DESIGN
ANONYMOUS SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 2020
www.woodindustry.ca
The business side of woodworking
Looks are great, but emotion sells.
PM #41203050
Employment contracts require maintenance
design
WMC and CKCA remain dark
outside
the box
Bloos Wood Products: A Canadian heritage story
design 2020
SPOTLIGHT
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Editor and Publisher
Kerry Knudsen
kknudsen@wimediainc.ca 647-274-0507
Contributing Editor
Mike Edwards
medwards@wimediainc.ca International Accounts Manager
Alan Macpherson
amacpherson@wimediainc.ca 416-274-6208
Art Director
Lee Ann Knudsen lak@wimediainc.ca Graphics
nsGraphic Design
The business side of woodworking
Circulation
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 Vol. 16, No. 5
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Feature:
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Wood Industry is published six times annually, Jan./Feb., Mar./Apr., May/ June, July/Aug., Sept./Oct. and Nov./Dec., for the secondary wood products manufacturing and marketing industries in Canada.
Published by W.I. Media Inc. Box 84 Cheltenham Caledon, ON L7C 3L7 © 2020 by W.I. Media Inc. All rights reserved. W. I. Media Inc. and Wood Industry disclaim any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect to the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. The opinions of the columnists and writers are their own and are in no way influenced by or representative of the opinions of Wood Industry or W.I. Media Inc.
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Focus on design:
Beyond look and function Selling design in 2021 calls for emotional hooks, such as safety, security and silence.
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Profile:
6
Building components, cabinets ... and Canada Hard work was just the beginning. Immigrant determination at Bloos Wood Products of Kitchener, Ont., produced one more family business that represents the best of our nation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
WOOD Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Letters . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Filings . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Design . . . . . . . . . . . 21 New products . . . 22
Cartel . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Bullets . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Events . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Advertisers . . . . . 29 By the numbers . . 30
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WOOD INDUSTRY 3
From the editor
Expertise: The real thing B
etween now and next issue, we will be sending out our annual “Readers’ Survey.” This time, we will ask whether you have ever hired a business consultant. We all know the old saying that a consultant is somebody that got fired from his last job, and we all have seen the tired repetition of maxims by “consultants” that were cutting edge back when cutting edges were flint. However, we are talking about real consultants. People Kerry Knudsen with education, experience and training in business areas related to, but not part of, your company’s day-to-day practices. I hired BDO several years back to research and report on several areas of W.I. Media Inc. It was well worth it. I learned much of how the value stream of real information plays in industry versus the make-believe world of cut-and-paste/advertiser-directed publishing so common in contemporary trade magazines. It was a ringing confirmation of what we have done over the years to secure the respect and loyalty of our readers. That would be you. There was also an amusing aside: the investigator told me as he was leaving that BDO would like to buy our lists — that they far exceeded the quality of what they, themselves, were selling. Back to consultancy. Clearly, we are all — suppliers, manufacturers, installers, workers … — in uncharted territory. For the most part, it appears the secondary wood manufacturing sector is relatively unscathed compared to other such industries as travel, entertainment, food service and gaming. However, we would be foolish to think that’s the end of it. As I noted in this month’s e-letter, Wood Industry’s sister magazine, Coverings, for the flooring sector, saw a stunning explosion in magazines returned for the May/ June issue. This is not “cancel my subscription,” or “change my address” requests. It is magazines delivered by Canada Post to specific addresses that are no longer there. The returns went from around 45 per month to over 700 on just the one issue, and that doesn’t even start to address July/ August or the recently mailed September/October. What does this mean for the Wood Industry? I will tell INDUSTRY JULY/AUGUST 2020 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 4 WOOD INDUSTRY
you truthfully that I don’t know. However, I am confident that none of the self-proclaimed industry experts that are now out there trying to save their asses as we pull into our shells and try to see through the smoke. For my money, you can put a marker on all the losers that once sold spam lists, moved to domain names, and then website development, digital anythings, social media and selfie media, and check back in two months to see who has started a new “direction” with “virtual.” Virtual magazines, virtual meetings, virtual conferences, virtual trade shows. “What the hell?” you can hear them chant? Everything that once worked is dead. “This is the ‘new normal,’” they say. Did you ever stop to think that if it is new, it is definably NOT normal? We here at W.I. Media can help a bit. We have the resources to do deep research and come up with detailed reports. However, we remain under fire from a few disruptive advertisers that would rather see the industry falter than pay a professional fee, join in promoting the sector and roll up their sleeves. That is the old normal. Very old. Short story: we want to do what we know how to do, but we can’t with the pushback from inside our own business family. We have shown the possibilities from time to time, but we can’t go all-in with the Yahoos in all the trees. (Look it up. Yahoos are not a tech company. They were invented by Jonathan Swift in the 1700s on the other side of the pond. Google Jonathan Swift Yahoo. When you get to the part where they defecate on the heads of those beneath them, you’ve got it. Some things never change.) Looking back, I guess I misspoke. Yahoo is a tech company so stupid as to steal a metaphor three centuries old without knowing what it meant. Everybody into the pool. OK. So, I’m irked. But “irked” is not our business, so let me make the suggestion that your business, depending on size and reach, may be a candidate for a business consultant to look at trends, demand, competition, revenues, government involvement and labour. No more “a penny saved is a penny earned” sagacity stolen from the 1700s on this side of the pond. Lean may be lean, but a lean future is not an intelligent goal. If you do it, we would love to hear your thoughts. We did, and we will be around for the foreseeable future, potshots at Yahoos, and all. Comment at www.woodindustry.ca
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27.04.20 09:22 27.04.20 09:22
design
Selling design in 2021 goes beyond style. Consider... security.
INDUSTRY JULY/AUGUST 2020 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 6 WOOD INDUSTRY
the box
outside
Whose design is it, anyway? For
residential wood-products retailers and installers, there may be some interest in a recent study from the Real American Hardwood Promotion Coalition. The RAHCP was formed in 2019 to identify opportunities and challenges in promoting the American hardwood industry. (Frequent readers of Wood Industry will recognize the idea of parts of the industry cooperating within the industry to achieve goals relating to the whole, and our frequent call to our associations to recognize the necessity of effective public relations. However,
35 to 44, each with 39 percent. From a design perspective, these numbers suggest that the purchaser may be making some design decisions autonomously in the store, especially if the choice involves cutting costs and adding margins on a contract job. Keep in mind this is a hardwood-floors study, but it has ramifications for designers that wish to specify premium hardware or materials.
design 2020
SPOTLIGHT
that is not our discussion for today.) The RAHCP study reported findings from consumers and renovators buying hardwood flooring. One of the findings is that 83 percent of purchasers visited big-box stores, and only 30 percent visited small kitchen or bath boutique stores. Of the 18 to 34 age group, 83 percent visited big-boxers and 39 percent visited specialists, and 85 percent of over-65s visited big-boxers and 26 percent visited specialists. As an aside, the age groups most inclined to visit boutique shops were nest builders from 18 to 34 and
Looks first, green last
One telling, yet unsurprising, fact revealed in the study is that consumers and renovators in all age groups value materials’ appearance over durability at 70 percent to 64 percent, respectively. Also unsurprisingly, sustainability — the clarion call of the media — comes in at only 30 percent and “environmentally friendly” comes in at 23 percent. This fact becomes critical in looking forward in manufacturing, since our new employees coming in from the school systems on the design side are chock-full of advice on how the industry must change to meet an evolving market for “green” production. The ideas of conserving and preserving are not nearly as new as some would lead us to believe, and the consuming public is becoming aware that “green” also means disposable in a disposable society. Mother Nature does not approve of people mouthing
platitudes about conservation while chucking Ikea kitchens and Lowes home offices into the landfill every five years. Granted, it makes sense to target your products to a sustainable culture, but only if you realize that the “sustainable” message is neither universal nor majority and often does not meet its own standards. In those realms, looks and value still matter. According to the RAHCP study, even though looks and appearance are the pinnacle of “extremely important” at 71 percent for looks in the 35 to 44 group and 76 percent for the 45 to 54 group, durability comes in a close second at 69 percent “extremely important” for the 35 to 44s and 62 percent for the 45 to 54s.
Practical and pretty?
Unfortunately, nowhere in the study does it refer to sex. Studies should always refer to sex, not in the giggly, selfie-centered, pop-culture fascination with its endocrine systems, but in the sense that women and men think differently. Any retailer that has not figured this out is already out of business or selling into a very narrow market. For those that are confused, read the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the early 1400s. This is not new stuff. Sex may move up in the designer’s mind, now that the world is trying to figure out how to respond to the cur-
INDUSTRY 7 WOODINDUSTRY WOOD
www.woodindustry.ca www.woodindustry.ca
design 2020
SPOTLIGHT mean excellence in construction and design, but it can also mean “perceived value,” in which the value point may be neither solid wood nor particle board, but somewhere in between, wood laminates being one example.
Design for the times
rent pandemic. Whereas appearances have led the priorities on the North American mind for the past many years, the trade tensions between Canada and the U.S., along with concerns for long-term safety and conservation of family resources over “global” resources may drive consumers to see functionality over looks.
Our industry has long known the difference between functional hardware and decorative hardware, and we have known the difference between natural hardwood and printed melamine finishes. And we know that the consumer has not necessarily either known about the differences or been willing to learn. “Quality” can
Eight years ago, Wood Industry asked its readers in its Annual Readers’ Survey whether they use outside designers or in-house. Over 56 percent of you said you provide in-house design for your customers. Assuming that has not changed, what is a designer supposed to do when addressing such matters as the concerns of women, Covid, China and social fads? One response to uncertainty may be for consumers to look toward value instead of decoration. That may be hard to imagine if you’ve been in retail very long. However, producers of
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wood products have long been aware of the dichotomy between function and decoration. We have had to be. We even have an industry separation between decorative hardware and functional hardware, although the definition gets hazy at the edges. If we look at our own marketing, we have tended to display model kitchens, bedrooms or offices, as if to say, “Look at that!” Then we rely on such value statements as the quality of materials, etc.
simultaneously? Not that it should, but the dream that a kitchen could be tightly organized, quiet on its hinges and slides and strong goes, emotionally, where it should: to security, and security is safety. The oldest adage in kitchen cabinetry may well be that a cabinet is
Safety in a box
However, what if we, as an industry, were to hire a professional PR firm, as did the RAHCP? A professional PR firm, representing the industry as whole, would tell us to study the habits of our customers. The firm might tell us what we already know. For example, it may tell us that women are the primary decision makers in a kitchen or bath purchase. So we can say, “We already knew that. This is worthless.” And that would be the end. But what if the next info-bit was that women, as a group, tend to be more risk-aversive than men and more interested in security? That might lead the PR company to recommend moving to a slogan that would appeal to the primary customer base, and it might recommend to portray a kitchen as a film star: the strong, silent type. Quiet kitchens are a fantasy to most consumers. In those noted 18 to 54 age groups, kids are romping, and the kitchen is one place where childhood and adulthood clash, and with good reason. No. You cannot pull the handle on a stove pot to see what’s cooking. No. You cannot use chef’s knives to dig up an anthill. And no, you cannot pull out the drawers to use as a ladder. However, “no” often does not prevail in kid-world, so what might a consumer think of a drawer system that can hold the weight of three tykes
nothing but a box with a door is the truest adage, as well. But selling that product requires thinking outside the box if you are looking to attract a customer that is driven by more than geometry and price. Comment at www.woodindustry.ca
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INDUSTRY 9 WOOD INDUSTRY
Letters WOOD Sixteen tons
Letters on the August 2020 e-letter, posted at woodindustry.ca Ah, Kerry, you have a habit of reading my mind. The problem with our wooly-headed politicians and our journalists-turned-opinion writers is that they have never cracked open a book of facts that hasn’t been re-written, not to give offense. They have drunk the Kool-aid served up by pinko-commie-u ‘instructors.’ Therefore, they spout whatever is shouted at them the loudest and god forbid they should listen to the regular people. So ‘black lives matter,’ but only select ones. ‘Defund the police’ – in fact, ‘abolish the police’ altogether, until someone scratches their car. Way back in the day before I, too, became a crusty old codger, we made sure we got our money’s worth because it was us who were paying the bills, not our parents. We demanded university and college courses that would lead to a job that wasn’t in McDonalds. Now-a-days, kids are told they are ‘special’ and have the ‘right’ to get whatever they want. They get trophies for just showing up. In fact, if it’s too much to show up, the trophy will be mailed. Then they get to the real world and surprise, surprise, that ain’t the way of the land. Time for the ‘Special People’ to be held accountable. Defund the universities who are feeding this propaganda crap to our youth. Hold the Liberals’ feet to the fire and make them understand that IT’S NOT THEIR DAMNED MONEY THEY ARE SPENDING. Yes, there’s an election coming up but there’s a couple of problems. 1. None of the other parties have leaders OR POLICIES that are much better than Selfie Boy & Co. 2. People don’t understand that there is no such thing as ‘free’. Not only is somebody paying the price, but those
who constantly take, take, take, are forfeiting their ambition, self respect and reducing themselves to a lower level in our society. The ones who depend on ‘free’ stuff vote Liberal as do the Fancy People who want to ‘do their part to better the world.’ All we can do is keep on plugging away and support the kids with gumption and moral fibre to get a good start. They’re out there in solid numbers and they’re our hope for keeping Canada a mighty fine country. Barbara Spyropoulos Most of my neighbours are business owners. Some of us were talking over the weekend. It was beautiful here in the valley. All present agreed that corruption in the government is a huge problem. I made the point that we keep catching them. We caught Chretien, Martin, now Trudeau. In Ontario we caught Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne actually destroying evidence. So we’re great at catching them. Then what happens? If you look back into the post-WWII years, we took such things seriously and we did things to stop it. — kk Great editorial today. Thank you for your work, or should I say “words”, which is work in your case! Business on the West Coast is entirely dependent on sector. Building supply is crazy busy, I guess people are looking at their back yards and thinking they will spend more time there instead of travelling to Tuscany. Definitely I think the great majority of people still have as much money today as 6 months ago. We have a new business less than a year old that is showing good growth qqq. lumberstore.ca for outdoor lumber. But we have never been retail people and I am finding that to be a challenge (amazing ignorance in retail, mind numbing, makes me want to
INDUSTRY JULY/AUGUST 2020 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 10 WOOD INDUSTRY
cry, so we are adding Lumber 101 to our website). With China now facing steep import duties (otherwise known as access fees) for moulding and millwork there will be another bump as the supply side figures that one out, remember West Coast supplies large volumes of Hemlock and other species shop and btr grade lumber to China. In other words the business is just a giant see-saw going up and down and it depends on how light/heavy you are to see how much you crash! Ha Ha (I’m no lightweight, I have legs heavier than most Chinese lumber exporters.) Bottom line for our sector, we are keeping busy, but the customers are changing. I see us selling much more domestically (within Canada) as it “recovers” and much less to Japan/ China/Europe. A complete change to the business plan. But the alternative isn’t good! How is your advertising revenue keeping up? Hope you are doing ok. Cheers, Doug Carl Good points. I am certain the import duties on China, stresses over Hong Kong, the TikTok and Huawei controversies, the extradition of Meng Wanzhou, the riot of canceled extradition treaties between China and other countries, the Chinese sentencing of two Canadians to death and a rash of other political and economic facts have occurred under the cover of Covid-19. It will be interesting to see how China is actually faring once the veil is lifted. Ad revenues are tough. Many of our advertisers rely heavily on shows for promotion, and they advertise ahead of the shows. We had a rolling closure of shows, small and large, culminating in the cancellation of Xylexpo and IWF, which has set everybody back on their heels. Nobody has a crystal ball on this one. All the shows are looking to reopen. Globally, there is a push to make all shows go “virtual.” We will see. For now, magazines and trusted e-letters are the only game in town when it comes to mass marketing. That’s it. Direct sales or media.— kk
Thanks Kerry for this letter. You are right. People have to wake up and look at what is going on. Is the pandemic an issue because of the USA’s coming election — because they don’t know how to beat Trump? And I don’t know where to start with us and the Trudeau mafia stealing money from the people and making so many bad decisions with our money and the lockdown for what? A bad flu? And why is Trudeau still there after being caught so many times filling up his pockets and his friends’? I can’t wait for our election, and hopefully the Trudeau gang will not find a way to be re-elected but lose by a lot. Guy Lussier Hi Guy, I think it is very concerning to see in the States that the conversation has turned strongly toward the topic of stealing elections and rigging ballots. To me, that strikes at the very foundation of freedom. I hope they can figure it out. Stalin allegedly said, it does not matter who votes. What matters is who COUNTS the votes. — kk
Wood products solidarity
Letter on the Wood Industry US August 2020 e-letter, posted at woodindustryus.com Love reading your articles from down-under, although I see some of your colleagues in street interviews don’t know where that is. Seriouly, when Americans can’t even find America on a map, you have to ask, “what the hell is going on over there?” Its likely we have people like that in Australia. Lots of opinion based on media hype and nothing else, which brings me to your point on research, does anybody take the time now or do they take all their ‘facts’ from CNN and MSNBC? I mix my CNN up with FOX and somewhere in there is the truth, leaning mostly to FOX as the more meaningful source. If American politics is weird now (and it is) imagine how much weirder it will be with sleepy Joe in power (whatever that means). Philip Ashley
Filings WOOD Flashing yellow A quick check about Homag with Simply Wall St. revealed some cautions in its February 10, 2020 report. This website, directed at investors, not manufacturers, notes that a primary reason for investing in Homag has been that it pays a dividend. However, the site reports:
Homag Group has been paying dividends for a long time, but for the purpose of this analysis, we only examine the past 10 years of payments. This dividend has been unstable, which we define as having been cut one or more times over this time. During the past 10-year period, the first annual payment was €0.30 in 2010, compared to €0.40 last year. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 2.9% a year over that time. The growth in dividends has not been linear, but the CAGR is a decent approximation of the rate of change over this time frame. It’s good to see some dividend growth, but the dividend has been cut at least once, and the
size of the cut would eliminate most of the growth, anyway. We’re not that enthused by this. Given that the dividend has been cut in the past, we need to check if earnings are growing and if that might lead to stronger dividends in the future. Over the past five years, it looks as though Homag Group’s EPS have declined at around 100 percent a year. With this kind of significant decline, we always wonder what has changed in the business. Dividends are about stability, and Homag Group’s earnings per share, which support the dividend, have been anything but stable. … When we look at a dividend stock, we need to form a judgement on whether the dividend will grow, if the company is able to maintain it in a wide range of economic circumstances, and if the dividend payout is sustainable. We’re glad to see Homag Group has a low payout ratio, as this suggests earnings are being reinvested in the business. Second, earnings per share have
Tips on design
Thanks to those that appreciated our profile in March with Yuill McGregor and North on Sixty. McGregor requested the use of one of our profile photos to incorporate on his website. Here is the front page, not so much to see the photo, but to see what a website can look like. It’s your new reception desk and the first i mpression most of your clients see. — Editor
www.woodindustry.ca www.woodindustry.ca
INDUSTRY 11 WOODINDUSTRY WOOD
WOOD Filings
Acimall approves adds. The company is using the investLuigi De ment Vitopartnership as its new president towards the further
general implementation of advanced The machinassembly ery, equipment and software, with ex- of Acimall, the pansion plans for the manufacturing been in decline, and its dividend has been cut at association of Equity strategic alliance cabinetry that has attracted projects facility and showrooms. least once in the past. While we’re not hugely bearItalian manufacfor world-famous celebrities, distinpushes Irpinia Kitchens ish on it, overall we think there are potentially betturers of furniguished clientele and high-profile res- AWFS names toward expansion ter dividend stocks than Homag Group out there. ture and wood Irpinia Kitchens of Richmond Hill, idential developers, the company says. Visionary Award winners technology, has Ont., has entered into a partnership Irpinia’s designers use a combination More caution approved the with Toronto, Ont.-based investment of European flare and North AmeriPrompted by the restraint advised on Homag, a review of appointment of firm Rhyno Equity Group. Irpinia can sensibility to provide character Biesse, also at Simply Wall St., in the September 4, 2020 Acimall’s Lorenzo Primultini (left), Luigi De Vito to is a designer and manufacturer of and functionality into their designs, it report also bears reflection: past president, Marianna Daschini, president for the We can see from the most recent balance sheet that vice president and Luigi De Vito, 2020-2023 Biesse had liabilities of €303.1m (up from €254.5m in president. period, together April) due within a year, and liabilities of €119.3m due with Marianna beyone that. Offsetting this, it had €140.9m in cash Daschini taking the role of vice president. De Vito is curand €113.9m in receivables that were due within 12 rently wood division director at of SCM Group in Rimini, months. So its liabilities total €167.5m more than the Italy, in charge of production, product development, sales combination of its cash and short-term receivables. and after-sales service. Daschini is managing director at … In fact Biesse’s saving grace is its low debt levels, Greda of Mariano Comense, Italy. because its EBIT was down 62% over the last year. The report goes on to say that, while the balance sheet New condominium is not particularly strong, it shows €8.81m net cash, so market recovers in the GTA investors can assess their positions based on their views The new condoof future earnings. minium apartFor readers of Wood Industry, a greater concern is ment market in The Association of Woodworking & whether a company being harangued by its investors and the Greater Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS), market analysts to cut debt can provide the requisite level Toronto based in Anaheim, Calif., has an- Area of customer service. (GTA) continued nounced 12 winning companies that to recover have been awarded a Visionary New from Cefla and Weinig events rescheduled impacts of Product Award by AWFS for the product Charlotte, innovation and leadership the in Covid-19 the N.C.-based Cefla pandemic as both sales volumes and new project woodworking industry. The winners launches strengthened July. According to Toronto, Ont.-based are:inProductivity Award for HardRound table North America and Weinig Altus Group, a commercial real estate services ware — Lockdowel “Snap on” Draw-company, Holz-Her USA July saw aer near record nine new(shown); project launches. With Slides/Lockdowel Prodof Mooresville, 2,539 unitsuct added, it was the highest number of units ever Innovation Award in Raw N.C., have added for aMaterials July, since—Altus Group began tracking the AKF with Rombex rescheduled market in 2000. Despite July’s strong levels, 2020 yearTechnology/Uneeda; Product Innotheir coinciding to-date project launches released were down 42 vation Awardand in units Industry 4.0 Soft2020 Open House and 47 percent, respectively, and remain well below 2019 ware — Osync Machine Analytics events to October 14-16, 2020. To maximize value to the levels, as the pandemic was a major disruptor of v2.0/C.R. Onsrud; Product Innova- the typiattendee, organizers say, the events will take place on cally busy spring market. tion Award in Industry 4.0 Technolooverlapping dates. Cefla and Weinig Holz-Her are located gy — SCM Lean Robot Cell/SCM; twenty miles apart from one another. As customers and Paragon— named Fenix Productivity Award in Machinery employee safety is of the utmost importance, both companies preferred door manufacturer Over $50,000 US — Dürr Readywill take the appropriate precautions mandated by local Denver, Colo.2spray Paint Robot/Enhancement authorities leading up to and during the events. Invitees based Formica Technologies; Award for Productiviinclude woodworking professionals from small-, mid- and ty and Product Innovation inrecently Power large-sized companies located across the U.S. and Canada. launched its Tools — Shaper Origin/Shaper Both events, individually named CeflaLive Charlotte and Fenix in Preferred Tools; Product Innovation Award Weinig Holz-Her Next Level 2020, will be said to offer Door Fabricator Power Tools — Apollo TrueHVLP attendees a maximum return on time spent away from daily Program and Precision-6 Turbo Paint/Apollo operations with emphasis on each company’s respective area of named Sprayers International; Product In-Paragon emphasis: surface enhancement and/or secondary processing. Concepts novation Award in Components — of
INDUSTRY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 2020 WOOD INDUSTRY 12 INDUSTRY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 14 WOOD
Longmont, Colo., as the flagship company to achieve this status. The recent Formica acquisition has where the Fenix material may be purchased. All Formica distributors are now selling Fenix. Rehau of Bern, Switzerland, has been the distribution arm for Fenix up to the recent acquisition of Formica by ‘S-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands-based Broadview Industries and offered the material and doors.
$378 million Dawson Creek hospital project announced
A new Dawson Creek and District hospital will be built nearby Northern Lights College campus, in Dawson Creek, B.C. The hospital will be approximately 209,000 square feet and will have 70 beds, an increase of 24, all of which will be in single rooms with ensuite washrooms. A new emergency department will be double the size of the existing one, with treatment spaces increasing from 10 to 13. Space for a laboratory and diagnostic imaging will also be part of the new facility. The project cost is approximately $377.86 million and will be shared by the B.C. government, through Northern Health, and the Peace River Regional Hospital District. With government approval of the business plan, the project will now proceed to procurement. Construction is expected to begin late 2021 and the new hospital is anticipated to be open to patients in fall 2025.
Domotex postpones trade show to May
Although two thirds of the exhibition space had already been booked and a comprehensive hygiene concept had been developed to comply with Covid-19 safety regulations, Deutsche Messe has decided to postpone the next edition of Domotex – it’s the world’s largest show of floorcovering products – to May 20-22, 2021. The show was originally scheduled to take place in January 2021. The reasons for the postponement are based on the latest developments regarding the worldwide pandemic and in view of these developments, clients, exhibitors and visitors have asked for the show to be held at a later date. Domotex is now planning a digital conference to take place on January 15, 2021, the show’s original start date.
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WOOD INDUSTRY 13
Filings WOOD FIMMA Brasil fair on schedule for April
FIMMA Brasil, a traditional international secondary wood industry fair in Brazil for three decades, has announced it will continue as FIMMA Connections and Business taking place from April 26-29, 2021, featuring new products and innovations. Another program is the FIMMA Summit, a meeting for the generation and sharing of content in the wood industry, will be held from April 27-29, 2021, in Bento Gonçalves, Brazil, concurrently with the show. Organized by the Furniture Industry Association of Rio Grande do Sul (Movergs), the essence of FIMMA Brasil is a show organized by the sector for the sector, the organizer says.
China to promote wooden frame buildings
A strategic cooperation agreement was recently formalized between Beijing, China-based Canada Wood China and Yangxin County government in Province, China, aimed at joint promotion of modern wooden frame buildings. The two sides will apply modern wooden frame building technology and
14 WOOD INDUSTRY
prefabricated building system to meet to the requirements of building energy conservation and residential industrialization in China. The initiative will also promote an industrialization and prefabricated building strategy for Yangxin County. Canada Wood is headquartered in Vancouver, B.C.
University of Victoria to expand student housing
The B.C. government is expanding on-campus housing by 25 percent at the University of Victoria (UVic). The UVic project in Victoria, B.C., is the second to access the BC Student Housing Loan Program, a $450-million initiative launched in this year’s provincial budget to make housing more affordable and available for students. Victoria has one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in the province, and the university receives more applications every year for on-campus housing than there are spaces available. The UVic project will be the first on-campus housing to use the Passive House construction standard, the primary aim of which is to achieve exceptional energy efficiency. The result is a building that uses 75 percent less energy for heating and cooling, and at least 50 percent less overall energy than a typical construction design. The new student housing project will consist of two new buildings that will accommodate
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
782 students in addition to a new dining hall and multipurpose space. The project replaces three aging buildings and represents a net gain of 620 student homes.
Congdon Yards, SCM reveal furniture high-tech facility
Duluth, Ga.-based SCM has partnered with Congdon Yards in High Point, N.C., to develop a fully functioning, commercial-grade high-tech facility open to inventive individuals in the furniture business. With access to SCM’s technologies, the company says, entrepreneurs and innovators can advance ideas into prototype and production quickly and economically at the renovated Plant 7 building site. In addition, the building will also offer a public area for gathering and networking, a restaurant/cafe, and a wide array of workspace options, from studios for startups and small businesses to private offices to full-floor office suites for established enterprises. David Congdon, president of The Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation, notes that the foundation has invested David Congdon more than $30 million US to launch this development. The Congdon family’s trucking company, Old Dominion, is behind the foundation.
Stefano Porcellini leaves Biesse g.m. position
Biesse Group has announced that Stefano Porcellini has left the position of general manager, maintaining the position of member of Stefano the board of direcPorcellini tors, until the natural expiration. Biesse S.p.A. of Pesaro, Italy, has also announced that Massimo Potenza will join the company as co-chief executive officer. Biesse declares that Porcelli-
ni, in the face of the consensual termination of the employment relationship, will be recognized in a single solution, in addition to the ordinary amounts related to the termination of the relationship, about 15 months of the gross annual salary. In addition, Porcellini has also signed a non-competition agreement with Biesse S.p.A. until April 30, 2022.
Composite Technology names Todd Stemler as c.f.o.
Composite Technology International (CTI) of Sacramento, Calif., has announced that Todd Stemler has been named c.f.o. He replaces Rande Willison, who previously held this role with the company. In his previous role as a director of finance at a $30 million US healthcare company, Stemler led all aspects of financial operations and revenue cycle management. He oversaw business development activities, capital management, and analyzed strategic opportunities and acquisition targets. CTI is an environmental engineering and manufacturing company that designs, develops and delivers millwork products for building product manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
Masonite International net sales decrease 11 percent
The second quarter net sales of Tampa, Fla.-based Masonite International decreased 11 percent to $500 million US, from $563 million US in the comparable period of 2019. Masonite is a global designer, manufacturer and distributor of in-
terior and exterior doors for the new construction and repair, renovation and remodeling sectors of the residential and non-residential building construction markets. The decrease in net sales was partly the result of a 15 percent decrease in base volume due to the impact of Covid-19. Total company gross profit increased 6 percent to $136 million US in the second quarter of 2020, however, compared to $129 million US in the second quarter of 2019.
opportunity to experience the company’s brands firsthand including Kohler Plumbing, Kohler Lighting, Kallista Plumbing, Robern, and Ann Sacks Tile and Stone. Open 7 days a week, the space’s displays include elaborately designed suites and ensembles, working shower systems, lighted mirrors, intelligent toilets and Kohler Konnect products, the brand’s offering in the smart home space.
Kohler Signature Store opens in Toronto
Combilift of Monaghan, Ireland, is a winner at this year’s IFOY Awards 2020 that celebrate achievements in the material-handling industry. The company won the Warehouse Truck Lowlifter Category with its Combi-CS pedestrian counterbalance stacker. The stacker is said to be the only pedestrian counterbalance stacker that will operate in a conventional reach truck aisle for space saving and productive storage and handling. Due to the current circumstances, the hundreds of people that normally Martin attend the IFOY McVicar ceremony could not get together personally, so the organizers rolled out the virtual red carpet for the winners on July 13. Combilift c.e.o. and cofounder Martin McVicar stated the company was proud that its product was recognized as valuable solution for the intralogistics sector.
A Kohler Signature Store has opened in Toronto, Ont. Owned and operated by London, Ont.-based EMCO Corp., a plumbing wholesale company and authorized Kohler distributor. Situated in Toronto’s Castlefield Design District, the new store spans 4,000 square feet and embraces the neighbourhood’s industrial chic aesthetic, the company says. It is Kohler Canada’s first Signature Store in Ontario and the second in partnership with EMCO, with the other location in Vancouver, B.C. As with all Kohler Signature Stores, homeowners and designers have the
Combi-CS pedestrian stacker wins award
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WOOD INDUSTRY 15
Heritage of Resilience PROFILE: Bloos
Wood Products, Kitchener, Ont.
If you are old enough to have had Bauer skates with a wood skate guard, that guard came from Kitchener, Ont.,-based Bloos Wood Products. Ed Bloos, the current proprietor, remembers back to being “in charge” of outputting the springs that held the halves of the guards together. He was nine, and recalls working next to his grandmother, who was cutting out guards on a bandsaw, his grandfather and his parents. It really was, Bloos says, a family business. The Bloos family emigrated from Romania, where Ed’s grandfather was trained in cabinetmaking. Bloos muses that he has close family living in the U.S., and some living in Australia. “They didn’t know anything about where they were going,” Bloos says. “They saw place names on a list and didn’t know New York from Montreal. Once in Canada, Bloos’s grandfather focused on working in cabinet shops while the rest of the family found work where they could. Ed’s dad tried his hand working in tobacco country around Tilsonburg, but soon discovered he was critically allergic to tobacco – it causing a painful rash – and he needed to find something better. INDUSTRY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 2020 16 WOOD INDUSTRY
Along came Bauer, Bloos says. Bauer needed a reliable supply of skate guards, the deal was made and in 1952, Bloos Wood Products was born. Bloos likes to show the outside of the facility, explaining how the roofline describes the history. On the left, in aged white, is the original shop. Later, as the business expanded, additions were added, angled out from the original, once, and then once more. An office was nestled in the angle, but the door from the office into the shop is an exterior door as evidence of its coming late to the party. The Bauer guard business died as plastics replaced the traditional skate guards in the ‘60s, but the ball was rolling and Bloos Wood Products landed another customer — this one requiring a move into sheet goods and laminates to make student desks — and then more customers as the business moved into edgebanding, boring and finishing to meet the needs of its market. Like most family businesses, Bloos relies heavily on its employees. The core family has largely moved on, Bloos says, his father is 81 and spry, but no longer has any involvement in the day-to-day. His sister is part owner, but
also is not actively involved. His two daughters each have their own careers not related to manufacturing, so Bloos carries on under the same roof he has worked under all these years. This is where the solution comes in. Bloos admits that, while he has certainly done his fair share of programming and maintenance, including spending a week in Germany undergoing training on a contour edgebander, “I am not a cabinetmaker. I could not do a good job of meeting my customers’ needs.” Fifteen years ago, Bloos was able to recruit Scott Hollinger, a Conestoga College graduate, as Lean Man, and that, says Bloos, has made all the difference. Not only does Scott have all the training necessary in CNC and
general production, he has also been able to recruit a few of his friends from elsewhere in the industry, as well as bring in another Conestoga grad. That said, Bloos has had his issues with students — especially apprentices. “I got a couple from Conestoga,” he says, “and they were great guys: energetic, positive, but they just didn’t have the aptitude.” Then he smiles wryly. “And I lost one,” he says. “He was great. Loved the industry, all kinds of enthusiasm, but he got head-hunted away by a machinery company.” Four years ago, Amanda Smythe joined the team in the front office. Originally handling the typical customer service and admin functions, Bloos says she quickly made herself
Above: It may be crowded, but there’s a place for everything and everything in its place. Below: It’s a fun shop to visit. It’s narrow and extends on right angles, so the work areas look smaller than they are, magnifying the incongruity of a high-powered beam saw next to portable dust collectors.
INDUSTRY 17 WOODINDUSTRY WOOD
www.woodindustry.ca www.woodindustry.ca
indispensable doing on-site inspections, oversight and backup for the shop. She came to Bloos Wood Products from the hospitality field, but was unhappy as a single mom not knowing how late any project might last. At first anxious only for a predictable paycheque and a position, she now muses that hospitality in the wake of Covid is a good place to have left. Ah, Covid. What would a story be these days without Covid? Bloos says when the pandemic hit, he was up to his eyeballs in kitchens and bathrooms for a new high-rise apartment building. The province deemed that project as “essential,” and Bloos says they lost, at maximum, 24 hours of work time. Of course, all good things come to an end, and when the project was delivered it was too late, Bloos says, to stick up your hand and ask for work cutting plexiglass for PPEs. That’s too bad, because Bloos knows how, among many other things, to cut plexiglas on a CNC. “You have to manage chip size,” he says. You do that with tool geometry and spindle speed. Bloos is not just talking. Along the way he was responsible for museum displays made of plexiglas for the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum near his shop. So the company dropped from 13 employees to seven. In all, however, Bloos says they will survive the current crisis. “We, ourselves, will be OK.” He is a believer in his people, his machinery and his experience. “We are not the traditional cabinet shop,” he says. “We can do all that. We had to. But we also do everything else that has to do with sheet goods and edgebanding.” According to Bloos, he commissioned a $500,000 CNC machine in 2002, “and that
Above right: Lead man Scott Hollinger shows off a dry-erase board being made for Conestoga College. The curved profile is so professors can write to the bottom without changing the radius of their arm. Below: You can still envision placements for the bandsaw, sanding and assembly for Bauer skate guards.
INDUSTRY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 2020 18 WOOD INDUSTRY
separated us from the competition. We got quite busy.” Bloos has not had any history with Canadian wood-industry associations, and he does not agree with the philosophy of opening his shop to competitors. “Mostly, a cabinet is just a box,” he says, “but that’s not to say there are no secrets. We did some fixtures for a project for cruise-missile testing early on,” he says,” and we did a job for Nortel when they were still around, with some static-dissociative laminates.” But mainly, he says of associations, “I haven’t educated myself to understand the benefits.” So Bloos has stayed in business, but that’s not to say the work has always been there. The student-desk customer was big. It allowed for most of the original expansion. However, one day a bankruptcy notice came, and Bloos was standing there, holding a piece of paper that was all that was left of $100,000 cash and $60,000 in obsolete machinery. “Fortunately,” he says, “the machinery was paid for. I had to let everybody go, but I stayed alive with just myself and one sales guy doing cut-to-size.” As things began to grow back, he got some projects based on his reputation. “I helped get Stack-a-Shelf get started,” he recalls. Of course, the past can only carry you so far, and with
the company stable and his daughters not interested in the business, Bloos is looking at succession. “Scott has an interest,” he says. “The staff appreciates not having to put the same nut on the same bolt all day. The family may retain the real estate and move the day-to-day operations over to others.” In each profile, we try to catch one good shot of the proprietor, but people are stiff in front of a camera, and it’s not always easy. I was trying to get Ed to relax, but he wouldn’t, so I took the first shot. Then I said, “You look like you just lost your dog.” As you can see, Ed burst into laughter. “I did,” he said. It seems there was a divorce…. I guess you laugh lest you cry.
From Romania to Bauer skates to cruise-missile consoles to CNC to Covid, it has been a fascinating chapter in the history book of a small, family business, and a valued addition to what made Canada. From time to time W.I. Media Inc., the parent company of Wood Industry magazine, is asked to comment on programs offered by Heritage Canada. Such programs often focus on expressive dance or sexual preferences in cinema. In every case, we ask back what they think the real heritage of Canada is? And then we tell them. It’s this. Manufacturing, immigrants, labour, innovation, dedication, family and community. One gets the impression the story of Bloos Wood Products will live on in the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum and elsewhere, long after the expressive dance is over. Comment at www.woodindustry.ca
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Law WOOD Law WOOD Pay attention to employment contracts Pay attention to employment contracts
Review or regret Review or regret M M
any employers employers rely rely upon upon stanstanany dard form employment condard form employment conany employers rely upon stantracts, believing that they are suffi tracts, believing that they are suffi dard form employment concientare to meet meet cient to tracts, believing that they suffi their specific their cient specific to meet hiringspecific needs. hiring needs. their However, However, hiring needs. employers employers However, should have have should employers experienced experienced should have employment employment experienced law lawyers lawyers law employment regularly regularly law lawyers Junaid J. J. Malik Malik review their their Junaid review regularly em mppllooytheir ym meenntt ereview Junaid J. Malik contracts, to to ensure ensure that that the terms contracts, e m pthe l o yterms ment are valid valid and and enforceable. The recent are contracts, to enforceable. ensure that The the recent terms Court of Appeal for Ontario deciCourt of Appeal for Ontario deciare valid and enforceable. The recent sion, Waksdale 2020 ONCA 391, is an an sion, Waksdale 2020 ONCA 391, is Court of Appeal for Ontario deciexample of how employers would be example of how employers would be sion, Waksdale 2020 ONCA 391, is an wise to revisit their standard form wise to revisit standard form example of howtheir employers would be employment contracts. employment contracts. wise to revisit their standard form The employee employee in Waksdale Waksdale was was The in employment contracts. terminated on aa “without “without cause”was baterminated on cause” baThe employee in Waksdale sis, this means that the employer did sis, this means that the employer did terminated on a “without cause” banot allege cause justifying its decision not allege cause justifying its decision sis, this means that the employer did to end end thecause employment relationship. to the employment relationship. not allege justifying its decision Most employees who are terminated Most employees who are terminated to end the employment relationship. without cause have have entitlements unwithout cause unMost employees whoentitlements are terminated der the the Employment Employment Standards Act, Act, der Standards without cause have entitlements under the Employment Standards Act,
2000 (the (the “ESA”). “ESA”). Those Those entitlements entitlements 2000 include termination pay, and dependdependinclude termination pay, and 2000 (the “ESA”). Those entitlements ing upon their length of service, seving upon their length of service, sevinclude termination pay, and dependerance pay, among other things. Emerance pay, among other things. Eming upon their length of service, sevployerspay, are not not permitted to contract contract ployers are permitted to erance among other things. Emout of of the the terms of the the ESA. ESA. out terms of ployers are not permitted to contract An employee who is terminated terminated employee outAn of the terms ofwho the is ESA. on An without cause basis is also “pre“preon aa without cause basis also employee who is is terminated sumptively” entitled to common law sumptively” entitled to common law on a without cause basis is also “pre“reasonable notice.” Reasonable no“reasonable notice.” Reasonable nosumptively” entitled to common law tice is determined by judges on tice is determined by judges on aa “reasonable notice.” Reasonable nocase-by-case basis, and it tends to case-by-case basis, and it tends to tice is determined by judges on a be aa much much more more generous form of enenbe generous form of case-by-case basis, and it tends to titlement compared to entitlements entitlements titlement to be a much compared more generous form of enunder the the ESA. ESA. Reasonable Reasonable notice is is under notice titlement compared to entitlements a “presumptive” “presumptive” entitlementnotice in the the aunder entitlement in the ESA. Reasonable is that the the parties parties can contract contract sense that can asense “presumptive” entitlement in the out of it, in writing. This is major out of it, in writing. This is aa major sense that the parties can contract reason why employers rely upon reason why employers rely upon out of it, in writing. This is a major employment agreements. Properly employment agreements. Properly reason why employers rely upon drafted employment employment agreements aldrafted agreements alemployment agreements. Properly low employers employers an opportunity opportunity to limlimlow an to drafted employment agreements alit reasonable reasonable notice exposuretowhen when it exposure low employersnotice an opportunity limthereasonable employment relationship comes the employment relationship it notice exposurecomes when to an end by waiving the employee’s to an end by waiving the employee’s the employment relationship comes right to claim claim reasonable notice enenright reasonable notice to an to end by waiving the employee’s titlements. titlements. right to claim reasonable notice enThe issue issue in in Waksdale Waksdale was was that that The titlements. the employment agreement contheThe employment agreement issue in Waksdale was conthat tainedemployment with cause cause agreement termination proprotained aa with termination the contained a with cause termination pro-
vision which which attempted attempted to to contract contract vision out of the ESA. The employee in out of which the ESA. The employee in vision attempted to contract Waksdale argued that the terminaWaksdale terminaout of theargued ESA. that The the employee in tion provisions, provisions, read as aathe whole, were tion read as whole, were Waksdale argued that terminaunenforceable since the with cause cause unenforceable the with tion provisions,since read as a whole, were provisions offended the ESA. provisions offended the ESA. unenforceable since the with cause Indeed, offended the employer employer in Waksdale Waksdale Indeed, the in provisions the ESA. conceded that the with cause terminaconceded that the with cause terminaIndeed, the employer in Waksdale tion provisions were invalid. Though, tion provisions were invalid. Though, conceded that the with cause terminathe employer argued that the illegal the that theThough, illegal tionemployer provisionsargued were invalid. withemployer cause provisions provisions were irrelevant with cause irrelevant the argued were that the illegal because theprovisions employeewere was dismissed dismissed because the employee was with cause irrelevant on aa without without cause basis. basis. The employon The employbecause the cause employee was dismissed er added that the employee received er added that the employee received on a without cause basis. The employall added of his his ESA ESA entitlements, and that that all of entitlements, er that the employee and received he was not entitled to any reasonable he was not entitled to any reasonable all of his ESA entitlements, and that notice because of the the written waiver notice of waiver he wasbecause not entitled to written any reasonable in the employment contract. in the employment contract. notice because of the written waiver Ontario’s Courtcontract. of Appeal Appeal sided sided Ontario’s Court of in the employment with the employee employee andAppeal held that that it with the held it Ontario’s Court and of sided did not not matter that the the employee was did matter that was with the employee andemployee held that it terminated on that without cause basis basis terminated on aa without cause did not matter the employee was and received all of his ESA entitleand received all of his ESA entitleterminated on a without cause basis ments. The fact fact that the withentitlecause ments. The the with cause and received all that of his ESA terms were invalid was enough to terms were invalid was enough to ments. The fact that the with cause invalidate all of the termination proinvalidate all invalid of the termination proterms were was enough to visions in in the theof employment contract. visions employment contract. invalidate all the termination proConsequently, this meant meant contract. that the the Consequently, this that visions in the employment reasonable notice notice waiver was invalreasonable invalConsequently, thiswaiver meantwas that the id, thus thus entitling entitling the employee to his his id, employee reasonable noticethe waiver was to invalcommon law reasonable notice. common law reasonable notice. id, thus entitling the employee to his Waksdale demonstrates how Waksdale demonstrates common law reasonable notice. how employment law in Ontario is not employment law in Ontario is not Waksdale demonstrates how a static area of law, and that emaemployment static area law of law, and thatis emin Ontario not should periodically review ployers review aployers static should area ofperiodically law, and that emand update update their employment conand their employment conployers should periodically review tracts. tracts. and update their employment contracts. Junaid J. J. Malik Malik is is aa litigation litigation Junaid associate with Brampton, Ont.-based associate with Brampton, Ont.-based Junaid J. Malik is a litigation Lawrences. Lawrences. associate with Brampton, Ont.-based Lawrences. Comment at at www.woodindustry.ca. www.woodindustry.ca. Comment Comment at www.woodindustry.ca.
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Design WOOD Anonymous beauty becomes a brand
Mingei A
s a young design student, eagerly devouring everything I could find that might help me understand the profession I was devoting my life too, I came across a book, titled The Unknown Craftsman, (1972) by the Japanese ph i lo s ophe r, Sōetsu Yanagi (1 8 8 9 -19 6 1). It examined Paul Epp the beauty of anonymous crafts, particularly the most simple, straightforward and typically Japanese. For someone such as myself, an introverted minimalist, this was a very positive affirmation of at least some of my values. When I then went on to study with Jim Krenov in Sweden, I wasn’t completely surprised to find that he had his own copy of the book, which would have supported some of his values too, specifically those we held in common. That was what would have attracted me to him in the first place. To my surprise, I recently found a second book by Yanagi (in Oslo, as it turns out), freshly published and a collection of some of his earlier essays; The Beauty of Everyday Things. I guess that after almost 50 years, his time to advise us has come around again. Unlike my earlier enthusiastic response, I now find him to be a bit naïve and pretentious, but I recall my earlier endorsement and happily acknowledge his positive influence on what is by now a succession of generations of designers and craftsmen. Evidence of this renewed
interest is a very recent article in The Economist magazine. Yanagi coined the word Mingei, meaning folk craft, to describe what he found to be beautiful and now it has become part of our vocabulary. Yanagi’s influence has been the greatest in Japan, or maybe he is only a reflection of pre-existing and underlying values and expression. But internationally, many current (and almost current) designers will recognize some of his ideas as influential and valuable. His writing would have influenced my desire to visit Japan which I first did in 1978. I was practically mesmerized by the attention that was so casually paid to beauty in both conspicuous and inconspicuous places, although there was plenty of ugliness too. One memory is of being served tea at some newly made friends home and after the fact, being told what the humble looking tea cup I was holding had cost them, which was more than their car was worth. That impressed me. On the other end of an economic spectrum is the success that the Japanese company Muji has had internationally. It claims to produce NoBrand Quality Goods which reflects the Mingei philosophy, and that are largely anonymous in appearance. Ironically, this lack of identity has itself become a strong and valuable
brand. Their commitment to simple products that are basic and necessary has succeeded beyond their expectations. I first found a few of their products for sale at a museum shop in Los Angeles almost 20 years ago, and I’ve been intrigued enough to have followed them ever since. It used to be that you could identity fellow designers by the fact that at meetings, their pens were also Muji products. Now, when I visit one of their stores in Toronto (or Berlin, or Shanghai), I’m the old white guy among a sea of young Asian-looking women. It has become popular fashion which is a bit of a surprise for me. Doing a good job of making things simply and efficiently is hardly unique to Muji or traditional rural Japan. There are plenty of Canadian designers and manufacturing firms that are willing to produce goods that are anonymous in appearance as long as they do what they are supposed to do. We don’t need Mingei philosophy to value the unpretentious and modest. Part of it is because we have largely lost our traditions of ornamentation, accepting and perpetuating a premise of Modernism. Part of it is an intuitive preference of not making things more expensive than they need to be. And part of it is because we’re Canadian (whatever that means). We have lots of talented designers who are able to design objects that are expressive and to design goods that are highly distinctive, as marketing (and individual egos) might require. And I’m glad we do. But sometimes I’m fully satisfied with products that are as straight forward and quietly effective as possible. It’s a long tradition. Paul Epp is an emeritus professor at OCAD University, and former chair of its Industrial Design department. www.woodindustry.ca
WOOD INDUSTRY 21
WOOD
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The Edge Sanding Guide from Festool is designed to provide consistent pressure and contact on any surface edges. The easy-to-attach guide is said to reduce tipping and excess sanding for consistent finishes. The sanding attachment is compatible with the company’s corded model ETS 125 REQ 5 in. random orbit sander, as well as the model ETSC 125 cordless sander. www.festoolcanada.com
Mullion door options
Elias Woodwork has launched a line of mullion door options that are said to offer cost savings to traditional mullion doors. Through market research and sales trends, the company says it has identified six mullion styles that are preferred by designers and homeowners. With the mullion door options, each style is machined out of a single piece of HDF or solid wood which results in the grain running in one direction. The units are manufactured as a separate in-
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sert that is placed in a door frame and can then have glass added. Screw on glass retainer clips will be provided if required. For the painted mullions, the inserts are machined from HDF and can be ordered painted or raw. The wood ones are machined from a solid wood laminated slab and can be ordered stained, lacquered or raw as well. www.eliaswoodwork.com
Decorative hardware collection
Marathon Hardware has announced the fall decorative hardware collection, Viefe Dream Home. The collection of hardware, including handles, pulls and knobs, is said to be suitable for design applications throughout the home. Within the collection, the Graf Mini is said to be an excellent choice for a working space. Its knurled texture is appreciated for its aesthetic but is an underrated functional feature improving grip on the handle even with wet hands, the company says. www.marathonhardware.com
Chalk line reels automatically retract
A new line of chalk reels has been launched by Crescent Lufkin. The 100-Foot Professional Reel (#CLO100) is available with dual-material or aluminum case and features an end hook that retracts into a nested position, protecting it from unwanted snags. The rotating hub lock lets the user
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
stop the line in place, while the 6:1 gear ratio, rotating hub with foldaway handle is said to provide fast rewind and reel protection during storage. The one-way chalk refill valve allows for quick chalk refills without the mess. The 150-Foot Site Reel (#CL150) has snap-in end hook storage for fewer tangles during storage, a textured handle for better ergonomics, and a combination hook and ring design for use in all construction environments. The 50-Foot Compact Reel (#CL50) fits into a pocket or work pouch and holds 50’ of line. The 3:1 reel offers faster rewind and decreased retrieval time than others in its class, the company says. www.crescenttool.com
Two-flute upcut finishing spirals
Vortex Tool Company has introduced the series 1200 two-flute upcut finishing spirals. The flute finishing tools are used when a smooth edge cut is required and is a popular tool design for most routing applications, the company says. The helical cutting edge reduces material contact while in the cut. The upcut spiral is said to provide a smooth bottom finish, while auguring the chips upward. www.vortextool.com
Lamination adhesive
Advantage 460 from Franklin Adhesives and Polymers is a lamination adhesive developed to minimize reaction to borates in fire-rated particleboard and fibreboard, eliminating quick gelling of adhesive upon application to extend working time and ensure successful bonding. The product was created for bonding HPL and wood veneer to fire-rated or borated particleboard and fibreboard. The adhesive is said to extend the working time to five to seven minutes, consistently providing a strong bond and enabling the manufacturer to laminate a larger quantity of panels for hot or cold pressing concurrently, increasing product yield. It also offers good spreader stability, the company says. Used as a one-part product, the crosslinking polyvinyl acetate (PVA) emulsion formulation also offers high water resistance for interior panels, it adds. The manufacturer can also add aluminum chloride to further improve water resistance. www. franklinadhesivesandpolymers.com
Angle line CNC work centre
versatility. The angle processing range is from 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 x 1/8 in. to 6 x 6 x 5/8 in., in any length, and for flat bar the range is from 1-1/2 × ¼ in. to 6 x 5/8 in. The product features two punch units with removeable Cframe tool holders. www.akhurst.com
Stationary dowel inserting machine
The Pizzi EasyShot stationary dowel inserting machine with pneumatic gun available from Taurus Craco provides simultaneous operation of glue application and dowel insertion. The manual dowel inserter machine allows it to execute, through a sequence of automations, simultaneous operation of glue application and dowel insertion in predrilled panels, furniture components, small parts, solid wood components and wood construction components. The machine is capable of 3,400 dowel insertions per hour — including the complete operation of simultaneous glue application and dowel insertion. Dowel diameters of 6, 8, 10 or 12 mm available, while dowel lengths can range from 25 to 80 mm. Glue specifications incorporate any PVA glue, in water dispersion, formulated for the use of automatic machines for simultaneous glue application and dowel insertion. www.tauruscraco.com
Compact hinge for fall flaps The Ocean Clipper available from Akhurst is said to be the world’s most compact CNC angle line. The patented design of the machine assists in processing clip angles and long bracing angles. The ability of the unit to efficiently process short and long flat bar is said to add to the machine’s
Pacta is a compact hinge from Salice for fall flaps that operates without the need for additional stays or cables. The hinge confers a decelerated opening action and the fall of the door is gradual and controlled, the company says. In the fully-open position, the door and base panel are aligned, creating a uniform and flat surface. The hinge is also available with a
push self-opening system and comes in a variety of finishes. Suggested applications include living room and kitchen cabinets, desks in children’s furniture or for writing surfaces, and table extensions in hotel furniture. www.salicecanada.com
Rip saws with optimizing systems
The model 524-DC/SR4 rip saw with Rip Navigator Scout from MereenJohnson can process up to ten 16foot boards per minute. The work centre has the flexibility of up to four shifting blades for in production control and increased efficiencies, the company says. It offers three modes of operation: yield mode to maximize fibre recovery; value mode that allows users to quantify a dollar value for needed components; and, manual mode for times when inventory is more important than yield recovery. Saw benefits are said to be fewer rejects, less rework and better yield from raw materials. www.mereen-johnson.com
Five-piece door frame production machine
The model HP5D five-piece door frame machining centre from Pillar Machine is designed to machine parts used in TFL (thermally fused laminate), TFM (thermally fused melamine), paper wrapped, vinyl www.woodindustry.ca
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New Products
wrapped or thermofoil doors. The model performs horizontal point-topoint bore and dowel insertion and panel grooving. It is designed to CNC position a drill spindle, bore a hole, then CNC position the dowel inserter, inject glue or water (for pre-glued dowels), and insert the dowel into the hole. As well, it cuts a panel groove in the centre section of the inside edge of the door stile and the entire inside edge of the door rail material. Operations begin when a part is placed into the work zone referencing the back and side fences. The palm button is pressed, and the clamps secure the part into place. The machining is now ready to begin in the work zone. There are two fixed zones and two pop up zones standard in the base model unit that allows for pendulum processing. While the one part is being machined, the other zone(s) can be loaded and queued for machining. www.pillarmachine.com
Door lift-up and drop-down systems
and downwards openings. High strength and load capacity are said to be its main characteristics, and it can be used on wooden and aluminum frame flap doors. Units are tested to 100,000 cycles and available in two versions: Klok for light doors and and XL Klok for large doors. www.canmade.com
CNC router with automated infeed, outfeed
The PRO-510 CNC router with automatic infeed loading and outfeed with rotary auto tool change from Castaly Industries Canada has been introduced. The parallel vertical accuracy of the machine gantry X-axis square rails, Y-axis square rails and Z-axis ball screw are 0.001 in. Machine reposition accuracy is 0.001 in. and machine working accuracy is 0.002 in. Grating ruler travel accuracy is also 0.002 in. Nesting work is possible for automatic infeed loading with scissor lift and outfeed unloading via a conyeyor. A PC based Syntec CNC controller is setup to accept standard G-code programming formats along with on board conversational applications. www.castaly-cncmachine.com
Single-joint cabinet door hinges
The Klok series hinge mechanism from Canmade is designed to ensure light and smooth action with a flap held at any angle, for both upwards
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Grass Canada has introduced singlejoint hinges for continuous or individual cabinet construction and for inlay applications. A variety of singlejoint hinges are available, including the MB-6310 with a 270°/180° opening angle, 3 mm reveals, tool-free door clip fitting and direct reveal and height adjustment. The MB-8320 has
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an 270° opening angle with a 4 or 8 mm reveal, door clip fitting and height adjustment via a cam. The MB-20 provides an open angle of 230° or 180°, reveal of 7.5, 8 or 13.5 mm, strong plug connection, side adjustment of -2 mm and ±2 mm height adjustment by means of slots. www.grasscanada.com
Soft-close upward opening lift assist
The ARN-3-M-slift-assist lid stay, soft-close (upward opening) Aileron System by Sugatsune, is a soft down stay and lift assist. The system creates smooth, continuous door movements with adjustable closing speed and free-stop functions. The product is designed for use with the company’s Olympia concealed hinge (360-D2619). Board thickness can range from 9/16 to 7/8 in. The free-stop function enables doors to hold in position up to 30°. The integrated design combines a concealed hinge and lid stay. www.sugatsune.ca
Scratch-resistant cladding
3D pattern system Dekton Slim 4 mm veneer cladding for wide belt sanders
from Cosentino is manufactured using an innovative ultra-compaction process, the company says, making the material is highly resistant to
scratches, stains, thermal shock and ultraviolet rays. It has very low water absorption and can even be produced as one single piece, it adds. The veneer can be used to recreate the effect of any type of material and be employed as cladding for walls, furniture, doors and large panels. The product is available in eight colours and will gradually be developed to cover the remaining colour references of the company’s Dekton range of materials. www.cosentino.com/en-ca
Modern look metal vanity legs
Dupont vanity legs from Osborne Wood Products are 5 in. long, not including the M8x1.25 hanger bolt (pre-installed). The symmetric cone diameter dimensions are 2-3/4 x 1-1/8 in. The vanity legs’ unassuming style is a good choice for contemporary and modern design, the company says. Finishes include chrome, gun metal gray, brushed copper, flat black and brushed aluminum. www.osbornewood.com
SCM Group has introduced the dmc system flexible abrasives modular centre to its range of wide belt sanders. Equipped with a hand scraping unit, the unit — due to the axis controlled movement — is able to reproduce on the panel 3D affects that until now were only possible with CNCs with very long production times, the company says. Once this finishing has been obtained, the surface is prepared for glue application using the orbital disc unit and two sanding brushes. The process allows a closing of the surface porosity and a rounding of the sharp edges for a correct and homogeneous distribution of the glue on the surface. www.scmgroup.com
Table saw stock guides for safer, accurate cuts
Clear-Cut TS stock guides from JessEm Tool Company for table saws are said to achieve safer, smoother and more precise cuts with work held securely in position. Unique guide rollers mounted on a 5° angle effectively steers stock towards the fence, the company says. This angle is said to cause the roller to hold with more force if the wood tries to move against
the direction of the feed. Under spring pressure, the roller arms ensure the work is held firmly in place. Rollers are fitted with one way roller bearings to ensure each roller spins in the direction of the feed to prevent kickback. Guides lock into position along the track with a twist of the anodized aluminum clamping knobs; when not in use they tuck away in behind the surface of your fence. The guides have 3-1/8 in. of total vertical travel and can accommodate a maximum stock thickness of 13/16 in. above the mounting surface when mounted to the t-track. However, the guides will not fit on most portable table saw units. www.jessem.ca
Paint spray diaphragm pumps
Sames Kremlin has released three diaphragm pump models: the 01D140, 01D140E and 04D140. The pumps are designed for fluid transfer and medium paint circulating systems for a large range of paint applications. The 01D140E is designed with specific EPDM diaphragms for water-based abrasive product applications like porcelain and ceramics. The pumps are suitable for fast colour changes due to quick and easy flushing, the company says, and made from highly resistant materials such as ceramic changeover valve and full stainless steel construction for a reliable and durable pump process. A low cost of ownership associated with increased savings on solvent usage and a compact design for easy integration are also benefits, it adds. www.sames-kremlin.com www.woodindustry.ca
WOOD INDUSTRY 25
Cartel WOOD No transparency on funding for wood initiatives
Where’s the CKCA? L
ast issue we reported on the long-term resistance the Wood Manufacturing Council has applied against transparency. The Council receives hundreds of thousands, maybe more, of dollars each year to apply toward the benefit of secondary wood-products businesses, yet for over a decade they have studiously rejected all requests for information on how those funds are dispersed, including rejecting formal Access to Information Requests from W.I. Media Inc., the parent company of Wood Industry magazine. Following a directed request from the MP of W.I. Media’s home riding before our last (July/August 2020) issue, there has been silence from the WMC and Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. Earlier this month, we received a copy of a letter from our MP, Kyle Seeback, to Minister Bains: Dear Minister Bains, I’m writing to you today to follow up on correspondence forwarded to you by my office Dated July 6, 2020. The letter in question was from one of my constituents, Mr. Kerry Knudsen, regarding his most serious concerns with respect to federal funding provided to the Wood Manufacturing Council (WMC). I also wrote to you on August 6, 2020 to follow up on my correspondence. It’s now been over two months since I originally forwarded Mr. Knudsen’s correspondence. Please respond immediately to my constituent and copy me on your response. We are not trying to bore you, the audience, with process. However, from a professional journalist’s perspective, it doesn’t get more serious than this. As a taxpayer, you should be concerned that the government does not respond directly and immediately to a request from a federal elected official, let alone refusing official information requests under applicable law. As a business owner or manager, you should be concerned that money intended to bolster you and your employees is not only unaccounted, but the official in charge is refusing to even acknowledge your presence. The icing on the cake is the current posture of the Liberal government in the wake of the Justin Trudeau WE, SNC Lavalin and other scandals, each of which left the taxpayers with their pockets inside-out. WE even took a powder back to the States, remembering to carry back their loot. INDUSTRY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2020 2020 26 WOOD INDUSTRY
In our on-going inquiry, a few years back we noted that the CKCA carries the endorsement and logo of the WMC. At that time we asked the CKCA how much government money it receives. The response on July 14, 2017 was “The CKCA does not receive any government funding.” This was not expected, since the CKCA either does or used to run a “certification” program wherein industry participants can be “encouraged” to become members so they can pay for a stamp to put on their drawers proving the product was made in Canada. Our recollection is that this was a government-sanctioned project. This year, we wrote again, this time citing the previous question but adding, “As I said earlier, I am preparing a story on CKCA. In the note below, you say, ‘the CKCA does not receive any government funding.’ If you would like to amend that statement, I would appreciate a response by September 1. “I think I will consider money from the Wood Manufacturing Council as government funding.” Crickets. The facts in this case are many, but the CKCA is a crippled organization, never seeming to rise to its own self-assessment and never getting more than about 100 nominal members and about half that active. It has been a perennial complaint among suppliers, including Blum, that they have to “support” CKCA because it’s an association, but nobody shows up to the AGM but the directors, their wives, the suppliers and maybe 20 bona fide attendees. The CKCA has declined to speak with the readers of Wood Industry, and has refused to invite us to their official meeting, even as registered industry media. As a professional journalist of over 40 years, I can say with no fear of contradiction that these matters demand transparency. The businessmen and women of Canada have a right to know that their money paid as taxes or due as benefits in being properly managed and fairly distributed. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms anticipates that the media, despite what it has fallen to in recent years, has both the right and the duty to find out what goes on behind closed doors and to report it. And so we shall. The proposition is simple. If nothing is wrong, why not say so? Next issue: Bluewater Wood Alliance. Comment at www.woodindustry.ca
Bullets WOOD The total value of building permits fell 3.0 percent to $7.8 billion in July but were up 4.0 percent from May. —Statistics Canada Total investment in building construction increased 12.0 percent to $14.9 billion in June, following the 62.2 percent gain observed in May. Investment in residential construction rose 12.2 percent to $9.4 billion in June, with gains in both single-unit (13.0 percent to $4.7 billion) and multi-unit (11.4 percent to $4.7 billion) investment. —Statistics Canada Commercial rents edged down 0.2 percent nationally in the first quarter of 2020 during the early stages of the global pandemic. A further decline of 3.1 percent was registered in the second quarter. —Statistics Canada In the 2Q 2020, China increased importation of softwood lumber by 42 percent quarter-on-quarter, reaching 7.1 million m3. The large increase followed a quarter where import volumes had fallen to a fouryear low. —Wood Resource Quarterly Road traffic in the U.S. fell by more than 25 percent in the second quarter. With 626 billion vehicle miles travelled, total traffic on all roads and streets in the U.S. fell to the lowest level since 1995 in Q2 2020. —U.S. Federal Highway Administration Peloton, the maker of stationary exercise bikes and complimentary exercise streaming media, is set to make roughly $1.8 billion US in sales for 2020. That’s about a 100 percent increase from the $910 million US in sales the company made in 2019, which itself is another doubling of annual sales for the company from 2018. —JPMorgan Norway is one of the countries which spends the largest share of its GDP on education (pre- and post-secondary), at 6.6 percent. At the other end of the scale of analyzed countries, Russia spends only 3.4 percent. The U.S. (6.1) and Canada (5.9) rank fourth and fifth. —OECD At the end of June, wood and wood products export revenues from Vietnam amounted to $4.903 billion US, 4 percent up compared to the same period of 2019 and 22 percent higher than in May. —Vietnam Customs
According to 2020 figures, there are an estimated 1.9 billion air conditioning units in the world. These are mainly concentrated in the U.S., China, Japan and South Korea. Projections by the International Energy Agency predict an increase to 5.5 billion units globally by 2050. —IEA The number of persons age two and older in U.S. TV Households is estimated to be 307.9 million, which represents a 0.2 percent increase from last year. Increases in Hispanic (1.9 percent), Black (0.9 percent) and Asian (2.7 percent) TV households were also seen, due to estimated increases in population growth. —Nielsen There are 52 percent of Americans aged between 18 and 29 now living with a parent, the highest share recorded since the 1940 census when 48 percent of young adults lived with a parent. The share reached its lowest point in 1960 at 29 percent. —Pew Research Before the pandemic struck, 9.4 billion passenger movements for 2020 were projected and that has now been revised down to just 3.8 billion, a 59.6 percent decline. Airport revenue has fallen accordingly, dropping from a baseline pre-pandemic projection of $171.9 billion US to $67.4 billion US. —Airports Council International Indonesia recorded a furniture trade surplus of $3.26 billion US in July 2020 as exports improved to $13.73 billion US and imports slowed to $10.47 billion US. By the end of the first quarter of 2021 when average production utilization was stuck at around 30 percent, Indonesian manufacturers asked the government to provide support to take immediate advantage of the anticipated rise in demand at the end of the first quarter 2021. —Central Bureau of Statistics New U.S. residential furniture orders in May were up 166 percent over April, according to a survey of manufacturers and distributors. In addition, 19 percent of the participants recorded an increase in May orders over May 2019. New orders in May 2020 were down 8 percent from May 2019 after a 61 percent decline reported in April. —Smith Leonard
www.woodindustry.ca
WOOD INDUSTRY 27
Bullets WOOD Wooden furniture export products from Vietnam generated $2.25 billion US in the first half 2020, 6 percent higher compared to the same period of 2019 and accounted for 46 percent of the country’s wood and wood products export earnings. Of significance is that June exports of wooden furniture increased 48 percent over the previous month. During the same period, exports to Canada rose 1 percent to $78.6 million US. —Vietnam Customs The fall in furniture manufacturing in Brazil was 19 percent in the first half of 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019 while output in manufacturing in general fell only 12 percent. —Furniture Industry Association of Bento Gonçalves
Employment in Canada rose by 419,000 (2.4 percent) in July, compared with 953,000 (5.8 percent) in June. Combined with gains of 290,000 in May, this brought employment to within 1.3 million (7.0 percent) of its pre-pandemic February level. —Statistics Canada The U.S. August Manufacturing PMI registered 56 percent, up 1.8 percentage points from the July reading of 54.2 percent. This figure indicates expansion in the overall economy for the fourth month in a row after a contraction in April, which ended a period of 131 consecutive months of growth. —ISM
The monthly housing starts for all areas in Canada was 262,396 units in August, an increase of 6.9 percent from 245,425 units in July. —CMHC
According to the Kitchen and Bath Market Index, the percentage of firms saying that most of their active projects in Q2 are now on schedule improved 300 percent over Q1. As for postponed projects, nearly 7 in 10 report that they expect a resumption by the end of this month. Only 20 percent indicated those projects will likely slip into 2021. —NKBA
European Union imports of wood and wood furniture products during June were close to 20 percent below the five-year average for that month. In total, EU27 imports of all tropical wood and wood furniture products in the first half of 2020 were $1.49 billion US, 17 percent less than the same period in 2019. —Eurostat
The majority of U.S. architecture firms continued to report a decline in July billings, as the pace of that decline remained at about the same level as in June, with an Architectural Billing Index score of 40.0 (a score below 50 indicates a decline in firm billings). —AIA
North American cabinet manufacturers reported a decline in overall cabinet sales of 1.8 percent for June 2020 compared to the same month in 2019. However, sales rose 24 percent in June 2020 compared to May. —Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association
The projection for Canada’s GDP in 2020 is -8.4 percent after a modest 1.7 rise in 2019. However, 4.9 percent GDP level is forecast for 2021. —IMF
Business conditions for the U.S. interior design industry improved during July as the Interior Design Billing Index increased 2.9 points to 51.1 from the 48.2 reading recorded in June. —ASID The Canada Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) registered 55.1 in August, up from 52.9 in July, to signal the sharpest improvement in business conditions since August 2018. A reading above 50 percent indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally contracting. —IHS Markit During the first seven months of this year, U.S. construction spending amounted to $792.6 billion US, 4.0 percent above the $761.9 billion US for the same period in 2019. —U.S. Census Bureau
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German furniture manufacturers’ sales fell by 28.7 percent in April and by 23.3 percent in May due to the lack of incoming orders. After the furniture stores reopened in June, furniture manufacturers’ sales were already 2.2 percent higher than the previous year. —VDM The U.S. economy added 1.4 million jobs in August, while the unemployment rate dropped to 8.4 percent from 10.2 percent in July. —U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Total spending on video game hardware, software, accessories and game cards amounted to $1.2 billion US in June 2020, the highest June figure since 2009, when Nintendo’s Wii console was flying off the shelves. —Statista
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Events Advertisers Events Advertisers Events Advertise WOOD WOOD WOOD WOOD WOOD WOOD Advertisers Events Advertise WOODWOOD WOOD Akhurst Osborne Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 ............................19 Osborne www.akhurst.com www.osbornewood.com ..................13 Sept. 30 – Oct.Convention 2 AWI Annual www.osbornewood.com ..................13 AWI Convention Online Event Castaly Industries Canada Inc. PillarAnnual Machine Online Event www.awinet.org/events/ Pillar Machine www.castaly-cncmachine.com .......9 www.pillarmachine.com ...............13 www.awinet.org/events/ annual-convention www.pillarmachine.com ...............13 annual-convention Grass Salice Salice Nov. 30 – Dec. 4 www.grasscanada.com .....................5 www.salicecanada.com .............2, 32 Nov. 30 – Dec. 4Show Online The Buildings Event www.salicecanada.com .............2, 32 The Buildings Show Online Event KCD Software www.thebuildingsshow.com Sames Kremlin Inc. www.thebuildingsshow.com Sames Kremlin Inc. ....................31 www.kcdsoftware.com www.sames-kremlin.com ..............15 Jan. 18 – 24 www.sames-kremlin.com ..............15 Jan. 18Precision – 24 MEC IMM Cologne IMM Cologne Cologne, Germany www.mec-precision.com ...................8 Cologne, Germany www.imm-cologne.com www.imm-cologne.com Feb. 9 – 11 Feb. 9 – 11 Feb. 9 – 11 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show Kitchen and Bath Industry Show Kitchen Orlando, Fla. Orlando, and Fla. Bath Industry Show Orlando, Fla. www.kbis.com www.kbis.com www.kbis.com April 13 – 18 April 13 – 18 April 13 – 18 EuroCucina EuroCucina EuroCucina Milan, Italy Milan, Italy Milan, Italy www.salonemilano.it/en/exhibiwww.salonemilano.it/en/exhibiwww.salonemilano.it/en/exhibitions/eurocucina-ftk-technologytions/eurocucina-ftk-technologytions/eurocucina-ftk-technologyfor-the-kitchen for-the-kitchen for-the-kitchen May 4 – 7 May 4 – 7 May 4 – 7 Interzum Interzum InterzumGermany Cologne, Germany Cologne, Cologne, Germany www.interzum.com www.interzum.com www.interzum.com May 10 – 14 May 10 – 14 May Ligna HouseLigna Ad 10 – 14 House Ad Ligna Hanover, Germany 4.65” xHanover, 6” Germany 4.65” x 6” Hanover, Germany www.ligna.de/home www.ligna.de/home Nearly New Cefla www.ligna.de/home PSP6 Spray Machine May 13 – 16 May 13 – 16 Six Gun linear automatic spray May 13 –Design 16 Interior Design Show Interior Show machine, includes pump and guns. Interior Design Show Toronto, Ont. This exceptional machine Toronto, Ont. enhances productivity by combining Toronto, Ont. www.interiordesignshow.com www.interiordesignshow.com Now booking high quality and efficiency, and low www.interiordesignshow.com environmental impact. Ready for 2021 ad programs June 15 – 18 June 15 – 18 use with water-based, solvent-based June 15 – 18 TISE: TISE: or UV spray coatings, the PSP6 TISE: The International Surface Event The International Surface Event offers a choice of spray gun options: Alan Macpherson twoVegas, circuitsNev. with a 3+3 configuration The Vegas, International Surface Event Las Las Nev. amacpherson or one circuit with 6 guns Las Vegas, Nev. www.intlsurfaceevent.com www.intlsurfaceevent.com (HVLP, Airless, Airmix). @wimediainc.ca www.intlsurfaceevent.com Akhurst Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 ...........................19 Akhurst www.akhurst.com AWI Annual Convention www.akhurst.com ...........................19 Online Event Castaly Machines www.awinet.org/events/ Castaly Machines www.castaly-cncmachine.com ......9 annual-convention www.castaly-cncmachine.com ......9 Grass Nov. 30 – Dec. 4 Grass www.grasscanada.com ....................5 The Buildings Show Online Event www.grasscanada.com ....................5 www.thebuildingsshow.com KCD Software KCD Software www.kcdsoftware.com ...................31 Jan. 18 – 24 www.kcdsoftware.com ...................31 IMM MEC Cologne Precision MEC Precision Cologne, Germany www.mec-precision.com ..................8 www.imm-cologne.com www.mec-precision.com ..................8
Classifieds
FOR SALE
The brand your customers trust
Contact: will@vinyltek.com
28 WOOD INDUSTRY
R/OCTOBER 2020
R/OCTOBER 2020
JULY/AUGUST 2020
416-274-6208
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Osborne Akhurst Wood Products, Inc. Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 ...........................19 Akhurst www.osbornewood.com ...................13 www.akhurst.com AWI Annual Convention www.akhurst.com ...........................19 Online Event Pillar Machine Castaly Machines www.awinet.org/events/ Castaly Machines www.pillarmachine.com ................13 www.castaly-cncmachine.com ......9 annual-convention www.castaly-cncmachine.com ......9 Salice Grass Grass Nov. 30 – Dec. 4 www.salicecanada.com ..............2, 32 www.grasscanada.com ....................5 The Buildings Show Online Event www.grasscanada.com ....................5 Sames Kremlin www.thebuildingsshow.com KCD Software KCD Software www.sames-kremlin.com ...............15 www.kcdsoftware.com ...................31 Jan. 18 – 24 www.kcdsoftware.com ...................31 IMM MEC Cologne Precision MEC Precision Cologne, Germany www.mec-precision.com ..................8 www.imm-cologne.com www.mec-precision.com ..................8
Akhur Osbor Osbor www.a www.o www.o Castal Pillar Pillar www.c www.p www.p Grass Salice Salice www.g www.s www.s KCD Sames S Sames www.k www.s www.s MEC P www.m
Feb. 9 – 11 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show Orlando, Fla. www.kbis.com
Classifieds
April 13 – 18 EuroCucina Milan, Italy www.salonemilano.it/en/exhibitions/eurocucina-ftk-technologyfor-the-kitchen
FOR SALE
May 4 – 7 Interzum Cologne, Germany www.interzum.com May 10 – 14 Ligna Hanover, Germany www.ligna.de/home Nearly New
House Ad House 4.65” xAd 6” 4.65” x 6”
Cefla PSP6 Spray Machine
May – 16 Six13 Gun linear automatic spray Interior Design Show machine, includes pump and guns. This exceptional machine Toronto, Ont. enhances productivity by combining www.interiordesignshow.com
high quality and efficiency, and low environmental impact. Ready for June – 18 use15 with water-based, solvent-based TISE: or UV spray coatings, the PSP6 The International Surface Event offers a choice of spray gun options: twoVegas, circuitsNev. with a 3+3 configuration Las or one circuit with 6 guns www.intlsurfaceevent.com (HVLP, Airless, Airmix).
Contact: will@vinyltek.com
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By the numbers Residential construction investment Residential construction investment In millions of dollars
in millions of dollars
14,000
Residential construction investment in millions
14,000 12,000
of dollars
Total residential investment
12,000 10,000
Total Total residential residential investment investment
10,000
8,000 8,000
6,000 6,000
Renovations
Renovations
4,000 4,000
Renovations
2,000 2,000 0 0
Dec-18 Jan-19
Jan-19 Feb-19
Feb-19 Mar-19
Mar-19 Apr-19
Apr-19 May-19
May-19
Jun-19
Jun-19
Jul-19
Jul-19 Aug-19
Aug-19
Sep-19
Sep-19
Oct-19
Oct-19 Nov-19
Nov-19
Dec-19
Jan-20
Feb-20
Mar-20
Apr-20
Dec-19
Jan-20
Feb-20
Mar-20
Apr-20
May-20
Canadian building permits In millions of dollars Canadian building permits in millions of dollars 7,000
Residential building Residential building permits permits
6,000 5,000
Commercial building permits
4,000
Commercial Institutional building permits
3,000
and governmental building permits
2,000 1,000
Institutional and governmental buidling permits
0
Jan-19
Feb-19
Mar-19
Apr-19
May-19
Jun-19
Jul-19
Aug-19
Sep-19
Oct-19
Nov-19
Dec-19
Jan-20
Feb-20
Mar-20
Apr-20
May-20
New housing construction value In millions of dollars New housing construction value in millions of dollars
14,000
Total residential
Total residential
12,000 10,000
Single
Single
8,000
Apartments Apartments
6,000
Row
4,000
Row
Double
2,000 Double
0
Jan-19
Feb-19
Mar-19
Apr-19
May-19
Jun-19
Jul-19
Aug- 19
Sep-19
Oct-19
Nov-19
Dec-19
Jan-20
Feb-20
Mar-20
Apr-20
May-20
Carpenter construction union hourly wage rates In dollars, including selected pay supplements Carpenter construction union hourly wage rates in dollars, including
selected pay supplements
70 60
Tor onto, Ont. Toronto, Ont.
50
Regina, Regina, Sask. Sask.
40
Edmonton, Alta. Edmonton, Alta.
30
Vancouver, B.C.
20
Quebec, Que.
10
Saint John, N.B.
QuĂŠbec, Que.
0
Saint John, N.B. Jan-19
Feb-19
Mar -19
Apr-19
May-19
Jun-19
Jul-19
INDUSTRY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2020 2020 30 30 WOOD INDUSTRY
Aug-19
Sep-19
Oct-19
Nov-19
Dec-19
Jan-20
Feb-20
Mar -20
Apr-20
May-20
Source: Statistics Canada
Vancouver, B.C.
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