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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
Digital maintenance of facilities with Smartenance
Preventive facility maintenance is important to prevent problems that can lead to the machine standing still. In many producing plants, technicians still document maintenance procedures such as sweeping up chips, …
AKD to acquire CHH NSW sawmilling business
Integrated Australian forestry and timber processing company, Associated Kiln Driers (AKD) is pleased to confirm that it has signed an agreement with Carter Holt Harvey (CHH) to acquire all of …
Mill turning $1m loss into $500,000 profit
The Red Stag Timber Company, which annually processes more than one million tonnes of logs at its Waipa mill, is using its waste wood as renewable fuel rather than trucking …
Linx Cargo Care to buy Pedersen Group
Sydney-based Linx Cargo Care Group is planning to buy wood processor Pedersen Group for an undisclosed amount. The two have entered into a conditional purchase agreement and expect the deal …
Upgrading and fine-tuning Wood Manufacturing plant
The focus for the September WoodTECH 2018 series is on new technology – new and innovative tools, technologies and practices that can be used by local wood manufacturing and dry-mill …
Strong exhibitor line-up for LIGNA 2019
The next LIGNA is being staged from 27 to 31 May 2019, and its organizers, Deutsche Messe and the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (VDMA Holzbearbeitungsmaschinen), have announced that exhibitor …
Robotic exoskeletons from SuitX
The front of SuitX’s East Bay headquarters is an empty room. No reception desk, no furniture — it’s about as unassuming as robotics office spaces get. For now, it’s a …
Global technologies being showcased at WoodTECH 2018
Never has the local wood manufacturing industry seen such a turnout. Leading global technology providers will be travelling into this region in September. Why? To participate in the eagerly awaited …
Tariffs now hit China’s woodworking machinery
Tariffs of 25%t were levied on Chinese-manufactured woodworking machinery and panel processing equipment beginning Friday 6 July. It’s part of a trade battle being waged on several fronts by the …
Enter the robots: automation filling the gaps
Plant manager Gabor Kiraly remembers the meeting a couple of years ago when he and his Austrian bosses learnt how severe the worker shortage in Hungary was about to become …
Queensland sawmill opens after 7-year shut down
Tambo’s reopened sawmill is reviving the town’s fortunes after a million-dollar investment and seven years in mothballs. Queensland’s Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said the …
Stellar sawmill earnings being recorded
From a recent article by Russ Taylor, Managing Director of FEA Holdings – Canada Inc, he has outlined how the recent run on lumber prices has put big smiles on …
Conception R.P. reports large contract to CLT producer
Conception R.P, a Canadian company that designs and manufactures fingerjointing equipment has obtained the largest contract in its history, at $6.7 million CAD. The company announced the contract for a …
New surface treatment to boost hardwood components
A new mystery surface treatment developed by the CSIRO is set to enhance the viability and desirability of hardwood components in construction, by improving bond strength when adhesives and coatings …
Drymill Innovations – WoodTECH 2018 details out
We’ve been busy working alongside many dry-mill and wood manufacturing operations locally, local and global tech providers and researchers over the last couple of months. Together, we’ve been designing the …
OneFortyOne investing in sawmill upgrade
OneFortyOne has announced that the Wood Products team have been given approval to commence work on a new capital expenditure project worth approximately AU$14 million for the Jubilee Highway Sawmill …
Site for new AU$190M CLT mill selected
Early last week the potential site for the Hermal Group’s new hard wood operation in Tasmania was being debated by the media. Late last week the announcement on the location …
Inside the new Red Stag sawing line
The worlds most advanced sawmill and the first ‘super-mill’ in the Southern Hemisphere, Red Stag Timber, was opened in Rotorua on 23 March last year. A new sawmilling line and …
Softwood lumber exports into US soar
The streak of record-high U.S. lumber prices caused offshore softwood lumber exports to the U.S. to expand rapidly in 2017 versus 2016 reports Russ Taylor, Managing Director of FEA Holdings …
XLam Australia now commercially producing CLT
XLam has announced that it has now begun manufacturing Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels at its Wodonga site in Australia. “XLam is very excited to finally offer the building and …
New equipment for the saw-filing room
A recent issue of Canadian Forest Industries highlights some of the latest equipment for the North American saw filing room. The list includes; Cut Technologies Wright Machine Tools Cut Technologies …