Timberlink has approved an AU$100 million upgrade program to its Australian sawmills. This generational investment will see the total processing capacity of the Australasian sawmilling company increase by more than 15%. The investment will secure more than 1350 direct and indirect jobs in regional Australia for years to come while supporting the residential housing sector with increased timber supply. Timberlink’s …
Opportunities for the AI-controlled exoskeleton
At the IFA in Berlin this week, LG is set to unveil a “wearable robot” exoskeleton designed to help workers take the load off their legs. LG has been pushing the robot angle hard lately. Last year the electronics company released robots to help out at home and in public places like airports, and earlier this year it followed up …
Accurate Group set for expansion due to Stirling Machinery growth
Accurate Group – the new umbrella company for well-known tooling supplier Accurate Australia and emerging machinery brand Stirling Machinery – are major sponsors of the 2018 WoodTECH event in both Australia and New Zealand. Both entities are making waves across the industry with Stirling in particular, leaping from the starting blocks to become one of Australia’s fastest growing woodworking machinery …
Wood manufacturer breathes life into local community
Kaingaroa Village rests in the heart of the Kaingaroa Forest just South of Rotorua in New Zealand’s central North Island. Once a thriving forestry town of almost 4000, changes to ownership of cutting rights from NZ Forest service to Tasman Forestry and other corporate investors, along with the advent of heavily mechanised harvesting methods in the 1980’s saw local employment …
New AU$20m optimisation hub planned
A consortium of forestry companies has begun the development of a high-tech optimisation facility aimed at maximising the value of resource handled on the Eden and East Gippsland regions. The new development at Edrom Road will be designed with the sustainable recurring 100-year resource profile in mind. The consortium partners, including Boral who will provide technical and operational support, see …
Quick Check Tool to prepare for Industry 4.0 adoption
Festo has developed an online tool to help companies assess their readiness for Industry 4.0 adoption. Called Industry 4.0 Quick Check, it enables companies to identify their current Industry 4.0 maturity level and what their next training and development priorities should be. As digital transformation gathers pace, more and more companies are making the transition to Industry 4.0 working. However, …
First mass timber panel gets APA certification
US based Freres Lumber Company says it has achieved Mass Plywood Panels (MPP) certification under the APA – The Engineered Wood Association’s ANSI/APA PRG 320 standard. The product is the first Mass Timber Panel constructed entirely out of Structural Composite Lumber (SCL) worldwide. The company says this makes it much more cost effective than CLT (cross-laminated timber) options. Mass Timber …
Record profits for North American and European sawmills
A surge in lumber prices and modest increases in sawlog costs have resulted in record profits for many lumber companies in North America and Europe in 2018, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Sawlog costs, the largest cost component when manufacturing lumber, have gone up much more slowly than lumber prices in many countries during the past year, resulting in substantial …
USNR cancels participation in the Portland show
USNR have always been one of the main exhibitors at the Portland Woodworking Show. Over the past 30 years, USNR has exhibited at the trade show that is now formally called the Timber Processing & Energy Expo, but is more commonly known as simply “the Portland Show.” USNR have let their customers know that the company has decided to skip …
BID Group founder named to Order of British Columbia
BID Group founder Brian Fehr has been named to the Order of British Columbia. He will be among 14 people who will receive the province’s highest honour during a ceremony at Government House in Victoria on Sept. 20. His biography, as provided by the Honours and Awards Secretariat, tells a story of stunning achievement while also overcoming considerable adversity. It …
New partnership tackles timber cladding research
A new pilot program has been launched by Weathertex and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to understand the chemical changes that take place during the production of external timber cladding. A collaboration between industry and academia, the intended outcome of the program is to identify a way of enhancing the commercial value of plant materials through their structure. Executive Chairman …