WoodTECH Update – Issue 26

Welcome to the latest issue of WoodTECH.News.

It’s welcome relief that both New Zealand and Australian COVID-19 lockdowns are easing and businesses, that weren’t already operating, are now opening up again. This will be a slow recovery though, with domestic and international trade still uncertain at this stage.

Next month we will be running WoodTECH 2020, as a series of innovative webinars covering a wide range of disruptive technologies aimed at improving the efficiencies of dry mill and manufacturing operations. This online event runs from 13 to 24 July 2020 and brings in experts from around the world. There will also be “hands-on” troubleshooting sessions for timber machining and planing operators. Another highlight will definitely be the New Zealand and Australian case studies on the integration of robotics within the mill (see the story below). Have a look at the programme on the event website and register today.

In this month’s issue, we cover a broad range of wood-related stories for you. WPMA has developed a dedicated website designed to provide the New Zealand timber construction industry with a comprehensive set of guides and advice. A lot of work has been put into this resource and new guides will be added as they become available.

Along with the local robotic case studies we mentioned earlier, we’ve also included this week a story on the use of robotics for building – this time with plywood blocks. This UK project shows the potential of using robots to construct low-cost housing.

Finally, there are a couple of stories highlighting the flow-on effects of the COVID-19 downturn. Both Carter Holt Harvey and AKD mills are looking at reduced hours and staffing as the building and construction sector takes a hit.

That’s it for this month. Remember to send through any contributions, stories or links that we can pass onto the wider wood processing and manufacturing community.

Check out all the articles below and enjoy this month’s issue.