BATAVIA, Ill. -- Atlantic Plywood, a wholly owned subsidiary of Parksite, is expanding their business into the Southeast and will be the exclusive Formica distributor in these markets effective April 6. Atlanta and Charlotte represent Atlantic’s 11^th and 12th locations.

“With this expansion, our sales associates will look to increase demand for the Formica brand by supporting growth with existing customers and targeting opportunities to develop new relationships,” said Tony Millhouse, vice president of sales, Parksite. “Customers can expect fully stocked warehouses with every color of Formica laminate, next-day delivery, highly knowledgeable customer service and sales teams, combined with best-in-class operations and logistics teams.”

Atlantic Plywood Corp., a distributor of industrial wood products and accessories in the Northeastern United States in January 2018.  The combined company delivers products from surfacing materials to industrial wood products and to specialty building products.

Product Description

Particle board, also spelled particleboard, originated in 1887. It is manufactured using wood chips, sawmill shavings, or sawdust (all low-cost manufacturing residues compared to veneer logs and logs for MDF) and sometimes from low quality logs.

The particles are glued together using a synthetic resin (using formaldehyde as a catalyst in the past). Waxes, dyes, and other chemicals may be added to the particles. The particles are spread on a mat and then pressed under high pressure with heat.

The final product is cut to size and is sometimes sanded to provide a uniform thickness.

The amount of adhesive and the final density (related to the pressure used) controls the board’s properties.

Because of the rough size of the particles and the many small voids, the surface is often rough and needs to be sanded to obtain the smoothest face.

In some cases, when putting the particles on a mat that will convey the loose particles into the press, the first layer will be very small particles, the core will be larger particles and the top will be small particles. This provides a final surface, top and bottom, that is solid and smooth. The change from fine to coarse to fine can be rather abrupt or graduated.

Particleboard is not as strong a similar plywood panel, but it is much lower in cost. denser and more uniform. Particleboard is an engineered product, which means the overall properties are under manufacturing control.

The particleboard surfaces, often consider not beautiful, are often painted or overlaid with wood veneer or special paper or even plastic-type materials, such as formica.

Advantages

• Low cost
• Lightweight
• Smooth faces make it easy to finish

Disadvantages

• Low strength - cannot support heavy loads
• Conventional fasteners are not very strong
• Expands when exposed to liquid moisture and high humidity
• Edges need further treatment

Useful characteristics and processing hints

A. Strength. Particleboard panels are engineered, so properties can certainly vary. In general, particleboard used for furniture, cabinets and similar has a density between 0.6 and 0.8 which is somewhat heavier than oak. In general, MDF is stronger than particleboard and maybe stiffer. In furniture, with heavy loads, much of the particleboard will creep, which means it takes on a permanent deformation over time (or more simply, when used as a shelf, it will tend to sag if not well supported).

B. Gluing. Due to the wax and heat used in manufacturing, particleboard can be difficult to glue. Scuffing the surface or light sanding is essential if a very strong glue bond is desired. Because the board is under pressure when manufactured, the first exposure to moisture causes more swelling than expected (called springback). A good PUR adhesive is probably the best choice.

Hot melt adhesives, such as PUR, are often used for edgebanding. Some experimentation may be required to find the right adhesive and a reasonable cost.

Sanding to achieve uniform thickness before glue laminating is common.

C. Fastening with screws, nails and staples. In general, use screws with a head that can be countersunk. Screw root diameter (not counting the thread overall diameter) when used on the edge should be less than 20 percent of the panel’s thickness with a pilot hole that is 80 percent of the root diameter. Pilot holes need to be slightly deeper than the expected screw penetration.

Screws should be away from the corners; 1 inch for face screws and 3 inches for edge screws. Face screws should also be ½ inch or more from the edge. If screws are driven too much (over-torqued), the board is likely to split.

In general, nails would not be used on particleboard.

Brads and staples can be used, but the high density of the board discourages such use except when the fastener holds a cleat or similar that is being glued until the glue itself dries and can carry the load.

Many times, dowel pins are used for positioning.  The dowel and hole diameter used should be no larger than 50 percent of the panel’s thickness. The hole should be about 1/64-inch more in diameter than the dowel. If the hole is too small, the dowel can push the wood, creating a bump on the surface. Note: Dowels are used more for positioning that for developing a strong joint themselves.

D. Machining. The faces can be machined fairly well, although the adhesive and density mean that sharp, durable cutters (or fresh sandpaper) must be used. Edge machining is usually not too smooth.

Machining particleboard panels requires more power than machining solid wood.

Keep all tools as sharp as possible, perhaps using carbide or other durable material. Slower feed speeds, compared to solid wood, are usually better. Special saws with many teeth are often used for particle board.

E. Warping. The uniformity of particleboard reduces the tendency to warp or shrink and swell when the moisture changes. However, springback can occur with the first exposure to moisture.

F. Finishing. The porous nature of particleboard can require fillers to be used. Sanding prior to finishing can help establish a durable binding between the wood and paint. Sometimes the added chemicals in manufacturing or even oils make the surface difficult to finish with some finishes.

Gene Wengert, “The Wood Doctor” has been training people in efficient use of wood for 35 years. He is extension specialist emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Product Description

Hardboard was “discovered” by George Mason. According to the legend, Mason was running the press for making wood fiber ceiling tiles, a low density product that relies on intwining of the wood fibers to form a weak panel. However, Mason went to lunch one day and forgot to open the press before he left. When he returned, the heat and pressure had compressed the fiber tile into a dense, dark colored, thin panel. This new panel product was called Masonite.

In furniture and cabinet manufacturing, hardboard is probably only used to add rigidity to a box-like structure. It also provides an inexpensive, thin panel for drawer bottoms. Interior door skins are often hardboard. Probably everyone is familiar with hardboard that has many holes in it, often called peg board. Special hooks are available to provide hangers.

Hardboards are an inexpensive option when high strength is not required. Hardboard is made from wood fibers. The fibers are pressed together in a hot press. The press is so hot that it turns the wood brown. The adhesive that holds the fibers together is lignin, which is one of the main components of wood itself; additional adhesive may be added. Oftentimes, to help excess moisture escape, one side of the press has a screen. This screen pattern shows up on the back side of the panel. The front side is smooth, glossy, uniform textured with a grain pattern.

The typical hardboard panel used in furniture and cabinets is not much thicker than ¼ inch. It must be handled carefully, as this thin piece is not very strong, but is flexible.

There are three basic types of hardboards, standard density, medium density, and oil-tempered. The oil-tempered boards (sometimes just called tempered boards) are impregnated with oil to make them stiffer, harder and somewhat more resistant to scratches and moisture. Try both tempered and un-tempered to see which works best in your application; these two products are considerably different.

Advantages

          Inexpensive

          Paints well

          Smooth surface

          Good strength for many applications

Disadvantages

          Dense

          Brittle

Useful Characteristics and Processing Hints

A.Strength. Although quite dense, the un-tempered product used for furniture and cabinets is not exceptionally strong. Tempered boards may be more suitable.

B.Gluing. The smooth, slightly burnished surface can be somewhat difficult to glue. Scuffing the surface helps. However, oftentimes the joint strength required, such as when laminating a paper or fabric product to the face, does not need to be very high.

The backside often is rough enough to be glued, but the joint is not exceptionally strong, partly due to the heat used in manufacturing the panel and partly due to the inherent weakness of this fiber product.

PVA adhesives can be used, but contact cement, CA and PUR might provide a better joint in some cases. As most wood glues were developed for solid wood, some experimentation may be required to find the best adhesive.

C. Fastening with screws, nails and staples. The high density is certainly an issue. when a fastener enters the product without a pilot hole, the fastener pushes the wood out of the way, creating a raised bump around the fastener. Use pilot holes.

Brads can be used as low strength or temporary fasteners while the glue sets. With high density boards, brads may bend too easily.

With screws, use fairly large heads to avoid having the heads pull through easily.

D. Machining. The freshly sawn edges may not be exceptionally sharp; there may be some chip-out. Carbide tips are essential for saws. Saws with more teeth cut better.

Routing a curved edge may make the best edge in many cases.

Sanding of hardboards must be done with very sharp (fresh paper) in order to cut the fibers cleanly. After sanding, clean the surface well. The sanded surface may not be super smooth, as partly-loose fibers often keep popping up. Final sanding after using sizing or a sanding sealer maybe needed.

E. Warping. Unless exposed to liquid water, hardboard is not prone to excessive warping. It is a fairly stable product compared to solid wood. As our industry uses thin panels, we can often fasten them well enough to control warp.

F. Finishing. Tempered boards have a surface that needs to be scuff sanded to develop good finish adhesion. Other hardboards finish with conventional finishes fairly well. Hardboard variations from one manufacturer to the next can create finishing variations. Non-water-base finishes will likely perform better.

APA-The Engineered Wood Association announced the winners of its 2019 Safety and Health Awards. The program celebrates safety and operational excellence in the structural panel and engineered wood industry.

Resolute-LP Engineered Wood and LP won Safest Co. Awards in their respective categories, and Resolute-LP Engineered Wood and Roseburg Forest Products Co. topped the competition for the innovation awards.

The 2019 average Weighted Incident Rate (WIR) for the structural panel and engineered wood industry was 8.11, an increase over last year’s WIR of 6.99. The 2019 Total Incident Rate (TIR) was 1.60, also an increase over last year’s TIR of 1.41.

As with all activities, it is expected to see some movement of these values over time, and fluctuations remind the industry to continue to ensure that systems and processes are in place to strive for the long-term improvement of these metrics. WIR is calculated using both the number and the severity of recordable incidents.

The Equipment-Based Innovation in Safety Award went to Resolute-LP Engineered Wood in Larouche, Quebec, for its I-joist clamp for web flange separation. During the production of I-joists, flanges on the leading end can separate from the web at the outfeed of the assembly process before moving into a curing oven.

Prior to the development of this tool, mill staff would repair the joist using a long stick or piece of lumber, but this placed staff in a position that could lead to hand injury or long-term ergonomic issues. This tool was developed to allow for the “clamping” of the flange back onto the web at a safe distance from the conveyor and oncoming joists using leverage instead of force. Its design allows for staff to easily convert from one joist depth to another with a simple pin at the hinge spot.

The Jeff Wagner Process-Based Innovation winner was Roseburg Forest Products Co. in Coquille, Oregon, for its Laser Walkway. Pedestrian-forklift congestion is an ongoing concern at almost any manufacturing site. A team was established to identify specific areas of concern and devised a plan to reduce or eliminate the risks in these areas.

The team decided that the best course of action was to use laser walkway markers at several locations. Typically, paint has been used to mark the designated walkways, but these marks required constant repainting due to continual forklift traffic. Use of the lasers has eliminated this ongoing maintenance item.

The lasers and associated flashing lights and/or stoplights are activated by push buttons on either side of the walkway or by use of photo eyes. The lights are placed on a timer that allows adequate time for pedestrians to traverse the path, but not an excessive amount to make forklift operators complacent with the laser’s presence. As a result, pedestrians keep better to the designated path and mobile equipment operators' awareness of occupied paths is heightened.

Since 1982, the APA awards program honors the management and employees of companies and mills with the lowest Weighted Incident Rate (WIR), which is calculated using the number and severity of recordable incidents reported on the mill’s annual OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) report. As 2008 was the first year that WIR was used, awards and reports for 2009 through 2019 continue to also show Total Incident Rate (TIR), the measure used in previous years.

Seventy-six APA-member structural wood panel and engineered wood product facilities in the U.S., Canada and abroad participated in the 2019 program. A total of 15 facilities representing six APA member companies earned awards in various competition categories. Some of the mills were multiple award winners.

In addition to the Safest Company and Innovation awards, other competition categories include Safety Improvement, Annual Safety and Health Honor Roll, 3-Year Safety Award and Incident Free Honor Society. The annual honor roll, three-year average and safety improvement categories are divided into three divisions based on the type of product manufactured at the mill.

While the program awards are limited to APA members, data are collected from both member and non-member mills in order to provide a broad-based industry performance benchmark. A total of 85 mills reported data for 2019.

The 2019 Safety and Health Awards program was the 12th year of the program under a revitalized safety effort spearheaded by an APA Safety and Health Advisory Committee comprised of several APA member company safety professionals. Under the committee’s guidance, three main goals were established: make the APA program the premier safety awards program in the industry, encourage the sharing of best practices as a means to improve the industry’s safety culture and programs and, most importantly, improve the industry’s overall safety performance.

APA is proud of industry progress to develop and implement systems and processes that continue to decrease incidents and improve worker safety. Find more information on the APA Safety and Health Awards Program.  

The full list of award winners:

INNOVATION IN SAFETY AWARD

Equipment-Based Innovation Winner

Resolute-LP Engineered Wood, Larouche, Quebec

Jeff Wagner Process-Based Innovation Winner

Roseburg Forest Products, Coquille, Oregon

SAFEST COMPANY AWARD

Three or Fewer Mills

Resolute-LP Engineered Wood

Four or More Mills

LP

ANNUAL SAFETY AND HEALTH HONOR ROLL

Division 1 (Plywood)

1^st place – Boise Cascade Company

Medford, Oregon

2^nd Place – Boise Cascade Company

Chester, South Carolina

Division II (OSB)

1^st Place – LP

Swan Valley | Minitonas, Manitoba

2^nd Place – Norbord

Barwick, Ontario

Division III (Glulam, I-Joist, LVL and SCL)

1^st place – LP

Wilmington, North Carolina

2^nd Place – LP

Red Bluff, California

3-YEAR SAFETY AWARD

Division 1 (Plywood)

Boise Cascade Company

Chester, South Carolina

Division II (OSB)

LP

Two Harbors, Minnesota

Division III (Glulam, I-Joist, LVL and SCL)

Boise Cascade Wood Products, LLC

White City, Oregon

SAFETY IMPROVEMENT AWARD

Division 1 (Plywood)

Boise Cascade Company

Chester, South Carolina

Division II (OSB)

LP  

Two Harbors, Minnesota

Division III (Glulam, I-Joist, LVL and SCL)

Boise Cascade Wood Products, LLC

White City, Oregon

SPRINGFIELD, Ore.– Roseburg Forest Products has published its eighth certified Environmental Product Declaration, providing standardized and objective information about the lifecycle environmental impacts of the company’s wood products, now including MDF.

Environmental Product Declarations provide consumers with transparent, product-specific environmental information that has been independently validated. EPDs help purchasers better understand a product’s sustainable qualities and make more informed choices.

Roseburg MDF products manufactured in Medford, Oregon, include no-added formaldehyde, moisture resistant and Class 1 (A) fire rated grades. This Roseburg MDF EPD covers the cradle-to-gate impacts (raw material acquisition and manufacturing) for all products made at the Medford, Ore., plant. See www.Roseburg.com

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. -- Jay Moore president, Timber Products Inspection, has responded to the lawsuit and press release about Brazilian plywood.

“As you may know, more than eight months ago, a few domestic plywood producers as plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in Florida against Timber Products Inspection, Inc. (TP), and others,” Moore said in a statement.

“TP denies the allegations in the lawsuit, and we are in the process of vehemently defending our business practices and reputation in court. We are confident and content to work within the court system, rather than engaging in a battle in the press where sound evidence is not required.

“However, we have recently learned that the Plaintiffs have again chosen to comment outside of the Court, by sending a notice to members of the plywood industry on the pending litigation, which included the mention of a preliminary injunction for the first time. While we have not found it necessary to respond to every communication from them, we do want to take a moment to put the Florida litigation into context, and share with you some important, specific information. 

“First, there has been absolutely no finding by the court that any of the plaintiffs’ allegations against us are valid. Furthermore, most of the allegations do not even involve compliance issues under the PS 1 standard, but instead are based upon uniform quality control practices utilized by all testing agencies, including those of the plaintiffs.

“Also, we have determined that the testing data, which is the very foundation of their lawsuit, is seriously flawed in several respects, rendering the test results completely unreliable. Finally, based upon our review of the limited information received from the plaintiffs to date, and somewhat striking, considering the allegations against TP, we have learned that the plaintiffs’ own product did not comply when utilizing their own flawed testing protocol. To reiterate, this is the same testing protocol that serves as the basis for this meritless lawsuit. 

“As initially stated, TP denies the allegations in the lawsuit and stands behind our original response, consistent with our more than 50 years of proudly and honestly serving the forest products industry. It is most unfortunate that our partners and customers have been subjected to this baseless legal action and the recent industry release. However, make no mistake, TP intends to continue its tireless effort to uncover the truth, defend its reputation against the unwarranted allegations, and preserve its right to seek appropriate redress when it prevails.”

Jay Moore President, Timber Products Inspection, Inc. 770-922-8000 X1600 Cell- 678-296-0532 www.tpinspection.com

LYONS, Ore. -- The U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition issued Product Advisory notices regarding Brazilian structural plywood. The distribution of the notices is the result of a motion for preliminary injunction filed on June 5 by the coalition of 10 U.S. plywood producers including Oregon’s Freres Lumber Co.

The purpose of the advisory is to strongly recommend that all U.S. importers and resellers of Brazilian PS 1-09 plywood stop importing structural plywood from Brazil and quarantine whatever they have in inventory in the U.S. for the health and safety of consumers.

International Accreditation Service, Inc., which accredits TPI and PFS-TECO to inspect and test structural plywood, has now joined the coalition in advocating for "enhanced oversight procedures" for agencies that certify and inspect plywood the meets the PS 1-09 standard.

“Oregon used to be the highest volume plywood producer in the U.S.,” said Tyler Freres, vice president of Freres Lumber Co. “As forest harvest levels were reduced in the Pacific Northwest, imports from environmentally sensitive areas of the world increased.

“Over the past 24 months, Freres Lumber Co. has endured significant losses, and our employees have suffered reduced hours worked and layoffs due to nearly two billion feet of counterfeit Brazilian plywood dumped into the United States. We look forward to the court stopping these bad actors.”

The coalition’s legal counsel sent Product Advisory notices to importers, Building Code Associations and homebuilder associations throughout the U.S. warning against the purchase or sale of substandard and unsafe plywood imported from Brazil.

The coalition, which operates 12 U.S. plywood plants in six states with more than 4,500 workers, sued Timber Products Inspection (TPI) and PFS-Corporation (PFS-TECO) last September in federal court in Florida. TPI and PFS-TECO are the agencies that license structural grade stamps to plywood plants in Brazil. The stamps are required to enter the U.S. market. The substandard Brazilian plywood has been used in construction throughout the U.S.

“This case highlights how a few bad actors profited by essentially looking the other way while substandard, and potentially dangerous plywood was imported into the U.S. and used to build our homes and businesses,” said Michael Haglund, legal counselor representing the U.S. manufacturers.

The substandard plywood is produced by 34 plants in southern Brazil. Companies like PFS-TECO and TPI inspect and certify that the plywood meets certain standards prior to import and sale in United States.

Building codes require that structural grade plywood panels incorporated into roofs, floors and walls of residential and commercial buildings in the U.S. are PS 1-09 certified for structural integrity. Although the Brazilian plywood was stamped PS 1-09 by PFS-TECO and TPI, it reportedly experienced massive failure rates during testing by the American Plywood Association and Clemson University.

The Coalition's June 5 motion asks a federal judge to order the revocation of all of the PS 1-09 certificates that have been issued to Brazilian mills. The certifying agencies must respond to the motion by June 19. A hearing is expected in early July.

According to Tyler Freres, the Coalition's goal is to successfully halt the importation of falsely certified Brazilian plywood and prevent any further sale of the unsafe plywood by quarantining current inventories. “In any other industry, when products are faulty or don’t pass safety standards, they are recalled. We are merely asking for the Brazilian plywood to be recalled and for the agencies that falsely accredited their products to be held accountable.”

GEORGETOWN, Ont. - Olon Industries' new Purdeco panel division is up and running at two locations: Georgetown, Ontario, and the OL Frontal Solutions plant in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Done in two phases, the investment and installation of equipment are now complete.

"This state-of-the-art equipment is a game-changer for Olon and OL Frontal Solutions," said Sylvain Duchesne, vice president of sales and marketing. "We are no longer limited by offering individual components to the woodworking industry - we can now provide a full program: door and accessory mouldings, center panels, slab doors (in some cases assembled doors at OLFS) and case good panels all in the same color and material."

"We saw an opportunity in specialized surfaces that were not being fulfilled by standard panel producers in North America as well as the 'mixed materials' design trends. Purdeco complements what is already available in the market," said Susan Doherty, product manager. Three collections have been launched under the Purdeco banner, including: Olon's Exclusive VelourTouch Ultra-Matte Panels, GlossTouch High Gloss Panels, and Essentials - Olon's take on a value-added classic painted look. Custom lamination is available at Olon as well, if customers have specific material or substrate requirements.

Olona panel lamination machinery is a heavily automated manufacturing process. "We have installed a robotic system to facilitate panel manipulation and eliminate scratching on the panel surface, even though many of our materials come with a peel coat option." Stu Gwitt, vice president of operations added, "The most unique thing about the equipment is the glue system we have incorporated. The PUR glue technology creates a surface quality that is smooth, durable and second-to-none.?

Headquartered in Georgetown, Ontario, Olon Industries is one of North America's leading single-source manufacturers of components and custom solutions for the furniture and cabinetmaking industries. The company has facilities located in Georgetown, Ontario, Geneva, Illinois, Washington and Jeffersonville, Indiana, and Lexington and Union Grove, North Carolina.

LEESBURG, Va. – The Composite Panel Association (CPA) has selected Andy  O’Hare as its new president, effective Aug. 3. He takes over for Jackson Morrill, who announced his plans to resign in April.

O'Hare has more than  25  years of association management experience, most recently with The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), where he was vice president of Public Policy. Prior  to  TFI,  he served as vice president of Government Affairs for the Portland Cement Association and was involved in lobbying efforts at both the federal and state levels on a wide range of issues, including environmental, health and safety, climate change and transportation matters.  He began his association management career with the American Petroleum Institute. 

"We are pleased to have Andy on board to lead our association.  He brings proven expertise in legislative and regulatory advocacy that will serve our industry very well," said Pat Aldred, CPA chairman and lead member of the executive search team.  “His considerable professional experience leading associations will complement the strong CPA staff.”

"I am very excited to be taking on this new role and welcome the opportunity to represent the composite panel industry," O'Hare said. "I look forward to continuing to build upon CPA’s impressive reputation within the industry and the  North  American regulatory community, and  to  support  the  membership  and  its  valuable initiatives." 

Founded in 1960, and headquartered in Leesburg, Virginia, the Composite Panel Association (CPA) represents the North American wood‐based composite panel and decorative surfacing industries on technical standards, quality assurance, and product acceptance issues. The association also provides  leadership on legislative matters of interest to the industry.  CPA  also operates the  International Testing Center (ITC) and manages the Grademark Certification Program for North American composite panel products. For information, visit CompositePanel.org.

Q. What is the difference between marine grade plywood and regular exterior grade plywood?

A. Both types of plywood use an exterior grade adhesive, meaning that the adhesive does not lose its strength when wetted or heated to a reasonable temperature. However, the difference is the interior ply quality. Marine grade can have very few defects in the interior plies, which means that there will not be any voids, so nails or other fasteners will be in solid wood.

Further, there are no voids (no holes) and limited knots so there is very good adhesion throughout the entire ply. This improved adhesion can be an advantage in construction where the high strength is important and delamination cannot be tolerated. Also, as you might imagine, when sawing marine grade into smaller pieces, the edges will be solid wood without voids, which again can be an advantage at times. The real question is whether these improved quality features are necessary and worth the money.

SPRINGFIELD, Ore.– Roseburg has announced that Matthew Sally has been promoted to the role of supply chain & logistics manager for the company’s eastern region.

In his new role, Sally will lead the transportation and logistics team within his region, assisting in the development and implementation of logistics strategies and collaborating across the organization to meet the company’s business objectives.

He will report to Rick Whitmore, director of supply chain & logistics, and work closely with his counterpart Andrea Stratton, supply chain & logistics manager for Roseburg’s western region.

Formerly procurement manager at Roseburg’s Pembroke MDF plant in Ontario, Canada, Sally brings 20 years of supply chain expertise to the position, including international trade, customs compliance, shipping, procurement, transportation logistics, distribution and inventory management. He graduated with honors from Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario, with a diploma in Customs and International Trade. See www.Roseburg.com

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- TheatreSquared, Northwest Arkansas’s professional theatre, recently opened its new 50,000 square-foot home in Fayetteville.

The new facility combines two state-of-the-art theatres, the company’s first dedicated rehearsal space, offices, education and community space, on-site workshops for scenery, props and costumes, eight dedicated guest artist apartments, outdoor terraces at three levels, and an open-all-day cafe/bar on an active corner between Fayetteville’s downtown square and the University of Arkansas’s campus.

Built by Baldwin & Shell, board-formed architectural concrete wraps both theatre volumes. The studio, rehearsal space, and mainstage are all plainly visible from the street, so that no matter where an observer stands outside, it's clear the building's purpose is to create and experience live theatre. There is a nearby train that had been a huge distraction when using the former facility, so the new theatre was designed to be perfectly silent, from 24-inch walls to gaps between the steel and concrete to keep vibrations from passing through.

Designed for sustainability, the project exceeds national standards with repurposed building materials, all-LED lights, furniture milled from trees on site, enhanced commissioning, and efficient systems. Behind the building, the outdoor patio serving T2’s new dedicated guest artists’ apartments is constructed out of reclaimed brick from a 150-year old structure that once stood near the old Fayetteville Depot. Arkansas pine board-formed concrete and Kebony Shou Sugi Ban modified wood, charred by Delta Millworks, make up the building’s façade. After the concrete was poured, the pine was repurposed as interior finishes in the Spring theatre and rehearsal room.

Kebony is a sustainable wood that uses a bio-based fluid to improve the qualities and characteristics of the wood. The cell structure is permanently altered, providing the wood with the abilities and deep tan resembling tropical hardwood. See https://us.kebony.com/technology

This year has been a challenge on many fronts, but the composite panel industry has persevered and prospered and looks forward to a brighter 2021.  Represented in North America by the Composite Panel Association (CPA), the industry is made up of manufacturers that use fiber residuals, primarily sourced locally from wood sawmills, to produce particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF) and hardboard.  These raw panels are transformed when adding decorative surfaces that create non-structural wood products for every application such as cabinets, furniture, home organization, mouldings, exterior siding and trim, and flooring.  The panels have a high recycled content and are well received in the architect and design communities as green building materials.

2020 spring dip; fall recovery
Composite panel production and shipments were robust in 2019, supported by low interest rates and a buoyant residential housing market.  This trend was expected to continue into 2020 when the calendar flipped from December to January.  Little did we know what was lurking around the corner. 

The residential housing market was poised for further strengthening in the spring as the COVID-19 pandemic ground the economy to a near-standstill.  The months of March and April, like for many sectors of the economy, were some of the worst in the composite panel industry’s history.  The duration of the market uncertainty was as impossible to predict as was the fate of the pandemic.

The economic shutdown, which required a large percentage of the workforce to work from home, created an unanticipated desire for homeowners to improve their living and working environments.  This effect was felt by local home supply retailers to support a steep increase in home remodeling, which continues unabated.  This market dynamic was complemented by a strong recovery in the residential housing and construction markets, where housing starts rebounded rapidly from spring lows and the availability of homes for sale shrank to some of the lowest levels on record. 

These macroeconomic effects redounded to the benefit of the composite panel sector where shipments recovered significantly through late summer and early fall.  These trends appear poised to continue into 2021, though continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic will keep the clouds around. 

Facility openings & upgrades
The North American composite panel sector has been experiencing massive investments in both new, greenfield facilities and upgrades to existing facilities.  The facilities that have come online in the last year or so are state-of-the-art and mark the expansion of European and South American manufacturers into the North American market.  These facilities include Kronospan in Eastaboga, Alabama; Egger in Lexington, North Carolina; Swiss Krono in Barnwell, South Carolina; and Arauco in Grayling, Michigan. 

Also on tap is another greenfield plant in Willow, California called CalPlant 1, which will be the first of its kind in North America to use rice straw to produce MDF. 

Together these new facilities represent 30 percent of the U.S. particleboard and 23 percent of the U.S. MDF production in 2020 (20 percent and 14 percent respectively, for North America).

Regulatory update
The turbulence on the COVID front has been offset by relative calm on the policy front for composite panel producers. EPA has been busy in 2020, initiating a long-anticipated process to assess the human health and environmental risk posed by several widely used chemicals, including formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is used extensively in resins to bind the wood fibers into panels. 

Congress amended the Toxics Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 2016.  TSCA is the federal law that regulates the distribution of chemicals in commerce.  The law included provisions requiring EPA to assess the risk of commonly used chemicals to address their safety.  The formaldehyde risk assessment is an outgrowth of this Congressional direction. 

The assessment has several parts including: a scope determination, risk and exposure assessment, and finally a risk management program.  During the scope assessment, EPA reviews the common uses of the chemical to determine whether there are potential human health and environmental risk of potential concern.  Once EPA has targeted the uses of potential concern, the agency prepares a risk and exposure assessment to determine the level and nature of concern.  Finally, if EPA identifies risks that are not properly addressed, the agency will impose risk reduction strategies, which could come in various forms, such as limiting the uses of a chemical. 

Cabinetry is a large end-market for composite panels.

In August, EPA completed the scoping phase of the formaldehyde risk assessment.  This step was a key focus for the composite panel industry.  At issue was whether and how EPA would factor in the human health and environmental risk reduction associated with the existing TSCA Title VI rules, which set very low limits on the amount of formaldehyde emitted or off-gassed from composite panels. 

EPA had proposed in March to exclude particleboard, MDF and hardwood plywood from the scope, owing to these TSCA Title VI requirements.  The agency affirmed the exclusion of these panels from the final scope in August 2020.  Hardboard panel products were not excluded, however; though these products are made with very low emitting formaldehyde resin and will not likely be a focus of the exposure portion of the EPA formaldehyde risk assessment. 

The risk assessment and risk reduction steps will take two to three years to conclude.  CPA will continue to engage with EPA as this process unfolds, though this development will provide U.S. panel producers and their furniture and cabinet making customers with some regulatory certainty. 

Meanwhile, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which implements a formaldehyde regulation in California that was the predecessor to the national TSCA Title VI rule, is poised to consider changes to their program in 2021. Those changes would potentially focus on formaldehyde exposure associated with children’s furniture.  CPA will be monitoring this process closely and intervene as needed.

In Canada, CPA is expecting a new formaldehyde regulation to be issued by Health Canada in the first quarter of 2021.  CPA has been working with the agency for the past several years to draft a Canadian formaldehyde regulation similar to that imposed by EPA under TSCA Title VI.  Some composite panels produced in Canada are exported to the U.S., creating the need for there to be a level regulatory playing field across the border. 

Similar efforts to develop a TSCA Title VI regulation in Mexico are ongoing but moving at a slower pace than in Canada.  Many panel producers in Mexico do not export their products to the U.S. and therefore are not subject to the U.S. requirements.  If that dynamic changes, CPA will renew its focus to assist domestic manufacturers to also create a universal standard for exports to the U.S.

The 2020 federal election could alter some policy directions in 2021, and CPA will be closely monitoring any impacts on the industry.  Potential regulations related to climate change will be a topic of interest.  Composite panel producers are well-positioned for this debate, as panels sequester large amounts of greenhouse gases, removing them from the atmosphere for many decades of productive use of finished products made with particleboard, MDF and hardboard.  Moreover, many panel producers are able to use some fiber residuals to generate energy to run their panel mills, thereby conserving fossil fuels and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions.

Standards under review
CPA is an ANSI accredited standards organization and takes the lead on updating composite panel product standards.  The process for updating the ANSI standards for particleboard (ANSI A208.1) and MDF (ANSI A208.2) has begun with draft revised standards expected for standards committee review by the end of 2020.  These processes generally take a year to conclude and the expectation is that the updates to these standards will be complete by the end of 2021. 

The four ANSI standards addressing the various categories of hardboard products (ANSI A135.4, A135.5. A135.6 and A135.7) were reaffirmed in 2020.

Author: Andy O’Hare is the president of the Composite Panel Association. Founded in 1960, the CPA represents the North American wood-based composite panel and decorative surfacing industries on technical standards, industry regulation, and product acceptance. CPA General Members include the leading manufacturers of particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), hardboard and engineered wood siding/trim in North America, representing more than 92% of industry manufacturing capacity.  CPA also operates the largest laboratory testing and certification program for composite panel products in North America, and the first one approved by the California Air Resources Board.  For more information, visit  CompositePanel.org.

While news in the last year was dominated by the pandemic, you might have missed the quiet explosion in innovations related to engineered wood panel products. New materials, surfaces, and other technology are transforming how panels are made, what they can do, and ultimately how manufacturers and fabricators look at panel products.

Here’s a quick round-up of some significant trends and new developments in panels and surfaces that we are watching.

Corn, rice waste, not wood?

For decades, the standard source of material for engineered panels was wood waste in a variety of forms, but millions of dollars is now going into plants to manufacture panels from agricultural waste products such as corn stalks, and rice waste.

CornBoard is an environmentally friendly wood substitute made from corn stover, the plant debris left in the field after corn is harvested. CornBoard Manufacturing recently announced plans to build a $15 million, 50,000 square foot plant in northwest Iowa to manufacture panels of CornBoard.

Initially, they will be making CornBoard for pallets, but other products targeted include skateboards, surfboards, and outdoor furniture.

"Every day at least 8 million trees are deforested," says company founder and CEO Lane Segerstrom. "By utilizing the vast supply of corn stover that remains after corn harvest, we can save many millions of trees each year by reducing the need to harvest our forests for pressed board products."

A similar venture has just come online in California but using rice straw instead of corn waste. CalPlant has officially launched Eureka - the world's first commercially produced, no-added-formaldehyde, rice straw-based MDF.

“This is a defining moment for the CalPlant family and the industry as a whole. Decades of work have brought us to this day as we launch Eureka.” said Jerry Uhland, CalPlant founder and CEO. He says the material is engineered to match the performance of traditional wood-based MDF in machinability, paintability and strength. At full capacity, the plant will be able to produce more than 150 million square feet annually (3/4" basis) and use up 280,000 tons of rice straw. All required fiber is procured from a 25-mile radius of the plant. It could potentially supply 30 percent of the MDF demand in California.

Look Ma, no fingerprints!

Several panel manufacturers have developed products that promise to resist fingerprints and smudges. Two of note are from Wilsonart and Tafisa.

Wilsonart’s Traceless brand laminate boasts a “unique fingerprint-resistant technology” designed to ensure smears, smudges and streaks are seldom seen. The company describes the texture of the surface as “smooth and silky.” Wilsonart claims the product is “easy-to-clean, highly durable, and repairable surface with heat, impact, and scratch resistance.” Suggested uses are for countertops, cabinets, and flat panel doors with matching edgebanding.

Tafisa’s LUMMIA product claims it is resistant to fingerprints, micro scratches, and UV rays.

In Canada, Tafisa recently completed construction of a 6,500-square-meter (70,000-square-foot) facility to produce a new LUMMIA line of “luxury lacquered panels.” The $42 million project, included installation of European finishing technology, which Tafisa said is the “first of its kind” in North America and will produce panels that are resistant to fingerprints, micro scratches, and UV rays.

Initial launch of the product features 19 solid colors and prints in two finishes: High Gloss and Perfect Matt.

RhinoCoat antimicrobial panels are designed to inhibit the growth of microbes such as bacteria and fungus that might cause odor, degradation, discoloration, decay and staining of the panels.

Anti-microbial products

With all the health concerns raised through the pandemic, it is no surprise that manufacturers are seeing renewed interest in anti-microbial products. One recent entrant in that category for panel products is RhinoCoat antimicrobial prefinished panels from Timber Products Co. The panels are treated with a BioCote silver ion preservative specifically formulated to mitigate the growth of certain microbes to protect the structural integrity of the panels, according to the company.

RhinoCoat antimicrobial panels are designed to inhibit the growth of microbes such as bacteria and fungus that might cause odor, degradation, discoloration, decay and staining of the panels. Timber Products’ test results show up to 99.999 percent of the microbe load was reduced by the silver ion additive. The coating is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for its properties that protect the panel surface from microbes.

These panels are finished using a UV curing technology to apply the preservative to the panels. The UV curing technology remains one of the most environmentally conscious ways to finish the panel with no formaldehyde and no harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), according to the company.

New manufacturing capacity

Across North America, new composite panel product manufacturing plants have been coming online, showing the continued growth in the use of these materials for countertops, cabinetry, furniture, and other products.

According to Andy O’Hare, president of the Composite Panel Association, “The North American composite panel sector has been experiencing massive investments in both new, greenfield facilities and upgrades to existing facilities. The facilities that have come online in the last year or so are state-of-the-art and mark the expansion of European and South American manufacturers into the North American market. These facilities include Kronospan in Eastaboga, Alabama; Egger in Lexington, North Carolina; Swiss Krono in Barnwell, South Carolina; and Arauco in Grayling, Michigan.”

He also noted the CalPlant facility in Willows, California, which was mentioned at the beginning of this report. He said, together these new facilities represent 30 percent of the U.S. particleboard and 23 percent of the U.S. MDF production in 2020 (20 percent and 14 percent respectively, for North America).

WILSONVILLE, Ore. - Collins has appointed TJ Rosengarth its new president and CEO. Rosengarth succeeds Eric Schooler and will assume responsibilities of the major lumber and panel producer on Feb. 15.

Rosengarth has more than 30 years of industry experience. He previously worked at Willamette Industries in composite panels (1985-2000), Weyerhaeuser as vice president of its Composite Panels business (2001-2006), Flakeboard as chief operating officer (2007-2011), and Northwest Hardwoods as president and CEO (2011-2018). Most recently he served as a partner with a private equity firm where his focus was acquiring companies and leading performance management.

His industry experience along with strategic vision, constant customer focus and proven record of delivery make him the right candidate to lead Collins in the next stages of its development, the company stated.

"TJ is the right and best choice for our company to lead us forward,” said Cherida Collins Smith, Board Chair. “He has a depth of experience and success in our industry, which is especially important during these challenging times. He embodies the ethics and values that have been and continue to be core to our company.”

“TJ’s management philosophy focused on strong relationships, teamwork, and helping people achieve their best, aligns well with our goals. We look forward to TJ's leadership in this next chapter of our company's history," Collins Smith added.

Along with his industry experience, Rosengarth received an Operations Management degree from Portland State University as well as Executive Management Studies from Stanford University.

Based in Oregon and family-owned since 1855, Collins produces wood products, including softwoods, hardwoods, NAF pine particleboard, TruWood Siding & Trim. The company was the first privately-owned forest products business in the United States to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and has more than 311,000 acres of FSC-certified forest lands in California, Oregon and Pennsylvania, as well as five manufacturing facilities in the United States, and one retail yard in California. Divisions are located in: Kane, Pennsylvania, Chester, California, Lakeview and Klamath Falls, Oregon.

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Roseburg announces the addition of Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) certification for select products manufactured at its Oregon and California facilities.

Roseburg owns and manages 158,000 acres of SFI-certified timberland in North Carolina and Virginia. The company recently expanded its commitment to include SFI Chain of Custody and SFI Fiber Sourcing certifications at its western manufacturing locations.

“The values of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative closely align with our own, including a commitment to sustainable wood production, forest health, recreation, and safety,” Roseburg President and CEO Grady Mulbery said. “We are proud to offer our clients and their customers this additional assurance that Roseburg’s high-quality products are a sound environmental choice.”

Roseburg now offers the following products as SFI certified upon request: lumber and timbers, pulp and fuel chips, plywood sheathing and underlayment, SkyPly® hardwood plywood, Medite® MDF, SkyBlend® particleboard and Duramine® thermally fused laminate panels.