SFPA members praised for improved quality

l\ ELEGATES to the Southern I Forest Products Association midyear meeting were told that the quality of southern pine lumber has improved substantially in the last year giving it a stronger position in the marketplace.

Kenneth Moore, merchandising vice president of Lowe's Co., a participant in the traditional customer panel, said "We've seen an upgrade in southern pine quality. We have fewer complaints, less crook, less wane and fewer inspections."

Telling the producers that they should continue the improvement trend, he said that another measure of improved quality was the reduced volume of southern pine going into culls. "Today we're dealing with educated customers who will bypass any products that don't meet their standards."

"For some time, we noticed that southern pine was losing markets to Canadian spruce-pine-fir. Today, that situation is being reversed and southern pine is coming back strong," Moore added.

Other panelists, Leonard Sylk, president of Shelter Systems Corp.

Story at a Glance

Customer panel tells of fewer complaints, better quality. marketing program on target Arthur Temple endorses association.

and president of the Wood Truss Council; Howard Powell, president of Timber Products Inspection, Inc.; Pat Neighbors, president of Neighbors Construction Co., and Tom Jones, president of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, agreed that much progress has been made, but warned that the industry must guard against relaxation of quality standards in the future.

SFPA president Karl Lindberg, presiding over his first midyear meeting since his appointment in late 1986, presented a video tape activity report to the membership. The report indicated that the association's Marketing Marathon, a five-

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