Connections encourages EWTA and APA Members to submit news of interest to scain@engineeredwood.org
EWTA NEWS
New EWTA Contacts for Member Services, Info Fair
EWTA members now have two new contacts at the association, following last month’s retirement of former Member Services Director and Info Fair Coordinator Melinda Lilley. Emily Houg will serve as the new Info Fair manager. Houg has coordinated special events and conferences across the U.S. for government agencies, associations and nonprofits and has held board positions with the Pacific Northwest Chapter of Professional Meeting Convention Association. She can be reached at emilyh@engineeredwood.org. Also new to EWTA’s team is Sydney Martin, the association’s new member services coordinator. In this role, Martin will be managing membership directory updates, working with Engineered Wood Journal advertisers, and providing general support to EWTA members, the managing director and Info Fair manager. She can be reached at sydneym@engineeredwood.org.
Spring EWTA Advisory Committee Meeting Soon to be Scheduled
A date for the spring Advisory Committee Meeting will be announced soon. Tentative plans call for the meeting to be held with an APA Forum, in conjunction with the Wood-Based Composites Center short-course in Corvallis, Ore., in March. Members will be notified via email once a date is set.
New Members Added to EWTA’s Advisory Committee
At the EWTA’s Advisory Committee meeting in San Antonio last October, the Nominating Subcommittee recommended the addition of two new members: Mark Clark with Hexion will fill the seat vacated by the retired Dale Leeper, and USNR’s Chris Van Ackeren will take the seat of Tim Fisher, who retired.
Advisory Committee Approves $80,000 for Research Proposals
At the EWTA Advisory Committee meeting during the APA Annual Meeting in San Antonio in October, the committee approved the funding of $80,000 in APA research proposals. The projects included $30,000 for an acoustic evaluation of an I-joist assembly; $10,000 for a residential market study on wall panelizers; $10,000 to complete the “Build a Better Building” series of videos; and $30,000 to fund an APA/Canadian Wood Council/National Research Council collaboration to study VOCs emissions from mass timber.
Mark Your Calendar: Date Set for 2019 EWTA Info Fair
It’s not too early to start planning for the 2019 EWTA Info Fair and APA Annual Meeting. This year’s events will be held Nov. 2-4 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass in Tucson, Ariz. Early Bird registration for Info Fair will open this spring (email launch scheduled for early April). For more information, contact Sydney Martin at sydneym@engineeredwood.org.
EWTA MEMBER NEWS
Wanhua Completes Site Selection for American Manufacturing Base
Wanhua Chemical recently announced that it will develop a new $1.25 billion chemical manufacturing complex in Convent, St. James Parish, La. The new MDI plant has a capacity of 400 kilotons per year and will generate 1,000 construction jobs at peak activity. It will also create 170 new direct jobs with another 1,060 new indirect jobs. Construction is set to start this year, with operations anticipated to begin in 2021. Wanhua currently operates fully integrated MDI manufacturing complexes in Yantai, Ningbo and Zhuhai, China; and Kazincbarcika, Hungary.
Altec Installs Charger and Scanner for New Client
Altec Integrated Solutions recently completed its first installation of charger controls and its Altec XY Scanner in the hardwood industry. The job included the installation and commissioning of the controls and scanner for Columbia Forest Products. The Altec team reused the existing charger PLC and IO components, in addition to providing the client with a new XY laser scanning system and solutions PC.
Raute Appoints New CFO
Raute recently announced that it has appointed Tarja Järvinen as group vice president, CFO of Raute Group. She will also be member of Raute Group’s executive board, reporting to president and CEO Tapani Kiiski. Järvinen will assume the position on February 1.
Willamette Valley Co. Names New Business Manager
Robert Pitts has been named the business manager for Willamette Valley Co.'s North American Wood Products business. According to a press release from the company, Pitts has been instrumental in guiding Willamette Valley Co.’s North American sales efforts in sealers and primers for engineered wood for nearly 20 years. Pitts will focus his efforts on the company’s plywood business and the growth of its specialty wax business, as well as paint and coating products. Pitts started his new position January 1.
Flamex Announces New IR Detector Series
Flamex recently introduced its new YMX 5000 Detector series, representing a new generation of infrared spark and flame sensors for industrial applications. A self-monitoring optics feature provides “through the lens” testing for each detector in real time to immediately alert the user of a reduction of detector capability caused by damage or lens contamination. The increased viewing angle of the detector enhances the detection capability and often reduces the number of detectors required for effective monitoring of a given area.
Ashland Wins Sustainability Award
Ashland has received the 2018 Sustainability Award and the Silver Performance Improvement Award from the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates, an international trade association representing the chemical industry. The award recognizes the company’s commitment to continuously improving environmental, health, safety and security practices. Ashland’s Ohio team improved the environmental footprint of the facility’s operations by significantly reducing solvent waste disposal with the installation of a single-stage vacuum distillation unit to recover spent solvent for reuse. The project reduced the company’s waste disposal and raw material costs while preventing more than 350 drums of waste per year. These benefits were realized without an increase in energy usage or greenhouse gas generation.
AROUND THE INDUSTRY
Three New Trustees Join APA Board
Three new trustees have been elected to the APA Board of Trustees, filling vacancies created by retirements and new executive assignments.
- Mark Dubois-Phillips senior vice president, Sales, Marketing and Logistics, for Norbord, has extensive management experience in the forest products and energy sectors. Before joining Norbord, he spent 14 years at International Forest Products Ltd. (Interfor).
- Roy O. Martin III is president, CEO and CFO of Martin Sustainable Resources LLC, Martin Timberlands LLC and Marco LLC. He also is the director and co-founder of Indigo Minerals LLC, a Houston-based oil and natural gas exploration company.
- Allan Bradshaw, vice president of engineering for Weyerhaeuser, oversees a team of engineers responsible for planning and construction of capital projects for Weyerhaeuser’s 34 mill systems, enhancement of existing manufacturing technology and oversight of proprietary product code reports and quality control.
Popular Short-Course Returns to OSU in March
The Wood-Based Composites Center, in cooperation with the Oregon Wood Innovation Center, are offering the Structural Plywood and Veneer-Based Composites course at Oregon State University March 27-28. This course, which was brought back by popular demand, will mix basic wood material and adhesive science with a practical look at how veneer-based wood products are manufactured. Included are hands-on activities and an introduction to lean manufacturing and its implementation in the industry. Rounding out the agenda will be daily panel discussions, allowing participants to have their questions answered by industry pioneers, suppliers and academic instructors. Registration for the class opens this month with a discounted registration fee for members of the WBC.
Report Verifies Structurlam CLT Products are Code Compliant
The ICC Evaluation Service and APA – The Engineered Wood Association released their first joint evaluation report for cross-laminated timber products. This program certifies CLT products for compliance with ICC-ES Acceptance Criteria for Cross-Laminated Timber Panels for Use as Components in Floor and Roof Decks (AC455) and ANSI/APA PRG 320 Standard for Performance-Rated Cross-Laminated Timber. The joint evaluation report, ESR-3631, was issued in September 2018 to Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation for its Structurlam CrossLam CLT panels. Verifying that the CLT panels are in compliance with building, residential, and green codes and standards, ESR-3631 also provides information about the acceptance criteria used to evaluate the product and how the product should be identified and installed. The evaluation report authorizes Structurlam to add the ICC-ES mark of conformity to its product packaging and identification, and the company may now list its panels as certified by ICC-ES and APA.>
American Wood Council Names New Board Members
The American Wood Council, a trade group for the wood products industry, has elected Roseburg Forest Products Chairman Allyn Ford as the AWC board of directors’ chairman for a second one-year term, effective January 1. Neil Sherman, executive vice president of Siding at LP Corporation, was elected the first vice chairman, and T. Furman Brodie, vice president of Charles Ingram Lumber Co., was elected as second vice chairman. Stimson Lumber President & CEO Andrew Miller will continue to serve as the immediate past chairman. Ricky Stanley, CEO and president for TR Miller Mill, was confirmed as a new member to the AWC board. Eric Cremers, president and chief operating officer of PotlatchDeltic, and Fred Stimpson, president of Canfor Southern Pine, were each elected to a second two-year term.
Composite Panel Association’s 2019 Leadership Team Takes Office
The Composite Panel Association, a trade association that represents the North American composite panel industry, has named new members of its board as it undertakes the development of a new five-year strategic plan. Jake Elston of Arauco North America will serve as the 2019 CPA Board chairman, Jim Buffington of Roseburg as the vice chairman, and Pat Aldred of GP Wood Products as the secretary/treasurer. Louis Brassard of Tafisa Canada completed his term as CPA chairman at the end of 2018 and now serves as immediate past chairman.
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