Quality Product and Effecfive Merchandising Ups Sales of M. S. Cowen's Prefinished Panel

"We believe the Prefinished Panel will captur" %% of the Wall Panel sales within a year or so," says Tom Parker, M. S. Cowen Co.'s Plywood Division.

Parker, oue of the pioneers in Imported Plywood and past president of the I.H.P.A., has good reason for thinking this. M. S. Cowen's sales of p1efinished plywood jumped from l50MSF in 1960 to over 2 million square feet in 1961. This was in Northern California alone. They are now expanding eastr,r'ard.

'I'heir "Bay Pride" prelinished plyrvood line includes a good balance of domestic as well as imported plywood. Outside of Lauan. one of their most popular items is domestic Knotty Cedar followed by Walnut. They promote "Real Wood" even to the point of emphasizing the defects.

West Coast sales are handled by Al Hipshman. Hipshman says, "Our'Bay Pride' prefinished sales didn't really get off the ground until 'n'e applied an often-forgotten but olcl sellir.rg rule, 'forget yourself for awhile and think about what other fellows vr,'arrt.' We did this by leaving our name off sample ladders. Only our tracle name 'Bay Pricle' arrcl the distributor's name appear. N[. S. Corven Co.'s uame is not meltioned. In selling clistributors an item such as orlrs 'prodrrct identity' can be overrated. We'11 leave that phrase to those 'rvith multimillion dollar aclvertising budgets. \\Ie want our distributors to sel1 themselves. If we help then.r clo that they n'on't forget tt s."

n4. S. Cowen empl-rasizes quality, urriformity and service. Plenty of samples are provided. These are not given away, however. Actually they're sold to distributors at about 1/3 of the cost. The premise of selling samples is based on a belief that salesmen are much more cognizant of their samples if thev know thev have a 1.2lus-16gardless of rvhat that value is. Of course this requires listening to salesmen carefully to find out what they 'n'ant and need. Otherrr,,ise they ignore both the sales aids and the product.

llniformity is very important. There are dozens of variations possible in prefinished panels. Take the grooves alone. They can be soaced in different patterns: can vary in depth from a hairline l/32 to a deep 1/8, and can be colored a hundred different shades.

M. S. Cowen Co. believes that colored grooves could mean distributors might have to inventory "groove colors" as well as panels. Therefore, "Bay Fride" grooves are neutral.

"It is our belief," says Parker, "that part of our success is due to the fact that we give our distributors a continuity of supply. If someone down the distribution line misjudges l-ris quantity and requires a few more sheets to finish a job or an order he can duplicate the original with "Bay Pride" prefinished.

Prefinishing isstill ir-r its infancy. California contractors aud consumers are just learning the economy and superiority of factory prefinished plyrvood. The East is u'ell ahead of us. Ner.v types of finishes are being developed all the time. However, there are many superior finishes now available on the market, which for one reason or another cannot be used because they do not lend themselves to procluctiotr line nrethods. A finish mu*t be adaptable as well as good.

New machinery and equipment is also being developed regularly. In fact Custorn Finishes of California. u'ho prefinish all "Bay Pride" forM. S. Cor"i'en Co., is continually adding equipment. In a little over a year and a half of operations Cnstom Finishes l.ras almost doubled its investment. Even some of the original equipment has been replaced by improved equipment such as sanders and atttomatic conveyors. The drying line is presently being extended to accommodate slower drying but better finishes.

X{. S. Cowen Co. is working with Custom Finishes on several ne'iv items particularly in interior color-toning and exterior priming ancl prefirrishing. Figuratively, butnot literally, both feel the surface of the prefinishecl field has only beerr scratcheil.

Plywood Executive Wins Disringuished Service Awqrd

T'he Middle Atlantic Lumberman's Associatior.r, one of the strongest dealer groups in the country, has its own Hall of Fame. This is their annual Distinguishecl Servie Award and for 1961 it rvent to W.E. Difford, executive vice president of Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

The award was presented at the association's convention banquet last month in Atlantic City by John W. l,r.rndy, president of Lundy Lumber Co. of Williamsport, Pa. The award takes the form of a silver plaque inscribed with these words:

"Presented to W. E. Difford, business statesman, creative genius and salesman:

"For his loyalty, integrity and deep spiritual convictions; for his penetrating awareness of the problems in- volved in the shelter needs of these United States ; and for his many facets of leadership vvhich have directecl a continuing program of achievement to create better living, and foster better understarrding of the plywood industry.

"These things l.rave been of irlestimable value and service to the retail lumber and building materials dealers of America. Therefore we hollor and salute one of America's great citizens."

Previous alr'ards have gone to many distinguished business and political leaders. Amor.rg them have beeu Clarence Thompson, Ray Saberson, Albert Cole, J. \AI. Parshall, Arthur A. Hood, Lucius Clay, Robert A. Taft, Normarr Mason and F. K. Weyerhaeuser.

Jgck

Jock hos been identified wirh the lumber induslry in the Pocific Northwest for more lhqn 15 yeors cnd wos formerly with Donf t Russell in Scn Froncisco ond Portlond.

In his new position Butler will moke his heodquorters qt fhe compony generol ofices locofed ol 3726 Arlqntic Avenue, tong Beoch, ond will be in chorge of pro.urem€nl ond soles.

Plywood Upgrodes OldWorn Pcrllets

A simple, inexpensive way to uPgrade ordinary pallets and to completely eliminate nail-popping and ihagging of sacked goods has been developed by F. R. Burke, warehouse superintendent for McKesson and Robbins in Houston, Texas.

Burke reports that high-performance pallets can be developed with ,$- inch plywood sheets fitted over reasonably sound, but worn lumber pallets. The result is a pallet that has far greater resistance to racking than the original unit, and which gives outstanding protection to sacks or cartons.

After a l0 month trial period, Burke reported no nail popping and no damage to sacked chemicals. "We expect the test pallets to last for many years," Burke said. "They were in excellent cor-rdition at the end of the test period."

'I'he same pallets used to handle the sacked chemicals were also used to move 400 pound metal drums.

Burke's pallets are 48 x 48 inches. In applying the new plywood decks, Burke used one sheet of 4x8 foot plywood to upgrade two pallets.

Because most of the old pallets were out of square, Burke first nailed only one corner of the plywood deck in place, then "bounced" the incomplete assembly on a concrete floor until the old pallet was racked back into shape. This done, the nailing job was finished, locking the wobbly pallet into a sound, square rigid unit. At least six screwshank nails were used per pallet.

Burke used y'{-inch DFPA Exterior type plywood. Other users have reported success with thinner sheetsl/4 and 5/16-inch DFPA plywood thicknesses are readily available, as are thicknesses up to 1-%-inches.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association recommeucls exterior type plywood for any application in which the pallet will be exposed to repeated wetting and drying cycles or in any application u'here the pallet might be exposed to weatherirrg. Exterior type DFPA grade trademarkecl fir plywood is bonded rvith fully waterproof adhesive. For inolant situations where there is no iikelihood of exposure to excessive moisture, interior type DFPA PIYwood can be used.

Archie Binghom Retires

53 years ago in the city of San Francisco, Archie Bingham began work in the planing mill operated by Ald9rson Bros., at Powell and North Point Street-Nlarch 1. 1962 he retired from I{ing-Marshall Lumber Co., Iq.., Bakersfield, concluding over a half a centur)' in the lumbir business for Archie interrupted only by two wars.

Co., Inc. until his retirement.

The King-Marshall Lumber Company, to honor Bingham after nearly 30 years in their service, arranged a retiiement dinner with gifts appropos to his new schedule, which will keeP him just as busy-fishing and looking after his grandchildren.

"BakerJfield has been good to me," he says, "so. you'll find me enjoYing the sunshine and flowers of Kern County from here on out."

Golden Anniversory in Lumber

J. Elmer Brown, retail sales manager, \A/ilmington Branch of the Consolidated Lumber Company was l-ronored February 15, 1962 on the occasion of his 50th anniversary in the lumber industry. A group of his friends and fellou' n-orkers gathered for the celebration which rvas highlighted with the oresentation ol a 2O Pound chocolate Herslrey Bar shipped directly from the plant in the east.

For a short time, Brown was employed with the Hammond Lumber Company as offrce manager of their Terminal Island yard and then transferred to the Los Angeles yard in the wholesale department.

Brown is norv spending his vacation Palm Springs.

Top: DFPA Grodemorked plywood s/s-inch lhick upgrodes this worn lumber pollet' fhe plywood deck produces o smoofh, snag-free suiloce ideol for hondling socks and cqrfons or for providing o solid base for high stocking of moteriols such os roll rooflng. Becouse the plywood d*k odds greot rigidiry lo the assambly, upgroded pcllets such os thir one qctuolly hove better rocking chcrocteristics thqn mo$ ordinary new pollets. Bottom: Camenf coolod nqils (used here) or screw shank noils hove been used with success in upgroding worn lumber Pqller with new DFPA grodemorked plywood decks. Users repoil lhci lhe plywood deck should be cul squore, then noiled ql one Gorner only. By dropping lhe incomplele ossembly on tr corner, the worn pollet con be rocked bock into squore ond nciled there permonently with six or morb noils olong lhe rlringcrs.

In 1911 he moved tb Fresno, California establishing the BinghamWenks Planing Mill Co., that suffered a clisastrous fiie and later rebuilt and operated under the name The Midstate Planins Mill Co. Here he was employed-as an estimator doing tak-e off woik for quotations on many of the buildings constructed in that era'

Movlng to Bakersfield in 1130, Bingham becJme a. salesman for The HaYward Lumber and Investment Co' until after the war when he became employed for The King-Marshall Lumber

Who's Who?

llle ployed "Who's Who?" with neorly everyon€ we know in the lumber induslry in sn effoll to deiermine the idenlity of the ottroclive young couple in rhe middle of our poge 15 picture in our Morch 15 "Hoo-Hoo-Ette Bosses Night" story.

After the Alorch 15 issue hod olrecdy gone lo pre3s, we discovered (ihqnks to ilre close scrutiny of Ole Moy) thot the young gentlemon ond young lody were none other thsn Pete Speek qnd Gennie Gollogher of Fremonl Foresl Products. Other Fremonf Fore3t Product3 representqlivG3 prcsent ot rhe galc qffoir were Doryl Bond ond llory Kolsky.