iqtion news

Lumber Association of California and Nevada is holding its 7th annual convention themed "Spice Up Your Business With LACN" Nov. 6-8 at the Westin Mission Hills Resort, Rancho Mirage, Ca.

Economist Lynn Michaelis, Weyerhaeuser, will present "The Economic Outlook for the Lumber Industry in 2004," and Laura Innes, labor attorney, will conduct an employment law workshop.

Concurrent roundtable discussions will include "Best Practices-Safety Issues," "How to Improve Employee Productivity," "Shrink Control," and "Employee Labor Issues."

Donn Zea, California Forest Products Commission, will discuss the importance of the "CA Grown" promotional program to the California lumber industry.

Thursday Nov. 6 a golf tournament will be held at the Pete Dve Course.

with an opening convention reception, and the president's reception and fiesta dinner.

Friday Nov. 7 will feature a tabletop exhibit show.

Western Building Material

Association will hold its 10O-year celebratory convention Nov. 6-7 at the Elliott Grand Hyatt, Seattle, Wa.

On Nov. 6, restructuring consultant Clark S. Colvin, CSC Capital Partners, will present "Corporate Revitalization: Tools for a Competitive Advantage," providing a practical approach to improving the financial condition of a distressed or troubled company, or a business wanting to increase its margins above current levels. The presentation is designed to help owners and c.e.o.'s maximize the performance of their organizations through the use of an integrated and holistic model of organizational change.

Firm Adds RF Vacuum Kilns

Forest Grove Lumber Co., McMinnville, Or., has begun using radio frequency vacuum technology to dry timbers.

With the purchase of two 22.20 radio frequency vacuum kilns from HeatWave Technologies, Forest Grove is now able to supply large dimension Douglas fir timbers that are dried within four to six days-compared to weeks using conventional drying methods.

"Incorporating HeatWave's technology into our business strategy will allow us to provide our customers with a ready supply of high-quality, thoroughly dry timber products," said Sid Smith, president of Forest Grove Lumber. "We anticipate that our distribution network will expand significantly as a result of the increased demand for our quality Tru-Dry RFV kiln dried Douglas fir timbers."

Drying timber in RFV kilns reportedly reduces drying times, shrinking, checking, cupping, twisting or warping, and dries wood evenly to the core l9%o or less with no wet or over-dried spots. In addition, the kilns accommodate lumber up to 40-ft. long.

Tru-Dry is available in S4S, Full Sawn, or with Accuruff or Circle Sawn textures.

Palco Repaints ltself Green

Pacific Lumber Co., Scotia, Ca., is now marketing itself simply as "Palco" in an effort to rebrand itself as a more environmentally friendly company.

Palco has unveiled a new logowith a green recycling icon shaped like a tree-and a new mission statement committing it to being a "leader in environmental stewardship."

According to spokesman Jim Branham, Palco feels it is misunderstood and has not received the credit it deserves for recent improvements.

"We're not just talking the talk, we're walking the walk," Branham said. "We are a more sustainable company. We're operating to higher environmental standards than any timber company in the state. We're proud of who we are."

BMD Adds Forest Products Building Material Distributors,

Galt. Ca.. has formed a new Forest Products Group to sell structural panels and engineered wood products.

As the channel of distribution continues to consolidate suppliers in order to lower procurement costs, the company believes that adding new product groups improves BMD's alignment with its customer's goals, according to Gary Tabor, v.p and general mgr.building products division.

"A component of the company's objective in redefining building products distribution is finding new ways to shorten the buying cycle, and drive costs out of the procurement process for our customers," said Tabor. "Our people, services, technology and products all contribute to that goal."

Depot Scraps Woodland DC

Home Depot has abandoned Plans to build a 91,000 sq. ft. DC in Woodland, Wa. The comPanY had proposed building on a 34-acre site between the I-5 and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks.

There was speculation that Home Depot may reconsider distribution methods throughout its whole system. A senior civil engineer at URS Corp. of Seattle, Phil Newton, said his understanding is that Home Depot is considering adding enclosed warehouse space to some of its DCs.

The plan had called for oPen sides at the Woodland facility, which would allow for large shipments to be dropped easily at one end, and then broken down and repackaged for distribution to various stores.

The company may come back to that area at a later date.

Arch Signs Trademark Deal

Bayer AG has agreed to allow Arch Treatment Technologies to use Bayer's Preventol trademark in promoting Wolmanized Natural Select wood. Preventol is the trademarked fungicide used in the coPPer azole preservative that protects Natural Select wood.

"The real impact of the agreement," explained Arch v.p. Tom Kyzer, "is that it advances the relationshiP between Bayer, an internationallY respected producer of chemical ingredients, and Arch, a leader in wood preservation, as the science of preservation continues to evolve."

Dr. Navnit Upadhyay, marketing manager of specialty Products at Bayer Chemicals Corp., echoed the mutual possibilities: "Our knowledge in organic chemistry is an excellent match for Arch's expertise in wood preservation. The treated wood market is looking for preservatives that rely less on traditional metals and more on organic components."