are seeking the stability of Big River’s esteemed Armourfloor product in a more economical design. Beneath a thick top layer of Australian hardwood is an engineered eucalyptus plywood core. The hardwood eucalyptus core means that optimum stability is guaranteed between the floorboards with reduced risk of bending and cupping.

The unique beauty of native timbers is preserved in a heavy-duty face veneer, which consists of a 4mm layer of genuine Australian hardwood. The dense veneer is sawn rather than peeled providing the appearance of solid timber flooring. The veneer has a highly protective UV cured coating, which means the floor will remain fresh in appearance and should not need to be sanded back for many years.

Additionally Big River’s pre-finished engineered flooring comes with a 20 year limited warranty against wear-through under normal residential usage, leaving it well prepared to survive day to day family living.

Big River Engineered Australian Hardwood Flooring allows for fast, simple and economical installation through its simple tongue and groove connecting system. The boards can be installed on virtually any flat surface including concrete, tiles and existing timber floors.

Australia is well known for producing some of the most attractive timbers in the world. Big River Engineered Australian Hardwood Flooring is available in five Australian hardwood timber species: Australian Chestnut, Blackbutt, Spotted Gum, Sydney Blue Gum and Brushbox.

Big River’s prefinished product is sanded, coated and sealed in the factory, but for those who have specific staining and finishing requirements Big River’s existing Armourfloor raw is also available that can be coated onsite.

All Big River engineered flooring is milled from managed regrowth and plantation forest hardwoods.

Big River hardwood is Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) certified.

Big River’s pre-finished engineered flooring comes with a lifetime warranty against warping, buckling or bond failure and a 20 year limited warranty for the finish against wear-through under normal residential usage.

Briefly...

To download a brochure or for more information on Big River’s engineered and broader range of flooring please visit www.bigrivergroup.com.au

• Dense veneer sawn rather than peeled

 Big River engineered flooring in Spotted Gum.

• The only engineered flooring still manufactured in Australia today • Optimum stability guaranteed • Fast, simple and economical installation

 Big River engineered flooring in Blackbutt.

TIMBER DESIGN AWARDS

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

21 – April 2015

Humble beginnings for one of Australia’s most prestigious awards

T

HE AUSTRALIAN Timber Design Awards were born out of the need to honour the growing use of timber in housing and commercial construction. First held in 1999 with a humble field of 25 entrants it now attracts more than 100 per year.

“The diversity of entrants to the Awards is enormous with entries such as houses, exhibition centres, libraries, medium density residences, art, hospitals, bridges, wharves, joinery and furniture showing the huge range timber and wood products use,” said Andrew Dunn, chief executive officer of the Timber Development Association when speaking about the history of the awards.

“The honour roll of past winners reflects some of the best architects and architecture in Australia and again the diversity of building application is vast, from houses, office buildings, resorts, exhibition centre memorials, hospitals, library and midrise apartments.”

2000 - P eter Stutchbury Architecture for Kangaroo Valley Pavilion 2001 - COX Grieve Gillett for National Wine Centre 2002 - Robert Morris-Nunn for the Forest EcoCentre 2003 - B +C Design Group for Bala Residence, Upper MacDonald 2004 - C asey Brown Architecture for Bungan Beach House 2005 - John Wardle Architects for Flinders House 2006 - J ackson Clements Burrows for Edward River House 2007 - H ayball Leonard Stent for Moonah Links Lodges 2008 - P eter Stutchbury Architecture for Outcrop House 2009 - B rian Hooper Architect & m3architecture (architects in association) for the Tree of Knowledge Memorial

2010 - David Boyle Architect for Burridge Read Residence 2011 - Circa Morris-Nunn Walker for Saffire 2012 - Paul Haar Architect for Candlebark School Library 2013 - Lend Lease for Forté 2014 - Bates Smart (in collaboration with Irwin Alsop Group) for Dandenong Mental Health Facility “Over the years the Awards have grown to recognise elements of the design profession that don’t always get the recognition they deserve, such as rising stars and small budget projects that find it hard to compete with some of the large, big budget projects,” said Andrew.

“The Awards team favourite is “Peoples’ choice”, where the public get to select their favourite. Without exception “Peoples’ Choice” is always different to the judges.

“The Awards also have attracted sectors of the timber industry to use the Timber Design Awards for their own products. Seen with the Timber Veneer Association of Australian, Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia, Window and Door Industry Council and the association that represents east coast Australia hardwoods.

“This has again grown in 2015 seeing a revised category of Landscape, assisted by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects being included, again showing the diversity of timber and wood product application.

“Last year saw the Make it Wood Planet Ark campaign joining the Awards team to find the most sustainable timber structure. This inclusion has lifted this category to an exceptionally high level. Winners of the Sustainability category should be honoured and well deserved with the level of scrutiny that this category now requires,” Andrew said.

Strong support from industry Australian Recycled Timber Boral Timber

Briggs Veneers

Crowther Blayne

imber Veneer Association of T Australia

Platinum Sponsor WoodSolutions is an industry initiative to provide information on timber and timber products to professionals and companies involved in building design and construction.

Resourced by Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA), WoodSolutions is a collaborative effort between FWPA members and levy payers.

It is supported by industry peak bodies and technical associations.

The WoodSolutions website will provide a central repository for all technical and product information on wood and its use in building and construction. It will allow users to easily find information on a topic, from cursory summaries through to detailed technical information.

Silver Sponsors Intergram

Hurford Hardwood

Bronze Sponsors American Hardwood Export Council APR Detailed Joinery

Australian Forestry Standard

Design Pine

ngineered Wood Products E Association of Australasia Hyne

Make it Wood (Planet Ark)

 A ndrew Dunn, chief executive officer of the Timber Development Association.

And what of the future for such prestigious awards? Without hesitation Andrew’s reply was: “The Australian Timber Design Awards keep growing as building designers recognise the beauty and application that timber and wood products have.”

Proud to be an award sponsor

AHEC IS sponsoring the Interior Fitout – Commercial Category in this year’s Australian Timber Design Awards.

“Australian designers produce some of the best work with American hardwoods that we see anywhere in the world – particularly when it comes to interior fitouts,” says Rod Wiles, Director for the American Hardwood Export Council Oceania.

“The ATDA is a fabulous platform for these designers to demonstrate their capabilities and receive due recognition. As supporters of

Australian wood design, it is fitting that we should sponsor these awards.”

Entries opened on 9 February and close 26 June with winners to be announced at a gala dinner in Melbourne in September.

Submissions that use American hardwoods will have the additional opportunity for promotion throughout AHEC’s global communications network.

Information on how to enter can be accessed at: http://timberawards. com.au/entry

NSW Forest Products Association Rotho Blaas

Universal Magazines

ictorian Association of Forest V Industries

Window and Door Industry Council Weathertex

Presentation evening

Entries for the prestigious ATDA award close on 26 June.

The winner will be announced at the Australian Timber Design Awards presentation evening in mid-September in Melbourne.  Rod Wiles, Director for the American Hardwood Export Council Oceania.

April 2015 – 22

TIMBER DESIGN AWARDS

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Australian Timber Design Award past grand prize winner David Boyle Architect – Burridge Read Residence 2010

The use of timber was critical to realising initial design concept D

AVID BOYLE Architect is a multi - award winning practice established in 2002 and operates out of a studio in Pretty Beach, adjacent to Bouddi National Park between Killcare and Wagstaffe on the Central Coast, two hours north of Sydney. The majority of its projects are located in and around Sydney as well as on the Central Coast and the well - credentialled architectural firm has also completed projects in rural NSW. Established by David Boyle and supported by a small team of architects, its studio is kept deliberately small so that David can carefully select and oversee all projects in a personalized and collaborative way. “Our focus for all projects is on design excellence based on responsible and creative resource allocation, underpinned by sustainable passive design principals.

We specialise in residential projects of all types, including new family homes, holiday homes and larger alterations and additions in city, suburban, heritage conservation, rural and bush land settings,” said David.

Our Burridge Read Residence was awarded the Grand Prize and Trans - Tasman winner of the Australian Timber Design Awards in 2010.

“This project embodied many of the principals that our practice values today, including; buildings designed as a poetic response to their setting, orientation and aspect; creating a series of interlinked spaces for the changing needs of family life; blurring the boundaries of each space so that the whole appears larger than the sum of its parts; layering the building with detail and a variety of materials to break down the scale and offer a more personalised and playful response to program; and careful selection of natural materials often unfinished so that they develop a patina with age,” David said.

The Burridge Read Residence is located around the bay from the studio

 David Boyle Architect - Smith Residence - Brigid Arnott.

 David Boyle Architect - 3 Houses Marrickville - Photo: Bresic Whitney.

and was inspired by the natural beauty of the surrounding Bouddi National Park, particularly the projecting rock outcrops, the twisting branches of the Angophora, and the layering and transparency of the landscape.

It is located on an awkward shaped site sloping down to the north and the west with northern filtered views through the trees to the Brisbane Water

 David Boyle Architect Piebenga-Franklyn Residence - Brigid Arnott.

and Spit Bridge within a bushland setting. “Our clients wanted to upgrade the existing house and improve the connection to the landscape and create a more enjoyable destination place for their holidays. We designed a textured extension which has been grafted to the existing house and includes a central deck facing north towards water view and flanked by an open plan living

 David Boyle Architect Marrickville House 2 - Brigid Arnott.

room and an entry and bedroom wing.

“The use of timber was critical to realising this initial design concept.

The timber framed structure has been twisted, stepped and stretched to the edges of the site and the available building envelope. The bedroom wing projects over the landscape like a cantilevered rock shelf and is supported by a twisted structure reminiscent of Angophora branches.

“The timber framed structure has been twisted, stepped and stretched to the edges of the site and the available building envelope.

The bedroom wing projects over the landscape like a cantilevered rock shelf and is supported by a twisted structure reminiscent of Angophora branches.”

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

 David Boyle Architect - Kellie Residence Brigid Arnott.

“The exterior will weather and develop a patina of clear finished FC and random vertical Western Red Cedar battens to sit quietly within its environment. Subtle scale shifts in the battens and screens offer a sense of depth reminiscent of a forest of trees within the landscape and some of these have been clear finished to retain the natural beauty of the timber,” he said.

“Timber was used extensively

TIMBER DESIGN AWARDS

 David Boyle Architect - Burridge Read Residence - Brett Boardman.

throughout the interior including a 4m long kitchen island bench in solid North Coast hardwood, recycled timber flooring which has been partly sanded to retain some of the green paint reminiscent of the neighbouring wharfs and plywood used for shelving, joinery and structural reveals for the projecting bay windows.”

Since winning the Grand Prize the Burridge Read Residence went

on to win several other architectural awards and has been featured in many publications and also appeared in a couple of popular television programs. “ It was completely unexpected and something we consider to be a highlight of our work to date. It has given our small office a larger profile within the industry and the scale of our work has been increasing to larger houses and we have undertaken several

23 – April 2015

projects in Sydney which include subdivision of the site into 2 or 3 lots and construction of new dwellings.

“The Burridge Read Residence remains a standout project in our completed projects,” said David.

“We have continued to extensively use recycled and Australian native timber in our buildings: for framing, cladding, flooring and joinery.

This often becomes a feature in our buildings. Our 2012 Kellie Residence and 2013 King Residence, both on the Central Coast in similar bushland settings use a similar cladding profile to respond to their setting. Our 2011 Marrickville Houses 1+2 and our 2012 Smith Residence in Cremorne use lightweight framing with painted lightweight cladding in decorative ways responding to their heritage context and our 2013 Piebenga Franklyn Residence in Tamarama was completely clad in vertical hardwood,” he said.

Projects currently under construction include a new house in North Balgowlah; refurbishment of a 1960s red textured brick block of 4 units; a 3 house subdivision in Marrickville, which involves remodelling an existing house into 2 semi - detached houses and the construction of a new timber framed and timber clad house; and many more on the drawing board.

Honouring excellence in wood building and design

INNOVATIVE ARCHITECTURAL and structural design in large wood buildings, including mid-rise and commercial structures, headlined the 2015 Wood Design Awards event at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The 11th annual event, organized and hosted by Wood WORKS! BC, honoured excellence in wood building and design, and recognized leadership and innovation in wood use. More than 360 people attended this year’s celebration of wood, including architects, structural engineers, project teams, local government and industry sponsors.

Wood WORKS! is a national industryled program of the Canadian Wood Council, with a goal to support innovation and provide leadership on the use of wood and wood products. Wood WORKS! BC provides education, training and technical expertise to building and design professionals involved with projects throughout BC, and is a resource on midrise construction and the Wood First Act in BC. There were 107 nominations in 12 categories. “Each and every one of these projects is spectacular in its own right, and demonstrates how wood can be used in innovative ways as an architectural and structural building material,” said Lynn Embury-Williams, executive director of Wood WORKS! BC. “Wood products and systems have become the material of choice in mid-rise residential as well as for the institutional, commercial and industrial sectors. This is a paradigm shift, and it’s encouraging, as our communities and cities want more sustainable and healthier built environments. Here in BC, designers and builders are leading the way by using wood because it is cost-effective; is renewable; has a smaller carbon footprint; and because it creates beautiful and comfortable spaces where people love to live and work.”

The Wood Champion Award was presented to Marie-Odile Marceau, Principal, McFarland Marceau Architects Ltd. in Vancouver.

Eric Karsh, Principal, Equilibrium

Consulting Inc. in Vancouver, was awarded the Engineer Award. Known and respected internationally, he shows his love of using wood through innovative structural designs such as the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) “tilt up” balloon frame construction in his project, Ronald McDonald House BC – a first in North America.

The Architect Award was presented to Vancouver-based Michael Green Architecture.

The Wood Innovation Award winner was Michael Green, Principal, Michael Green Architecture for his project, the Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George, BC. The structure represents a milestone in the future of tall wood buildings. The project introduces new methods of working with mass timber panels, specifically cross- laminated timber, and is a true showcase for BC wood products The Environmental Performance Award was presented to Matheo Durfeld of BC Passive House for his project, BC Passive House Plant in Pemberton, BC. The award recognizes how wood products played a significant role in improving the overall environmental performance of a structure.

• I nstitutional Wood Design - Small: McFarland Marceau Architects Ltd. – UBCO Fitness and Wellness Centre, Kelowna, BC • I nstitutional Wood Design - Large: Michael Green, Michael Green Architecture – Ronald McDonald House BC, Vancouver, BC • Western Red Cedar: McFarland Marceau Architects Ltd. – Environmental Learning Centre – North Vancouver Outdoor School, Brackendale, BC • There were two Jury’s Choice awards: • S teve McFarlane, office of mcfarlane biggar architects + designers inc. – Fort McMurray International Airport, Fort McMurray, AB • T homas Leung, Thomas Leung Structural Engineering - MEWS, UBC, Vancouver; Emerald Heights, Surrey; Dominion, New Westminster, BC

 Lynn Embury-Williams, Executive Director - Wood WORKS! BC (CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC).

Winners in the wood design categories include: • R esidential Wood Design: David Ratzlaff, HR Pacific Construction Management Ltd. – Kicking Horse Residence, Golden, BC • M ulti-Unit Residential Wood Design: Eric Andreasen, Adera Development Corporation – Sail, Vancouver, BC • C ommercial Wood Design: Hugh Cochlin, Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc. - Mountain Equipment Co-op Head Office, Vancouver, BC • I nterior Beauty Design: Nick Bevanda, CEI Architecture – Southern Okanagan Secondary School Expansion, Oliver, BC

 Wood Innovation WINNER: Michael Green, Michael Green Architecture - Wood Innovation and Design Centre, Prince George, BC. Photo credit: Courtesy - Wood WORKS! BC Wood Design Awards (CNW Group/Canadian Wood Council for Wood WORKS! BC).

ASSOCIATION

April 2015 – 24

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

David Hayward, ATFA Technical Manager, provides insight into the performance of a flood-inundated floor in Brisbane.

The story of flooded floors

I

am not sure how floors in your area have fared during times of flood but in recent years many towns throughout Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria experienced flood conditions. Provided below is the story of one floor that survived the Brisbane flood of 2011, not without the need for some remedial work, but certainly survived to provide many more years of service. So why was this floor able to survive?

The floor is in a basketball stadium in a suburb that borders the Brisbane River.

The first photo shows this floor that was inundated by nearly 3 metres of water and which remained covered by water for about 36 hours. When the waters subsided, the mud and silt remained as shown in the second photo and when cleaned, and after a few weeks with the aid of fans to assist in drying, the moderate cupping as shown in photo 3 remained. In following weeks, the cupping decreased further to the point where the floor could be rough sanded to remove the coating and aid in further drying. The process to restore the floor was systematic giving time for the subfloor space to dry, flooring moisture content to re-establish to near estimated pre-flood values.

So what do we know about this floor.

The floor was originally installed in 1984 and likely comprised mixed high density Queensland hardwoods. The boards were 85mm wide by 25mm thick and top nailed into hardwood floor joists.

The floor is installed over a ventilated enclosed subfloor space.

As to what has contributed to the floor’s performance we note the following: Firstly, the design of the floor is robust in nature. The use of boards that are 25mm thick rather than 19mm and top nail fixed to hardwood joists, which we note in ATFA’s publication ‘Timber Flooring’ to be very a robust system, are aspects that are important. A floor direct to joists although not always considered ideal for sports floors has also allowed the floor to

n David Hayward ATFA Technical Manager.

dry from both sides. One final important consideration is the species used in the floor. High density species do not absorb water quickly and even when inundated for 36 hours, the rise in moisture content was only moderate and not sufficient to cause a high degree of expansion. So the key to this is, when the fixing is strong and high density species are used that are slow to take up water and what water they do take up can be dried evenly, the floor has a good chance of survival.

You may or may not be in a flood prone area, but some in the floods of the last few years also considered flooding unlikely, although would have admitted possible.

However, the principals above not only apply to river flooded floors. What about cyclone prone areas and associated storm surges, which could also experience inundation or severe wetting of a floor, for a similar relatively short period. In such locations there is a need to consider the robustness of the flooring system that will be installed. Irrespective of insurance, limiting disruption after such an event is also an important consideration.

The wonderful world of wood Cardboard coldies alleviate the clink CARLSBERG HAS announced a ground-breaking agreement to develop the world’s first fully biodegradable wood-fibre bottle for beverages.

Carlsberg has initiated a three-year project with packaging company ecoXpac, with the collaboration of Innovation Fund Denmark and the Technical University of Denmark, to develop a biodegradable and biobased bottle made from sustainably sourced wood-fibre, to be known as the “Green Fibre Bottle”.

All materials used in the bottle, including the cap, will be developed using bio-based and biodegradable materials – primarily, sustainably sourced wood-fibres – allowing the bottle to be responsibly degraded.

The bottle can have either screw cap or single-use seal, and it fits in with any existing filling plants. The production unit is small and compact, thus it can be transported and put up wherever in the world the bottles are to be filled.

Wooden arch de triomphe for recycling CONTRACTORS HAVE erected the arch of what they claim is the largest timber frame structure ever built in the UK. The 42-metre high arch, made from glulam laminated timber, will form part of the Leeds Recycling & Energy Recovery Facility (RERF), which is being built by Clugston Construction in the Cross Green area of the city.

Clugston is working in collaboration with French process contractor CNIM, under contract with Veolia, for Leeds City Council.

Once completed in summer 2015, the RERF will divert over 200,000 tonnes of household waste away from landfill, using the remaining unrecyclable material to generate electricity.

The frame has been supplied by German specialist Hess Timber, whose recent work includes the D1 tower in Dubai and the Museum of the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Wooden Ferrari navigates the canals of Venice ITALIAN ARTIST Livio De Marchi navigates the canals of Venice in his floating, powered, carved wood Ferrari F50. Livio was born in Venice where, still a child, he worked on ornamental sculpture in the Venetian tradition in the workshop of a craftsman while he studied art and drawing at the “Accademia di Belle Arti” in Venice. During his artistic evolution he worked first in marble, then bronze, and eventually in wood. However, wood has always been his favorite material because it affords him a vitality which other

materials do not. A wooden Ferrari F50 navigates the canals of Venice with Livio De Marchi at the wheel (helm?). A festival is held each year in which vessels of all kinds parade the canals. Livio has produced several such vehicles, all of which attract a lot of attention not only for their individuality but also for their craftsmanship.

A wooden Fiat Topolino is another of De Marchi’s wooden car sculptures.

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Collaborative approach is beneficial to all

By Kersten Gentle Executive Officer FTMA Australia

T

ime is fast approaching for the 2015 FTMA Australia National conference which is being held at the Novotel Twin Waters on the beautiful Sunshine Coast on the 28th April, 2015.

This year the conference is going to be different and unique as unlike many other conferences you will attend or see advertised, FTMA Australia has decided to utilise the true experts of the frame and truss industry, the fabricators to fill many speaking roles.

This isn’t so we can reduce costs but purely because we believe the industry will only grow if the industry starts listening to each other more and working in a more collaborative way.

You may be a fabricator that pictures themselves as a leader in the field or you may know you are one of those fabricators that needs to change the way they do things, but are stuck and needs assistance.

This conference is therefore perfect for all fabricators as we all need to learn from each other and the leaders in the industry need to help lift the standards of the industry so we the true value of our sector can be seen by all.

The conference will still have key note speakers on a range of issues but we want to hear from the fabricators in to what they do to minimise back charges as in reality the only people that win from excessive back charging are builders.

We want to share ideas on safety innovation, employee incentives and how to recognise the true value of our industry. We want to discuss the ever increasing issue of waste

management and find ways in which fabricators can minimise their excessive waste costs or even better, find ways to maximise a return from their timber waste.

How do fabricators manage their back of house scheduling such as invoicing, delivery logistics and so on, well we want to show the benefits from software that tackles these areas and streamlines your business. I often hear about fabricators complaining about deflated prices in the industry.

We will explore if your business is capturing the current business operating costs and methods and evaluating opportunities by

applying production unit and constraint principles?

The feedback to date on the conference program, highlights that there is a smorgasbord of topics and that there is no doubt everyone will find at 70%+ interesting to them. Of course with any FTMA event it is run professionally and tight, meaning if one topic doesn’t really grab you, you won’t have to wait long until the next one comes along with another dynamic speaker.

The biggest feedback I have had to date is the fact that people come to these events to network, to talk about the issues with other fabricators and to have a bitch and whine if need

be, knowing, that you are not the only one facing a particular issue and to learn from one another.

For too long the industry has walked around with crossed arms which has resulted in the industry suffocating.

FTMA believes by uncrossing the arms and sharing information our industry can continue to grow and fabricators can discover ways to streamline their business and save money.

Peter McLean of Development Impact will talk on a subject titled Industry Clusters – What is the benefit?

Peter will point out that no single company alone has the ability to solve

8.15am

Conference Registration and coffee/tea

9.00am

Conference Welcome

9.10am

FTMA supporting the Australian Frame & Truss Industry: Presentation by FTMA Board Member Shelena Serrano on what FTMA Australia has been doing

the industry’s most challenging problems.

That only by working together can we create new opportunities for growth and productivity in the industry?

The fabricator down the road or in the next town is not your competitor, the steel industry is and we hope this conference will change your way of thinking so together we can build a stronger industry.

I hope to see you at the only Nationally conference designed specifically for frame and truss fabricators and thank all our sponsors who will be setting up trade exhibits on the day.

9.20am

Prefabricated Flooring: Exploring the development of the timber prefabricated ground flooring and upper storey cassettes. A presentation by Alastair Woodard and a panel including fabricators and builder.

10.00am

Save your business money by upskilling – the real benefits of upskilling providing greater benefits to your business.

10.25am

FTMA Fast Five – Safety Innovation: A quick five minute discussion with delegates on the different safety innovations and improvements introduced by fabricators.

10.30am

Morning Tea: proudly sponsored by Vekta Automation

11.00am

Housing Market Analysis: HIA’s Chief Economist Harley Dale will provide a detailed look at the National Housing Market including forecasts for each state and the key issues facing the housing markets.

11.45am

What Wood Solutions can do for you: WoodSolutions is an industry initiative providing independent, non-proprietary information about timber and wood products to professionals and companies involved in building design and construction. Are you taking full advantage of their information?

12.15pm

FTMA Fast Five – Employee Incentives: A quick five minute discussion with delegates sharing their thoughts on employee incentives that don’t break the bank and ensure your workforce is productive & happy.

12.20pm

Lunch Sponsors Presentation: StoraEnso Timber (five minutes)

12.30pm

Lunch - Proudly sponsored by StoraEnso Timber

1.30pm

Knowing your business costs: Is your business capturing the current business operating costs and methods and evaluating opportunities by applying production unit and constraint principles? Find out how you can?

2.15pm

Reducing your back charges: A panel of fabricators talking about how they deal with back charges and other issues.

2.40pm

Industry Clusters - What is the benefit? No single company alone has the ability to solve the industry’s most challenging problems. Working together creates new opportunities for growth and productivity.

3.00pm

How to sell our industry? Do we need to be sexier?

3.25pm

FTMA Fast Five – Recognising the true value of our industry: Examples to use from crowd to follow up on: Peter Ward (Charge for quotes)

3.30pm

Afternoon Tea proudly sponsored by StoraEnso Timber

4.00pm

Timber Waste Management: Millions of dollars is spent a year by the industry to dispose of timber waste but there are ways you can minimise your costs and maximise the opportunities with daily waste.

4.40pm

Back of House Scheduling Software: Software that helps your business in the vital areas of Invoicing, loading and deliveries. Streamlining these tasks can save your business money and time.

5.10pm

FTMA Fast Five –Where should the focus be in next twelve months: A quick five minute discussion with delegates on what the issues are for the next twelve months?

5.15pm

Conference Wrap up with conference concluding at 5.30pm

6.30pm

Pre-Dinner Drinks on Lily’s on the Lagoon

7.00pm

FTMA Australia National Conference Dinner sponsored by Multinail Australia in Lily’s on the Lagoon

ASSOCIATION NEWS

April 2015 – 26

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

Unguarded machinery – you are to blame Regular risk assessments have to be carried out on all machines in your workplace.

By Brian Beecroft Chief Executive Officer Timber Trade Industrial Association

S

OME EMPLOYERS and employees believe that machine guarding is on a machine to make your life difficult. Others have older equipment and do not know what type of guarding is to be fitted.

A lack of machine guarding is a serious issue and you are to blame if a serious injury or incident occurs.

Even in situations where workers remove guards on machines and serious injuries occur, the company can be prosecuted. This is why regular risk assessments, supervision and disciplinary procedures have to be implemented by the company.

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The company also has to ensure adequate guarding is fitted. If a guard is not bolted in place and can be easily removed without a tool, then it is not an effective guard. Guards must only be able to be removed by a tool so that by the time the guard is removed, the run down time of the moving part has been completed.

If a person can place their fingers through large mesh or a gap in the guard and contact a moving part, then it is not an effective guard. Mesh guarding must be small enough to prevent fingers contacting moving parts.

If the guard has a quick release mechanism and can be removed quickly, then it is not an effective guard.

A frame and truss company and manufacturer was prosecuted because of an injury on an auto-bench where the machine had quick release guarding and the operator contacted the trenching head during its run down time causing an amputation.

If a fence guard or barrier can be easily climbed under, over or through, then it is not an effective guard.

Many companies think a handrail is sufficient, however this is not necessarily the case and the company should go for mesh fence guarding to prevent access to the area.

If the guard is made from material that is not substantial to protect the operator from the ejection of knives from the machine or the blade breaking up, then it is not an effective guard. Some companies make guards from cardboard or thin plastic which will break or shatter if a part is ejected from the machine.

If adjustable guarding is fitted, then the company has to make sure regular training and supervision is undertaken to ensure these guards are adjusted to suit the height of timber put through the machine. Workers constantly leave the top hood guard on a rip saw in its highest position negating its effectiveness.

When purchasing new or second hand machinery you also have to carry out a WH&S risk assessment

on the machine to ensure adequate guarding is fitted before using the machine. Just because a machine is new or purchased from another timber company does not mean it conforms to Australian standards for guarding.

Regular risk assessments have to be carried out on all machines in your workplace. During these risk assessments you are observing if guards are broken, gates guarding areas are left open, interlocked guarding is tampered with and whether guarding is adequate.

Injuries from unguarded machinery not only causes pain and suffering for the injured worker but also has a significant cost on the company and the timber industry through increased workers compensation, retraining new staff, replacing damaged equipment and material, and WH&S prosecutions.

In 2014 a frame and truss company in Victoria was fined $160,000 in an OH&S prosecution as a result of three separate injuries occurring in their workplace on machines that were not correctly guarded.

Throughout the last five years, there have been approximately six small timber companies throughout Australia that have been prosecuted and received fines between $40,000 and $80,000 for incidents that have occurred on unguarded machinery.

The Timber Trade Industrial Association (TTIA) carries out WH&S risk assessments on machinery throughout the timber industry every year and we continually find examples of unguarded machinery.

TTIA assists members to fulfill their safety responsibilities by providing advice on how to guard your machinery effectively. Remember, be proactive, don’t wait till the incident occurs because by then it is too late.

Ring TTIA Safety Unit on (02) 9264 0011 or Ken Hocking on 0418 280 335 for a safety assessment on your workplace and machinery.

Treatment suppliers form association

THE AUSTRALIAN and New Zealand Timber Preservative Manufacturers Association (ANZTPMA), formed late last year, is open to all companies supplying the open market and having registered wood preservative products and legal entities in Australia and/or New Zealand.

All known eligible preservative suppliers were invited to join. At this time the membership includes Arch Wood Protection, Koppers Performance Chemicals, TimTechChem International and Zelam.

Members worked with legal advisors to pull together the agreement and the legal charter for the association.

Careful attention was paid to trade practices compliance aspects to ensure that the entity can act only in genuine non-commercial industry level matters.

The objectives of the ANZTPMA (as stated in the articles of association) are to: • shape and drive industry and government policy development for the benefit of the Industry; • secure the best outcomes for the industry in important policy development through effective lobbying and other targeted representation; • approach, petition or provide the association’s position to bodies such as Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand; and

• promote the objects of the association in any manner the Board considers appropriate, and to do things incidental or conducive to the attainment of these objects.

Ron Eddy (TimTechChem) was elected inaugural President, Greg Jensen (Arch) elected Secretary and Dr Steve Crimp (Koppers) was nominated as the Association’s technical representative for Standards and other committee work.

A key role for the association will be with standards committee work where particular technical expertise of the preservative manufacturers is relevant.

“It is important for us to understand that the way that Standards committees were formed in the past has changed,” said Ron. “To ensure that the preservative suppliers with our particular expertise get a seat at these important groupings, it is essential that we have a broadly based industry sector association because individual companies cannot nominate representatives. I would like to express my appreciation to my colleagues in the other preservative companies for their support in this initiative.”

Timber Queensland appoints new board member

GARRIE JAMES, a shareholder in Inglewood Cypress Sawmill, has been appointed to Timber Queensland Board of Directors to represent Queensland’s Cypress sector.

Timber Queensland’s Chair Sean Gribble said he welcomed the appointment and the broad expertise Garrie would bring to the Board.

“Garrie James is also the proprietor of a sizeable Melbourne Timber Merchant – Outdoor Timber; President of Timber Preservers Association of Australia (TPAA) and President of the Melbourne Hoo–Hoo Club,” said Sean.

“The breadth of his industry knowledge will be of considerable value and assist TQ’s decision making across all facets of the business,” he said.

 Garrie James.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

AUSTRALASIAN TIMBER MAGAZINE

27 – April 2015

Customers need to be engaged and informed

By Eric Siegers Executive Officer Timber Merchants Association

E

VERY YEAR the merchants are affected by the failures of their customers. The research shows that on average, when a small builder or trades business closes its doors, the merchant (on average) loses about $20,000.

For the merchant regardless of size, that’s a lot of money that can be other wise used to maintain the cashflow of any business.

There are a number of ways to protect yourself from the eventuality that a customer business fails. Debtors insurance

is one way, and the TMA facilitates this through its insurance relationships, but in reality this is a passive way of protecting business interests,.

While you are financially protected from a business collapse through this move, does it offer real sustainability? I would argue not.

Most, if not all, successful businesses are founded on solid communication and the idea that the customer comes first.

Many merchants say they know their customer, but research recently undertaken by the TMA highlights that merchants are generally passive when it comes to building customer relationships, waiting for them to come through the gate and find products.

In the digital era this is a big mistake.

Customers need to be engaged and informed and advised through a number of different platforms. From independent sources of information to the actual sales negotiation and beyond; customers have changed significantly and by customers I mean builders and trades people. To support this viewpoint just look at the penetration of the smart phones into the trades sector- it’s one of the highest in Australia with over 125% of trades people having phones (a lot of people have two phones it would appear!). The first thing builders do is search the internet on

their phones ... not on the desktop. So, is your website truly mobile ready and compatible? Again research has shown that the merchants are lagging in this space, mobility is still not top of mind when engaging their customers.

I can go on about how we as an industry sector needs to change. Yes, in this market the business-to-business customer is changing because the consumer is changing and this is building up service expectations that the sector has never experienced before.

Importantly it is changing the merchant to builder dynamic.

Greater flexibility in product availability, less strict pack sizes, more discussion about deliverables are becoming the norm.

However, the relationship is strained because staff and customers operate at different levels of trust and value. Staff are undertrained, and builders are finding it hard to meet their customer needs for information and service when this happens customers lose trust, don’t pay and the cascade effect on cashflow and resultant business closure is one of the results.

There is no silver bullet to the current market paradigm and dynamic. There are solutions but as always they need to be reviewed in the context of what is appropriate for the business. Data, information, cost estimates, OH&S

deliverables and so on all need to be considered and reviewed as part of the dynamic but importantly it must be viewed from the needs of the customer and how to build customer trust.

There is a lot the TMA is doing to facilitate this trust. The training programs for timber knowledge, the management industrial relations training, the breakfasts and the TMA dinner all allows for industry networking and upskilling. Also we are embarking on builder engagement programs so that builders and trades people understand the value of a strong merchant – trades relationship. In the current market it is no longer about just selling, but about sharing and supporting the customer base to excel at what they do. We have to do more to help our customers get better at their job, this is not just in new products, but new services. Yes this is innovation at its core, but importantly its about building a relationship so that an ongoing dialogue results. That’s what makes a business successful and keeps those bad debts out of the way. Communication that is proactive and focused on business relationships will go a long way not just to reduce business debts, but importantly build that all important feeling that “the customer comes first”.

Timber Development Association welcomes new staff member THE TIMBER D e v e l o p m e n t Association (TDA) welcomes new staff member Fred Moshiri, a structural engineer with a great background in timber structural design in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

“TDA’s workload has grown rapidly recently as massive timbers are increasingly being specified and used to build the structures of Australian apartments as well as office buildings and a range of other nonresidential buildings,” said Andrew Dunn, CEO of TDA. “Fred’s expertise will be an invaluable addition to TDA’s services to the timber industry and the Australian building design and construction industry,” said Andrew.

Fred will also be helping with organisation and delivery of technical seminars to structural engineers via the WoodSolutions program throughout New South Wales, ACT and South Australia.

Fred has a Civil Engineering degree as well as a Masters degree in Timber Engineering from the Linnaeus University, Sweden.

He has more than five years of experience in design and construction management of different projects with exposure to analysis, design and project planning of reinforced concrete, steel

and timber buildings.

In 2010, he migrated to Australia to undertake a PhD at the University of Technology, Sydney, under the supervision of internationally recognised timber engineer Professor Keith Crews. His PhD, funded by the Structural Timber Innovation Company, focused on the structural behaviour of timber concrete composite connections and floors to enable timber composite floor to compete more effectively in the building and construction market. At UTS he has been actively involved in research

on timber, timberconcrete composites and engineering education.

Fred is the author of more than 12 technical journals and conference papers in the fields of Structural Engineering and Engineering Education and is a reviewer for the Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture in the United States. He is a member of Engineers Australia and as well as a member of American Society of Civil Engineers and American Concrete Institution Committee 335, composite structure.

Whittakers Timber Products at Greenbushes Western Australia has now completed all production on site, everything is now on the market and must be sold.

View our website www.whittakersequipmentsale.com.au 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 1 x band saw head rig and carriage 3 x one man bench saws 1 x 6 blade edger 3 x fault dockers Assorted green mill transfer decks, chain and spares Complete automated stacking line Comprehensive saw shop 1 x complete fulgrum 525HP chipping plant 4 x 120m3 HB conventional kilns (installed 2006) Kiln sawdust/thermal oil heating system 3 x Weinig 22B moulders including infeed/outfeed system 4 x manual up-cut fault dockers Assorted dry mill outfeed decks 2 x MPB endmatchers max width 150mm 1 x MPB endmatcher max width 200mm 1 x optimizing docker Grecon/Dimter 350 model Tool grinding shop, assorted heads and profiles Assorted dust extraction systems including cyclones and all pipe Assorted forklifts from 2.5ton to 17 ton (14 x machines in total) 4 x Loaders with log grabs, standard bucket and oversize chip bucket Compressors, air storage vessels, air line and refrigerated dryers Huge inventory of smaller items View our website www.whittakersequipmentsale.com.au or telephone Chris on (08) 9459 6877 – mobile 0409 083 977 or Geoff on (08) 9302 2022 – mobile 0409 302 200

 S tructural engineer Fred Moshiri has joined the Timber Development Association.

Researched for Truss Plants – Built for Truss Plants – Demanded by Truss Plants

Fully automated and computerised Linear saw.

Optimisation features to completely minimise waste.

Truss, Frame & Floor members are automatically cut, marked and sorted.

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• Half the labour requirements of two pull arm saws for the same volume cutting

• Same output as two automated pull arm saws – but with added Mitre cut capabilities!

• Same easy to learn and use Multinail Machinery operator software!

• Same operator skill level required as for any automated pull arm saw!

A precision Linear Saw for the cutting and marking of Truss, Frame and Floor members

MAC Saw Do more with less