University of Liverpool engineers have built an eco-friendly timber building that does not use any adhesives in the construction process. The timber structure uses timber to reinforce timber without using adhesives, which can be damaging for the environment. Engineers designed and constructed a large section of the office space using adhesive-free laminated timber (AFLT) beams and adhesive-free cross laminated timber …

FPInnovations’ SawSense temperature sensor technology has been commercially available for a month and industry response has already been positive for licensing and manufacturing partner Williams & White Equipment. The patented technology accurately measures the temperature of a saw when in the cut for both circular and band saws by using two contact temperature sensors. This provides real-time feedback of saw …

USA-based, Pollard Lumber, is once again blazing new trails with the technology for their recently upgraded bucking line. The sawmill is proud to announce that the world’s first next-gen JS-50 laser scanners are now up and running. The new Nelson Brothers Engineering (NBE) optimizer receives geometric data from a single overhead bank of 12 dual camera JoeScans. The scanners are …

Heyfield Australian Sustainable Hardwoods has officially commissioned a new AU$3 million timber manufacturing plant. The centrepiece of the new plant at ASH’s Greenmill in Firebrace Road is a high-strain twin band resaw, which uses German sawing technology to maximise the amount of useable timber while minimising sawdust and woodchip waste. ASH managing director Vince Hurley said the technology used in …

More time with the grand kids is on the horizon but Murray Sturgeon insists his “semi-retirement” won’t mean a cutting of ties with the company he has helped grow. After 35 years at the helm of Nelson Pine Industries and 57 years’ experience in panel manufacturing, the former managing director announced as of 1 January he had reached a decision …

Hyne Timber Tumbarumba is in the process of adding a third shift as the Bushfire recovery salvage operation continues. The site already employs approximately 230 people and is actively recruiting to a range of new opportunities and vacancies. Site Manager, Marcus Fenske said the third shift is essential as the company does its part in bushfire recovery and increases locally …

We are pleased to announce the programmes for this year’s WoodTECH 2020. This FIEA technology series is running in Rotorua, New Zealand on 19-20 August 2020 and in Melbourne, Australia on 25-26 August 2020. Two years ago, the WoodTECH technology series achieved a record turnout of local wood manufacturing companies. Over 350 delegates from all major wood manufacturing and dry-mill operations …

A technology that uses dielectric heating and radio frequency energy to destroy destructive pests lurking within wood products is closer to reaching the marketplace after a recent commercial trial at Penn State’s University Park campus. The 17 December demonstration, which was observed by regulatory and wood products industry professionals from the U.S. and Canada, validated the effectiveness and cost efficiency …

Australia’s first 120 minute Fire Resistance Test (FRT) and Fire Resistance Level (FRL) has been successfully completed on exposed glue laminated timber members manufactured in Victoria by Australian Sustainable Hardwoods Pty Ltd (ASH). The members, not encapsulated with a fire resistant board, are intended for ‘seen structural’ applications and manufactured under the brand name MASSLAM. A number of different MASSLAM …

Timberlink Tarpeena’s major upgrade project reached a key milestone on with the first load of timber rolling into our brand new Contra Flow Kiln, the second of its kind at the site. The kiln’s advanced drying technology assists with product consistency, reduced emissions, and streamlining the production process. The kilns use an ingenious system of circulating air through two 80 metre long …

Nature’s Flame’s facility, ideally located in Taupo, New Zealand has recently undergone a significant expansion with an investment from parent company Norske Skog of around NZD$8 million. This has enabled production to increase to 85,000 tonnes of premium quality wood pellets per year, all from sustainably sourced fibre residues. “Utilising local, unused geothermal energy we have eliminated bottlenecks and more …

Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Michael McCormack MP, NSW Member for Albury, Justin Clancy MP, Snowy Valleys Mayor, James Hayes and Deputy Mayor John Larter have all visited the Hyne Timber Tumbarumba Mill to further understand the impacts of the bushfires on the softwood industry. Timber from the Tumbarumba Mill supplies 1 in 4 new homes across the NSW market …

CHH Timber chief executive Clayton Harris confirmed a final decision had been made to close the mill, with the loss of 111 jobs, after consultation started in January. Workers at Carter Holt Harvey’s Whangārei mill are “disappointed” with the company’s announcement confirming the mill’s closure, union representatives say. The closure was disappointing and a “double-whammy” for the industry which is …

The Timberlink Board has approved plans to enter the growing mass timber market enabled through building a state-of-the-art Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) & Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing facility that will service this growing market segment. Timberlink Chief Executive Officer Ian Tyson said “CLT and GLT products are used as the structural elements for building residential housing, medium density and …

Carter Holt Harvey says it has begun consulting staff at its Whangarei sawmill about the potential closure of that site. It is understood the sawmill employs about 111 staff. “Following a major upgrade to increase productivity at our Kawerau sawmill, our Kawerau and Nelson sawmills now have sufficient capacity to service our domestic customers,” chief executive Clayton Harris said. “These …

China’s Guangxi Fenglin Wood Industry Group is in talks with Trust Tairawhiti to develop a wood processing facility near Gisborne, New Zealand. The firm, which had been planning a development at Kawerau, said it had recently signed a letter of intent to collaborate with the trust to develop a facility which ultimately could process up to two million tonnes of …

This week’s sudden announcement of the closure of Pacific Pine Industries Ltd, a timber processing and sawmill in Putaruru, New Zealand has left its 60 plus employees reeling. Staff were called in from their annual leave on Monday to a meeting where they were informed that the company was entering voluntary administration. Locks were being changed at the site as …

As recovery gets underway for the Tumbarumba region, NSW, the Hyne Timber Mill is back up and running, despatching truckloads of timber, thanks to the many volunteers and emergency services who protected it throughout the bushfire crisis. A number of team members from Queensland have been deployed to Tumbarumba to assist with the Mill’s recommencement and enable impacted team members …

Establishing wood processors close to forestry allows wood processing and forestry residues to be used as an energy source, with any surplus able to be used by other nearby industries. Other primary processing (such dairy and meat processing) could also benefit from this strategy, and there is potential for a shared energy plant to service multiple factories. This strategy of …

Timberlink CEO Ian Tyson, last Tuesday welcomed Guy Barnett, Tasmanian Minister for Resources, to Timberlink’s Bell Bay mill to see recent investments in technology and safety upgrades in action. Timberlink enters the new decade strongly positioned for growth supported by the investments in upgrading the Bell Bay Mill. The installation of new state of the art Contra Flow Kilns (CFK), …

An Intel survey of 400 manufacturing experts on the front lines looks at what it will take to clear Industry 4.0’s highest hurdles. With the increasing proliferation of data, connectivity, and processing power at the edge, the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is becoming more accessible. However, successful adoption remains out of reach for many: two of every three companies …

Research by Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) to develop a new sustainable timber product has delivered additional jobs and a boost to a Queensland construction company. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the research by DAF’s Forest Product Innovation team had proven to be a win-win good news story for Cooroy-based Eco Cottages. “An …

Business is booming for a Kiwi startup which turns plastic waste into fence posts. The new company, Future Post, has invented an environmentally friendly fence post made from 100 percent recycled plastics. As well as helping minimise plastic waste, the posts are stronger and more durabkle than traditional fence post designs. General manager of Future Post, Jerome Wenzlick said the …

N.Z. Future Forest Products Ltd (NZFFP) has this week made a series of announcements about its future expansion plans. The company, which is focused on making sustainable New Zealand finished wood products one of the core export pillars of the New Zealand economy, was established by 35-year-old New Zealander David Henry upon his return to the country after 15 years …

The September quarter 2019 Australian Timber Market Survey (TMS) has shown downward price movements for untreated MGP products ranging between 0.4% and 1.3%. Treated sleeper and treated decking prices also declined over the quarter, with price movements ranging between 0.3% and 1.4%. Price movements for panel products were mixed, with price decreases for MDF products ranging between 1.1% and 1.3%, …

KPT has entered into an agreement that it expects to lead to the sale and removal of the main sawmill equipment that comprises the green mill, dry mill and drying kilns at its Heartland Hub (former Timber Creek Mill) site, along with various associated machinery. The sale proceeds will have no material effect on the Company’s finances. However, the sale …

Clip-together modular building design can be rapidly assembled, disassembled and reused, eliminating waste during a building’s lifecycle Victoria University of Wellington PhD candidate Ged Finch is fast tracking the commercialisation of his X-Frame structural frame solution for waste free buildings with support from the KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Programme. The game-changing framing system can be disassembled and re-used at the end …