Connections encourages EWTA and APA Members to submit news of interest to scain@engineeredwood.org
EWTA NEWS
EWTA Annual Report Published
The Engineered Wood Technology Association has released its 2018 Annual Report, which details membership trends, communications activities, budget details and other association-related information and activities through the year. Click to view a copy of the 2018 Annual Report: GET >
EWTA Holds Spring Advisory Committee Meeting
The Engineered Wood Technology Association held its spring advisory committee meeting March 29 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Corvallis, Oregon. Twenty-two EWTA members, APA members and staff met and received reports on EWTA activities, programs, research and finances. EWTA Managing Director Terry Kerwood welcomed new committee members Christie Cordova from Georgia-Pacific and Travis Turner from LP. He also welcomed new companies to EWTA: Airstar and Nextwire. Kerwood also included an update on the upcoming 2019 Info Fair with details on new sponsorship benefits, floor plans and registration procedures. For additional information about the association or updates on EWTA research, contact ewta@engineeredwood.org
Info Fair Registration Now Open
Registration for exhibit space for EWTA’s 2019 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, Arizona. Info Fair’s “Early Bird” registration deadline is Oct. 1. Visit Info Fair’s information/registration site to sign up. GO >
A few changes have been made to enhance the Info Fair experience for exhibitors, sponsors and visitors. These include:
- New Diamond Level sponsorship, plus new benefits for all sponsor levels
- New floorplan to accommodate larger 10-ft-wide booth spaces
- A new information page on the EWTA website
- Insurance forms required
Watch your email for more information and a link to registration instructions. For Info Fair exhibit information, contact Emily Houg: > EMAIL EMILY or call 253.448.3754. For APA Annual Meeting information and attendee registration, contact Kim Sivertsen. > EMAIL KIM Check out the 2018 Info Fair group photo and individual photos posted on EWTA’s Facebook page: GO >
Connections Welcomes Member News
EWTA’s Connections newsletter, published electronically every other month, welcomes news from APA and EWTA members. News suitable for publication in upcoming issues includes press releases about new hires, new products, company news, awarded contracts or awards won. Please send your information or direct questions to Sheila Cain, editor.
EWTA MEMBER NEWS
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.
Altec Completes 2 Large Projects
Altec Integrated Solutions recently completed two projects: the programming of an Altec XY Scanner and charger controls for Columbia Forest Products and the installation of a steel fabricated carriage with full actuator package for Weyerhaeuser Emerson (pictured). The XY Scanner programming project also included Altec’s full reporting package, which allows customers to cross-reference and accurately track “product in” to “actual product” recovered. The steel fabricated carriage project also included mechanical supervision for the installation along with calibration and commissioning of the carriage.
Polymer Solutions Group Expands Portfolio with Acquisition
Polymer Solutions Group, the parent company of EWTA member company SASCO Chemical, recently announced that it has acquired PUR Polymerics’ line of engineered wood release agents. PUR Polymerics is based in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, and provides specialty release agents for the particle board, fiberboard and engineered wood markets.
USNR Opens New Facility in Eugene
USNR has expanded its footprint in Eugene, Oregone. Its new, larger building was enlarged to meet the growing needs of its customers. The Eugene facility is the U.S. base for USNR’s optimization technology solutions for lumber and engineered wood products, and also supports USNR's EWP equipment product line. The new facility encompasses electrical manufacturing, engineering, R&D, training facilities, warehousing and sales offices.
JAX, Inc. Announces Leadership Transition
JAX, Inc. recently announced that Kyle C. Peter has been promoted to president and CEO. Current president and principal owner Eric J. Peter plans to step down from his executive position at the close of the current fiscal year and transition to product research and senior advisory roles. Kyle Peter has been JAX’s director of international sales for the past seven years, two of those based in Zurich, Switzerland.
Henkel Launches New Wood Adhesive
Henkel recently launched its new adhesive, LOCTITE HB Xxx2 Purbond. It is the first and only 1K polyurethane adhesive to be certified for wet use in Canada and the U.S. It meets all fire performance requirements including glulam, CLT and I-joist. It is also suitable for Douglas fir and Southern Yellow Pine. The product is formaldehyde and solvent/VOC-free and is 100 percent solids- and moisture-curing.
H.B. Fuller Debuts New Tape Product
H.B. Fuller Adhesive Coated Solutions has launched an improved Sesame Green Veneer Splicing Tape for plywood composing. This improved splicing tape has a higher wet strength that improves the recovery rate through the dryer. The tapes are non-toxic and formaldehyde-free.
New Conveyor Design from Bruks-Siwertell
Bruks-Siwertell recently introduced a new clean, enclosed conveyor design called The Belt Conveyor. They system is composed of a standard belt supported on a bed of pressurized air over a formed steel trough. The new design eliminates idlers and the maintenance issues associated with the traditional conveyor design. It also eliminates the safety and environmental issues caused by airborne particulates and mitigates product loss that is commonly generated by other conveyor designs. Bruks-Siwertell built a test plant in Whitesburg, Georgia, to apply the new technology against existing technology. The plant is open to the public upon request.
AROUND THE INDUSTRY
Forest Products Society Announces Award Winners
The Forest Products Society, a global network of forest products professionals, has announced the winners of its 2019 Annual Excellence Awards. The awards will be presented June 27 at the 73rd FPS International Convention in Atlanta. The winners are:
- Richard Vlosky, PhD, for the Fred W. Gottschalk Memorial Award. This award recognizes exceptional service to FPS by an individual member. Vlosky has been a member of the Society for 27 years and has been involved in a number of strategic leadership roles at the national and section levels. He served as FPS president in 2016 and is currently chairman of both the 2019 International Nominating Committee and the Mid-South Section Communications Committee.
- Taysuya Shibusawa, PhD, for the Wood Engineering Achievement Award. This award recognizes accomplishments and innovations in the discipline of wood engineering, including structures, structural elements, building codes, consensus standards, design procedures and education. Shibusawa was hired by FPS in 1994.
- Birgit Anna-Lisa Östman, Joachim Schmid, Michael Klippel, Alar Just, Norman Werther and Daniel Brandon, for the L.J. Markwardt Award. This award recognizes the author(s) of a Forest Products Journal or Wood and Fiber Science technical paper published during the previous two years that has the most outstanding merit in the field of wood as an engineering material. The 2019 winning paper is “Fire Design of CLT in Europe,” published in Wood and Fiber Science in 2018.
- Ju Dong (first place) and Oluwatosin Oginni, PhD (second place), for the Wood Award. The Wood Award recognizes the most outstanding graduate student research conducted in the field of wood and wood products. Dong, a student at Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge wrote a paper titled, “3D printed conductive polycaprolactone composites integrated with carbonized cellulose nanofibers: toward the applications for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and deformation sensing.” Oginni, who received his doctoral degree at the School of Natural Resources, West Virginia University, wrote a paper titled, “Pyrolysis of dedicated bioenergy crops grown on reclaimed mine land in West Virginia.”
Registration Open for Forest Products Expo
Registration is now open for the 35th Forest Products Machinery and Equipment Exposition — Expo 2019. The three-day event will be held June 26–28 at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center. Online registration is available here: GO >
More than 150 companies are expected to exhibit the latest equipment and services for the forest products industry across nearly 55,000 square feet of indoor space. The event is sponsored and conducted by the Southern Forest Products Association every two years and attracts key representatives from the nation’s largest wood products manufacturers. For questions about the show, contact Eric Gee.
CPA Updates Certification Program to Require EPA Compliance
The Composite Panel Association has updated and strengthened its Eco-Certified Composite (ECC) Sustainability Certification program, now requiring 100 percent compliance with EPA TSCA Title VI. Effective March 22, all composite panel mills certified to the standard must meet the updated requirements in ECC 4-19. This includes a plant’s commitment to meeting the CARB and EPA TSCA Title VI formaldehyde emissions requirements for 100 percent of its panels 100 percent of the time, even if panels are sold in countries where those regulations do not apply. The standard also specifies carbon footprint, life-cycle inventory and other verifiable environmental practices and emphasizes the responsible use of wood fiber. Certified mills must use the new ECC 4-19 logo on all new production starting on March 22 but may sell through existing stock of product already labeled with the ECC 4-11 mark.
APA Releases 2019 Yearbook
The 2019 Structural Panel & Engineered Wood Yearbook has been released by APA – The Engineered Wood Association. Free for EWTA members, the yearbook includes an analysis of the U.S., Canadian and global economies, focusing on factors that impact demand for engineered wood products across several market segments as a basis for forecasting expected production of engineered wood products. Besides the analysis and forecast, the yearbook also includes historical data on engineered wood production. Topics examined in the yearbook include:
- Residential construction in the U.S. and Canada, new and repair/remodel
- Nonresidential and industrial markets
- North American imports and exports
- Outlook and production statistics for structural panels (OSB and plywood), including historical data
- Engineered wood product demand and production (glulam, I-joists and LVL)
The entire 2019 market forecast, including all market segments and production outlook, as well as statistical data, is included in the yearbook. EWTA members may request the report by emailing ewta@engineeredwood.org. Non-members may purchase the report for $300 at www.apawood.org: GET >
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