Connections encourages EWTA and APA Members to submit news of interest to scain@engineeredwood.org
EWTA NEWS
EWTA Welcomes Back Returning Member
Siemer Milling Company, a former EWTA member, recently rejoined the association. Siemer Milling, based in Teutopolis, Ill., produces and markets Glu-X, a chemical-free glue extender milled from wheat and used expressly as the protein-starch adhesive for the plywood industry. Contact the vice president of customer service Jay Wallace. New member ProChem Inc., of Elliston, Va., provides water treatment chemicals, equipment, service, and optional O&M services to the engineered woods market. CleanWESP™ is the treatment program offered to lower overall operational costs, reduce downtime, reduce maintenance, and extend media life. Contact the Director David Martin.
Info Fair Registration Underway
Registration for the 2019 EWTA Info Fair is now open. The event, along with APA’s Annual Meeting, is scheduled for Nov. 2-4 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass in Tucson, Ariz. (Annual Meeting registration opens soon – contact Kim Sivertsen for information.) Info Fair provides suppliers face-to-face connection with industry decision makers at leading engineered wood products companies. Sponsorship opportunities with special recognition are available. For Info Fair exhibit information and registration details, contact Emily Houg.
EWTA Supplier Awards Program Now Open
EWTA’s annual Supplier of the Year and Innovation Awards programs are now underway. The Supplier Awards Program has two parts: Innovation of the Year and Supplier of the Year. The Innovation of the Year program recognizes new products or services offered by EWTA members who have demonstrated a positive impact in the field. Supplier of the Year awards are based on the quality, service and delivery of EWTA member products and services to APA member companies. Entries are now being accepted for the Innovation program, and EWTA members can submit their innovations online through July 31. All EWTA members are automatically entered into the Supplier of the Year awards program. More information about both programs can be found on the EWTA Awards page. Voting will take place this fall.
Submit a Story to the Engineered Wood Journal
The Engineered Wood Journal is always looking for good feature stories – especially those that come from our members. If your company has a non-promotional story to tell about processing trends, technical developments, regulatory developments, industry health and safety programs, etc., we’d love to hear from you. Check out this list of articles and authors in the Journal over the past 10 years here with links to past articles. If you think someone in your company would be a good author for a feature, email a summary of your idea to Editor Sheila Cain.
EWTA MEMBER NEWS
Raute Opens Service Center in Russia
Raute recently opened a new service center in Kirov, Russia. It is Raute’s second such center in Russia and will serve the Kirov region’s plywood mills more effectively by offering shorter delivery times for spare parts. More than 10 plywood mills, located within a radius of 400 km, will be served by the second center. Technology services are also offered in Russia by Raute Service LLC, established in 2005 in St. Petersburg.
H.B. Fuller Hires Wood Technical Expert
H.B. Fuller Adhesive Coated Solutions announced that Stan Quaintance has joined the company as an area technical manager for the Southeast territory. Quaintance brings a wealth of experience in processing machinery, management, plant start-ups, and maintenance management.
HGA Opens Three New Offices, Hires New VP
Hunt, Guillot & Associates has responded to consistent business growth by opening three new offices. The Ruston, La.-based engineering services company is now also located in Fort Worth and Midland, Texas, as well as El Dorado, Ark. The new offices will allow employees to respond effectively to the needs of HGA’s clients and strengthen its regional presence. The company also announced that it has hired Mike Killgore as vice president of construction services.
Chem-Trend’s DilutionIQ Connects Customers with Remote Monitoring
Chem-Trend is expanding its DilutionIQ system to more customers in China, Europe, and North America, with availability to India, South America, and other parts of Asia in the future. Specifically created for customers purchasing Chem-Trend release agent concentrates, the DilutionIQ system allows for remote monitoring of the process, ensuring optimal dilution rates are maintained. The system consists of a fluid meter panel and a display panel. Customers are provided with remote access to the DilutionIQ system through a web application, allowing them to monitor its status and view the dilution ratio and alarm history. The system stores historical data for every batch mixed. Alarm limits can be set by the customer, and outputs are provided to communicate alarms locally if desired.
Dürr Offers Expanded Air Purification Portfolio
Dürr’s recent acquisition of MEGTEC has allowed the company to expand its portfolio of exhaust purification technology to meet tightening environmental regulations in the wood products industry. Dürr’s new CleanSwitch regenerative thermal oxidizer is a highly efficient solution for the destruction of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions that arise from the treatment and processing of wood. The technology has an annihilation rate of 99 percent or more and a thermal efficiency of 95 to 97 percent.
SMARTECH Expands Development of SmartWax Technology
SMARTECH (formerly TIP), recently expanded the reach of its SmartWax technology to additional territories and additional technologies. The product, which reduces the cost of wax used in the manufacturing process through a patented suspension technology, is now being sold in Asia and Europe. The company is also marketing the technology for use in MDF and particleboard. SMARTECH has more than tripled its investment in SMARTECH-X, its research arm, fueling the development of additional technologies.
Kadant Carmanah Introduces New System for OSB Stranding Lines
Kadant Carmanah Design recently announced the launch of three advanced vision systems designed to help OSB producers increase production rates and improve strand quality in the wood room. The ARGUS-FMS fines measurement system, developed in collaboration with FPInnovations, continuously scans the strander outfeed conveyor to provide real-time fines percentages for every cutting pass. By constantly scanning all strands produced, the FMS greatly reduces the error rates inherent with manual strand sampling.
Dieffenbacher Introduces New Oscillating Screen
Dieffenbacherrecently introduced its new HCOS High-Capacity Oscillating Screen for particleboard production, promising more throughput with less investment. The HCOS is developed for producing high volumes. It is available in three sizes, with the largest version enabling throughput of 260 cubic meters per hour. The screen can be equipped with Mechanical Inclination Feature, which allows the adjustment of the screen’s inclination to increase or decrease material flow. The screen can be installed in new plants or integrated into existing plant structures as a retrofit.
Sweed Patents New Infeed Technology
Sweed Machinery Inc has recently patented its “Smart Pause” technology, which provides veneer dryer infeed operators additional time to address veneer feeding issues while maintaining a 100 percent dryer fill rate. This can be accomplished without stopping the dryer, thus maximizing production. The Smart Pause infeed functions separately from the veneer dryer and drives each deck independently. The technology allows the operator to pause the feeder for up to 20 seconds upon a misfeed without stopping the dryer. Once the misfeed is corrected, the Smart Pause infeed allows the veneer to catch up and eliminates the gap created by the pause, increasing overall dryer efficiency and production.
Baumer Introduces New Inspection System
Baumer Inspection GmbH has introduced a new double-sided inspection system for chipboards and MDF/HDF boards. Typical process errors such as grinding defects, damage to the surface and edge areas, as well as contamination caused by oil, water or dust spots are stably identified. The ColourBrain RawBoard 4.0 system can be quickly and easily integrated into customary line controls.
Combilift Introduces Container Slip Sheet
Combilift’s Container Slip-Sheet (Combi-CSS) has been designed for quicker and easier mechanized loading of products – particularly long ones – into containers. It addresses the challenges associated with the combination of forklifts and manual labor often required for this application. The product is a low, free-standing platform with a dual-directional motor-driven pulling mechanism, on which a Hardox 500 steel sheet rests. It has a capacity of 65,000 lbs and allows a full load of product to be prepared behind the container on the sheet and loaded onto a 20-ft container in just three minutes. Once loaded, the sheet is guided into the container by the mechanism underneath. Then, a hydraulic rear barrier gate, fixed to the end of the platform, swings across the container opening and is locked in place across the entire width of the platform. This holds the material within the container while the metal sheet is slipped out from underneath it.
AROUND THE INDUSTRY
APA Lab Expansion Almost Ready for First Tests
The expansion of APA’s lab at its Tacoma, Wash., headquarters is nearing completion. The remaining H-blocks for the strong wall arrived in Tacoma this summer, and the hydraulic system, pumps and actuators have been commissioned. The test equipment for evaluating high-load shear walls and diaphragms will be calibrated, with testing slated to begin the end of July.
Decorative Hardwoods Association Names New Board Members
The Decorative Hardwood Association recently elected new members to its board. Wave Oglesby of Columbia Forest Products and Jeremy Manthei of Manthei Veneer were elected chairman and vice-chairman of the board of directors. New board members include David Williams, Great Lakes Veneer; Don Tomaszewski, Besse Forest Products; and Doug Johnson, States Industries. Garret Keil of Murphy Plywood assumed the vice presidency of the hardwood plywood division and Herb Upton of Shaw is now the vice president of the engineered flooring division. Retiring after decades of board service are George Freeman and John Varner.
CPA Awards Companies for Safety; Elects Board Members
The Composite Panel Association honored several companies for their safety records at the association’s 2019 spring meeting, and also elected new leadership. The awards for the best long-term safety record over the past three years were given to Arauco North America, Moncure, North Carolina (Class I) and Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, Roaring River, North Carolina (Class II). The annual safety awards for having zero incidents in 2018 were given to Arauco North America, Moncure, N.C.; and Timber Products, Martell, Calif.; for Class I plants, and Panolam, Huntsville, Ontario; and Louisiana-Pacific, Roaring River, N.C.; for Class II plants. Two plants recognized for safety improvement were West Fraser Mills, Whitecourt, Alberta (Class I); and Panolam, Huntsville, Ontario (Class II). Steve Carroll of Arauco was elected to the executive committee, while Mike Avery of Timber Products Company and James Hogg of Uniboard Canada were elected chairman and vice chairman, respectively, to the Environmental Public Affairs Committee. Tammy Polovic of Omnova Solutions was named chairman of the Decorative Surfaces Council.
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