Upgrades: renewed focus

Upgrades: renewed focus

DOUGLAS KNOUS: MANAGER, UPGRADES AND CONVERSIONS

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Douglas Knous, Manager for Upgrades and Conversions at USNR.

Douglas’ career in the wood products industry spans over 3 decades, with experience in several sawmills, plywood and veneer plants around southern Oregon. He gained experience in production, maintenance and electrical controls before he transitioned to project management. Over the past 22 years his specialty has been controls engineering, involved in all aspects of capital projects from inception through meeting the final pro-forma criteria.

Chuck Wert, USNR Senior Vice President for Customer Support, comments, “I have worked with Douglas in the past, and have always been impressed with his knowledge and commitment to achieving a successful outcome for any project with which he was involved. I’m excited to welcome him to the USNR team.”

Q&A

MI – What does your new role at USNR encompass?

DK – My new role is Upgrades and Conversions Manager. This role was created to bring additional focus to this part of our business that exists between selling new machines and systems, and supplying spare and replacement parts. I hope to bring a quick response to customers looking to improve the performance of their existing equipment with an upgrade or retrofit. My focus will be on good project management, quick turnaround from order placement to commissioning, and an overall good support and service experience for customers.

MI – What attracted you to join USNR, and what do you look forward to in your new role?

DK – Over many years USNR has provided a lot of the capital equipment to the companies where I worked, and as a result I have become well-acquainted with a lot of USNR’s products. I’ve also had plenty of opportunity to be impressed by its people and its commitment to customers. My experience as a controls engineer and project manager seemed to be a good fit for the challenge to bring a higher level of support and partnership to USNR’s customers. I look forward to involvement in a wide variety of projects, and to being a part of the USNR family

MI – What experience do you bring from your past roles that will help you achieve success in your new mandate at USNR?

DK – My work in controls engineering and project management at the mill level has exposed me to many different technologies and equipment that are used across the industry. I have led numerous process improvement projects in both lumber and panel mills, and have worked with a wide variety of vendors and technologies over my career. Coming from a mill background, I understand what matters to the mill, and I think that perspective is going to help me to develop partnerships with mills and to then effectively execute smaller-scale projects that provide fast payback and low risk to our customers.