Australian Timberman

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The solid wood, timber and panel processing trade show

The solid wood, timber and panel processing trade show

11-14 July 2012

11-14 July 2012

Sydney

Sydney

www.awisa.com

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www.awisa.com

February 2012, Issue 1 Vol. 20 Ph: (03) 9888 4820 Fax: (03) 9888 4840 Email: norm@timberman.net.au Web: www.timberbiz.com.au

• Prefabrication opportunities • Excellence is trademark • AUSTimber first • LOSP launch

LOSP H3 Green and H2F Blue - Now Supplying and Custom Treating

BiFenthrin

www.davidstimber.com.au

03 9794 4777 | 29 Princes Hwy Dandenong Sth

Outdoor Timber Wholesalers Osmose®, Protim® and DeterMite® are registered trademarks of Osmose, Inc. or its subsidiaries. * See separate limited guarantee document for more details.

New Ideas and a lot of fun Sharper. Smarter. Greener.

See it all at AUSTimber 2012

• Mount Gambier • South Australia • March 29-31

In just over a month, the biggest timber industry expo in the Southern Hemisphere will host equipment suppliers and industry professionals from around the world.

The site’s green, clean and ready to go.

All in-forest demonstration sites are fully booked.

The conference speakers are tweaking their words.

The new equipment’s being shipped.

See you there! – www.austimber2012.com.au

A conference to challenge you

A partners programme to entertain you

A top line up of international speakers to inform and challenge your thinking on how to improve your productivity.

Extend your stay or have fun with industry friends.

Michael O’Connor is Forestry and Furnishing Products Division National Secretary of the CFMEU and a member of the Australian Forestry Industry delegation to international climate change negotiations. His key note address will get you thinking about how you can improve your business through being sharper, smarter and greener.

There’s a full partners program, including a ‘Paddock to Plate’ experience at Mayura Wagyu Beef with Mayura’s resident Chef learning how to prepare, cook (and eat!) these succulent steaks.

Major Sponsors

Sponsors

indoor and sta quickly – se tic outdoor sites are fill ing cure your e xhibition spa ce now

Partners

NEWS

3 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

New opportunity for prefabrication T

HE GROWING interest in prefabrication and off-site manufacturing of timber frame and wood panel buildings throughout Australia and New Zealand, seen as both an opportunity and a threat to truss and frame fabricators, will be one of the more interesting topics at Frame Australia 2012.

Until recently, these building methods were used mainly in remote areas and for individual projects.

However, the economics of reduced time on site and lower building costs has changed the attitude of many builders and developers keen to develop a competitive advantage within the industry.

Conference director Kevin Ezard said while these emerging markets were potentially a longterm threat to the current practice of ‘open frame’ fabrication for wall frames and roof trusses, the fabrication industry now had the opportunity to embrace prefabricated building concepts at an early stage and create a new range of manufactured products.

“In the ‘Pre-fabricated frame manufacturing’ session at Frame Australia we have a presentation

by Johann Betz of JS

 PanelBUILD walls

Betz Consulting in New Zealand that will outline a systematic process on how to embrace this type of manufacturing and what is needed to do so,” he said.

Betz said prefabricated building concepts were not a fashion or fad that would disappear soon. Instead, they were an evolutionary step supported by evidence of this type of development in New Zealand.

“To decide whether or not to enter this area of production requires a systematic engineering approach where the product is analysed and the manufacturing processes moulded around it,” he said.

Kevin said a current example in Queensland was the construction system panelBUILD, which had pre-assembled wall, floor and roof elements with plumbing and electrical services pre-installed and windows and doors all prefitted to enable completion to lock-up in only a few days.

“Further opportunities for fabricators are contained in a presentation by Pryda Australia - The emergence of prefabricated systems in non-residential applications in the wood construction systems - session,” he said.

“This will explore prospects in the light commercial and industrial building sector

 PanelBUILD floors and discuss navigating a way through a minefield of structural, contractual and regulatory requirements.

“Other sessions will include a major property developer discussing the problems and solutions experienced by builders using lightweight timber framing for multiresidential construction in three- and four-storey

apartment buildings, an important topic for both timber suppliers and fabricators. “ In its 14th year, the Frame Australia 2012 event on 18-19 June at Park Hyatt Melbourne will contain three topic sessions and

three concurrent discussion forums to provide greater discussion and interaction by delegates during the conference.

For more information visit the website www.frameaustralia.com

 Johann Betz

2012 AWISA is the international exhibition of machinery, materials, fittings and services for the Australian and New Zealand wood and panel processing industries. The exhibition returns in 2012 refreshed and improved. With new panel, solidwood and design areas, AWISA has created three shows within the event.

Organised by the australian WOOdWOrking industry suppliers assOciatiOn limited

11-14 July 2012 sydney eXhibitiOn centre darling harbOur sydney P.O. BOX 925, AVALON NSW 2107 AUSTRALIA PHONE: 02 9918 3661 FAX: 02 9918 7764 EMAIL: info@awisa.com

www.awisa.com

 PanelBUILD roof

ASSOCIATION NEWS

TIMBERMAN, February 2012 – 4

Something fowl afoot ... but it’s all good news!

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ESEARCH BY the Timber Development Association (TDA) indicates that a national shortage of chicken bedding has created a new market for reused timber - and a means of reducing skyrocketing timber waste disposal costs.

Rising consumption of chicken meat has seen bedding demand increase by 4% per annum over recent years. Sawdust from sawmills, the main source of chicken bedding, will soon be unable to meet this demand. This is already a problem for chicken farmers in certain areas of the country.

An apparent solution to this lies in reuse of end-of-life wood pallets and packaging that otherwise would be disposed of as landfill.

TDA is part of an extensive

project to determine the viability of this solution. Key components of the project include analysing bedding moisture levels, particle size, product storage and the risks that non-wood contaminants pose to chicken and human health.

The benefits of using end-of-life wood pallets for chicken bedding are significant.

There is considerable supply, particularly resulting from imports into Australia.

For further information and for guidance regarding chook bedding or the recycling of end-of-life wood pallets and packaging, please contact Stephen Mitchell at stephen.mitchell@tdansw. asn.au.

Excitement is building up to the release of the revolutionary EXPAN

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February 2012, Vol.20, No.1

630 Regency Road, Broadview, South Australia 5083

Postal Address: PO Box 1006, Prospect East, South Australia 5082 Phone: (08) 8369 9555 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 Advertising: norm@timberman.net.au Melbourne Office (03) 9888 4820 Timber classified: norm@timberman.net.au Melbourne Office (03) 9888 4820 Editorial:

editorial@forestsandtimber.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9500 Out of office VOIP (08) 7127 6370

Subscriptions:

subs@forestsandtimber.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9522

Accounts: Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9555 General Manager: Elizabeth Bouzoudis Editor: John Hudswell Advertising: Norm Nelsen Subscriptions: Nola Brigante Production: Nathan Grant Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins Suite 103, 486 Whitehorse Road, Surrey Hills, Victoria, 3127, phone (03) 9888 4822 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 then publishers.

Published by Ryan Publications Pty Ltd.

Australian Timberman is delivered with Australian Forests & Timber News, which is a member of Circulation Audit Bureau (CAB).

timber technology suite into the Australian market in 2012. At this stage only a few of the main EXPAN products are available -but these products permit innovations not seen before in multi-storey developments in this country.

Central to this new product suite is the EXPAN Timber Concrete Composite (TCC) flooring system. This uses timber beams as joists to support a timber slab overlaid by a reinforced concrete slab.

Designers are showing a lot of interest in this system, as it combines the acoustic benefits of concrete with the ease of building with timber.

Moreover, the 8.5 x 2.4 m floor module size (with a maximum depth of 540 mm) allows for wide span timber floors -- a big leap forward in timber design.

The EXPAN product range for 2012 is expected to include post-stressed timber frames and wall systems. These comprise LVL or glulam beams locked together by embedded metal tendons.

This combination provides immediate structural strength. And being entirely pre-fabricated, these frame and wall systems allow for very rapid construction.

EXPAN is the result of an ongoing research and development partnership between Government and industry. It is royalty free, so you are welcome to design or fabricate using EXPAN. For further information and for guidance in bringing EXPAN into the marketplace, please contact Andrew Dunn at TDA or visit www.expan.com.au

Commitment to uniformity

By Doug Howick National Secretary TPAA ONE OF the first matters affecting TPAA Members in the New Year will be the receipt of a 'Commitment' Form for each member to acknowledge their commitment to conformity  Doug Howick. with the TPAA Treatment Process Guidelines.

Having done this, we (TPAA) are entitled to advise prospective purchasers of our Treater Members‘ products that those products will have been treated according to the Guidelines.

For the next stage a little later, TPAA is planning, in cooperation with merchant and distributor associations, to organise a series of gatherings addressing the end users, specifiers and certifiers of treated timber.

For this, we shall be seeking participation, cooperation and assistance from appropriate Members.

Assessing the decay resistance of preservative treated glulam before and after gluing: This report of the third year inspection was prepared for Forest & Wood Products Australia by TPAA Technical Committee member Dr Laurie Cookson.

The objective of this research was to examine the LOSP treatment options available for H3 exposed glulam of Pinus radiata and P. elliottii. Test specimens were treated before or after gluing with azole LOSP, while some were treated with TBTN or CCA for comparison.

The results suggest that treating glulam before gluing will generally give better performance than treatment after gluing. The report may be accessed from: http://www.fwpa.com.au/Assessing _the_decay_ resistance_of_preservative_treated_glulam_before_and_ after_gluing_Third_year_inspection

Log on Today!

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FTMA 2012 Australia National Awards

“The 2012 FTMA Australia National Awards is a fantastic way for your business to stand out and to be independently audited,” says FTMA executive officer Kersten Gentle.

“During tight economic times, consumers are often searching for a superior quality of product and customer service and FTMA Australia believes that the benefits to your business in winning a category or being named as a finalist are an added advantage for your business.

“FTMA Australia has continued its improvement of the awards and with a tight criteria and procedures with the judging put in place, believes that your business will benefit from the independent audit and feedback,” she said.

The 2012 FTMA Australia National Awards will be announced at the prestigious official dinner at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne on 16 June.

The awards are only open to financial members and FTMA encourages all members to participate in the Awards.

The 2012 FTMA Australia National Awards categories include:-: • Best National Small, Medium and Large Frame and Truss Plant • Best Overall National Frame and Truss Plant • Innovation Award • Supplier of the Year • OHS Award for Small, Medium & Large Frame & Truss Plants • Recognition of Employees Years of Service • ForestWorks National Training Award • WoodSolutions Innovative Design Award for Frame and Truss Fabrication

 Front page photo:

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

Australasia

www.ftmaaustralia.com.au FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT KERSTEN GENTLE:

0418 226 242

Advanced Timber Systems and the highly successful Tradeware (both Queensland businesses) are featured in a special segment in this issue. Read more on page 6.

NEWS

5 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

Timber a versatile solution for UWS Climate Change Research Facility B

ORAL TIMBER’S Kiln Dried F27 (KDF27) structural timber has been used extensively in the development of the University of Western Sydney’s Climate Change and Energy Research (CCER) Facility at Richmond, New South Wales.

Highlighting the trend towards adaptive reuse of buildings, the refurbishment project incorporates an existing 1930s two-storey brick building to provide new research facilities, laboratories, post graduate offices, lecture theatres and a publicly accessible atrium and conference exhibition space.

Providing a natural link to the existing building’s timber gable roof structure and timber windows, Boral Timber’s KDF27 product in Blackbutt species was chosen as a cladding and joinery treatment and used predominantly in the public areas within the CCER facility. Blackbutt timber linings and details were selected for a contemporary ‘vestibule tube’ which connects the east and west entries of the building.

Blackbutt timber battens were used in the construction of four fully functioning thermal chimney stacks which hang above the main atrium. The battens, in association with scrim cloth backing, were also incorporated into wall and ceiling linings as an acoustic control, to absorb direct sound in both the public areas and the lecture theatre.

Michael McPherson, Senior Associate with Suters Architects said, “The design intent was to clearly differentiate the old from the new through material choices and detailing, while also maintaining the integrity of the original building.

other material selections, providing a perfect balance to the rich, earthy textures of the brickwork on the existing structure. The selection of Boral’s Australian Forestry Standard certified timber was also a critical element in addressing sustainability

“As a natural and locally produced material, timber was the ideal choice due to its conceptual link to the building’s function of providing empirical data to assess the impact of climate change on Australia’s land and water resources. The Blackbutt species was selected for its longevity, durability and versatility. Its golden yellow and pale brown colours worked well with

considerations.” The design team worked with the contractor, client and sub contractors to determine the most efficient methods for the construction of the timber elements.

Robert Gonda from Di Emme Creative Solutions, who designed and installed the thermal chimneys, said, “This project illustrates the distinct way in which timber can be used creatively.

Installing the fully functioning thermal chimney stacks was a unique and challenging project for us and required a high level of customisation, including the testing and inspection of prototypes.”

The project design commenced in September 2009 and the building was occupied in March 2011 with the timber elements installed by Di Emme Creative Solutions and Choice Projects. The project was named finalist in the Public Category of the BPN Sustainability Awards 2011.

Boral has achieved Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) chain of custody certification (AS 4707-2006) for its timber products. This means that timber used to produce Boral Timber’s hardwood flooring, decking and structural timber has been sourced from certified, legal and sustainably managed resources. AFS Chain of Custody certification is the only chain of custody

certification process that is an Australian Standard. The Australian Forestry Standard Scheme also has mutual recognition by the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Scheme (PEFC) - the world’s largest forest management certifier.

Fullpower

Processing Processing Options Options Moulders – 4 to 9 Spindles Band Resaws

Integrated Dust Extraction Systems

See us at AWISA2012 on stands 4113 – 4118

5/42 Clinker Street, Darra, Qld 4076 Ph: 07 3715 7722 Fax: 07 3715 7733 Email: info@timbersystems.com.au

BUSINESS PROFILES

TIMBERMAN, February 2012 – 6

Excellence is the trademark T

RADEWARE IS very much a household name in Queensland and for good reason.

The business is regarded as a leader in a highly competitive industry and maintains that role through expansion, partnerships and what founder and owner Mitch O’Mara refers to as good old fashioned service.

The Tradeware story started back in 1983 when Mitch was driving trucks for a local sawmill. He experienced all facets of the timber industry from sawmilling and dispatching to retail and trade timber sales all over south east Queensland.

Mitch later took on the role of managing a retail and trade outlet in Cleveland which gave him the opportunity to apply what he’d learnt. He quickly improved and expanded the business and was soon asked by the owners to work his same ‘magic’ on some of their other outlets.

By late 1993 Mitch realised that with his knowledge of the timber industry and his understanding of people’s needs he could use these skills to open his own timber

yard … and a short time later Tradeware was formed.

In the following years Mitch, with the help of his wife Leonie, developed Tradeware into a thriving business with a reputation for offering top quality products and first-class service.

In October 2004 the decision was made to take it a step further to expand Tradeware in terms of facilities and market appeal. This saw a complete overhaul of both the yard and buildings, the incorporation of a lattice factory and the development of comprehensive display and showroom facilities that now form the Tradeware of today.

Throughout this advancement another Queensland-based firm came into the picture …

Advanced Timber Systems.

Tradeware had encountered some feeding problems with its four side planer and sought help from ATS. One of its technicians serviced and reset the four sider and carried out some operator training and the feeding problem was overcome.

 David Starling docking 200mm x 200mm

hardwood posts on the Fullpower FCS-24S.

 T he Fullpower CHA-650 Jet Pulse Clean Air Dust Extraction Unit and Fullpower FCS-24S Heavy Duty Pneumatic Docker.

“With a growing relationship between the two companies, ATS assisted with the purchase of a secondhand 1100mm wide belt sander to add to the list of processing machines already at the Capalaba yard,” said Liam Miller, manager.

Tradeware’s popularity with the builders and public as a one stop supplier of quality timber and fittings from complete house orders to the home handyman fence or deck was increasing all the time. It wasn’t long before more machinery was required, and Mitch decided it was time to increase his machining capacity to cater for the increasing demands of his ever growing client base.

“After some meetings with ATS and some good feedback from other satisfied customers, Mitch agreed to go ahead with an upgrade which consisted of relocating some of his existing equipment and purchasing some new machines,” said ATS director Ian Watkins.

The existing radial arm saw was relocated and a new Fullpower 24” pneumatic

 The Fullpower FTF-900 Band Resaw with David Plath (infeed) and David Starling tailing out.

docking saw capable of cutting end sections up to 200mm x 200mm and as wide as 530mm x 50mm was installed in its place.

“To help with handling the increased timber sizes the saw was fitted with a heavy duty infeed and outfeed roller table complete with calibrated scale and length stops,” Ian explained.

“The existing 10hp rip saw was then replaced with a new Fullpower 20hp band re-saw with hydraulic hob feed and a cutting capacity of 350mm x 350mm and this also was fitted with an ATS custom built infeed and outfeed carriage to take the load off the operator when resawing large end section timber.

“With the extra machinery the old cyclone dust extraction system was removed to make way for a new Fullpower 430mm, 25hp jet pulse clean air dust extractor which was more than capable of handling all the new machines with a little extra capacity for future additions.

“To complete the package the original piston compressor was replaced with a 15hp screw unit with built-in dryer to handle the reverse air pulse cleaning system built into the dust extractor as well as supplying all the other machinery including the lattice building area,” said Ian. “To minimise disruption to Tradeware’s business, ATS provided qualified technicians to carry out the installation over one weekend, having the new equipment ready for the operators to receive operational and maintenance training on the Monday morning,” said Liam.

A fact that should not be overlooked is that Tradeware has been awarded ‘Best Traditional Timber Merchant - City’ - 2006 2007 and ‘Best Specialist Timber Merchant’ - 2008 2009 2010 2011 … all that in a tough, competitive industry.

 “You’ll love our fully detailed outdoor displays,

complete with pergolas, decking, fencing.... plus a few ideas you’d never thought of. Our airconditioned indoor flooring showroom features no less than eight fully prepared and finished timber floors on display, plus many others to choose from,” says Mitch.

BUSINESS PROFILES

7 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

All kitted up with the latest machinery K

IT HOME builder Alternate Dwellings has not only built a plethora of houses of all shapes and sizes for just about every point in Australia it has also built a reputation as a state-of-theart manufacturing facility.

The Victorian-based business has carved out its niche in the highly competitive industry after kicking off at Moondarah with a handful of people just over two decades ago.

“Kit homes have always been our concept,” says AD’s secretary/manager Dave Mander.

From those early days AD then moved to Moe and rent/leased a factory before purchasing the current site in 1996 ... “and it’s grown ever since”.

The array of machinery available has also grown with the company. “We had a little moulder and started machining and we had a portable sawmill for a while then that became unviable.

“Then we purchased green rough sawn timber and we were air drying that, then put a kiln in -- a little tiny thing to start off with – it wasfired by a couple of diesel-injected heaters,” Dave recalled.

“Then we built another bigger kiln and that’s fired by a Branco boiler. I designed that and rebuilt it ... 50m3 in the whole thing ... you can put a fair whack of timber into it.

“Once we got going we started manufacturing windows and as a result we needed an outlet for all of the offcuts and shorts that we had.

“We had a single end tenoner and a shaper and little buzzer and things like that and then we went and got a double end tenoner and a few other bits and pieces -- that was for the windows side of it -- panel saw and things like that.

“We got rid if the first moulder we had and got a new SCM six head moulder (universal head on the back) and a 7x4 Wadkin square head machine moulder,” Dave said.

A couple of years ago we put in a finger jointing line from Weinig. We were having difficulty with the quality of timber -- like everybody, it’s all sort of gone downhill pretty rapidly -- so we now do a lot of finger jointing.

“The next and latest purchase was the MBP laminater (laminating

press). Wasn’t too far after the finger jointer that we thought that a laminater would be a good partner with that.

“It’s been very handy,” said Dave, “we produce stairs (internal and external) as well here and finding timber good enough for stair material was an issue so that was where the need for the

Three shows within a show at Sydney Exhibition Centre AWISA 2012, to be held at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, from 11 to 14 July, is the twelfth to be organised by the Australian Woodworking Industry Suppliers Association.

The exhibition has been held regularly since 1988, and attracts furniture manufacturers, cabinet makers, k i t c h e n manufacturers, j o i n e r s , shop and office fitters, mouldings manufacturers, window and door manufacturers, saw millers, and other wood, timber and panel processing industries. Architects and interior designers also attend.

This year the show has a new layout. AWISA has created three shows within the event. AWISA-Panel, AWISA-SolidWood and AWISA-Design.

AWISA – DESIGN: The products presented at AWISA by suppliers of hardware and decorative products have increased in sophistication over the years, as has the quality

and size of their displays.

Coinciding with this has been the increasing importance of the design community to this sector of AWISA’s membership. By creating a separate AWISA – Design area in Hall 2, AWISA will put emphasis on the exhibition’s strong design component. This

will make AWISA 2012 attractive to architects and interior designers as well as the traditional AWISA visitor. A centrally located café will be a feature of AWISA - Design.

AWISA – PANEL: In recent years, the majority of the machinery on display has been for panel processing. These have included panel saws, beams saws, CNC routers, edgebanders and associated software and tooling. Suppliers of these products and other panel related equipment

should book their space in AWISA – Panel. This panel processing area will be the place for the cabinet, kitchen, furniture, fit-out and other panel processing industries to visit to select new equipment.

AWISA – SOLIDWOOD: AWISA acknowledges that the show does not attract some companies w h o s e machinery is used for solid wood and timber processing.

AWISA is therefore doing all it can to make the exhibition relevant to suppliers of solid wood machinery by creating the special solid wood processing area. AWISA is also conscious that these suppliers may not have a home at any other event in Australia, with other events that they might consider being primarily for the forestry and logging sectors. AWISA intends to make AWISA 2012 the place for the solid wood and timber machinery industry to exhibit and do business.

press came in. “We now do laminated beams, structural beams as well as posts; that’s what the laminater is for.”

Dave explained that the MPB laminating press was done within a fairly close timeframe.

“I think it was the first one they had built. we just sat down with MPB and

Aaron Bottomley and told them what we thought we’d need and he came back with a few ideas and it went from there,” Dave said.

“It has now put us in a position where we can do whatever we need to fill any gaps in the market.

We can produce just about anything that’s needed in our buildings,” said Dave.

AD is regarded as a market leader and with its ever-growing range of kit homes it seems that it is definitely here for the long haul. when asked whether AD would venture into the overseas market, Dave replied ... “Owner Glenn Brooks has looked into that but the domestic market seems to be the way to go.”

MPBENGINEERING.COM.AU

LAMINATING PRESSES LEADING THE WAY WITH CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY

• Designed by MPB Engineering to create laminated beams.

• Hydraulic pressure to evenly and accurately press the beam to create a strong glue bond • Beams with or without a camber • Australian designed and Australian built • Applicator also available to dispense the glue evenly over the face of each piece with the capability to do a variety of width’s • MPB can also supply fingerjointing solutions, handling equipment, standard and custom machinery.

MPB Engineering 30-32 South Link Dandenong South, Vic (03) 9702 7933 mpbengineering.com.au

TIMBERMAN, February 2012 – 8

SCANNING

LHG: The auto-grading choice of experts W

E S P I N E INDUSTRIES recently took its planer mill grading system, the Lineal High Grader (LHG), to the next evolutionary level installing vision scanning and updated software to fully automate the grading process at its Dardanup facility in Western Australia. This upgrade allows it to extract a whole lot more value from its timber resources and reduce the requirement for human intervention in the process.

The bonus for WESPINE

is on the bottom line, with increased throughput and value recovery numbers.

For its customers the result is seamless; continued consistency in the appearance and strength of the product in its timber packs.

WESPINE began its journey toward automated grading in June 2005 when it implemented a machine grading assist in the form of the LHG outfitted with laser profile and X-ray scanning.

WESPINE’s Business Development Manager, Richard Schaffner admitted

they contemplated laser vision from the start, but in 2005 it was still in the early stages of beta-testing, so they decided to wait for the results of that process.

Trials on WESPINE wood run through the LHG showed that the system could effectively produce a useful estimate of knots using X-ray technology. The team also liked LHG’s modular design because it would readily accept upgrades and retrofits as the technology progressed.

Additionally, LHG could be integrated with WESPINE’s existing Metriguard HCLT machine, enabling the mill to take an incremental step forward.

Schaffner explains the benefit WESPINE is achieving with this investment. “Before the vision implementation, LHG was unable to detect and classify resin pockets and streaks, or splits and checks. A single grader had only one option when dealing with center faults of this type – downgrade the piece in its full length. This typically affected between 5% and 7% of pieces, and was resulting in significant loss of value. Upgrading the

LHG with laser vision has enabled automatic detection and classification of these defects, and value recovery has improved significantly.”

He went on to explain that within two to three weeks of commissioning, WESPINE started to realize significant improvements in grade and value recovery. “Now eight months after start-up, tuning has progressed and grade recoveries have stabilized, with the company realizing close to 4% improvement in value recovery in the planer mill. This represents a huge step forward.”

Schaffner concluded that “WESPINE takes our

obligation to comply with the Australian grading standards very seriously, and we believe that a cautious and thorough approach to our grading technology is justified. Our customers have grown used to WESPINE’s product quality and it would reflect negatively in the market if the quality was to suddenly drop. We have managed the transition to graderless operation on our planer mill line with no market disruption due to quality at all. We could not have achieved these things without the benefit of the strong working relationship we have developed with the USNR team.”

HOUSING

9 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

New housing market to improve after stalling in 2010/11 L

EADING INDUSTRY analyst and economic forecaster, BIS Shrapnel, expects the beginning of a recovery in new lot production from 2011/12 across Sydney, south-east Queensland and Perth over 2011/12, while lot production in Melbourne and Adelaide will continue to weaken.

According to BIS Shrapnels Outlook for Residential Land, 2011 to 2016 report series, new house and land activity softened or fell in all major markets in 2010/11, due to the expiry of the First Home Owner’s Grant Boost Scheme, the sharp interest rate rises in 2009/10 (and further rise in November 2010), and slowing economic growth through the year.

However, this decline is creating a rising undersupply in a number of markets, and with an improved interest rate outlook and strengthening economic conditions expected over 2011/12, new house and land activity will begin to recover in those markets where the deficiency will be most

pronounced. Senior project manager and report series author, Angie Zigomanis, says the expiry of the First Home Owner’s Grant Boost Scheme had a significant impact on new lot production during 2010/11 – not only directly through the decline in demand from first-home purchasers themselves, but also indirectly as weaker demand for entry level dwellings prevented upgraders from selling their dwellings to purchase a new house.

“Following the expiry of the Boost Scheme, first-home buyer demand in 2010/11 was around half that of the stimulus-induced peak of calendar 2009, reflecting the pulling forward of demand to take advantage of the incentive,” he said.

The report series found that, with the exception of Sydney and Perth – where activity is still modest – all capital city and south-east Queensland markets reported a fall in lot production in 2010/11.

After record lot production in Melbourne and new record

levels in Adelaide in 2009/10, any pent up demand pressures have now well and truly eased, and activity is slowing.

Lot production in the southeast Queensland markets of Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast has collapsed to long term lows, reflecting the underlying oversupply of dwellings across the region.

“However, there is light at the end of the tunnel,” says Zigomanis. “A rising deficiency is developing in a number of markets, while a benign interest rate outlook will see purchaser confidence begin to return, particularly with the flow-on effects from rising resource investment forecast to permeate through the rest of the economy from 2012.

“First home buyer demand also appears to have bottomed out, with the ‘pull forward’ effect created by the First Home Owner’s Grant Boost Scheme having been largely worked through. We expect a slow recovery in first-home buyer demand through 2012, which will help to underpin upgrader

Bounce on first rate cut THE FIRST interest rate cut in two and a half years had an immediate impact on the new home building sector. The HIA - JELD-WEN New Home Sales report, based on a survey of Australia’s 100 largest builders, showed a significant bounce for sales in November 2011.

Total seasonally adjusted new home sales increased by 6.8% in November last year following a downwardly revised 2.8% gain in October. Detached house sales increased by a relatively healthy 9.8%, driven primarily by a stronger showing in New South Wales and Victoria. Multi-unit sales placed a dampener on the good news party, dropping by 17.0%.

“This is a healthier but not unexpected result,” said HIA Chief Economist Dr Harley Dale.

“Only two months earlier in September 2011, detached house sales plumbed an 11 year low,” said Dr Dale. “From this parlous starting position, and with speculation regarding a rate cut mounting and then delivered upon, anything other than some recovery in sales volumes would

have been surprising, not to mention highly disturbing,” he said “With falling interest rates, a competitive building market, and a greater availability of skilled trades amidst still very soft overall demand conditions, now is clearly a good time to build a new home for those who are financially set to take that decision.

“There is, however, a long way to go to restore new home sales volumes to acceptable levels.

At present sales volumes are running at least 20% below what you could conservatively call healthy,” Dr Dale said.

“Interest rate cuts, both those we’ve had and those that are still warranted, provide a starting catalyst for a sustained and strong recovery in new home building conditions. Such a recovery won’t emerge, however, without welltargeted Government stimulus and without a re-engagement of the policy reform process to reduce the high and inefficient barriers to new housing supply,” he said.

 PRIVATE NEW DWELLING SALES -AUSTRALIA (SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)

demand for new houses and land.” BIS Shrapnel says this should see the residential land market pick up nationally over 2011/12, and accelerate over 2012/13 as economic growth also strengthens. The upturn will be focused in Sydney, Perth and south-east Queensland, which are building new dwellings well below the level required by population growth and where the underlying dwelling deficiency is increasing or, in the case of south-east Queensland, will emerge.

In contrast, new dwelling construction in Melbourne and Adelaide has been at, or close to, record levels, resulting in their dwelling deficiency shrinking, and moving into a possible oversupply. In these markets, lot production will continue to decline from their extremely high levels, although will remain relatively high in a long term sense.

“Pent up demand in those markets where there is a rising deficiency will be supported by a stable interest rate environment as well as

rising employment and income growth from a recovery in economic conditions, which will help confidence return to the market through 2011/12,” says Zigomanis. “This will stimulate activity in housing markets and consequently land markets. Nevertheless, new house and land activity will vary nationally, depending on overall affordability in each market, and the level of pent up demand.”

However, BIS Shrapnel warns the environment for new house demand, and therefore the demand for land, will begin to deteriorate over 2013/14 as interest rate rises eventually have an

impact across all markets.

The gains in employment and income growth up until then will overcome some of the initial rises and will continue to support activity. But as inflationary pressures become more acute as the resource investment boom peaks and creates skills shortages and wages pressure, a sharp tightening in interest rates is expected, taking the standard variable rate to a forecast peak of 8.75% in the first half of 2014. This will have a negative impact not only on residential demand, but the economy as well, with residential activity forecast to enter a downturn over 2014/15.

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AUSTIMBER

TIMBERMAN, February 2012 – 10

Materials handling solutions fo F

OR THE first time Combilift Australia coupled with Adaptalift Hyster will be exhibiting at AUSTimber 2012 in Mount Gambier, 2931 March. Visit Combilift Australia on stand S19 in the outdoor area where there will be various products on show designed and built specifically for the timber industries needs and applications in mind.

Coupled with the Hyster

product, which has been synonymous with the timber industry for many decades, the Agria and Combilift products complete an impressive portfolio, providing alternatives when standard products fail to meet customer requirements.

The Agria The European built Agria, is a tough, roughterrain 4WD forklift that

is specifically designed to work in difficult conditions, especially where rough terrain or limited access defeats other machines. It excels in any application from agricultural, mining and construction to working off the back of a brick truck. Competitively priced and available throughout Australia from Combilift Australia’s national distributor Adaptalift Hyster, there are now 5 models to

choose from with capacities ranging from 1600kg up to 3000kg and lift heights up to 6m.

The Agria is built to work around the clock with ample power supplied by either a Deutz or Perkins diesel engine.

Driver comfort and ease of operation are important features of the Agria, with excellent visibility due to the high mounted driver’s cabin.

Hydrostatic transmission and steering and a double service brake system make the Agria an excellent forklift to operate. Sideshift is fitted as standard. Suitable for loading and unloading road trucks it has no problems negotiating the tightest or steepest truck ramps and difficult terrain areas.

Its ease of serviceability and robust construction make it a reliable practical choice when you need to go where a standard forklift will not.

The Agria is ISO 9001:2000 certified, following established protocols of quality in every phase of production, through all aspects of manufacture from the reception of the raw materials to the final product.

The Combi-CB

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The latest incarnation from world leading 4-way forklift manufacturer Combilift, is the market leading CombiCB, bringing to the market a multidirectional forklift in a compact conventional layout, the perfect solution for both palletised and long load handling issues.

The new innovative Combi-CB (counterbalance) will bring many advantages to customers who today may be using a combination of standard conventional counter-balance forklifts, reach trucks, side loaders, or electric 4-way forklifts.

Customers have realised that replacing a combination of these forklifts with just one Combilift, capable of performing multiple tasks both indoors and out not only increases safety but saves on time and costs.

The Combi-CB now with capacities of up to 4000kg, is available in a variety of fuel types including LPG, Battery Electric and Diesel with lift heights up to 7.5m. Its rubber tyres give the advantage of indoor/outdoor capabilities, the standard 1,400mm wide fork carriage with integrated fork positioner offers excellent support for handling long products while a fully enclosed cabin with heater can be offered to accommodate harsh/wet environments.

Currently the Combi-CB is working in a wide variety of applications, particularly

in retail outlets, timber yards and manufacturing plants where not only the use of all available shelf space is crucial but where safe handling of loads and manoeuvrability is paramount.

The Combi-CB is truly a multi-directional counterbalance, as there is no platform, perfect for palletised goods and long loads where they can be stacked directly from the floor up, enabling 100% use of lower storage areas. The small physical compact size of the Combi-CB allows it to load and unload containers and transport the pallets or long loads directly to the warehouse.

Contact Combilift Australia directly or ask your forklift supplier for

information on the Combilift or Agria products. Combilift Australia will provide no obligation free customer site demonstrations as well as warehouse layouts to illustrate the best possible use of available storage space using the Combilift systems.

Visit us on stand S19 at the AusTimber show and have a look at the practical option for all your rough terrain material handling needs.

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For a no obligation free demo please contact Adaptalift Hyster on 1300 880 335 or visit our website www.combilift.com.au

AUSTIMBER

11 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

or the timber industry COMBILIFT AUSTRALIA Established in 2002, Combilift Australia, a division of Adaptalift Hyster has matured to become Australia’s “best solutions provider”.

In response to a growing need within Australia for forklifts that could handle long loads in a safe and efficient manner, Adaptalift Hyster decided to look abroad for the solution. After extensive research, the Combilift and Aisle-Master forklifts stood out as the products that would eliminate the deficiencies of traditional forklifts in this area and improve both safety practices and space utilisation.

After inspecting the Combilift facilities in Ireland, Adaptalift Hyster entered into a strategic alliance which has seen AAL Hyster introduce the Combilift and Aisle-Master products to the Australian market with immediate success. A few years later, the Spanish forklift Agria was introduced, allowing Combilift Australia the ability to also offer forklifts specifically designed to work in areas under difficult conditions. This rough terrain vehicle is being widely used in the building and agricultural industries as well as other specialised industries.

Seven years on, Combilift Australia continues to source and import specialised materials handling equipment for both rental and sale within Australia. With over 700 Combilifts, Aisle-Master and Agria forklifts working throughout Australia in a wide range of different industries.

Visit: www.combilift.com.au The Aisle-Master from Combilift Australia Aisle-Master was founded in 2000 by the developers of the highly successful Combilift 4-way forklift. First launched in the UK in 2001, AisleMaster set out to design and develop a warehouse truck that could work in narrow aisles thereby increasing storage space and also operating indoors and out. The Aisle-Master is primarily aimed at warehousing and logistics operations and third party logistics companies, but can be used in many diverse applications. It’s not application-specific: its uses are as wide as the variety of product you can store on a pallet!

The major advantages of the Aisle-Master are; Space saving, by narrowing down working aisle widths to just under 2 metres, a potential increase in storage capacity of 50% can be achieved over reach and counterbalance forklifts. It was specifically designed to work both inside and out, and incorporates features such as cushioned tyres for operation on unpaved yards. It can therefore replace an inefficient combination of counterbalance

A first for AUSTimber

trucks for outside offloading and reach or guided VNA trucks for pallet placement inside, making for much simpler and straightforward operations, eliminating double handling and speeding up “truck to rack” transportation.

Lift heights of up to 12.5m and capacities of 2500kg, AC electric and LPG powered make the Aisle-Master a flexible option for a wide variety of applications. With the Aisle-Master customers have been able to double storage capacity by replacing a reach truck with an Aisle-Master and consequently halved working aisle-widths in store areas.

Visit: www.combilift.com.au

ADAPTALIFT HYSTER Adaptalift began as Forklift Engineering Australia, which was founded in 1979 to design and manufacture forklift attachments. As demand grew for these attachments to be supplied with forklifts, Adaptalift Forklift Rentals & Sales was formed. Adaptalift has grown rapidly to become the largest privately owned forklift rental company in Australia, with a fleet of over 10,500 unit’s nation wide. The combined strength of Adaptalift and Hyster Forklifts will revolutionise materials handling in this country.

Adaptalift Hyster’s reputation has been built on total commitment to customer service while providing customers with the most reliable, flexible and cost effective solutions to their materials handling and forklift fleet management requirements. With service centres Australia wide, in all metropolitan & major regional areas, and a commitment to expand this network nationally, Adaptalift Hyster guarantee industry leading response and efficient service. Adaptalift Hyster provides the most flexible total forklift fleet management solution in the industry, with several top 20 companies taking advantage of Adaptalift Hyster’s National Network.

Visit: www.aalhyster.com.au Hyster is one of the leading global brands of materials handling equipment offering over 140 models of counterbalance trucks, warehouse and container handling equipment. The company invests heavily in research and development to ensure Hyster products are at the forefront of the materials handling industry providing maximum dependability and the lowest cost of ownership for demanding operations, everywhere.

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TIMBERMAN, February 2012 – 12

WONDERFUL WORLD OF WOOD

Fire proof window, wood you believe?

By Steve Holland

W

A R N I N G S EMERGE from the field of long dry grass. The signs tell of the imminent threat of fire,

as though the landscape did not speak clear enough.

But this is fire country. You never can be too cautious.

About 80 kilometres west of Melbourne, in a factory at an industrial estate in the

small town of Ballan, Edith Paarhammer looks out over the dry landscape.

It’s picturesque and barren.

Calm, yet dangerous. Many a fire has swept through this region.

It is perhaps an ideal setting for the Paarhammers.

After all, their company is at the leading edge of bushfire protection through the use of stronger, safer construction materials.

Building regulations in bushfire zones tightened following the devastating bushfires that swept through Victoria in 2009.

Edith and her partner Tony decided to take up

 The people in the leading team who were most involved in the development of Flame Zone windows and doors are (l-r)Bryce Hedditch, Edith Paarhammer, Tony Paarhammer, Andy Mullane. In the foreground left is the prototype first tested for Flame Zone, on the right is the one for BAL-40 (Bushifre Attack Level 40) with Flame Zone windows and doors after testing also in the background.

“We have stunned the experts. There is no one else,” Edith says with confidence and pride.

And the doors and windows that have stunned experts are made of wood.

Edith said many experts thought her company’s attempt to produce a wooden window that could withstand a bushfire would prove futile.

Now the company has achieved recognition with Australia’s first Flame-Zone approved window.

Before Paarhammer’s Flame Zone windows entered the market the only windows that fulfilled the rigid criteria for the new Australian Standard for bushfire prone areas were windows combined with a screen system.

the challenge to develop a window that could withstand a bushfire and still be a window to look at and through – before the Paarhammer product the only windows that met the Government standard needed shutters.

They applied for Government grants and assistance to develop their product.

But common misconceptions surrounding the vulnerability of wood (in general) in fires were initially difficult for the Paarhammers to overcome.

Financial support was not as forthcoming as the scepticism from so-called experts.

So the Paarhaamers funded the project themselves.

“It cost us a lot of money.

We wanted to show the experts that timber is a really good product.”

And show them they did.

The Flame Zone doors and windows successfully emerged from rigorous testing.

According to testing conducted by Exova Warrington Fire, Melbourne, Paarhammer’s Flame Zone doors and windows can withstand temperatures exceeding 850 degrees Celsius for a period of 30 minutes with an additional one-hour cooling period.

A Flame Zone window can withstand an intense fire outside while remaining relatively unscathed inside.

What’s more, the windows and doors have been proven to function even after the onslaught of a fire – allowing the person protected inside to safely emerge by simply opening the door or window once danger has passed.

Paarhammer achieved these results by restricting air flow through the use of their ‘tilt and turn’ timber mechanisms, triple glazing and other techniques.

By doing so, Paarhammer proved that wood is not just good but can be better that metal in a bushfire situation.

“Metal expands, it’s not so easy to control,” says Edith.

The Paarhammers also attribute the predictable qualities of wood to their success.

They source their wood, including Red Ironbark, from small mills in north Ballarat.

They also use Gippsland Timber, FSC Timber and sustainably harvested timber from PNG. The Paarhammers were reluctant to provide too many details about the Flame Zone technology as the company is awaiting patents associated with the Flame Zone products.

But the Paarhammer’s Flame Zone products clearly demonstrate that wood remains an important

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WONDERFUL WORLD OF WOOD building material which continues to present new avenues towards innovation and conservation.

“Timber is the most efficient material. Other products take a lot of energy to make.

“If you look at all the figures, timber is the best material there is,” Edith says.

Paarhammer is a business that seems to evolve with time by quickly adapting to social change.

Paarhammer started out making windows and kitchens in the 90s after Edith and partner Tony Paarhammer moved to Ballan from Vienna, Austria.

Tony trained as a cabinet maker and wood turner in Europe before running a wood-working school in the Papua New Guinea highlands.

They came to Australia with intentions of working in ‘middle management’ but a then stagnant Australian economy resulted in the Paarhammers return to wood work.

For a while they tried selling fine furniture, with mixed results.

“Everyone wanted it, no one wanted to pay for it,” Edith said.

But when Tony Paarhammer turned his wood crafting skills towards energy efficient consumers in 1996 things started to change.

Paarhammer now claims to be the top producer of energy efficient wooden doors and windows.

“Clients want more energy efficient products as they become more aware of sustainability and the

rising costs of energy,” Edith says.

“I think it’s not just our business, the whole industry is changing.”

Perhaps it’s the Paarhammer knack for tapping into consumer sentiment that gave rise to the success the company enjoys today.

Despite downturns in the global and local economies the Paarhammer’s business is expanding.

The company currently operates out of a 2500m2 factory and has levelled adjoining land to build a 900m2 extension.

“We can see the business grow. We believe the market has been slowly developing in our direction as people become more aware.

“We are safe saying we are a growing company.”

13 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

Red ironbark is tough, durable and sought-after

By Edith Paarhammer DUE TO the red colour of the wood, its durability and strength, recognition of red ironbark is on the increase in Australia and overseas. It is indigenous to the north-central region of Victoria; the inland slopes of NSW and occasionally the coastal regions of Victoria, NSW and Queensland. Red Ironbark is also known by its Latin name, Eucalyptus Syderoxilon, and its former subspecies Tricarpa is now regarded as a species in its own right.

It is a hardwood that grows relatively slowly but recently has grown in plantations and as ornamental urban street trees. The flowers appear in winter and seed pods stay on the tree until the following winter. Seeds germinate quite easily.

 This is a house in Wombat Forest with a rating of BAL-40, the second highest.

The tree is usually medium sized but sometimes reaches a height of 30m with a girth of 0.7m. It has a blackish or dark grey bark with deep furrows and can grow in fairly poor soils with rainfalls of between 400 to more than 1000mm.

Its heartwood is a deep red or red-brown colour and the sapwood is white. It has a very close and sometimes interlocking grain, is extremely dense and at around 1000kg/m2 it is one of the few timbers that cannot float.

These properties mean that red ironbark is hard to work with and takes its toll on machinery and hand tools. At the same time it has the advantage of being incredibly strong and long lasting and is resistant to termites. Its hardness is ameasured as 1 on a scale of 6.

Traditionally ironbark timber was used by the aboriginal people for bowls and sturdy shields and the roots for heavy boomerangs. During the gold rush, red ironbark was important for heavy construction due to its exceptional durability and strength. It is used in wharfs and heavy engineering constructions, in landscaping and joinery as well as wood turning. New and reclaimed red ironbark is now also made into furniture. Often the surface is oiled rather than painted to bring out the red colour.

Red Ironbark has a moderate to high carbon sequestration potential.

The timber also has fire retardant properties and thereby satisfies the definition as per Australian Standard of Building in bushfire prone areas 39592009 up to and including Bushfire Attack Level BAL-29. Products for higher bushfire rated areas need to be tested and approved in accordance with A1530.8.1 and AS1530.8.2 respectively.

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P RACTICAL T RAINING FOR THE W OOD P ROCESSOR  Tony and Edith in the machining part of our factory with a brand new Red Ironbark bushfire window ready for delivery.

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 The glass we use in our Flame Zone products is Schott Pyranova, a registed glass which at the moment comes from Europe. Schott Australia is in discussions with local glass manufacturers so that it can be made here under licence in the near future.

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TIMBERMAN, February 2012 – 14

WONDERFUL WORLD OF WOOD

Scientists make waves in wood N

EW TECHNOLOGY allows 3D structures to be produced in the core of fibreboard or particleboard in a single press, according to a research consortium.

Dascanova Technology teamed up with high-tech research organisations to develop methods to incorporate special 3D structures in sandwich constructions.

Dascanova chief executive officer Tomas Joscak said he was pleased with the ‘great interest’ among the industry and scientific community in Europe.

The use of such technology is not new but the new development will allow for the production of such structures in a full-core material in a single press.

A spokesperson for Dascanova said: “The producer would gain advantage from lower production and transport costs as well as reduced environmental impact.

“The woodworking industry could use Dascanova products in the same way as standard wood-based panel with the same fittings and connection elements.

“Moreover, the end user gets furniture with reduced weight and possibly at a lower price.”

The company also claims that the 3-D structure, with higher density in the board’s core which bonds together the surface layers, will allow for the construction of a stronger load-bearing structure.

It’s also thought the new technology will cut production costs.

“Due to the higher mechanical properties of such a density arrangement, a significant amount of raw material, including resin, could be saved in the lowdensity zones in the wave-like structure,” according to the spokesperson.

“The first Finite Elements Method (FEM) simulations

carried out at Louisiana State University and the Technical University in Zvolen, Slovakia, showed potential raw material savings of up to 30% at a reasonable density difference between 600kg/m3 and 400kg/ m3.

“The higher the density differences between loading structure and the rest of the board, the higher the material savings potential in comparison to standard material.”

The idea Dascanova Technology’s idea can be compared with corrugated cardboard. In such a design the wave structure of the middle paper layer makes the cardboard much stronger than the paper sheets alone.

The final products of Dascanova Technology do not have any air or hollow spaces.

This improves the stability of the board regarding physical influences, such as water condensation, and allows the product to be manipulated with standard woodworking machines.

While such full-core material could be produced in a two-step method similar to sandwich construction, it is also possible to produce Dascanova boards in a onepress process.

Dascanova Technology modifies the compressibility of selected particles in the material before pressing the final board. Subsequently, the modified areas of the final board will have a different density.

Development Many research partners from Europe and North America, including ETH Zurich, Louisiana State University, BOKU Vienna and Technical University, Zvolen, Slovakia, participated in the research sub-projects.

The Dascanova Company received two international research prizes in Switzerland (Collano Nolax Research Prize 2010) and in Austria (JosefUmdasch Research Prize 2010). Nowadays, the research and business development of the Dascanova Technology has been supported by the Austrian Government’s hightech funding agencies AWS Vienna, FFG Vienna and Tech2b Linz from Upper Austria.

In its search for an industrial strategic partner and first customer, Dascanova met with relevant potential business partners at Ligna 2011 in Hanover.

Dascanova Technology also gained favourable response among the science community at the international “Think Light” conference.

The technology, which has successfully been applied in the laboratory, is expected to be tested in a real production line this year.

Dascanova research project The basic concept behind the Dascanova project started with an idea to save material when producing wood-based panels in 2008. After about one year, the idea developed and became the subject of intensive research at BOKU University in Vienna.

“Based on positive pilot test results, the project obtained its first research funding of €100,000 from the Tech2b Business Incubator in Linz, Austria in October, 2009,” Denesi said.

“In the following year, Dascanova was awarded its High-Tech Discovery Prize worth €200,000 from AWS, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth.”

In addition, Dascanova Technology was recently

 Dascanova

fibreboard samples.

awarded two international research prizes for innovative wood and wood-based products.

The company Dascanova is a company focused on new technologies in the field of wood-based panels.

The company’s development attempts harmonises environmental impact and profitability.

Dascanova’s philosophy is evident in its name. ‘Dasca’ is a word used throughout the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and describes unique wood products with high added value. ‘Nova’ is the Latin term for innovation, progress, and modern thinking, the company’s vision.

 One of the first

drafts of the future lightweight panel.

 Tomas Joscak, chief executive officer.

 The team … Matus Joscak, Martin Denesi (co-founder) and Tomas Joscak.

 Dascanova factory model.

BUSINESS PROFILES

15 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

Davids Timber launches innovative LOSP treatment plant

By Sophie Gebhardt

O

n 18 November 2011, Davids Timber, Victoria’s leading outdoor timber wholesalers, launched its new Light Organic Solvent Preservative (LOSP) treatment plant at its factory in South Dandenong.

Hilariously MC’d by Tony Wilson (of Race Around the World fame, amongst many other achievements) and

 Maurice Efron.

launched by Louise Asher, Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business and Minister for Tourism and Major Events, the event highlighted Davids Timber’s ongoing commitment to both the continued improvement of its product and to the timber manufacturing industry in Australia.

On one of Melbourne’s first sultry days of the season, stepping into the cool of Davids Timber’s warehouse plant was a relief, not least for the almost instantaneous appearance of trays of cool drinks and snacks. While waiting for the launch to begin, guests chatted and admired the enormous stateof-the-art LOSP H3 and H2F treatment plant. Developed in close partnership with Osmose, a world leader in the production of environmentally safe preservatives, the innovative process ensures that the timber does not warp or expand during treatment and retains its pre-treatment properties. Once treated it is resistant to insects and weathering, making it ideal for use right across Australia in a vast range of exterior and outdoor applications.

 (from left) Elias Akle (general manager Osmose), David Efron, Minister Louise Asher, Nick Livanes (Osmose) Maurice Efron and Norm Nelsen (Australian Timberman).

Emerging from the LOSP plant as either bright blue or green in colour, dependent upon the treatment, the timber can be painted or stained, or allowed to weather naturally.

The LOSP plant is a further step in Davids Timber’s impressive 22year history of support for and development of the Australian timber industry.

And there’s no doubt

 Louise Asher, Minister for Innovation.

persistence in the face of the ups and downs of the industry has paid off for Davids. It is not only the leading outdoor timber wholesaler in Victoria, but can also boast that much of its product is milled at the company-owned mill in Broadford. Davids now employs 40 workers, providing a source for skills and training where current opportunities are few and far between.

Louise Asher drew attention to this long history of innovation and persistence in her speech, affirming the Victorian Government’s commitment to both small business and the timber

industry. And, since the launch of Davids’ LOSP, the Government’s stance on Victoria’s timber industry has become even clearer, with Minister Peter Walsh’s welcome announcement on December 14 securing VicForest contracts for the next 20 years. This renewed security for an industry that has been plagued by uncertainty for a number of years, and particularly throughout 2011, should give David and Maurice Efron even greater faith in the decisions they have taken and the leaps of faith they have made in propelling Davids Timber into a market-leading position.

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BUSINESS PROFILE

TIMBERMAN, February 2012 – 16

Neville Smith Forest Products: welcome re-entry

By Rosemary Ann Ogilvie

Demise and rebirth

D

In 2004, the 80-year-old business was sold to ITC Ltd, which upgraded the Mowbray processing facility with the installation of a new boiler and new kilns. Five years later, the forestry and processing assets were traded to Gunns Ltd, and with Gunns having its own existing processing facility, Mowbray became redundant.

Gunns’ decision to exit the hardwood-processing sector was the catalyst for NSFP to enter discussions about purchasing parts of its Tasmanian hardwoodprocessing business, which resulted in the Mowbray facility returning to the Neville Smith family.

Since the purchase earlier in August 2011, it has undergone another upgrade with a refit of the basic processing equipment including the moulders, end matchers, dockers, and infeeds and outfeeds. The existing boiler and kilns, and automatic racker and re-conditioners, are all still operative.

By the end of January, this facility will be geared to process 1500m3 of Tasmanian Oak per month. “We’ll employ

ecember 1, 2011, marked the official re-entry of the Neville Smith family into the Tasmanian hardwood timber industry when Australia’s newest hardwood processing business, Neville Smith Forest Products Pty Ltd (NSFP), commenced operations. Located in the Launceston suburb of Mowbray, NSFP will supply high-quality, sustainable hardwood products to the domestic and international markets.

The family’s involvement in the timber industry stretches back to 1924 when the grandfather of NSFP’s executive chairman, James Neville Smith, set up Neville Smith Timber Pty Ltd. The company grew into one of Australia’s most prominent hardwoodprocessing businesses, and the Mowbray site is actually the same site where Neville Smith started his Tasmanian Oak value-adding business during the 1940s.

 James Neville Smith

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as few people as we can to produce as much as we can, probably around 30 full-time employees,” says Neville Smith, adding that he hopes to hire a number of previous employees. “However, there’s a management structure on the ground and it will be their call.”

The highly experienced management team is comprised of executive directors James Neville-Smith and Ken Last; production manager Ian Whiteroad; sales manager Geoff Eberhardt; with Suresh Ramaraj assuming responsibility for administration and finance matters.

In addition to acquiring rack and finished stock from Gunns, NSFP will purchase green stock for further value adding from various private sawmills around Tasmania, with the view to placing that timber into the appearancegrade market locally, nationally and internationally.

“We produce only appearance-grade product: our business model is at the very top end of the valueadding chain,” says Neville Smith.

A brave step?

With the Tasmanian forestry industry in such turmoil, surely re-entering the market after a seven-year absence was a pretty courageous step?

“I think from an outsider’s perspective it would be easy to say it was a brave step, given all of the macro challenges the industry continues to face,” says Neville Smith. “However, these are challenges on which we were able to make a risk assessment, having been in the industry for such a long time, where others perhaps couldn’t.

We understand the sector, we understand the operation.

We’ve run this particular yard and mill as a business for a long time. It’s not a highly complex area within the timber industry.

We recognise our market segment will have its ups and downs, but it’s fundamentally a sustainable part of the product mix that we see going forward.

And possibly we could see the value where others couldn’t.”

He comments that the industry hasn’t changed much during the period he was out of it. “Of course there are continued on page 17.

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The same industry-leading news, views and ad’s you’re reading in this issue are now available on-line as well.

While we know print is the most convenient form for reading in the cab, lunchroom or highlighting an important point for the next reader, we also know that many of our readers want to go straight to websites or send emails from the articles and ad’s they’re reading.

Now available on-line Visit www.timberbiz.com.au/atm today to view your copy online

CUTTING EDGE

17 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

Award determined by customer input F

OR THE fifth time in succession Leitz has won the first prize of the leading magazine of the woodworking sector in Brazil. In a market survey, the magazine questioned 400

 Maristela Longhi, of the Brazilian

Furniture Trades Association Abimóvel, hands the prize to Vitor Ledur, managing director of Leitz Brazil.

Brazilian furniture and wood derived material manufacturers which suppliers they would prefer and Leitz was the best performer in the category of tools.

Vitor Ledur, managing director of Leitz Brazil, explained that most awards were judged by an expert jury whereas this prize was determined by customers.

Brazil is one of the most important markets of the woodworking sector and is characterized by stable and lasting growth and Dr Dieter Brucklacher, chairman of the Leitz management board, believes that this process will continue.

Since 1979, Leitz has had a sales and production subsidiary in Brazil producing tools for wood and plastic processing specially tailored for the local market.

In 2011, Leitz had a turnover growth in Brazil of more than 22% in comparison to the previous year.

Leitz also won a Gold Star award for its RazorCut sawblades at the Australian Woodworking and Technology Expo (AWTE) in Melbourne.

RazorCut sawblades ensure high cutting quality which dispenses with reworking steps and reduces the energy use in production.

The sawblades are finished with a special coating that reduces resin build-up.

Founded in 1876 in Oberkochen, Southern Germany, the Leitz Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tools for industrial processing of wood, wood derived materials, plastic and compound materials. Leitz products are regularly used in more than 150 countries around the world.

 Andrew Bismire, sales manager of Leitz Australia (left) and Chris Jones, managing director of Leitz Australia, with the AWTE Gold Star Award.

Neville Smith Forest Products: welcome re-entry continued from page 16. significant changes to the clients and I have a lot of work to do in getting myself back up to speed with the market.

However, most of the larger customers we traditionally sold to are very supportive of our re-entry into the sector – and we’re most grateful for that support.”

Native supply Currently all Tasmanian Oak is sourced from native forest. “However, some of the native forests coming through the system in years to come are effectively plantations,” says Neville Smith. “Consequently, the industry will need to continue to retool itself for younger logs.”

What about the stillunresolved issue of sawing plantation timber? “It gets down to the age of the log and the stresses within it – and at the moment they’re too young,” he says. “In the 1990s we were told we couldn’t harvest and process 1939 regrowth out of Victoria’s forests – but we did, although of course those were 50-to60-year-old trees. I agree with others who say that processing plantation logs for high-quality appearance-grade timber is basically unachievable at this point. However, you never say ‘never’: while these trees

remain in the ground they’re getting older and hopefully more suitable to higher-grade product in the future.”

Neville Smith adds that in his view, the deal struck between the Tasmanian industry, the Government and the environmental movement unquestionably makes the remaining logs coming out of forests highly sustainable – and he stresses this should be recognised in the marketplace.

As for the reliability of future supply of native-forest sawlogs, he believes one of the things you become used to in his sector is the question mark hanging over long-term supply.

“It’s something everyone is concerned about. My view – and call it naïve – is that in a world of carbon pricing, in a world where embedded energy must be part of the equation, inevitably a greater demand will be created for sustainable building products.

And whether or not you agree with the proposition of cutting down trees, the fact remains that harvesting and regrowing trees is a darn sight more sustainable than digging minerals out of the ground or using huge amounts of energy to produce an engineered product. I believe sanity must prevail. And in my view, the environmental groups, by and large, are believers in that same proposition.”

He adds that all over

the world, native forests are harvested under FSC certification. “Australia is the only country where FSC certification isn’t plausible in native forests – and the only reason for this is the hard-line approach by some environmental groups.

“So there’s considerable work to be done on that front.

This country is becoming ever more conscious of environmental issues, and with that consciousness comes awareness. Therefore I believe our sustainable forest products will become part of the solution.”

As for NSFP’s long-term objectives, Neville Smith comments that having just put their focus back into the industry after being outside it for a while, they aren’t thinking too far ahead. “Our main focus is on achieving our short-term, 12-month aims. We’re pretty serious about reconnecting with the broader industry and the need for greater awareness of sustainable forestry, and all the sorts of things we were pretty active in previously.

And this relates to Tasmania and nationally: we see forestry as a really critical aspect of employing people and valueadding within Australia. It can be such a great good-news story and we should be promoting it.

“We’ll certainly be doing our bit to promote the virtues of a wonderful sector.”

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FWPA RESEARCH

TIMBERMAN, February 2012 – 18

Protection at your fingertips!

A

NEW state-of-the-art work glove has been launched by industrial safety equipment specialist BOC. Constructed to the highest levels of compliance and conforming to EN388.4121, the UMATTA Silverback Lite gloves are designed to enhance safety, comfort and practicality in a wide-range of industrial applications.

Senior product manager, Safety, at BOC, Joe Martinez, said the Silverback Lite was an exceptionally lightweight, comfortable and dextrous glove.

“It has been designed to repel liquids for excellent wet or dry grip and has extra ventilation with good tactile sensitivity,’’ Martinez said.

The glove base consists of a knitted 13-guage seamless grey nylon-lycra blend shell with a palm coating of foam-dipped black nitrile for enhanced grip.

Other advanced features include abrasion resistance technology and elasticised knitted cuffs to fit snugly around the wrist and prevent particles from entering the glove.

UMATTA Silverback Lite has applications in the materials handling industry, packaging, warehousing, manufacturing, white goods assembly, automotive, plumbing, landscaping, gardening and general purpose.

One billion protected hands GLOVE MANUFACTURER, Ansell, has reached an historic milestone - the sale of its 500 millionth pair of HyFlex® gloves.

“Since its creation, the HyFlex® brand has become the number one selling industrial glove around the world, with over half a million workers wearing it daily in a wide variety of industries”, said Ansell Asia Pacific marketing manager Mitchell Mackey.

“When first introducing HyFlex in 1996, Ansell for the first time demonstrated how optimal protection does not mean one needs to give in on comfort.

“Ever since its launch, the original HyFlex concept has set a benchmark for industry players active in this category. In 15 years, HyFlex has gained critical recognition and market share for its winning combination of ergonomic design, comfort and superior mechanical protection. Today, the HyFlex range extends to 28 individual styles,

ensuring that there is a glove that fits every worker’s job performance requirements and comfort expectations,” he said.

“This milestone pays tribute to the HyFlex® original brand concept which is all about delivering protection and comfort without compromise,” said Magnus Nicolin, chief executive officer of Ansell Ltd. “With innovation being the hallmark of the HyFlex® glove range success today, Ansell is committed to continue to innovate and develop new ways of ensuring that our HyFlex series remains in pole position, and is the number one choice for workers across the globe.”

Ansell says its HyFlex® brand is the most comprehensive light-duty synthetic portfolio in the industry. Its world-leading patented Zonz™ Knit Technology reduces hand fatigue by providing stress release in the knuckle areas, setting new standards in the market.

 Ansell HyFlex® Gloves – High level protection with comfort.

Courtesy Ansell Limited.

Ear’s good news!

WORKPLACE SAFETY equipment specialist BOC has taken hearing protection to the highest level with the launch of its new UMATTA earplugs.

Senior product manager, safety at BOC, Joe Martinez, said the new disposable plugs were manufactured to the highest safety classification possible to combat the growing problem of noise-induced hearing loss.

Conforming to BOC’s world-leading safety protocols, the plugs are certified AS/NZS 1270 Class 5, SLC (80), 27db.

“With appropriate noise control measures now an essential element of OHS regulations, the provision of the right earplugs is not a decision to be taken lightly,’’ Martinez said.

“The UMATTA Class 5 earplug is the result of world class testing and has been certified to the strictest Australian and New Zealand safety standards to give workers peace of mind, at an affordable price,” he said.

“With noise absorption of 27db, there is no risk of worker isolation or over protection in medium to high noise areas.’’

Available as individual plugs or corded together, they are manufactured from high quality polyurethane foam that is hypoallergenic, smooth and soft.

The plugs are sealed on the surface to prevent foreign materials penetrating the ear which adds to wearer comfort, even when worn for extended periods of time.

The distinct blue colour also helps identification easier in production areas and limits risks of contamination in production processes.

The plugs are cone shaped for easy insertion and a gentle rolling action creates an excellent seal.

The UMATTA Class 5 plugs are available throughout the BOC Gas & Gear store network.

Log on Today!

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19 - February 2012, TIMBERMAN

TIMBERMAN Classifieds To advertise in the Timberman Classifieds call Norm Nelsen on: (03) 9888 4820

Quick, easy and

targeted industry employment

Now you can target qualified and experienced personnel in the forest and timber industries with www.timberbiz.com.au All jobs are listed for 3 days on Daily Timber News for even greater market coverage.

Post your job online at www.timberbiz.com.au/timberjobs

its the service with a touch of a button!

FOR SALE!!

New firewood processing equipment from Whitlands Engineering

SAWMILL FOR SALE Free Call 1800 702 701

Modern Gibson equipment redundant and of no further use.

www.superaxe.com.au

• Cab operated Gibson, twin overhead end dogging breakdown, includes log deck all transfers, electrical, hydraulics.

• Cab operated Gibson rotary kickers automatic bench, slat conveyor, return belts, infeed, etc.

• 2 Multi saws, 1 x100 hp as new, 1 x 300 hp all with moving saws, all electric.

• 1 auto docker 2 saws each end.

• 1 Gibson air docker.

• Green chains, sleeper press.

• 1 x 54 inch Precision, John Dodd chipper, 300 hp electric, plus all electrics.

• 1 Goldsmith saw sharpener.

• 1 John Dodd rotary chipper knife grinders.

SOLAR KILNS Kiln 1 - 18.3m x 7.3m x 3.9m high Slip Kiln 120m3 capacity, auto temp & humidity control, mech. reversable fans, upgraded fan capacity, powdercoated galvinized steel frame and ground mounted supplementary steam heating coils. - $14000 + GST Kiln 2 - 18.3m x 7.3m x 3.9m high Slip Kiln 120m3 capacity, auto temp & humidity control, elec reversible fans, upgraded fan capacity, aluminium frame,and overhead mounted supplementary steam heating coils. - $19000 + GST.

Mill is complete and can be worked. Too many items to list. Can be sold as a going concern or individually by item.

Kiln rails and running gear included.

Kilns easy to dismantle and relocate.

Also a complete operating firewood business, largest in NSW inspection invited.

Includes all logging gear, Excavators, Processors, firewood processors.

Mt Beauty Timber Industries Pty Ltd Contact Bruce Addinsall 0428 361497 or email mbtimber@bigpond.com

A U

T I M B E R

P R O C E S S I N G ,

Contact Maurie at 02 6968 4151 or 0428 684 151 Anytime.

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Someone’s looking for what you’ve got....

Got a job you need filled, a machine you no longer need, a supplier of green timber you want to find or a truckload of product you want to sell?

Contact Norm on 03 9888 4820 or email norm@timberman.net.au to get your ad in the next issue and use the power of Australia’s widest circulating timber industry publication to find the person you want to talk with.

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First glimpses for 2012!

Automatic planes and truss placement over multiple levels

www.thecornerstoneproject.com Head Office · 155 Burnside Rd · Stapylton · QLD 4207 · +61 (0)7 3297 3250 · www.multinail.com.au · enquiry@multinail.com