Wood & Panel Europe is the bi-monthly digital magazine that covers what industry professionals prefer to know to accelerate their business operations. Ranging from SME decision-makers to multinational production plant managers, we are read by all. Our subject caters to forestry, high-end automated technologies, panel manufacturing, solidwood processing, veneers, laminates, finished and semi-finished products, construction, general woodworking and a lot more.
Sales of newly built, single-family homes in October held virtually unchanged from a downwardly revised pace in the previous month, at a seasonally adjusted, annual rate of 368,000 units, according to figures released by HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. 
The U.S. Green Building Council’s building rating system remains a common benchmark for the building industry, and it has decent brand recognition. The certifications are losing cachet among just about every constituency it needs to endure.
David Morley Architect’s Hurlingham Club Outdoor Pool scooped the top award in this year’s hotly contested Wood Awards 2012 competition. The Hurlingham Club first saw off competition of an exceptionally high standard to win the Structural category, before being crowned the winner of winners in front of over 200 leading industry and architectural figures at yesterday's awards ceremony in London. 
Recognised as the INSPIRE Awards Micro Business of the Year in 2009, Zapkut Limited has not rested on its laurels. It is fitting, therefore, that the company was in November named the INSPIRE Awards 2012 Small Business of the Year..jpg)
Log exports from Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Alaska increased about nine percent in the third quarter of 2012, totaling 412 million board feet, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station. At the same time, lumber exports decreased about eight percent to 186 million board feet, compared to the second quarter of this year.
From 18 to 21 February 2013, ZOW at the trade fair centre Bad Salzuflen/Germany is going to be the venue at which new products, materials and process solutions of the supplier industry for furniture and interior design will be showcased for the very first time. Also included are extensive exhibitor presentations for the commercial construction industry: from lightweight and lighting technology, to tradeshow construction and shop fitting, hotel equipment, to caravan and ship construction. The trade fair has become a meeting point for a growing number of planners from the fields of architecture, design and interior design. At ZOW, planners are able to find the products and ideas necessary for their creative concepts – as well as reliable suppliers. .jpg)
The Irish Exporters Association has announced that Glennon Brothers has been shortlisted for the "Manufacturing Exporter of the Year Award" at this year's Irish Exporter's Industry Awards.The closure of its particleboard mill in Knowsley in the UK in mid-September placed an additional burden on earnings reported by Sonae Industria, which were already on the decline. 
The Turkish wood-based materials manufacturer AGT ordered from the Krefeld-based Siempelkamp company machines and equipment for a new MDF plant for its location in Antalya. The main component included in the scope of supply is a 8’ x 55.3 m Generation 8 ContiRoll® press. When complete, this new customer will own the most modern and performance-strong MDF plant technology in Turkey. This is the seventh 55.3 m ContiRoll® sold to a Turkish customer by Siempelkamp.As per Wood Resources Quarterly, China's wood imports have increased hugely over the past ten years, which is great news for those investing in sustainable forestry, claims Forestry Research Associates (FRA).
UPM plans to curtail production at its plywood mills in Finland due to declining demand and difficult raw material availability caused by the prolonged wet autumn. The company starts co-operative negotiations with the personnel on lay-offs lasting maximum of 90 days during the first half of 2013. The negotiations cover the company’s Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Ristiina and Savonlinna plywood mills. The Finnish-Russian forest summit arranged in Helsinki on 14 November focused on opportunities for bilateral cooperation in forest policy, the bioeconomy and wood construction. .jpg)
Pulp mills and sawmills in Brazil became more competitive in 2012, because the costs for the wood raw-material, which accounts for about 70 percent of the production costs, have declined by over 20 percent since 2011, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly.
According to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry’s (NARI) Remodeling Business Pulse third quarter data, remodelers predicting a decline in activity over the next three months named uncertainty about the future as the top driver of the trend.
IWPA’s 2013 convention in Vancouver, British Columbia will take place April 17-19 at the Westin Bayshore.
Recognised as the INSPIRE Awards Micro Business of the Year in 2009, Zapkut Limited has not rested on its laurels. It is fitting, therefore, that the company was in November named the INSPIRE Awards 2012 Small Business of the Year.
Pulp mills and sawmills in Brazil became more competitive in 2012, because the costs for the wood raw-material, which accounts for about 70 percent of the production costs, have declined by over 20 percent since 2011, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly.
Log exports from Washington, Oregon, northern California, and Alaska increased about nine percent in the third quarter of 2012, totaling 412 million board feet, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station. At the same time, lumber exports decreased about eight percent to 186 million board feet, compared to the second quarter of this year.
From 18 to 21 February 2013, ZOW at the trade fair centre Bad Salzuflen/Germany is going to be the venue at which new products, materials and process solutions of the supplier industry for furniture and interior design will be showcased for the very first time. Also included are extensive exhibitor presentations for the commercial construction industry: from lightweight and lighting technology, to tradeshow construction and shop fitting, hotel equipment, to caravan and ship construction. The trade fair has become a meeting point for a growing number of planners from the fields of architecture, design and interior design. At ZOW, planners are able to find the products and ideas necessary for their creative concepts – as well as reliable suppliers.
Higher lumber demand in the US increased both US lumber production and importation in the 3Q/12, but sawlog prices have remained unchanged since 2011, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.
The Irish Exporters Association has announced that Glennon Brothers has been shortlisted for the "Manufacturing Exporter of the Year Award" at this year's Irish Exporter's Industry Awards.
IWPA’s 2013 convention in Vancouver, British Columbia will take place April 17-19 at the Westin Bayshore.
The Irish Exporters Association has announced that Glennon Brothers has been shortlisted for the "Manufacturing Exporter of the Year Award" at this year's Irish Exporter's Industry Awards.
The closure of its particleboard mill in Knowsley in the UK in mid-September placed an additional burden on earnings reported by Sonae Industria, which were already on the decline. According to its interim report for the third quarter, released on 16 November 2012, Sonae Industria booked value adjustments of €41m in connection with the divestment.
The Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, has met Dr. Fatih Birol, Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency (IEA), to discuss the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2012. The IEA is the authority on global energy supply and demand trends. Its 2012 report, released earlier this month, highlights Canada’s need for infrastructure to export our natural resources to new markets.
The Turkish wood-based materials manufacturer AGT ordered from the Krefeld-based Siempelkamp company machines and equipment for a new MDF plant for its location in Antalya. The main component included in the scope of supply is a 8’ x 55.3 m Generation 8 ContiRoll® press. When complete, this new customer will own the most modern and performance-strong MDF plant technology in Turkey. This is the seventh 55.3 m ContiRoll® sold to a Turkish customer by Siempelkamp.
As per Wood Resources Quarterly, China's wood imports have increased hugely over the past ten years, which is great news for those investing in sustainable forestry, claims Forestry Research Associates (FRA).
Resolute Forest Products announced plans to build an industrial wood pellet plant that will convert a currently underutilized residual material into a reliable source of renewable energy. Construction of the plant is expected to begin shortly and is scheduled for completion in 2014. The Company has signed a ten-year agreement to supply Ontario Power Generation with 45,000 metric tons of pellets annually.
UPM plans to curtail production at its plywood mills in Finland due to declining demand and difficult raw material availability caused by the prolonged wet autumn. The company starts co-operative negotiations with the personnel on lay-offs lasting maximum of 90 days during the first half of 2013. The negotiations cover the company’s Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Ristiina and Savonlinna plywood mills.
The Finnish-Russian forest summit arranged in Helsinki on 14 November focused on opportunities for bilateral cooperation in forest policy, the bioeconomy and wood construction.
Rougier, showed year-on-year growth in turnover in the third quarter of 2012 of 3.1% to €32.9m. At the same time, turnover in the business division Afrique et International alone increased by 9.3%, partly on account of favourable currency-exchange effects. Adjusted for currency effects there was still growth of 5.8% in that division.
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With global demand for lumber declining in many regions during the summer and fall, log prices continued to trend downward. The Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) fell for the fifth consecutive quarter to $81.94/m3. The Index was down only 1.1 percent from the 2Q/12, which was the smallest quarter-over-quarter decline since world prices started to fall in early 2011. Sawlog prices are now back down to levels where they were two years ago.
With global demand for lumber declining in many regions during the summer and fall, log prices continued to trend downward. The Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) fell for the fifth consecutive quarter to $81.94/m3. The Index was down only 1.1 percent from the 2Q/12, which was the smallest quarter-over-quarter decline since world prices started to fall in early 2011. Sawlog prices are now back down to levels where they were two years ago.
DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR will add ceramic and stone to the show in its March 2013 edition. CER TILES and STONES will be held in a dedicated pavilion and feature high end products from manufactures around the world. With the addition of ceramic to DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR, the show now presents every major flooring product category, creating a new opportunity for attendees of the world’s second largest flooring show. CER TILES and STONES will include ceramic tile and natural stone floorings with a focus on unique and upper end products.
The UK joinery industry’s highest technical award was announced at the annual dinner of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) at Lord’s Cricket Ground last Friday.
Nationwide housing production rose 3.6 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 894,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is the highest pace of new-home construction since July of 2008.
Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes posted a solid, five-point gain to 46 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for November, released today. This marks the seventh consecutive monthly gain in the confidence gauge and brings it to its highest point since May of 2006.The UK joinery industry’s highest technical award was announced at the annual dinner of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) at Lord’s Cricket Ground last Friday.
China's growth rate of 7.5% GDP is the envy of the world's industrial nations. However, for the Chinese woodworking sector this level of recorded growth and the reality in the market place represent tough times. October 2012 saw signs of a recover in technology sales and aggressive marketing by Chinese technology companies. The increased competition is forcing companies to work much harder for sales and this has been reflected by the record bookings received for 12th edition of WoodMac China, the international woodworking technology exhibition scheduled for 5-8 March 2013, in Shanghai.
Hangzhou, China: Hosted by China’s State Forest Administration, FAO-EU China Forest Tenure Project, Rights and Resources Initiative and Peking University, this conference will review the status of forest tenure reforms in China; share experiences from around the globe on the development and implementation of forest tenure policies, laws and regulations; and identify key pathways for China’s collective forest reforms including possible cooperative agreements with other countries.
In 3Q DLH experienced a continuation of the difficult European market conditions, which began last autumn. A significant slowdown in the group’s European main markets means that turnover in the first nine months of the year of DKK 1.9 billion ($321 million) is 7% below that for the same period last year.
Stora Enso and Skanska have agreed on collaboration in which Stora Enso will supply wooden modular elements for a BoKlok project at Kivistö in Vantaa, Finland. BoKlok is a concept for moderately priced housing developed by Skanska and IKEA. At Kivistö in Vantaa, Finland, all 36 BoKlok apartments will be built of wooden modules supplied by Stora Enso’s Hartola production unit. Preliminary marketing of the project will start at the beginning of next year and construction work will commence next April. The project, comprising seven small multi-storey buildings, will be ready for occupation just eight months after the start of construction work.
The timber-export company Kullik & Rullmann took over the English firm Gill & Robinson with effect from 1 November 2012.
Australia's parliament on Monday passed laws to ban the import and trade of illegally logged timber, joining the United States and European Union in clamping down on a global trade in stolen timber that Interpol says is worth about $30 billion a year.
Consolidated sales for the three-month period ended September 29, 2012, were $443 million, as compared to $421 million in the comparable period of the prior year. The Company generated a net loss of $47 million or $0.47 per share in the September 2012 quarter compared to a net loss of $17 million or $0.17 per share in the September 2011 quarter.
Australia's parliament on Monday passed laws to ban the import and trade of illegally logged timber, joining the United States and European Union in clamping down on a global trade in stolen timber that Interpol says is worth about $30 billion a year.
Following an extensive operational review of mills in the Williams Lake area, Tolko Industries Ltd. announced that it does not foresee a reasonable opportunity to reopen its Creekside mill. Operations at the Lakeview and Soda Creek mills will not be affected, as the company said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.
The Future Homes Commission has now published its report into the quality of newly built housing. They were tasked by the RIBA in September 2011 with conducting an inquiry into the quality of newly built housing with the aim of understanding how people live today, what they need and expect from their homes and whether the design and delivery of new homes is fit for purpose.
Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., issued the following statement on the latest actuarial review of the FHA mutual mortgage insurance fund:Resolute Forest Products has certified an additional 3.5 million hectares (8.6 million acres) of Company-managed forestlands in Quebec to Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) standards. These new certifications raise the total area of Resolute tenures that are FSC-certified in North America to 15.8 million hectares (39 million acres), an area larger than Greece and twice the size of Ireland.
