The Quality Leader in Treated Wood Producfs

Temple-lnland Plant On Line

Temple-Inland' s state-of-the-art, $60 million particleboard plant in Hope, Ar., is set to come on line this month.

Headed by panel products div. operations mgr. John C. McClain, the 290,000-sq. ft. facility will produce 180 million sq. ft. on a 3/4" basis. Its 9'x25' press will enable it to produce thicknesses from 3/8" to l-1l8."

It joins other plants in Monroeville, Al.; Thomson, Ga., and Diboll, Tx., to up Temple-Inland's 1996 particleboard capacity over 519 million sq. ft.

Lowe's Plans New Southeast DC

Lowe's Cos. will build a new 750,000-sq. ft. Southeastern Regional Distribution Center in Valdosta, Ga.

Set on 200 acres to accommodate future expansion, the center should begin receiving products by December 1996, be fully operational by mid1997 and employ 350 people.

"This new facility is a direct response to the growing needs generated by Lowe's rapid expansion - both now and in the future. Our goal is to have 600 stores by the end of the decade," said pres./ceo Leonard Herring.

The facility will assume many distribution activities from Lowe's current Southeast DC in Villa Rica, Ga., which is being considered for other distribution uses.

Lowe's also operates regional DCs in North Vernon, In., and North Wilkesboro, N.C., plus five specialty DCs, four reload facilities and over 360 stores in 22 states. New DCs are also under construction in Iredell County, N.C., near Statesville, and in Franklin County, Tx., near Mount Vernon.

month. lt will produce larger panel sizes for optimal cut patterns and produce less waste.

lnvestors Buying Riverwood

A private investment group has agreed to purchase Riverwood International Corp., Atlanta, Ga., from Manville Corp. for $2.7 billion.

The group is led by New Yorkbased buyout specialists Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Inc. and includes Riverwood management and a fund managed by the investment firm Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Riverwood, which produces packaging machinery, paperboard, lumber and plywood and owns 540,000 acres of timberland, has been looking for a possible suitor since April.

No matter what the deeign challenge for wood web or other compoeite wood products, Sirnpson Strong-Tie has a connector designed and engineered.to meet tl.e needs of your cuatomer.

Working cbsely with the major component manufacturer€, we are constantly developir.rg new prpducts to rneet the neede of manufactured wood products. Often these connectorg are in stock at our local distributors for same day quick shipment.

So if you're a manufa.cturer of composite wood producte or lumber dealer wtro supplies these building components, look to Strong-fie Connectors to ma}<e your life easier and your customer service rlpgdor.

Contains iINtEt€d b@-tD.do-it inatallation infomation.

Ken

Carla

Steve Webb

Dan

Chisty Silva

Ben Buschbacher

Tn= t.r-uer and $ffi materiats indus- trg has nre in the last 15 ueEtrs than In SBsombined.

A drMng furce Cgnputers. TheU harre business is distributor to retaller. Theg ifih/e-firiltle,ff|anu tasks faster and more effig;lg:ffinfraEed manu posluons and sometfng cated others in thelr place. Theg haiE"@ created mdnu new things to spend mrGU m. while promising to save manu tlrres their irvestment.

Yet the technological revolutiBn does not seem to be slowing. Sgstems oftrlng new and greater capablliUes arE being Introduced constantlg, ensurlng that our industru ls In store fur contlnuous change.

How. how soon and hovrr drasUcallg Wll our businesses change? Bulldlng Praducts

Digesta=ked the computpr ergerts that specialize in our industrg to forecast Bne. five and lO Uears into the f,-ture. to predict what lies ahead in computer technologg - and what our industru Wlllook like as a result.

Innovations at hand

RidtrdA"Afrmutl

Compder q/sHn ryrantcs (CSD) Demer, Co.

CSD ias been proftling amputer srllv tbns to tln hfldng nateials idustry exdv sively sirw 1983, uiil, neady l,lN irctallationsnatbmi&.

Fls we move through the final years of this century, we will see significant advancements in the use of computer technology in the building materials industry. In the '70s, we focused on back-office accounting functions; in the '80s, point of sale and inventory control; in the early '90s, the emphasis has been on purchasing. What we see in the future is a focus on the use of advanced computer technology to improve customer service and to speed up communications at all levels.

A few examples of the more advanced computer technology we can expect to see being utilized to improve customer service include:

Wireless "RIr'(radio frequency) hand-held rcrminal units will be used for on-line data entry of sales orders, purchase receipts, physical inventory, and price and cost inquiries. Access to your computer will no longer be limited to the CRT in your office or at the sales counter.

Electronic catalogs in a CD-ROM format will soon be available by all of the major hardware co-ops and wholesalers. Customers will be able to view the entire inventory offering, both in stock and special order items, in a graphical and color presentation. These CD-ROM systems will interface with POS computers for ease of special order processing and other important functions.

. Order and delivery tracking systems will be implemented by a growing number of contractor yards to improve customer service. These systems will track an order from the time it is entered into the computer until it is delivered to the customer site. A variety of analysis reports and inquiries will be available regarding vehicles, promised times, drivers and other important information.

Laptop/notebook computers will see an increase in use by outside salesmen for the preparation of quotes and the transmission of sales orders. Additionally, notebook computers, with pertinent inventory information, will also become more prevalent at trade shows and conventions to assist with show purchases.

Electronic credit card and check authorization systems will be integrated with the in-store POS function. As a byproduct of a single swipe of the credit card at point of sale, the system will automatically dial for an authorization, print the credit card ticket and complete the entire transaction. Customer check-out will be quicker, bad checks will be reduced, and day-end settlement will be easier.

Some of the computer technology we can expect to see in the near future that will speed up and improve communications will include:

EDI (electronic data interchange) and vendor communications programs are fast becoming an essential element of our industry. Dealers can electronically transmit purchase orders and receive acknowledgments, invoices, hot sheets, price changes and other vital information directly from the manufacturers, wholesalers or their co-op.

. Computer fax allows you to automatically send purchase orders, quotes, invoices, statements and other documents directly from your computer system. It will be used by the majority of dealers in the next few years.

E-Mail is increasing in use as an important communication vehicle for inter-company messages and announcements. As computer (PC) workstations become as common as telephones, E-Mail will become commonplace.

. The Internet with all of its hype and intrigue will be the most significant technological advancement over the next several years. We will see building material dealers on-line and "surfing the Net" for such things as commodity prices, product information, building starts and permit data, answers and instructions relating to their computer systems, and much more. We will even see some building material dealers with their own "home pages," so existing customers and potential customers can have easy access to information and messages that will help improve service and attract new business.

By the year 2000, we will see significant maturing within the building materials industry as it relates to the use of computer technology. Computer proficiency will not be optional, it will be a requirement for all dealers in order to do business and survive. The good news is the industry is fortunate to have a number of quality computer companies with which to partner and help apply this technology.