FDM Asia August/September 2010

Honeycomb Technology: Less Is More

Going Green With The Moisture Control Technologies: Hardwood Alternative Harnessing Microwave, Infrared Power

Furniture Design And Manufacturing Asia Established Since 1986 FDM ASIA MICA (P) NO. 209/11/2009 • PPS 1204/06/2011 (020107) • ISSN 0219-2284 August/September 2010 VOL. 22 NO. 6

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Furniture Design And Manufacturing Asia Established Since 1986

Contents August/september 2010 • VOL. 22 NO. 6

MARKET REPORT 16 Wood Deficit In China To Create Major Opportunities

New five-year outlook report quantifies China’s growing demand for imported wood and shows how tight supplies will drive prices higher for exporters. By International Wood Markets Group

FOCUS 18 Moisture Control

Technologies: Harnessing Microwave, Infrared Power

In the area of wood panels, moisture content is one of the most important measuring parameters for determining the next wood processing steps whilst ensuring quality. By Dr Jörg Hanser and Roman Lichomski, Grecon

22 Fire Protection: Saving Costs, Saving Lives

Evergreen Fibreboard CEO JC Kuo shares how experiencing a fire in his career opened his mind to the importance of investing in fire safety equipment. By Nanda Jansson, Firefly

page

18

26 Plywood Manufacturing:

PANELS 34 Short Cycle Press:

Trends And Challenges

Plywood continues to hold its market share within the construction sector where moisture and warp resistance performance are required. By Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam, FIWSc

Precision In All Levels

22

TECHNOLOGY 30 Honeycomb Technology:

36 Short Cycle Presses:

Improving The Bottom Line

Less Is More

Thanks to its light structure and transportability, honeycombpanelled furniture could be the thing of the future.

By Shiv Kumar Shet, business development manager, Biesse Manufacturing, India

2 FDM Asia

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

A look at how a short cycle press bridged the dialogue between two companies. By Ulrich Bens, product manager for short cycle presses, Siempelkamp

26

Understanding the short-cycle lamination process allows manufacturers to see what can be improved in the bottom line.

By Harshad Arkave, VP for sales and marketing, Master Handlers

Promoting French Lumbers and Wood Products 6, rue François 1er 75008 PARIS Tél : + 33 (0)1 56 69 35 92 - Fax : + 33 (0)1 42 56 32 70 contact@frenchtimber.com ENQUIRY NO. 083

Contents August/september 2010 • VOL. 22 NO. 6

Regulars

SURFACES & FLOORING 40 Going Green With The Hardwood Alternative

06 08 60 66 69a 69b

Increasing awareness on sustainability is bringing back emphasis to natureinspired designs. By Henry Lee

DESIGN & DÉCOR 44 Windows & Doors:

Step Into The Light

Windows and doors have now evolved to become something much more than necessary architectural elements. By Zaihan Kariyani

WOOD & SUSTAINABILITY 46 Planting A Sustainable Future:

Editorial Industry News Product Highlights Calendar Of Events Enquiry Form Subscription Form

68 Page

55

Farming Hardwoods & Softwoods

Countries are proactively employing measures to curb the alarming rate of deforestation, not just to ensure a sustainable supply of hardwood and softwood in the future, but also to reverse the environmental, social and economic damage caused by the loss of forest cover. By Henry Lee

52 Green Marketing & Timeless Designs

The timber and forestry industries have crafted programmes tailored to tackle issues such as sustainability, environmental credentials, legality and responsible procurement policies. Wood, with its credentials, is the most mainstream of ‘green’ energy in the future. By Frank De Marcus

advertisers’ enquiry numbers.

Events & Exhibitions 62 Exhibition Preview:

FMC China 2010 64 Exhibition Review:

Furnitech Thailand 2010

62

FEATURES 55 The Air I Breathe

Vincent Chia, design director of Air Division, sits down with FDM Asia to talk about working with wood, the universality of design, and the benefits of persistence. By Jerome Lim

58 Making Waves With Rafting

The apparent decline of rafting hints at the increasing sophistication of floor systems. By Peter Kaczmar, flooring expert, Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA)

Established in 1986, FDM Asia, formerly Asia Pacific Forest/Timber Industries, is a business magazine on sawmilling, woodworking, woodbased panels and furniture manufacturing. The Publisher reserves the right to accept or reject all editorial or advertising material and assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited artwork or manuscripts. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the magazine, in whole or in part, is prohibited without the prior written consent, not unreasonably withheld, of the publisher. Reprints of articles appearing in previous issues of the magazine are available on request, subject to a minimum quantity.

The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the Publisher and while every attempt will be made to ensure the accuracy

58

and authenticity of information appearing in the magazine, the Publisher accepts no liability for damages caused by misinterpretation of information, expressed or implied, within the pages of the magazine.

All correspondence regarding editorial, editorial contributions or editorial content should be directed to the Editor.

The magazine is available on subscription in Singapore at S$126.00 (GST applicable) per annum by surface mail. Subscription by airmail to readers in Asia Pacific costs S$160 per annum; Europe and the Americas, S$230 per annum. For further details, refer to the subscription card found within the pages of each issue. For more subscription information, please fax to: (65) 6379 2806 or email: brendatan@epl.com.sg.

Member of Business Publication Audit of Circulation, Inc. IMPORTANT NOTICE The circulation of this publication is audited. The Advertiser's Association recommends that advertisers should place their advertisements only in audited publications.

Incorporating:

etm

Eastern

Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd

Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building #04-02, Singapore 169206 an Eastern Holdings Ltd company

Tel: (65) 6379-2888 • Fax: (65) 6379-2805/6379-2806 • Website: www.fdmasia.com

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4 FDM Asia

Associate Of of Associate

FDM Asia is published eight times a year (printed 2nd week of issue month) by

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

The Academy TheChinese Chinese Academy of of Forestry Forestry

MICA (P) NO. 209/11/2009 • PPS 1204/06/2011 (020107) • ISSN 0219-2284

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Editorial

Toxin

❝T

Of The

Moment

Published by:

Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd (a fully owned subsidiary of Eastern Holdings Ltd) Registration No: 199908196C

managing director

The law sets a new learning curve for the industry – to understand the standards, learn the technologies available and even identify opportunities to create new technology.

kentan@epl.com.sg

editor

he ubiquitous formaldehyde – that naturally occurring substance and industrial chemical used in the manufacture of numerous consumer products including industrial wood adhesives – has attracted attention again.

In early July, amidst the worldwide preoccupation with the World Cup, the S. 1660, or the “Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act,” quietly became a federal law in the US. While its full effect is still set for 2013, when all composite wood products sold in the US and merchandise in stores must comply with the new formaldehyde emission standards, the law has set into motion assessments of its impact and how the future looks for the industry.

In a word, the future looks ‘green.’

The consumer will benefit most, in that it is now within reason to believe wood products in the market are safe, environment- and health-wise.

This is one step in the direction of having safer and greener homes. On the flip side, the onus of responsibility still rests on the public – to check and learn more about this little toxin’s effects, safe usage and prevention.

For the market players, the law did not hit their blind side. But for it to come from a big player/consumer as the US, it would pay for the rest of players to sit up and work to comply. To be certain, this law sets a new learning curve for the industry to understand the standards, learn the technologies available and even identify opportunities to create new technology that will help fulfill those standards.

If, as you are reading this issue of FDM Asia, you plan to attend or already are at the IWF Atlanta or the FMC 2010, you are at the centre of learning just how the industry is fluid, a living thing that is in touch with the times – if not ahead of its time.

With the IWF having close to 900 vendors showcasing new technologies, processes, services and tools for the wood-based industry, we prove yet again that the industry is focused on making itself better – toxins notwithstanding.

Kenneth Tan

Karen Zafaralla

karenzafaralla@epl.com.sg

staff writer

Jerome Lim

jeromelim@epl.com.sg

editorial assistant

Kimiko Chaing

kimikochaing@epl.com.sg

senior art director/studio manager

Lawrence Lee

lawrencelee@epl.com.sg

art director

Phyllis Ng

phyllisng@epl.com.sg

contributing graphic designer

Libby Goh

libbygoh@epl.com.sg

advertising sales manager

Sim Eric

simeric@epl.com.sg

business manager (China)

Ding Yongmei

neweastern_sh@yahoo.cn

assistant business manager (China)

Yumi Gui

neweastern_sh@yahoo.cn

senior circulation executive

Brenda Tan

brendatan@epl.com.sg

contributors

Dr Jega Ratnasingam Dr Jörg Hasener Frank De Marcus Harshad Arkave Henry Lee Nanda Jansson Peter Kaczmar Roman Lichomski Shiv Kumar Shet Ulrich Bens Zaihan Kariyani

Executive Board chairman

Stephen Tay

group executive director

Kenneth Tan

financial controller

Robbin Lim

etm

Eastern

Trade Media Pte Ltd an Eastern Holdings Ltd company

Karen Zafaralla Editor

6 FDM Asia August/September 2010 www.fdmasia.com

Head Office & Mailing Address: Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd 1100 Lower Delta Road, EPL Building #04-02, Singapore 169206 Tel: (65) 6379 2888 Fax: (65) 6379 2805 Representative Office Shanghai, China Office: Shanghai New Eastern Media Co. Ltd 15D Block B, Victoria Plaza, No. 1068, Xikang Road, Shanghai, P.R, China 200060 Tel: (86 21) 6276 8394 Fax: (86 21) 6276 4170

ENQUIRY NO. 175

I N D U S T R Y

Industry News

News

August/September 2010

Laminated Wood, Veneer Demand Growing In China Beijing, China: Chinese demand for laminated

and surrounding areas; environmental

Scotch pine from Russia and radiate pine

wood, decorative veneer, preserved wood

issues that support the use of wood

from New Zealand and Australia.

products and wood-based panels is on

in buildings; the Chinese government’s

Demand for industrial hardwood is also

steady rise, according to the International

active promotion of preserved wood; and

growing and prices are rising. According

Tropical Timber Organisation’s (ITTO)

the high demand for wood products with

to the ITTO report, the market for timber

Tropical Timber Market Report.

decorative veneers.

and wood products for decoration has

Consumer preference for laminated

The prices for preserved wood have

recovered and there is brisk trade in

wood is growing steadily, the report said,

remained relatively stable while the decorative

various kinds of flooring (especially rare

while different kinds of preserved wood

veneer prices are improving steadily.

species solid wood flooring).

products and decorative veneer are selling

In May, the wood-based panel market in

As the sawnwood market is picking

well in Beijing and its surrounding areas.

Beijing was stable with slightly improving

up, demand for hardwood is stronger

Sales continued to be brisk for different

prices for some grades. The thick board

than for softwood. The supply of African

products of laminated wood in the triangle

(over 9mm) market was sluggish while thin

sawnwood is falling short of demand as

area of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.

boards were selling well. Prices for OSB

African countries act against exports of

The laminated wood made from traditional

increased slightly due to brisk demand

illegally harvested timber. This has led to

species, such as beech, ash, oak, elm and

and limited availability.

significant price increases for imported sawnwood.

birch are the most demanded products.

Meanwhile, the same report noted that the

The laminated Southern species like

stable development of the real estate market

For instance, prices for sapelli fetched

rubberwood and tung wood (Aleurites

this year has brought improved timber sales

RMB7,100 per cu m and mahogany was

fordii) also have good markets.

in Beijing and its surrounding areas.

priced at RMB6,000 per cu m. Southeast

According to analysts, the factors

Demand for construction timber has

Asian sawnwood is also in short supply.

generating demand for these products

been strong, with the main traded log

Price for teak from Myanmar reached as

include stricter building codes in Beijing

species being China’s Northeast conifers,

high as RMB16,000 per cu m.

New US Law Limits Formaldehyde On Wood Products Washington, USA: US President Barack Obama signed

Most composite wood, which is used in furniture, cabinets,

into law S. 1660, or the ‘Formaldehyde Standards for

shelving, countertops, flooring, and moulding, contains some

Composite Wood Products Act,’ which establishes national

formaldehyde, raising concerns about potential health hazards.

air emission standards for formaldehyde in domestic and imported composite wood products.

The legislation would require third-party testing and certification to ensure that products with formaldehyde

The Act would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act

comply with the national standards. It would also direct the

to set a formaldehyde emission standard of approximately

Environmental Protection Agency to work with federal agencies

0.09 parts per million on all composite wood products

such as Customs and Border Protection to enforce standards

sold in the USA beginning January 1, 2013.

for imported wood products.

8 FDM Asia August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Industry News

Singapore Design Bodies Form Alliance Singapore: The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) joined seven other local design institutes and organisations to form DesignS, a group partnership of design-centric institutes and associations in Singapore.

The eight-member association pledged to collaborate on promoting the Singapore brand, and the island-nation itself as a centre for design, starting off with a trade mission to Shanghai in September 2010. In addition, the group also unveiled plans to set up a showcase area at the Singapore Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai.

Speaking at the inauguration, Simon Ong, chairman of design development at SFIC, highlighted the various programmes of SFIC to promote locally designed furniture such as the International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS), the Furniture Design Award, the PLATFORM for young furniture designers, and D’space, a display showcase at the IFFS for local and international designers.

Emphasis on design has helped Singapore furniture manufacturers boost exports, said Lui Tuck Yew, the acting minister for information, communication, and the arts.

The event coincided with the launch of Push Showcase 2010, an exhibit featuring the works of selected designers from the eight institutes. In his opening remarks launching the show, Mr Lui said, “The use of design has helped our local furniture companies register an average of US$4.8 billion in export sales for the last two years and close in on capturing 1 percent of the global market.”

Other than SFIC, the DesignS members are the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore, the Designers Association Singapore, the Interior Design Confederation (Singapore), the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects, the Singapore Institute of Planners, and the Textile and Fashion Federation. Tai Lee Siang, SIA president, will chair the

From L to R, Mr William Lau, President of Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP); Ms Doreen Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore (TAFf); Mr Damian Tang, President of Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects (SILA); Mr Ashvinkumar, President of Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), Mr Tai Lee Siang, Chairman of DesignS; Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts; Mr Andrew Ng, President of Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC); Mr Simon Ong, Chairman, Design Development of Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC); Mr Nicholas Merrow-Smith, President of Interior Design Confederation (Singapore) (IDCS); Mr Lawrenece Chong, President of Designers Association of Singapore (DAS); and Mr Theodore Choo, President of Association of Accredited Advertising Agents (4As)

newly founded group.

Malaysia Furniture To Clinch MYR7 Billion Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Furniture

Dompok said the projection is based

exports are expected to climb to

on good demand from importing

Mr Dompok continued that the

MYR7 billion this year from MYR6.4

countries following the economic

ministry invited state governments to

billion last year, surpassing the highest

recovery this year.

carry out large-scale forest planting in

overall wood-based exports.

Last year, furniture exports, mainly

areas spanning 2,500 hectares. This is to

wood-based, took a beating due to

support the ministry’s plan to encourage

Plantation Industries and

the global economic crisis. Furniture

local entrepreneurs to venture into the

Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard

exports account for one-third of the

furniture industry.

recorded value of MYR6.9 billion in 2008, according to Bernama.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/September 2010

9

Industry News

Timber Conference Shows Interest In Accoya® Riva del Garda, Italy: The engineered wood Accoya emerged as a key interest-driver for participants of the recently concluded World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE) held at Riva del Garda, Italy, reported Accoya producer Accsys Technologies.

The four-day conference had the participation of 650 attendees, who discussed technological advances, research findings and design innovations in the sphere of Timber Engineering.

There was a great deal of academic interest in Accoya wood, with test sample

Asia’s Largest Fibreboard Plant Breaks Ground

requests being received from American, Brazilian, Canadian, Chinese, Japanese, Australia and New Zealand universities, in addition to a number of enquiries from

Conh Tanh, Vietnam: Construction

European institutions.

has commenced on Asia’s largest

The conference also examined the range of applications for timber, among them the

fibreboard plant, owned jointly by

use of timber for hydraulic, multi-storey and composite structures, for use in historic

Korean fibreboard manufacturer

buildings and in earthquake engineering bridges. The technical sessions also held

Dongwha and the Viet Nam

detailed discussions on performance, reliability, grading, fire resistance, and joints

Rubber Group.

and connections sustainability.

Started on July 13, the

The next World Conference on Timber Engineering will be held in Auckland, Australia in 2012, hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

US$125-million, 38.5-hectare plant in Minh Hung Industrial Park No 3 is expected to be completed by late 2011 or early 2012.

The facility will have the capacity to generate roughly 1,000 cu m of mediumdensity fibreboard (MDF) in a day, or 300,000 cu m of MDF annually.

Wood materials to be processed in the plant will come from nearby provinces and

Accoya

regions, such as Binh Phuoc,

Sneek Road Bridge made of Accoya wood in the Netherlands

Binh Duong, Tay Ninh and Dak Nong, a move that aims to generate jobs as well as boost the wood industry in

S. Korea Slaps Anti-Dumping Duties On Malaysian Plywood

the region.

Seoul, South Korea: South Korea has imposed preliminary antidumping duties on Malaysian plywood, the country’s trade commission said in a Yonhap News Agency report.

Dongwha

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) said it has decided to slap punitive duties of 5.11 to 33.81 percent on imports from the Southeast Asian country, citing an investigation conducted last February which indicated that imported plywood was taking its toll on local companies.

A formal ruling from the body is expected within the next five months.

10 FDM Asia August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

A Dongwha fibreboard plant in Merbok, Sri Lanka

Industry News

Record Hardwood Lumber Exports To MENA Reston, USA: The value of direct US hardwood lumber exports

heavily on all aspects of the UAE’s interiors sector and looking

to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has reached

at furniture, flooring, kitchen cabinets, doors and internal joinery,

US$13.9 million or 19,832 cu m from January to April this year,

which have all emerged as strong drivers of the regional wood

according to official trade data released by the American Hardwood

processing business.

“Despite the influence of the global economic recession on

Export Council (AHEC).

The growth is highly evident in the numbers recorded across

export volumes to some leading regional markets, we are, once

leading regional markets such as the UAE, which is showing

again, seeing stable growth since the beginning of the year. This

renewed and steadily increasing interest, with the import value

indicates that local customers are now becoming more active

hitting US$2.5 million during the first four months of the year.

again,” said Roderick Wiles, AHEC Director for Africa, Middle

The recorded export to the UAE during the said period has also

East, India and Oceania.

doubled from US$1.17 million last year, thereby distinguishing

“In line with this, we are confident that prospects will improve

the UAE as the top importer in the Gulf Cooperation Council

greatly in 2010, particularly in the UAE, given its enviable location

(GCC) region.

and infrastructure, which make it an excellent wood processing

Usage of US hardwood lumber in the MENA region has been increasing significantly in recent years, with red oak emerging as the most in demand among all species in the Middle East,

and re-export hub to surrounding Middle East countries and beyond.”

In addition to the UAE, another top importer of US hardwoods in the Middle East region is Saudi Arabia, which ordered a total

recording a total export volume of 4,688 cu m.

In the North Africa region, red oak has also seen high demand,

value of almost US$1.9 million. The Kingdom remains a very

but demand for white oak has been increasing, with shipments

important market for hardwoods due to its young and fast-growing

reaching over 1,000 cu m in the first four months of this year.

population, a factor that can further fuel the domestic construction

Optimistic of the growth potential in American hardwood exports to majority of the regional countries, AHEC is focusing

sector in the foreseeable future.

Driven by its massive furniture, interiors and exporting industries, Egypt accounts for the bulk of US hardwoods shipments to the North Africa region, with more than US$3.1 million in total exports delivered to the country during the same period.

In its bid to further increase the export volumes of US wood products to the MENA region, AHEC has outlined a plan to conduct intensive workshops on species and lumber grading within these high-growth potential markets later on this year.

“The stirring of the economic situation across the MENA region is having significant effects on the growth of US hardwoods, and we are taking proactive steps to develop customers’ confidence in US hardwood lumber and further leverage the excellent prospects in the region,” said Mr Wiles. “Over the coming years, we aim to expand our activities in the region with increased emphasis on direct interaction with wood traders, manufacturers and specifiers.”

Identifying the prospects within other emerging US hardwood markets, AHEC is looking to extend its awareness drive to Lebanon, which registered US$1.17 million in total imports from January to April 2010; and Jordan, where US$639,000 worth of American hardwood lumber was delivered during the same time span.

Furthermore, Qatar, whose total value of US hardwood

AHEC

purchased reached US$701,000, is also being eyed by the Council

White oak, US hardwood lumber export, a popular in Ghent University’s new Universiteitsforum, affectionately known as the ‘UFO’

as a high-potential market, in addition to Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain where exports totalled US$363,000, US$271,000, and US$38,000 respectively.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/September 2010

11

Industry News

Weyerhaeuser Declares US$5.6-Billion Dividend

Indonesia Achieves Dramatic Reduction In Illegal Logging London, UK: Efforts to crack down on illegal loggers and to promote sustainable forestry have resulted in a 75 percent reduction in illegal logging activities in Indonesia, according to a report by London-based think tank Chatham House.

The report, titled ‘Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global

Federal Way, USA: Forest products giant

Response,’ says that illegal logging has dropped elsewhere in the last decade

Weyerhaeuser has declared a special

by 50 percent in Cameroon, and by between 50 and 75 percent in the Brazilian

dividend of US$5.6 billion, which it

Amazon.

expects to distribute to shareholders

Total global production of illegal timber has fallen by 22 percent since 2002.

on September 1, 2010.

This reduction, documented in three of the five tropical timber producers

This marks a major milestone in the company’s plan to convert

studied, has prevented the degradation of up to 17 million hectares of forest, an area larger than England and Wales combined.

to a Real Estate Investment Trust

“Up to a billion of the world’s poorest people are dependent on forests, and

(REIT). The special dividend includes

reductions in illegal logging are helping to protect their livelihoods,” said Sam

the regular quarterly dividend of

Lawson, Chatham House associate fellow and lead author of the report.

approximately US$11 million and

Despite the dramatic decline, the report says that illegal logging remains a

was made payable to shareholders

major problem. As the more overt instances of illegal forest sector activity are

of record as of July 22, 2010.

addressed, less-easily detected, and therefore more intractable, illegal practices

Shareholders can elect stock or

are becoming more significant.

cash for the special dividend, with

For example, companies with legal harvesting licenses may log outside the

the total cash payment limited to 10

permitted area. Licenses to clear forest for agricultural plantations are also often

percent, or US$560 million, of the total

issued illegally.

distribution. If cash elections exceed

By preventing forest degradation, which is often the first step towards forest

the approved amount, shareholders

destruction, efforts to tackle illegal logging in these three countries may over time

will receive a pro-rata amount of

help prevent – at relatively low cost – the release of up to 14.6 billion tonnes of

their distribution in cash and the

carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of half the carbon dioxide released by human

remaining portion in stock.

actions worldwide each year.

“Today’s announcement represents

In 2008, companies in the United States, Japan, UK, France and the Netherlands

the final major step in executing our

bought 17 million cu m of illegal timber and wood products worth around US$8.4

plan to convert to a REIT,” said Dan

billion, most of it entering those nations in the form of processed products such

Fulton, the company’s president

as plywood and furniture, mainly from China. In 2009, a total of 100 million cu m

and CEO. “The REIT structure best

of illegal timber were harvested in the timber producing countries studied.

supports our strategic direction and positions Weyerhaeuser for future growth. The tax efficiency of the REIT structure also will enable us to increase our timberland earnings and make higher distributions to our shareholders.”

A company makes a REIT election when it files the tax return for the to make the REIT election when it files its 2010 tax return in 2011. The election will be effective beginning January 1, 2010.

12 FDM Asia August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Päivi Tiittanen, Helsinki, Finland

effective year. Weyerhaeuser intends

Industry News

Freight Rates Hamper Malaysian Timber Exports Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Rising freight rates to Europe and the Middle East have

Formaldehyde Use To Grow, Says Market Report

been affecting timber exporters in Malaysia, according to the Timber Exporters’

Limassol, Cyprus: World consumption

Association of Malaysia.

of formaldehyde is forecast to grow at an

Costs of freight to major European ports have reached US$2,800 for a 40-

average annual rate of 4.0 percent from 2010

foot container from about US$1,800 in 2008. After a plunge in prices to US$600

to 2015, according to market watchers Market

in June last year, prices have swung to US$3,000 in March before settling to its

Publishers.

current level.

The report titled ‘Formaldehyde: 2010 World

The Ramadan holiday has also pushed up prices for freights to the Middle East.

Outlook and Forecast’ notes that formaldehyde

Another factor that has been adding to freight costs include the strengthening

remains as the most commercially important

of the Malaysian ringgit.

aldehyde. Urea, phenol, and melamine-formaldehyde

Never theless,

the

resins (UF, PF and MF resins) accounted for

situation is unlikely to have

approximately 63 percent of world demand on

immediate effect on timber

the formaldehyde market in 2009.

prices, since exporters are

World demand for formaldehyde in wood resins

hesitant to pass on the cost

is forecast to remain strong, as manufactured

out of fear that this could

wood-based panels, which use formaldehyde,

drive away clients.

have largely replaced solid wood.

Formaldehyde resins are used predominantly in the wood products industry as adhesives.

stabilise their freight rates by

Growth of these resins is strongly correlated to

fixing it to a certain amount every three months.

Jim Bahn

The association proposes that shipping firms should

construction/remodeling activity. The largest non-forest product consumer of formaldehyde, representing 12 percent of the North American consumption, is polyacetal resin, produced at two plants. This is followed closely by MDI

Lumber, Panel Costs Decline 35 Percent

production used in the growing polyurethanes

Boston, USA: The total cost of lumber and panels for construction

per year. Asia traditionally held majority of the

of a 2,116 sq ft home in the USA has decreased by 35 percent since

capacity (40 percent), followed by Europe (31

April of this year, according to Crow’s Weekly Market Report.

percent) and North America (24 percent). Global

industry.

In 2009, world formaldehyde capacity was estimated to have reached about 29 million tonnes

Based on the Crow’s Construction Materials Cost Index (CMCI), the

production approached 27.5 million tonnes in

wholesale cost of lumber and panels for framing an average home

2009, reflecting market growth in comparison

has dropped from US$7,511.80 on April 30, 2010 to US$4,951.44 in

with 2008.

July. This dramatic drop is the result of a steep, supply-driven run-up in prices during the first quarter of the year.

Construction or remodeling activity, vehicle and furniture production, and Original Equipment

Ken Tennefoss, executive dditor of Crow’s Weekly Market Report,

Manufacture (OEM) account for most world

commented, “Once buyers filled up inventory needs and production

consumption of formaldehyde. Since demand

volumes became more in line with demand, prices began a continuous

in these markets is greatly influenced by general

decline to the point we are at today.”

economic conditions, formaldehyde demand

“The market dynamic can change in a very short period of time,” he added. “That’s why it is imperative that lumber and panel users and producers have the most accurate and up-to-date market intelligence available.”

largely follows the patterns of leading world economies.

Overall, it concludes, formaldehyde is not at risk for large-scale substitution by competing products.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/September 2010

13

Industry News

Acimall Announces New Board For 2010-2013

Philippines’ Northern Mindanao Wood Exports Rise In Q1

Assago, Italy: Acimall reinstated Ambrogio Delachi (Delmac spa of Thiene, Vicenza) for a third term as president of Acimall, the

Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines: Wood product

association representing Italian woodworking manufacturers.

exports in the Philippines’ Northern Mindanao

Eight counsellors will join Mr Delachi. They are: VPs Franco

region reported a rise in value to US$2.14 million

Paviotti of Metal World in Pavia di Udine and Ivano Coral of

during the first quarter of the year, according to

Coral in LeinÏ (Turin); treasurer Roberto de Joannon of Incomac

the Philippine Information Agency.

in Montebelluna (Treviso); Giancarlo Anselmi (Bruno Balducci of

This volume of wood exports, which totalled

Sesto San Giovanni, Milan); Stefano Dal Lago (Cms of Zogno,

10,090 cu m, was actually lower by 17 percent

Bergamo); Giampiero Mauri (Mauri Macchine of Cermenate, Como);

compared to 12,217 cu m exported by the region

Lorenzo Primultini (Primultini of Marano Vicentino, Vicenza); and

in the first quarter of 2009. But the figure was

Christian Salvador of Solidea in San Vendemiano (Treviso).

higher by 6.91 percent in value compared to the same period.

Of these wood exports, finished wood products posted an increase of nearly 20 percent in volume,

AHEC Shanghai Office Transfers to HK

from 3,129 cu m to 4,360 cu m, as well as a 36

Hong Kong, China: The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)

Environment and Natural Resources, Region 10.

percent increase in value, from US$ 1.48 million to US$1.78 million, according to regional executive director Maximo Dichoso of the Department of

has closed its Shanghai representative office, effective July 19, 2010.

On the other hand, the volume of lumber

Operations in China and Southeast Asia will thereafter be conducted

decreased by 36 percent, from 8,938 cu m to 5,730

through AHEC’s office in Hong Kong, headed by John J. C. Chan as

cu m, with value decreasing by 20 percent from

Regional Director.

US$0.644 million to US$0.513 million.

Dichoso said no veneer core was produced during the first quarter, thereby posting a 100 percent decrease in its production compared to 84

ZOW 2010 Italy Cancelled

cu m valued at US$0.15 million during the same

Verona, Italy: The ZOW 2010 Italy trade fair for the furniture

an increase of 161 percent in saw log production,

supplies and interior design sector has been cancelled. The

from 4,195 cu m to 10,918 cu m, of which the ‘falcata’

announcement follows a long dispute between ZOW and a

specie increased by 186 percent from 3,178 cu m

similar fair Sicam in Pordenone.

to 9,090 cu m.

period last year.

In terms of forest products, the region posted

ZOW Italy managing director Romano Ugolini said the current

Production of the ‘yemane’ specie also increased

situation in the in Italian furniture market meant conditions

by 143 percent from 572 cu m to 1,389 cu m but

were not good to run the show again this year. “Companies

‘mahogany’ decreased by 1.28 percent from 445 cu

that don’t want to waste their money would be advised not to

m to 439 cu m, while production of other varieties

attend trade fairs this year in Italy,” he said. “Instead, it makes

also decreased by 78 percent from 2,438 cu m to

sense to invest in growing foreign markets.”

534 cu m.

“The fact that last year’s move...happened to coincide with

Dichoso said these forest products came from

the global financial crisis resulted in criticism on the market,”

plantations in the provinces of Misamis Oriental

explained ZOW founder Peter Meyer of Surrey Consulting, the

whose production increased by 704.65 percent,

firm that organises the ZOW shows.

from 1,115 cu m to 8,969 cu m and from Misamis

ZOW Italy intends to make a comeback in 2011.

Occidental whose production decreased by 60 percent, from 5,518 cu m to 2,199 cu m.

14 FDM Asia August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Industry News

World Expo 2010 Shanghai Showcases Accoya® Shanghai, China: World Expositions are galleries of human inspirations and thoughts. Since 1851, World Expositions have attained increasing prominence as grand events for economic, scientific, technological and cultural exchanges, serving as an important platform for displaying historical experience, exchanging innovative ideas, demonstrating esprit de corps and looking to the future. The Word Expo 2010 Shanghai China is the first World Exposition to be held in a developing country. It is for these reasons that all eyes are looking East, with people from all over the world visiting the Middle Kingdom to see man’s greatest innovations to date.

Since its opening in May, the Shanghai World Expo 2010 has been at the centre of the global spotlight, with tourists flocking to the Expo Park everyday. The ferries to and from the Expo site,

Accoya as the main decking material for the World Expo 2010 Shanghai piers.

said to be underutilised before the Expo, are now busy.

Bearing all the weight of foot traffic (estimated at 8,000

“The Accoya wood has the ability to perform even in the most

tonnes) from 125,000 tourists people travelling daily between

severe weather conditions,” said Jack Sun, Diamond Wood’s head

Pudong and Puxi, and exposed to the harsh summer weather of

of the World Expo project. It is a common perception that wood,

Shanghai this time of year, is the Accoya wood which makes up

being a natural material, is prone to water damage, mould and

the pier docks, including Pier No. 2, 4, 6, VIP and the Shanghai

warping. “This (project) was the opportunity to showcase the

Public Administration Service Pier. The amount of wood required

qualities of wood,” Sun said. He continued that the acetylation

for the entire project totaled 9000m2.

process is what gives Accoya durability, stability and resistance to

“If regular, everyday wood were used, it would have warped

UV, mould and insects. The process, which is free from harmful

long ago in this Shanghai weather,” said a tourist from Jiangsu

substances, alters the wood’s chemical structure to create a new

Province. Among the main requirements in the construction contract

species of performance wood. Lab tests have found that Accoya

was that the wood for the piers be natural, environment-friendly,

wood can last at least 50 years above ground and 25 years below

hard, durable and unlikely to warp.

ground or submerged in water.

Homag Supplies Cutting Plant To Keijsers Nijmegen, Netherlands: Keijsers Interior Projects, one of

and freeform work pieces that it uses to produce interior

the Netherlands’ biggest interior fittings specialists, will

fittings.

invest in a fully automatic panel cutting plant from the

The Homag Group companies involved in the project

Homag Group. The integrated concept will undertake

are Bargstedt, Holzma and Homag. The three companies

the entire storage, labelling and panel cutting stages to

will provide the automatic area storage system TLF

processing over a project period of 15 months.

410, the Logopac labelling station for the printing and

With this investment, Keijsers will centrally manage

application of bar code labels, and the CNC router BOF

and make available the entire range of different panel

612 for nesting and the feeding gantry with large-area

materials for initial processing to produce the rectangular

vacuum gripping system and belt table, respectively.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/September 2010

15

Market Report

Wood Deficit In China To Create

Major Opportunities New five-year outlook report quantifies China’s growing demand for imported wood and shows how tight supplies will drive prices higher for exporters. By International Wood Markets Group

C

hina’s potential fibre-supply gap (the difference between total demand and total domestic supply) is projected to reach approximately 150 million cu m (roundwood equivalent) by 2015 — or a volume that is more than the entire Canadian timber harvest in 2009.

This is a strong indication that China’s wood imports must continue to rise in the short to medium-term period to match with projected consumption.

In its report titled ‘The China Book (2nd Edition): Outlook to 2015,’ International Wood Markets Group found out that China’s surging wood products industry is becoming raw material-constrained due to its heavy dependence on logs from Russia (65 percent of China total log imports over the last four years).

Russian logs have become more expensive and scarce with the imposition of the Russian log export tax (currently 25 percent on softwood and 40 percent on hardwood sawlogs). The global supply of incremental logs is not large enough to replace the declining Russian log supply in the short term.

Exporting Regions Growth China needs to grow its raw material

16 FDM Asia August/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

supply at eight to 10 percent per year to achieve its desired growth rate, but Wood Markets forecasts a potential global log (export) supply that will only allow China to grow its import supply at just a three to four percent annual growth rate after 2011.

As a result of these dynamics, there are four exporting regions that should see the greatest benefits from the projected tightening of the wood supply and rising prices in China:

✱ Canada (mainly British Columbia or BC) has increased lumber exports to China by almost 800 percent in the last four years. With a tightening global export supply of low priced softwood logs available to China, low-grade softwood (and now higher grades) of BC lumber imports have surged.

The outlook is for rising volumes and higher prices for BC interior SPF and coastal lumber species.

✱ Russia has increased lumber exports by about 185 percent in the same four years as a result of new Russian and Chinese sawmill capacity installations in Eastern Russia.

✱ New Zealand has benefited from the reduced Russian log imports – its radiata pine log exports have grown by almost 400 percent in the last three years to attain 22 percent of China’s softwood logs imports (4.4 million cu m) in 2009 and radiata exports are forecast to increase even further over the next five years.

✱ The US Pacific Northwest, Coastal BC and Alaska have recently seen substantial increases in log exports and this is expected to more than double in the next two to three years (albeit from low levels).

Subdued Market The steady decline in US lumber prices starting in 2006 was offset by rising prices in China.

Wood Markets has also forecast a subdued US market for the balance of 2010 and much of 2011. “BC also has a huge supply of mountain pine beetle-killed timber that yields higher volumes of low grade lumber, so with a weak US market, BC lumber exports can only further increase to China in the short term,” explained Gerry Van Leeuwen, VP of International Wood Markets.

This could have an impact on the US market as long as prices stay low, as it will mark only the second time (the first continues to be Japan) where large volumes of BC SPF lumber have been diverted away from the US to an off-shore export market.

Softwood & Panel Industry Total Chinese softwood lumber imports are expected to continue increasing and should double by 2013, where average prices are expected to increase by at least five percent per year. The current Russian log export tax of 25 percent (minimum €15/cu m) has dramatically reduced Russian softwood log imports and is stimulating more lumber shipments from many countries.

Market Report The possibility that Russia may increase the softwood log export tax to 80 percent (minimum €50/cu m) during the next two to three years is creating additional uncertainty about future Russian log supplies. Should the tax be raised to 80 percent as already legislated (but not yet implemented) by the Russian government, China’s wood processing industry could face a massive shortage of raw materials and would require huge incremental log and lumber volumes as well as new supply sources – and all at much higher prices. The ripple effects through the global wood trade could be massive.

The panel industry in China is also being impacted, as China needs more fibre (including domestic and imported logs) to feed its huge plywood, OSB,

particleboard and MDF industries – its panelboard output was close to 110 million cu m in 2009 – this is more than triple all of North America’s panel output.

Perspectives On China China is the largest manufacturer and consumer of wood-based panels, furniture, flooring and wooden door products in the world. Its forest products output continues to surge at about eight to 10 percent per year, expanding at an incredible pace of about US$40 billion per year. Some further perspectives on China’s wood products industry and market include the following:

✱ It is the world’s fourth largest producer/

✱ It is the world’s third largest consumer of timber (logs) after the US and Canada ✱ It is the world’s largest importer of timber (logs) ✱ It is the world’s third largest producer of lumber after the US and Canada ✱ It is the world’s second largest consumer and importer of lumber after the US ✱ It is the world’s largest producer and consumer of furniture, plywood, MDF, flooring, doors and various finished products. ✱ China’s forest products output was US$230 billion in 2009. ✱ China has the highest level of housing starts in the world. FDM

harvester of timber (logs) after the US, Canada and Russia

ENQUIRY NO. 8001

Website: www.qiulinmc.com.cn

Specialized in Producing Hydraulic Presses

Main Products:

Wood-Based Plate Hot Press Secondary processing press series Collage hot press series Parquet Production Line Wooden door hot press Furniture pressing machine series Other special pressing machine

ENQUIRY NO. 141

• • • • • • •

s h a n G h a i q i u l i n m a c h i n e ry c o . , lt d SHANXI QIulIN Tel: +86-354-2411812 GuANGdoNG QIulIN Tel: +86-757-27737650 SHANGHAI QIulIN Tel: +86-21-69151280 Email: qiulinmc@qiulinmc.com.cn

Fax: +86-354-2411813 Fax: +86-757-27737670 Fax: +86-21-69151280

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/september 2010

17

Focus

Moisture Control Technologies:

Harnessing Microwave, Infrared Power

In the area of wood panels, moisture content is one of the most important measuring parameters for determining the next wood processing steps whilst ensuring wood quality. With today’s increased expectation – and demand – for precision and agility of processing systems, the industry gears up for state-ofthe-art technologies. By Dr Jörg Hasener and Roman Lichomski, GreCon

GreCon

GreCon

T

he wood-based panel industry has been an arena for development and advances in technologies over the last few decades. Among the ramifications of development is increased production capacity. In fact, the average production speed of continuous press lines now stands at 120m/ Moisture analyser min.

However, increased productivity and capacity using microwave come with a twin – there is an increasing demand technology on quality, cost efficiency and variety.

With these demands and expectations on the industry, there is increased need for inline measuring systems and controls.

In the area of wood panels, the most important measuring parameters for determining the next processing steps and ensuring wood quality are moisture content, weight per area unit, mat temperature, board density and density profile, thickness and weight of the board. Moreover, factors such as surface quality, internal defects (eg: blisters and foreign bodies) as well as trending and forecast of the board’s quality (eg: density and density profile) are the other well-established considerations by inline measuring systems today. These factors greatly influence the product’s final

18 FDM Asia AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

mechanical properties such as internal bond (IB), modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), surface soundness, as well as physical characteristics such as thickness swelling after 24 hours, free formaldehyde emission, surface colour, and so forth.

This article looks into one such factor: moisture content and the technologies that measure this.

Technologies Are Riding The “Light Wave” Moisture control (MC) is one of the most important factors in determining energy consumption and even product quality.

In wood panels, this has to be continuously controlled throughout the whole production process – from the arrival

ENQUIRY NO. 160

of the raw material, to storage, to the drying and blending of the particles, and up to intermediary stages of storage, mat forming, and hot pressing. The most common and modern methods for inline MC measurement for wood-based panels are microwaves and infrared light, or what are called indirect measuring methods. The dryer oven method is one example of a direct measuring system.

MC determination by microwave analyses the internal water content of a sample. This is performed by a contact microwave sensor that measures two independent parameters: frequency and amplitude bandwidth. Therefore it is possible to compensate the density influence on the moisture signal. Different installation spots, for instance in a drop chute, on the bunker sidewall, on the mat surface after forming and prepress, or at the final product behind the hot press are possible.

Function principle of non-contact inline measuring system

GreCon

Focus

As systems become more advanced and complex, there will be a growing need for manpower expertise in measuring technology and mechanics, as well as electronics and data technology.

Product highlight GreCon: Moisture Measurement With Infrared Technology The Moisture Analyser IR 5000 consists of a noncontact measuring head and an operator interface for calibration and parameterisation of the moisture analyser.

The operator interface is installed near the measuring head where it is also used as an external display in the measuring position. This arrangement makes reading of the measured moisture values easy when taking samples for laboratory measurements. A light beam, which is emitted by a halogen lamp, isdivided into several measuring and reference beams by means of a mirrorlens combination.

Up to 80 different system adjustments can be stored in the product memory, which makes an adaptation to any material structure possible.

Enquiry No: 8100

20 FDM Asia  AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

The advantages of microwave MC inline measurement are the simple and compact equipment, an accurate moisture measurement regardless of the density, lighting sources, the surface structure and the colour of the material, and the measurement inside the mats. On the other hand, among the disadvantages are the need for contact with the material, obstructing metal parts and the complex calibration requirements.

MC determination by infrared light analyses the moisture of product surface. The infrared light is projected by the measuring device onto the product surface. Known water absorption wavelengths of the infrared light are constantly compared to reference wavelengths where no absorption of the infrared light takes place. The proportion of these intensities indicates the concentration of moisture or other elements of the product. Changes in the light sources are observed and also taken into consideration.

The advantages of this method are that the MC can be measured in a non-contact way. As the installation point of the equipment is known, a first calibration of the system can be preset. Other factors for consideration are surface colour, external light sources, constant distance between material and sensor, and dust developments.

There is a need for a reliable MC measuring system during the whole production line. An incorrectly adjusted MC affects the whole production process – it can lead to exorbitant drying costs, extended pressing time, occurrence of board defects such as blisters, and decreased internal bond, to name a few.

Focus The more accurate the reference method is, the more precise the inline MC measurement will be. With this maxim, the oven dry method at lab scale comes to mind as the most accurate method. All things considered, the position of measurement heads in the production line and the implementation degree in the automatic control of the process parameters are critical, whatever method is used.

A delay in the determination of the MC of boards can impact on the time required to adjust parameters (ie: dryer temperature and pressing time).

Managing Complexity The increasing demand for the accuracy and reliability of inline measuring systems will drive future innovations and developments around these systems. A looming trend points to the possibility of round-the-clock surveillance throughout the wood production process and, as a result, the demand for a permanent availability of the measuring systems. This may result in an exponential increase in data volume/flow and, subsequently, the need for intelligent solutions for high-

speed signal processing, evaluation and visualisation. The immediate answer to this is more powerful data processing capacity. In the next step, all these data can be used to design a trending and forecast system.

However, several other factors contribute to this growing complexity: increasing production speed combined with an increase in automation and plant capacity, widening range of products, and increasing quality requirements and demand for cost efficiency.

As systems become more advanced and complex, a need for trained staff and personnel (eg: operators, maintenance) is created. There will be a growing need for manpower with expertise in the fields of measuring technology, mechanics and electrics, as well as electronics and data technology.

Indeed, increasing complexity will have an impact on the work and the work conditions at the production site.

It would be smart to plan for them to ensure smooth transitions and efficiencies. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8002

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ENQUIRY NO. 671

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www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010

21

Focus

Fire Protection:

Saving Costs, Saving Lives

Firefly02

Evergreen Fibreboard CEO JC Kuo shares how experiencing a fire in his career opened his mind to the importance of investing in fire safety equipment. By Nanda Jansson, Firefly

22 FDM Asia  AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Focus having incidents sometimes. So I wouldn’t rule out the fire issue as part of our business. It will happen sooner or later.”

Convinced By Experience Evergreen has invested in spark detection and press protection systems from Firefly. Speaking on the soundness of the investment, he says, “We can’t avoid incidents, we can’t avoid fires, but this system actually minimises the damages. We can’t run our plants without it.”

Evergreen Fibreboard has expanded substantially over the past five years. For this company, it is all about saving cost. “The…system doesn’t damage the equipment when releasing the water mist extinguisher. This helps us to save cost,” he says.

Mr. Kuo expressed hope that other European suppliers establish themselves closer to Southeast Asian customers and provide services with lower cost—Asian cost. “It’s not that your service is not good enough but the distance is not helping. You can’t bring the distance closer,” he laughs.

“We can’t avoid incidents, we can’t avoid fires, but this system actually minimises the damages.”

ENQUIRY NO. 166

F

ire is a part of my life”, says JC Kuo, CEO of one of Southeast Asia’s particleboard and MDF producers. “I call it my nightmare. I’ve seen it in my career; actually we had a severe fire at one of our plants a couple of years ago. The continuous press burned. It was severely damaged and we were down for almost half a year,” he says.

As a result, the company was forced to upgrade the whole press as they could not put it back to its original condition, which ultimately led to more costs. The experience also made him believe even more that one should not save costs on a fire protection system.

“To run a continuous board line nowadays, you can’t avoid fire. You mix dry wood with oil and expose it to a lot of heat; it’s quite logical that it catches fire,” he says, and explains that the difference nowadays compared to the past is that lines are running faster and products are getting thinner.

“We are running and pushing the plants to extreme operating conditions. As a result, you can’t avoid making mistakes or

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010

23

Focus Not Easy The company is a leading player in the board producing industry, but he admits it’s not an easy one. “If you’re looking for easy money to make, I don’t think this is the business you want to be in,” Mr Kuo says. “Consolidation is the thing that will come next on the Southeast Asian board market,” he predicts.

“I was expecting it to come right after the first Asian crisis but pretty much everybody lasted through it. There were not many casualties. But over the last five years, you see that

“You can save costs elsewhere, but don’t save cost on this.

Once a fire hits you, it’s too late.” companies that do not focus in this business end up exiting the industry. To survive in this business, you really need a lot of focus and attention,” he says.

Biomass Plant Since the fire incident, the company has built its own biomass plant in Thailand to provide electricity to its fibreboard plant.

“I realised that there’s a lot of waste which is left behind in the forest. In the past, it was just burned in the open field, which damages the environment and which to me really is a waste.”

“This is material that can be put to good use. The only problem is that it’s bulkier, dirtier and contaminated but we can send people to the moon already. There’s nothing that can’t be done,” he chuckles. ”This is not a very lucrative business,” he admits. “But I think it’s part of our responsibility to help preserve the environment for our future generations.”

Asking For Trouble Emphasising the importance of fire protection equipment, Mr Kuo believes saving costs by ignoring fire protection is more trouble than it is worth. ”To run a board line without any fire protection is suicidal,” he says. “You are asking for trouble. It is only a matter of time before trouble finds you. My advice is to put it in as soon as possible, and if you can afford it, do it before you start a plant.

It’s a key, vital instrument for the whole plant.”

As the head of a company that built its own resin plant to cut down resin costs, he is one to understand what it means to save, and scrimping on fire protection isn’t one of them.

“You can save costs elsewhere, but don’t save cost on this.

Once a fire hits you, it’s too late.”

He values sustainability. Not only to protect his plants from fires, but also for humans, nature and environment. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8003

Product highlights Firefly: Fire & Emissions Detector The MGD detector from Firefly indicates fire and emissions from hazardous substances, and is designed specifically for installation into industrial plants, storage facilities, ships and public areas, such as airports, railway stations, subways, theatres and shopping centres.

Capable of detecting a range of gas emissions, the device can thus respond to changes in the chemical composition of indoor air caused by the development of fire or other hazardous situations.

An intelligent data analysis is used to assess these signatures. Also designed to reduce the probability of false alarms, the system detects the origin of the hazard or type of the fire and triggers the warning.

Enquiry No: 8101

24 FDM Asia AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

ENQUIRY NO. 110

Focus

Plywood Manufacturing:

Trends And

Challenges

Although it appears that the future of the plywood industry is becoming contentious, it must be emphasised that plywood continues to hold its market share within the construction sector where moisture and warp resistance performance are required. By Dr Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam, FIWSc

26 FDM Asia  AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

GNIdesign2

W

ood is by far the most important raw material available to mankind. Indeed, it has varied and extensive applications. In its solid form, wood is used not only for construction purpose but also for other non-structural applications to such an extent that life without wood is highly improbable.

Despite such accolade, wood is limited in its properties due to the fact that it is both a natural and variable material. Being a natural material, wood has intrinsic quality impairments which render the material a variable and inconsistent quality.

Further, its strength and working properties are influenced strongly by moisture and other factors such as climate and biodegradation organisms (ie: fungi, insects). In terms of supply, its availability is related to the forest stock and the characteristics of the standing tree.

Hence, the dimensions of solid wood available in the market are somewhat limited, unlike other engineering materials.

Against these drawbacks, wood has

The major trend within the plywood production industry is factories that are highly automated with much higher throughput rates than their predecessors in the 1990s.

earned a “love-hate� relationship with man, and continuous efforts are being made to ensure that wood materials in a more consistent quality are brought to the marketplace.

With the advent of processing technology, a new category of wood products has evolved that has been able to shed some of the weaknesses of solid wood material. In fact, this category of reconstituted wood products, also known as secondary wood products, has emerged as the fastest-growing wood products sector in the world. It includes many panel-based products such as plywood (PW), laminated boards (LB), particleboard (PB), medium-density fibreboard (MDF), oriented strand board (OSB), to name a few.

Being reconstituted wood products, these are able to redistribute the naturally occurring defects in wood throughout the panel, hence improving its strength and other working properties. Further, it can be produced in dimensions that exceed the normal sizes of solid wood,

Focus

History Of Plywood

GNIdesign1

According to available literature, the ancient Egyptians have been reputed to be first users of plywood. Egypt lacks fine wood, and around 3500 BCE, the Egyptians began conserving the wood they did have by gluing thin sheets of high quality wood over lower quality, more readily available wood. Although reports also suggest that the Chinese had also used a similar product in furniture making, while the British and French of the 1600s and 1700s are known to have experimented with different types of plywood, the discovery of plywood is attributed to the Egyptians.

Production of plywood did not come until the mid 1800s when the Swedish architect Immanuel Nobel invented the rotary lathe, which uses an extremely sharp blade to cut a continuous roll of softwood logs. This point of time is perhaps indicative of the “birth of plywood” as it is known today. However, commercial production of plywood only emerged in 1907 in Oregon, United States when largescale production of the wood-based panels started.

thereby extending its use to many other applications previously not available to solid wood material.

In essence, these wood products are also considered to be engineered wood products because it can be manufactured to desired properties and specifications.

Among the earliest of the engineered wood products is plywood, which is elaborated at length in this article with an emphasis on its trends and challenges.

Its Nature Plywood is one of the most commonly used materials for many applications, which includes construction and furniture making. Apart from it being and resistant to expansion and shrinkage, it is also extremely flexible and does not split.

Perhaps the biggest advantages of plywood compared to solid wood are that it is inexpensive and can be produced in large sheets.

Plywood is manufactured by gluing plies or wood veneers (thin sheets of wood – either both hardwood and softwood – of less than 3mm thickness) together with the grain of the respective plies at right angles to one another. These plies are then bonded together by applying heat, pressure and adhesives.

Market & Utilisation In 2009, the Asian production capacity for plywood was close to 68 million cu m, with China accounting for almost 35 million cu m. Indonesia and Malaysia are the other dominant plywood producers in the region, accounting for almost 16 million cu m in combined production.

The availability of large-diameter logs, coupled with large processing capacity and an abundant workforce, has enabled plywood production in the Asian region to flourish steadily over the years. Japan, South Korea, China and India are the largest plywood market in the region, with Japan regarded as the traditional powerhouse in plywood consumption

in the region. In fact, Japan is also the leader in plywood technology in the world, with leading machinery suppliers such as Taihei, Minamei often competing with the likes of Raute and Cremona from Europe.

Plywood has a varied application, structural and non-structural uses. It is predominantly used in construction, but has also found application in joinery, builders-carpentry, doors, and furniture making. In fact, plywood is not only very versatile; it has also been able to withstand competition from other substitutes, particularly oriented strand board (OSB).

Although the global production of OSB stands at 47 million cu m in 2009, this figure is relatively small compared to the global plywood production of almost 195 million cu m. Despite such market conditions, plywood as a product is being increasingly threatened in the marketplace by OSB, especially in the construction sector.

Developments In Plywood Production Although plywood production technology is well established, some technological developments have been realised to cope with the changes in the marketplace. As the diameter of logs has been steadily decreasing over the years, the advent of retractable chucks has enabled smaller logs to be put on to the peeling lathe.

Further, with laser and electronic cantering devices, the peeling operation was further improved. Automated moisture detection equipment are now available to detect veneers with undesirable moisture levels, at the out-feed of the drying chambers. In fact, these developments have increased the throughput of plywood mills by almost 20 percent.

On the other hand, with the advent of steam-injection technology has also significantly increased the throughput

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010

27

Focus

Plywood

Production Stages 1st Stage: The plywood manufacturing process begins with the logs being delivered to the mill, where they are sorted, typically by size and species of tree. Plywood can be manufactured from both hardwood and softwood species, although the latter has a greater share in the global marketplace. The logs are then “softened” by soaking it in a log pond or steaming it, to ease further processing. After this softening treatment, the bark is removed by a machine known as a ring-debarker. Debarking is important as the bark usually contain impurities and foreign bodies that affect the further processing of the logs. The logs are then cut to a length appropriate to the mill’s lathe that ranges from 240 to 270 cm.

2nd Stage: Veneer production. The “softened” logs are placed in either a veneer lathe or a veneer slicer. In the peeling lathe, a long, continuous veneer is peeled from the logs, while in the slicer a sliced veneer is produced depending of the dimension of the flitch (logs used for slicing). Whichever type of veneer is produced, it has to be dried in a drying chamber to remove the moisture to a level of about 6 to 8 percent. The dried veneer is then cut to size through an operation known as clipping before further processing.

3rd Stage: Plywood assembly. In order to increase the mill recovery, short pieces of veneers are often glued along the edges to form larger sheets of the veneer, a process known as splicing. The large sheets of veneers are then applied with an adhesive (usually a phenol or urea-based adhesive) and pressed under pressure and heat for full curing of the adhesive. After pressing, the plywood is left to condition before further processing. In plywood, the outer veneer layers have its grains running the length of the sheet, while the grain of the individual sheets alternate in the interior. After conditioning, the plywood is then trimmed, sanded if and as necessary, and graded for quality. It is then packed and shipped to the various end-users.

28 FDM Asia AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Present-day consumers of wood products are much more demanding, both in terms of quality and value for money. In this context, the plywood industry throughout the world is faced with several major challenges that continue to shape the industry in the long-term. rate at the presses in the mills.

Further, improvements in the adhesives formulation, especially those complying with the E1, E0, and lately the super E0 standards with regard to formaldehyde emission, have also made the plywood production industry more environment-friendly.

Perhaps, the major trend within the plywood production industry is the creation of factories that are highly automated and capable of much higher throughput rates than their predecessors in the 1990s. In fact, the industry is under increasing pressure to boost productivity due to escalating prices of raw materials and stiff competition from substitutes.

Challenges Unlike those of the last decade, presentday consumers of wood products are much more demanding, both in terms of quality and value for money.

In this context, the plywood industry throughout the world is faced with several major challenges that continue to shape the industry in the long-term.

• Changing Quality Of Raw Materials Smaller-diameter logs from plantation forest are becoming more prevalent throughout the world. However, older plywood mills with fixed chucks are unable to accommodate such raw materials. As a result, since 2000, a total of 213 plywood mills have ceased operation in the Southeast Asian region primarily due to the lack of raw materials of desirable quality.

Further, the introduction of coconut

wood and oil palm trunk as 'peeler logs' is only deemed as short-term measures in many of the Southeast Asian countries as these materials are only suitable as core veneers and are often used as “sandwich stocks” to gain cost advantage.

• Outdated Processing Facilities Almost 79 percent of the plywood mills operating in Southeast Asia have been in operation for more than 15 years; hence, the existing technology in these mills are outdated. With escalating raw materials and energy costs, but without modern technologies that provide the necessary yield and productivity levels, these mills are usually forced out of the industry.

In a 2008 study by the International Furniture Research Group (IFRG), it was found that the plywood industry lagged in terms of investments within the whole wood products sector in the Southeast Asian region.

• Competition From Substitutes The advent of the OSB has become a major concern for the plywood industry, with OSB slowly reducing the market share of plywood as the primary construction material. In fact, in North America, Europe and Japan, the shrinking market share of plywood in the construction sector is attributed solely to OSB gaining market share.

In terms of performance and price, OSB has proven to be comparable to plywood. It is envisaged that this trend will accelerate in years to come as the cost of plywood increases further due to dwindling supply of quality raw materials.

Focus However, there are drawbacks related to OSB production, such as higher initial investment for mill establishments, as well as its poorer performance in terms of moisture resistance.

• Limited Opportunity To Value-Add As a product, plywood is considered matured, having existed for almost 100 years. Due to its nature and characteristics, the product has limited opportunity to value add and be competitive with the available substitutes.

Although it appears that the future of the plywood industry is becoming contentious, but it must be emphasised that plywood continues to hold its market share within the construction sector where moisture and warp resistance performance

are required, such as in the case of formwork applications. In essence, the moisture and warp resistance properties of plywood have made it unique among all other existing wood-based panels in the market. It is for this reason that its presence and use will continue in applications that demand such characteristics.

The Future According to the IFRG study, the future of wood-based panels will be determined by the prevailing raw material and technology factors under the influence of the market. As wood-based panels are considered commodities, the future of any wood-based panel in the market is strongly influenced by its production cost as well as its market demand.

On this account, although OSB

has emerged as the biggest threat to plywood in the market place, plywood will continue to retain market share in areas where OSB production has not caught up, as in the Southeast Asian region.

Nevertheless, it will be naive to assume that OSB will completely overtake the plywood market share, as it remains a weaker alternative compared to plywood in terms of moisture resistance.

In this context, the plywood production industry in Malaysia and Indonesia, the largest producing countries of tropical hardwood plywood in the world, is poised to remain viable for some years to come. Consequently, plywood is envisaged to remain as an important wood-based panel in the market place for some time. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8004

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ENQUIRY NO. 164

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www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010

29

Technology

Honeycomb Technology:

Less

Is

More

Thanks to its light structure and transportability, honeycomb-panelled furniture could be the thing of the future. By Shiv Kumar Shet, business development manager, Biesse Manufacturing, India†

D

ue to its light weight and strength, millions of square metres of paper honeycomb are being used all over the globe by furniture manufacturers today. For this reason, honeycomb technology will likely replace many other panel boards used in panel-based furniture industries worldwide.

The name is derived from its resemblance to the hexagonal structure of the beehive. While it is believed that the Chinese used the honeycomb 2,000 years ago, the earliest recorded usage of honeycomb is in 1919 when it was used in military airplanes on seaplane pontoons.

So far, over 450 to 500 types of honeycomb have been tested and used. Honeycomb-sandwiched panels are not only used in furniture but also for thermal panels, acoustics, energy absorption, and radio frequency shielding. Honeycomb is normally made from thin flat materials, which may be metallic or non-metallic. Metallic flats are aluminium, stainless steel and titanium. The more commonly used non-metallic flats are Kraft paper, Nomex or fibreglass.

In manufacturing, it is said that “less is more, because more productivity comes from less weight, lesser shipping costs and lesser damage. Above all, the lesser the weight, the lesser the people you need to move it.” True enough, the most important feature of the honeycomb panel is its light weight.

Egger

Impact & Bending Strength

30 FDM Asia August/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

The honeycomb panel offers high strength-to-weight ratio and are thicker when compared to the regular man-made panels such as particleboard, MDF, and plyboard. Among the strong

Technology a cheaper alternative than its counterparts. All honeycomb properties of honeycomb panels are impact bending strength panels are made out of recycled paper, making it more and bending strength. popular and environment-friendly.

For instance, in a study performed on 51.7mm-thick honeycomb panels to test the Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) and Modulus of Rupture (MOR), it was observed that the MOE and Expansion & Corrugated MOR were low compared to particleboards 7.8mm and 16.1 There are five different methods of making honeycomb panels: mm thick.* Meanwhile, the ratio of the impact bending strength • Thermal fusion and bending strength to the density ratio of the honeycomb • Diffusion bonding panel was much higher when compared to that of Table 1: Comparison of MOR and MOE of Panel Boards particleboards 7.8mm and 16.1mm thick. (See Table 1) Modulus of Elasticity Impact Bending Material Panel Modulus of Rupture Honeycomb-sandwiched (MOE) – (N/mm2) (IBS) (KJ/mm2) (Nominal thickness) (MOR) – (N/mm2) panels can be used whenever Honeycomb 8+36+8mm 0.92 (0.07) 505 (63) 4.79 (0.39) there is a necessity to save Particleboard 16mm 14.62 (0.63) 2730 (227) 2.30 (0.08) on weight and whenever there is a problem due Particleboard 8mm 15.27 (0.47) 2741 (362) 1.20 (0.04) to skin buckling. Cost is Particleboard 2x8mm 14.31 (0.56) 2680 (325) 2.66 (0.06) another major factor, as the honeycomb is usually Mean values of 15 samples and standard deviation in parenthesis edited deliver.REV.6.73x4.75.pdf

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31

ENQUIRY NO. 165

dedicated to

DON’T HAVE TO

Egger

Technology

Honeycomb panels are typically used in furniture, doors, and marine applications.

• Resistance welding • Brazing • Adhesive bonding Honeycomb is made using two basic techniques: the expansion method, which uses paper or non-metallic flats; and the corrugated method, which uses steel or aluminium.

Resistance welding or brazing methods are used in making honeycomb panels when the environment of application has severe temperatures, but this involves a high cost of production.

Hence, the adhesive bonding method is most often used, with probably 90 percent of honeycombs manufactured this way.

In the past, furniture made out of honeycomb were glued using polyvinyl acetate (PVAC) or urea formaldehyde (UF) glue before being pressed in hot or cold presses. Polyurethane (PUR) glues are now more commonly used to reduce the time in pressing and to avoid the ingression of moisture.

Advanced Uses The benefits of honeycomb technology can be summed up as follows: • Light weight • Easy to handle • Cheaper freight costs • High strength in vertical compression • Reusable and recyclable • Wide application • High intensity • Corrosion resistant • Easily available Honeycomb materials now find more advanced uses in military, businesses, and more recently, in the building of yachts. A certain grade called the 4120 is being used for the aerospace industry. Another grade called the 7800 is being used in ships, auto body panels, antennas, shelters, and structural bulkheads in ships (though not in aerospace).

Both grades exhibit good thermal insulation and dielectric properties. For the 4120, this particular grade is easily machined and is suited for adhesive bonding. As far as wood’s transition from tree to furniture is concerned, honeycomb offers flexibility, durability, design features, and more importantly, light weight.

32 FDM Asia August/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Present-day manufacturers of honeycomb panels boast up to 60 different types in their product range. However, their acceptance is slightly lower when in Asian regions, compared to that of Europe and the USA. This is due to the lack of information dissemination by manufacturers about the advantages of honeycomb panels.

Manufacturers need to spread knowledge through marketing activities, and production should keep pace without the need for constant supervision.

Today, an estimated 28 plants with 36,000 employees are dedicated to the manufacturing of honeycomb panels.

Given the number of workers deriving their income from new concepts in honeycomb, it is high time for manufacturers to start utilising its benefits and pass on the trend to users of modular furniture. FDM * MOE refers to a material’s ability to be temporarily deformed from the application of force, while MOR refers to a material’s maximum load carrying capacity. The panels had a core of recycled paper honeycomb measuring 30 x 30mm and weighing 210g/mm2. Surface layers of thin particleboard of 7.8mm in thickness was used for study. Samples were prepared in compliance with EN 310 for the bending strength and DIN 52189:1992 for impact bending strength.

The writer wishes to thank the Department of Harvesting and Forest Products Technology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki for their technical inputs in honeycomb panel technology.

†

ENQUIRY NO. 8005

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The board features a thin chipboard surface layer which is distinguishable by its chip structure. Individually capable of being laminated with any decor, the board is primarily used for worktops and tabletops, laminated or lacquered furniture components, or as substrate for application of decorative film surface finishes.

Enquiry No: 8102

ENQUIRY NO. 171

Panels

Siempelkamp

Quality test station

34 FDM Asia  AUGUST/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Panels

Short Cycle Press:

Precision In All Levels

A look into how a short cycle press bridged the dialogue between two companies.

By Ulrich Bens, product manager for short cycle presses, Siempelkamp

S

wiss panel manufacturer Kronospan’s plant in Menznau produces particleboard and MDF that are laminated with decor papers to resistant furniture boards. As a supplement to the already existing paper storage, in January 2008 Kronospan ordered a short cycle press from Siempelkamp with a hotplaten dimension of 2.20 x 5.80m for their laminating centre.

The press is designed for 200 press cycles per hour, even as 180 press cycles are guaranteed for this press type. The projected daily capacity is 40,000 sq m, amounting to 13.5 million sq m per year.

The construction start for the short cycle press was August 2008. The company’s sixth press was completed only three months later and reached full capacity in November 2008.

The specific market and customer demands on the surface finishing of wood-based materials set new benchmarks for custom-built short cycle presses.

Precision & Output In accordance with the Swiss firm’s requirements, one of Siempelkamp’s latest short cycle presses in terms of the loading system, press, hydraulic system, and heat transfer was installed in Menznau in 2008.

The latest generation loading device carried out the lay-up.

The movements of this device are motordriven, which increases the Short cycle operating precision. The device press on the has to cope with great demand laminating end as impregnated papers react increasingly faster while generating increasingly higher output. In Siempelkamp, technology allows precision without sacrificing output.

The press charges are placed inside the

press in exactly the same location again and again. In this way, papers are aligned precisely.

In order to receive products that are difficult to distinguish from genuine wood in terms of appearance and feel, the precise positioning of the decorative paper on the embossed plate inside the press is essential for each press cycle. All loading and unloading processes of the press are therefore position-controlled to assure this type of precision.

A Complex System Position-control is also used for the servo cylinders of the press lifting system. The individual control of the lifting cylinders allows for an active synchronisation of these cylinders and makes the use of synchronising cylinders obsolete. The result is an exactly parallel moving upper beam that touches down on the product.

Also new is the temperature distribution mechanism. In preliminary discussions with Siempelkamp about the order, Kronospan had pointed out that an exact temperature distribution was an important requirement.

The solution: temperature distribution can be achieved with higher precision given individually controllable heater circuits for product and opposite side, improved sensors, and a cascading heating control similar to the one used in Siempelkamp’s ContiRoll.

This short cycle press combines Siempelkamp’s standards in many ways. Once more, this press demonstrates how the complex the interplay of boards, papers, paper lay-up systems, loading systems, hydraulic presses, control, and storage system technology is implemented into a unit. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8006

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/september 2010

35

Panels

Short Cycle Presses:

Improving The

Bottom Line Understanding the short-cycle lamination process allows manufacturers to see what can be improved in the bottom line. By Harshad Arkave, VP for sales and marketing, Master Handlers

A

positive movement is underway in the Short Cycle Lamination (SCL) business. With market and orders flowing for almost all kind of industries such as corporate offices, information technology, residential complexes, educational institutes, and modular furniture manufacturers, new players have recently entered the SCL market as manufacturers.

Increasing competition, however, has brought pressure on prices. Profit margins are reducing to the extent that freight costs play a major role in the selling price. In this scenario, the few options available are to improve the quality of boards, get a better price than competition, save manpower by automation, and save idle time while increasing output.

The lamination process is done to improve the aesthetics of particleboards, MDFs or HDFs. This adds life to the board while protecting it against moisture, water, scratch, wear, abrasion, and other particles. Other methods include coating the board with paint, varnishing, and using polyurethane. Lamination with melamine paper also provides a cost effective solution, better protection and aesthetic value for a wide range of applications.

The term ‘short cycle’ comes from the short duration of laminating the board with the machine, which on average has

36 FDM Asia AUGUST/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

the capacity to deliver 80 to 110 boards per hour. An understanding of a typical short-cycle lamination process assists buyers in search of the proper SCL machines, and allows manufacturers to see what can be improved in the bottomline production. What follows is a brief look into the processes and components involved in SCLs.

• Ground Rollers Conveyor This saves possible press down time in terms of loading stacks and of logistics.

The conveyor stores stacks of boards that need to be transferred automatically to the lift table, ensuring pressing operation without interruption. As soon as the lift table has sent the last board to the brushing unit, the new stack is transferred to the lift table, improving the press value added time.

• In-Feed Lift Table The hydraulic lifting table is used to maintain top board height always at feeding level to enter brushing. A sensor looks for the presence of the board. When a board is pushed to brushing machine, the sensor looses the signal. It sends command for the hydraulic table to lift up. As soon as the sensor senses the presence of next board, the lift table stops. This keeps the next board ready to push inside the board-cleaning machine.

• Board Pusher Pusher mechanisms push one board at a time into the pinch roller of the brushing machine. When the previous board has passed from the cleaning machine, the next

Panels board is pushed. This ensures that each board is cleaned before lamination.

board. By automatically placing the board on the balancing paper, the operator is saved from unnecessary fatigue.

• Board Cleaning Machine The machine helps surface preparation to improve lamination quality, since the raw board surface may contain undesirable particles such as dust and wood powder, which prevents the proper bonding of melamine resin present on paper. A rotary brush in the full width of the board brushes both sides clean. When paper is pressed and heated, the melamine resin melts and bonds firmly with the fibres on a clean surface.

• Auto Paper Lay Up Balancing paper, bottom paper, décor paper and top overlay paper are all done using the auto paper layer. The creel conveyor places the board on the bottom paper lying on the surface of the belt conveyor, before a second auto paper layer puts the design paper on the tray belt loader side. For special requirements, the third auto layer places the overlay paper.

At this stage, precise paper placement translates to less rejection.

• Creel Conveyor The creel conveyor receives the board from the cleaning machine before placing it over the belt conveyor where balancing paper or bottom paper is placed. Centering guides on the roller ensure centering of

• Belt Conveyor The belt conveyor receives the balancing paper from the auto paper layer and board from the creel before transferring it to a tray belt loader via static charger.

• Static Charger The balancing paper and board are passed through a static charge machine. This generates static charge that allows paper to stick firmly to the board and ensure good transfer to tray belt loader. Reducing relative movement between the board and balancing paper ensures accurate placement of paper and board assembly.

• Tray Belt Loader After the board and balancing paper are received, the décor paper is placed on top of the board. An overlay paper can also be placed if required. Automatic paper lay-up ensures proper placement of paper with board centre as reference.

A clamp helps the tray belt loader hold the top paper assembly in the same position.

Once the tray with the belt conveyor on top moves inside the press, the top

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www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/september 2010

37

Panels

Master Handler

board. When the board is received at this station, the board is referenced as per the position of the cross trimming blade. The blade moves from one side to the other while trimming the leading edge.

While the board moves forward, the two side cutters trim two sides of the board. The board trailing edge is trimmed by retracting the cutter to its original position.

Brush cleaning unit

belt conveyor starts moving the board and paper assembly forward. The tray then starts moving out of the press with the same speed equal to the belt conveyor moving the board forward. This ensures that the board is placed on the press bolster.

• Single Daylight Press The short cycle press is used for pasting melamine paper to board under high pressure and temperature, enabling the controlled cycle of temperature/pressure to laminate boards.

The press has an overhead hydraulic power pack to save floor space. The servo valve ensures fast response of the RAM opening and closing. This reduces non-value added time and improves the number of boards that can be processed per hour. Bolsters are properly insulated to reduce heat losses due to conduction.

Curing starts from bottom after the board is loaded on the bottom bolster.

To balance the curing time from both sides, the top bolster must come down very fast. For this reason, the machine uses the down stroke of the hydraulic cylinders and gives the RAM the benefit of gravitational force. This shortens the imbalance between the bottom and top curing time.

The speed and slowdown distance will depend upon board thickness.

38 FDM Asia AUGUST/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

• Press Pads & Press Plates Press pads or cushion pads are usually necessary for SCL presses, since this provides a cushion effect to compensate the thickness variation in the motherboard.

The pads serve two purpose. One is to provide cushioning and the other is to transfer heat under pressurised condition.

Because silicon pads also last longer, modern design prefers silicon-coated copper wires that are cross-woven over old asbestos type press pads.

• Outfeed Conveyor Receives material from the unloader. This conveyor has rollers to provide maximum air exposure at the bottom of the board for natural cooling.

• Vacuum Unloader Trolley This picks up finished laminated boards from the press, brings it out and delivers it to the out-feed conveyor. The servo drive ensures fast speed and synchronisation during unloading.

• Distance Conveyor Receives the board from the out-feed conveyor/trimming, and transfers them to and from the cooling wheel before sending the board to the inspection device.

• Trimming Trims all four sides of the melamine-faced

• Cooling Wheel Since the boards coming out of the SCL are hot, the cooling wheel provides natural cooling for about 20 to 25 minutes. To reduce the possibility of board deformation, the boards are cooled down naturally.

Together with its arms, the cooling wheel is a space-saving design to provide time for cooling. After the board moves on to the distance conveyor, the cooling wheel arm lifts the board from the conveyor.

Thus two cooling wheels with 24 arms each can carry 12 boards for cooling purposes.

• Board Cleaning Machine The board cleaning machine removes loosely-held foreign particles from both sides of the board. The station is kept after the cooling station to remove any dust particles deposited during cooling cycle, preparing the board for inspection.

• Inspection Device Vacuum Hoist The hoist holds, lifts, and tilts boards for inspection before stacking them per gradation. Gradation ensures a good price and reputation in the market. The tilting is at 75 degrees with respect to the ground, allowing for a perfect right angle for the human operator to inspect.

This is termed on-line inspection, and handling of the material here is less compared to offline inspection. The tilting arm helps top and bottom side inspection and time delay here is very less. If any defect is found during inspection, then corrective action to change process parameters

Panels controllers can assist with the electrical control of the equipment. In higher-end models, all the drives are provided with Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) to save energy and ensure smooth starts and stops while running the machines at high speed. Other machines only have the VFD provided at the loader.

• Secondary Circuit • Stack Stand The stack stand receives the board from inspection and cross-transfers the total stack. Here, the precious production time is saved because the boards are coming out in less than one minute.

The line does not stop for the want of stacking space.

• Control Panel In the control panel, programmable logic

This controls the temperature of the top and bottom hot plate and saves heat energy. This circuit monitors the heating media, which is diverted back after desired temperature is achieved on bolster.

• Scada The information generated by the Scada about production volumes, quality, line-up time, history analysis, report generation, and statistical process control (SPC) can

provide useful information for management decisions.

In summary, bottom-line production can be improved by increasing the value added time and reducing non-value added time. Rejections can also be reduced via automated online inspection, while repeat activities can be automated and be programmed to get more line uptime.

Fast loading and unloading can also be synchronized with servo motor.

The lamination process adds value, life, protection, and resistance to the particleboard, MDF, and HDF. While an alternative method is to coat the board with paint, varnish, and poly-urethane, melamine paper lamination provides a cost-effective solution, better protection and aesthetic value for a wide range of applications. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8007

ENQUIRY NO. 132

can be done quickly compared to offline inspection. Lesser boards rejected here translate to lesser waste in time, energy and money.

As the inspection device is a travelling type, the operator decides after inspection whether the board is A grade or B grade.

The inspection device can stack as per the operator decision.

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/september 2010

39

Surfaces & Flooring

Laminate Flooring:

Green Hardwood Going

With The

Increasing awareness on sustainability is bringing back emphasis to natureinspired designs. By Henry Lee

Alternative

The Green Wave Eco-friendliness is increasingly becoming an important by-word in the flooring market, as environmentally conscious consumers

40 FDM Asia  August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

EPLF/Faus

A

midst growing environmental concerns over deforestation and global warming, as well as rising costs of natural hardwood flooring, consumers are now increasingly placing emphasis on cost effectiveness and eco-friendliness as major considerations when exploring flooring options. In such a climate, the laminate alternative is becoming more attractive to consumers as compared to the perennial favourite: natural hardwood flooring.

Not only is laminate flooring friendlier on the wallet, it is also easier on the Earth’s forests due to its use of wood composites, as opposed to solid planks in hardwood flooring. Advanced laminate technology has also paved the way to a new generation of designs that reproduces the richness and comfort of hardwood flooring without actually having to scour our forest reserves.

Natural wengĂŠ laminate flooring

are now opting for greener products.

Laminate flooring manufacturers have responded to this trend by re-examining their production lines and refining their processes in an effort to become more environmentally responsible.

For example, as part of their movement

towards environmentally friendlier operations, Wilsonart uses 100 percent recycled wood content in their high-density fibreboard for high-pressure laminate flooring. Their laminate flooring is certified by the Composite Panel Association to be an Environmentally Preferred Product.

Surfaces & Flooring

Hardwood Surge Interestingly enough, the prevalent trends of embracing Mother Nature have generated renewed interest in hardwood

designs. Although a stalwart flooring option, natural hardwood has raised concerns due to environmental issues and rising costs. Its laminate alternatives however, are gaining popularity as a cost-conscious and eco-friendly way to enjoy Mother Nature’s bounty.

In response to this renewed interest in hardwood designs, Wilsonart has launched a new range of laminate flooring, the Global series. The Global palette boasts an array of patterns derived from exotic hardwoods found in remote locales of Africa, Australia and China and features the rich earthy tones of bamboo, sapele, kakadu and bubinga. From the gold and green highlights against the warm, red, and brown background of the kakadu, to the mottled wavy and straight grain of the sapele, the Global series is a boon to the discerning customer.

In terms of floor finishing, as a complementary trend to the present green sentiments, hand-scraped finishes are becoming popular in achieving a minimalist and comforting atmosphere of returning to nature. The antique, weathered look, achieved by matte and subtle gloss finishes and by mimicking the imperfections and flaws of daily wear and tear in the laminate design, is the perfect showcase for exotic wood grains and rich tones.

Global Interests Another decor trend set to make waves in the flooring market involves an opposite development of the pared-down, backto-nature look. Discerning, globe-trotting consumers are seeking sophisticated design and decor which reflects their travels abroad and showcases of

ENQUIRY NO. 159

In addition, the Wilsonart laminate also consists of 20 percent post-consumer recycled wood, and 10 percent wood from sustainable wood resources.

Echoing this green sentiment, in a literal sense, is the world’s premier authority in colour, Pantone. For its 2010 Colour of the Year, Pantone has named Pantone 15-5519, Turquoise as the muse. In an uncertain and everchanging climate, Pantone predicts that turquoise, with its soothing and invigorating hues of green and blue, will evoke a sense of calm tropical waters and palm beaches – the perfect antidote to everyday and global stresses.

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EPLF/Haro

their acquired tastes and experiences.

This trend has resulted in a movement towards a chic yet understated amalgamation of styles inspired by multi-cultural influences.

As urban lifestyles become busier and more hectic, the home becomes important as a sanctuary against the pressures of city life. With this in mind, consumers are now more ready to invest in the master bedroom; and rightly so, especially when a third of our lives are spent in the comfort of our bedrooms.

This focus on the bedroom is also inspired by travels abroad; especially by memorable stays in guest suites.

Consumers are now transforming the master suite into upscale, private retreats reminiscent of these sojourns abroad.

Hardwood designs are again a prime decor choice in such design schemes; nothing evokes a sense of comfort better than the warm, rich hues of oak, teak and walnut.

With sophistication as the key to this look, it is important that the hardwood designs remain understated and clean.

Contemporary furniture feature simple and straight designs, often with a solid, ‘slab’ appearance. To accentuate the straight lines of these furnishings,

42 FDM Asia  August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

EPLF/Skema

Surfaces & Flooring

The prevalent trends of embracing Mother Nature has generated renewed interest in hardwood designs. (Above: Rustic Oak)

parquet flooring designs offer the perfect complement. Rich, dark wood tones and the softness of natural wood grains offer a good contrast against the simple and sleek lines of modern furniture while adding a touch of warmth and comfort to the room.

As a reflection of this trend, Egger has launched the Feelwood laminate flooring

series with hardwood parquet flooring as its source of inspiration. The revolutionary circumferential Micro-V bevel is the key to lending the Feelwood series its texture and appearance of parquet.

Low-Cost Comfort Growing environmental awareness has generated increased interest in greener consumer trends and environmentally responsible operations. Lower costs, not just in prices and production processes, but also to the environment, is a force driving prevailing laminate flooring trends.

A greater appreciation for Mother Nature, and the growing sophistication of a wellheeled clientele, has also propelled the demand for exotic wood designs and natural finishes.

Dark wood grains are the perfect complement to the minimalist lines of contemporary furniture and are also a key element to reproducing a sense of comfort and warmth. The warmth of wood will be a decor mainstay in years to come, and greener alternatives will sustain it. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8008

ENQUIRY NO. 016

&

DesignDecor

Windows & Doors:

Petr Kovar. Prague, Czech Republic

Step Into The Light Windows and doors have now evolved to become something much more than necessary architectural elements. By Zaihan Kariyani

F

or something as simple as a hole in the wall – or a gap in the roof – doors and windows function far more than points of entry and exit.

Window types run the full gamut: the clerestory window that sits at the junction where a wall stops short of the ceiling or roof above; the archetypal bay window, which is usually recognised for protruding from a flat façade; and the picture window, which has been made possible with advancements in glassmaking.

Then we have doors: sliding, folding, or swing. Doorways themselves have parts and additions such as transoms, vestibules, and thresholds.

adjacent walls: first with simple knots of rope, then later using crude hinges to simplify closing and opening.

In time, heavier materials such as solid wood were used to form a stronger barrier.

Locks evolved from being obstructions wedged behind the door leaves to sophisticated mortise and tenon types.

In classical Greek and Roman architecture, a succession of pillars or archways was often used to create the illusion of a frame around an entryway or to form the entrance itself. Details such as pediments and principal levels, as well as raising a building on steps, were all used to accentuate the act of entry and exit.

Between Here & There

The term ‘window’ is derived from the Old Norse word vindauga meaning ‘wind eye.’

The window had a more difficult role: to ventilate and allow natural light to enter an interior, and at the same time to secure and provide views from within the building.

Initially, curtains of animal hide or plant matter were used for doors. These were later stretched over frames of lightweight materials such as tree trunks or bamboo poles. Panels were attached to the

44 FDM Asia August/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Eye For Wind & Light

Mullioned windows, which held multiple small panes of a material, first used fabric, paper, flattened pieces of translucent animal horn, and plates of thinly sliced marble to allow a measure of diffused light to penetrate even when the window is closed. Paper panes were widespread in ancient East Asia, with the invention and subsequent popularity of glass finally allowing views out from a closed window.

The arrival of float glass enabled larger, more uniform panes of glass to be produced. Glass became more widespread as the processes were simplified and sped up during the Industrial Age, culminating in the floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows that are common now after the perfection of industrial glass manufacturing.

Close, Open Since then, doors and windows have acquired complexity, strength, stability, security, ease of use and aesthetics.

&

DesignDecor

Nancee_art

Innovations In Construction

Modern manufacturing also contributed to a marked simplification of door and window construction.

Doors made of carefully fitted sections of wood such as rails, stiles, and panels were replaced with hollow core or honeycomb doors, and frames for both windows and doors were pared down to slim profiles made of wood and, increasingly, steel and aluminium.

Mullions were also no longer necessary, as large panes of glass cost less and less to produce.

Stepping Through

Tomek L. Krakow, Poland

The line between doors and windows has been blurred and has sometimes disappeared. One classic example is the French door, which is basically a mullioned casement window that has been extended to the floor to allow a

person to step through. Many doors have glazed or clear panes in a door called lites, effectively turning them into windows.

However, there has been a shift towards making them both invisible in modern architecture, especially in the work of early modernists such as Le Corbusier and Mies van de Rohe. The latter designed Farnsworth House with frameless windows that were visually absent from the interior and blind doors that made the few walls seamless.

Minimalists such as John Pawson have used similar devices. In the case of a London townhouse, a single huge glass pane acts as a skylight over the stairwell, its frame hidden from view.

Picture windows have also become a mainstay of much modern architecture to frame stunning views unimpeded by mullions, with frames so discrete that the glass is nearly invisible.

When not being invisible, windows and doors are also making their presence known. Statement front entrances are often adorned with dramatic porch roofs, or set into an intricate vestibule.

Carlo Scarpa creates stunning entrances into his buildings. At the Venice School of Architecture, carved, hewn and polished oblong blocks of stone act as cantilever for a steel-framed glass panel, and the entire assembly hangs off a steel beam that slides to close off the entrance. It is a stunning example of bespoke doors.

Most of the innovation happening in the design, manufacture and operation of doors and windows are in the small details of their construction and assembly as well as the application of new materials.

Glazing is constantly being developed to do more than just transmit light; in past decades we have seen films and treatments for glass that help reflect heat, filter out unwanted radiation, and create privacy.

Today, prismatic films block views at certain angles, or even redirect light in a particular direction. Another innovation in recent years is glazing that can turn opaque, frosted or dark at the flip of a switch. Today, glazing technology utilises coatings that keep the glass clean using sunlight and rain.

At the same time, transparent solar cells can go over windows to collect the power of the sun. Glass is no longer the typical material considered, considering the availability of polycarbonate, acrylic, and PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene). For example, The Eden Project in the UK uses huge inflated sections of ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene), which is lighter, insulates better and is easier to install than glass.

Doors have mostly seen cosmetic changes with their typical material and surface finishes. Since security has become a top concern, more progress has been made in the design of doorlocking hardware. This includes an interesting design where the entire door itself locks into the frame like a bolt – the self-bolting door.

However, the basic idea of doors and windows, whether hung on hinges, sliding on tracks, revolving around pivots, or swinging overhead, will not see much change. They have been effective for many centuries, and will continue to be so, until we can walk and see through walls. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8009

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Wood & Sustainability

Planting A Sustainable Future:

Farming

Hardwoods and Softwoods

W

ood, commonly classified into softwood and hardwood, is an invaluable resource that is becoming increasingly scarce in a rapidly urbanising world. With demand for wood far outpacing the Earth’s capabilities to renew itself, it is becoming increasingly clear that reliance on natural forests for wood is an untenable economic strategy.

Also, mounting scientific evidence is now suggesting that human survival is closely tied to the health of our forests.

The Earth’s forests, especially tropical rainforests, are not only home to most

Countries are proactively employing measures to curb the alarming rate of deforestation, not just to ensure a sustainable supply of hardwood and softwood in the future, but also to reverse the environmental, social and economic damage caused by the loss of forest cover. By Henry Lee terrestrial animal and plant species, they are the largest storehouse of carbon on Earth. Forests therefore play a critical role in combating rising carbon dioxide emissions and global warming.

With these economic and environmental concerns in mind, many countries have reviewed their forestry and timber policies with a simple maxim: to obtain more wood, we must actively grow more trees. Countries, through various programmes and initiatives, are now catching on to tree farming as part of their strategy to not only ensure a sustainable supply of wood, but also improve and sustain the health of existing natural forests and the environment.

MTC

Softwood And Hardwood – Resource And Reality

46 FDM Asia August/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Softwood, which is derived from coniferous trees, accounts for approximately 80 percent of the world’s timber production. Softwood, often represented by the ubiquitous pine, is for the most part the timber of choice for construction work in North America,

Wood & Sustainability

Indonesia: Hardwood & The Community Indonesia, a country with one of the largest tracts of tropical rainforest in the world, is an important centre for hardwood production.

The country is no stranger to plantation forests: tree farming was introduced during Dutch governance in the 1800s in order to tap into Indonesia’s potential as a centre for teak.

Since then, the management of the rainforests has been conducted through stateowned enterprises. These state enterprises have the unique responsibilities of protecting the biodiversity and sustainability of plantation and natural forests, and also implementing social welfare, economic and national

What Is A Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) induced by human activities in a given time frame. CO2 is produced through the burning of fuels such as oil, natural gas, diesel, organicdiesel, petrol, organic-petrol, and ethanol. In effect, CO2 is produced in the production of electricity, heating, transportation and in product manufacturing.

The term carbon footprint came to fore when issues around global warming, or the emission of greenhouse gases, were raised.

It has been published that CO2 accounts for 72 percent of the total emitted greenhouse gases, 18 percent methane and 9 percent nitrous oxide (NOx). CO2 emissions therefore are the No. 1 contributor to global warming.

Trees actually sequester carbon into the wood. In fact, about half the dry weight of a tree is carbon.

MTC

Europe and Australia. Hardwood comes from deciduous and evergreen broadleaved species such as oak, maple, teak and mahogany, and is often prized for their durability, rich hues – and scarcity. In terms of diversity, there are about a hundred times as many species of hardwood as there are of softwoods.

Apart from being sources of hardwood and softwood, our forests also form important habitats for most terrestrial animal and plant species. In addition, forests act as the Earth’s lungs and are the largest filters of atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, rapid deforestation has turned these vast storehouses of carbon into a major emitter of greenhouse gases.

The World Wildlife Fund estimates that deforestation alone, particularly in the tropics, contributes to about 15 percent of global carbon emissions. Carbon emissions aside, the loss of forest cover can also cause other problems such as soil erosion, water pollution and desertification.

It has now become imperative for many countries to stem the alarming rate of deforestation, not just to ensure a sustainable supply of hardwood and softwood in the future, but also to reverse the environmental, social and economic damage caused by the loss of forest cover.

Hardwoods play an important role in reducing overall carbon footprint.

When a young forest is growing, it produces one ton of oxygen and absorbs 1.4 tons of CO2 for every ton of wood. The system of absorption, or sequestering of carbon, is termed carbon sink.

Trees actually sequester carbon into the wood that about half the dry weight of a tree is carbon. This carbon remains locked up in the wood even when we use it for building products or furniture.

Carbon emissions associated with manufacturing wood products are less than the carbon stored within the wood during its growth cycle.

Growing trees remove CO2 from the atmosphere and separate the carbon and oxygen atoms, using only the necessary carbon to grow roots, trunk, branches and leaves. The unused carbon is stored while oxygen is returned to the air. Another natural process, transpiration, helps to cool the atmosphere as growing forests pump moisture back into the air.

Studies have shown that it takes less energy to make products from wood than other materials – products made from aluminum, glass, plastic, cement and brick can require as much as 126 times more energy than making them from wood. Moreover, virtually every part of a log is used as lumber or a wood by-product and finished hardwood products are re-useable, recyclable and biodegradable.

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Wood & Sustainability

AHEC

3. Contributing to regional, national and international efforts in addressing environmental problems.

Countries are embracing tree farming as a viable solution to resolving dwindling hardwood and softwood supply.

development directives that will benefit the communities whose livelihoods are tied to the well-being of the forests.

Due to the vastness of Indonesia’s forest reserves, the state-owned enterprises operate within designated regions. For example, Perum Perhutani is a state-owned enterprise charged with the governance and management of state forests in Java and Madura. Its fief encompasses approximately 2.5 million hectares, of which nearly half (about 1 million hectares) is devoted to teak-yielding forests.

Within Perum Perhutani, the management of these forests is conducted through a Board of Planning at each unit, which is responsible for drafting an annual plan for each province, which is then implemented by the respective Forest District managers.

The mission of Perum Perhutani is manifold: 1. Managing forest resources in a sustainable way, based on their characteristics and watershed carrying capacities, in order to harness the benefits of wood and non-wood products, ecotourism and environmental services.

2. Empowering rural communities whose livelihoods are closely tied to the fortunes of the surrounding rainforests through collaborative efforts and education.

48 FDM Asia August/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

While the majority of the state forest reserves are designated for production, the balance between conservation and economic concerns is kept by rotating the forest regions gazetted for harvesting. The rotation cycle averages 40-80 years. Also, an annual reforestation programme ensures that harvested areas are immediately replanted. An average of 10,000 hectares of deforested land is replanted per year, of which 8,000 hectares are designated for teak species.

As part of the community involvement initiative, manpower required for reforestation and harvesting processes is sought from the rural communities within the state forests. It is estimated, in Java and Madura alone, that not less than 5,552 forest rural communities coexist with the state forests.

This collaboration with the rural communities has not only exerted a positive impact on the villages through job creation and business opportunities, but they have also benefitted from the profit-sharing programme in the form of timber and non-timber products. By giving the communities a personal stake in the well-being of the state forests, the Indonesian government seeks to develop a long-term partnership with them in developing sustainable, productive and healthy forest reserves.

Australia: Embracing Softwood & Hardwood Forestry Australia occupies a unique position in the timber industry – the domestic market favours the use of softwood for construction, which is not indigenous to the country, while its native hardwood sources are largely used in woodderived products and exports. Australia is therefore no stranger to the concept

of tree farming, as the strong local demand for softwood made the setup of softwood plantation forests viable.

With desertification encroaching and an ever-present threat, Australia has also embraced tree farming for native hardwood species as a means to soil, water and wildlife conservation.

The National Forest Policy Statement, drafted in 1992, is Australia’s commitment to managing its forests through an approach that integrates environmental, commercial and community values and uses. These values are embodied in regional forest agreements negotiated for New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania. As a member of the international forest initiative, the Montreal Process, Australia also contributed actively to the development of the criteria and indicators for the conservation and sustainable management of temperate and boreal forests.

But it revised the indicator set to reflect its own unique forests, and to provide a consistent framework for monitoring and reporting on the status of its forests.

As an accounting to the public and the global community, information on its forests is compiled every five years by the National Forest Inventory (NFI), within the Bureau of Rural Sciences, to produce Australia’s State of the Forests Report. The report names seven criteria and 44 indicators for a framework and methodology of describing and evaluating progress towards forest sustainability at the national level. The criteria are: 1. Conservation of biological diversity 2. Maintenance of productive capacity of forest ecosystems 3. Maintenance of ecosystem health and vitality 4. Conservation and maintenance of soil and water resources 5. Maintenance of forest contribution to global carbon cycles 6. Maintenance and enhancement of long-

Wood & Sustainability

Traditionally, before the 1980s, tree farming in Australia was limited to softwood plantations in a bid to meet the demands of the domestic market. Since then, nearly all subsequent plantation expansions consist of native hardwood eucalypt species. As a move to improve the biodiversity of the environment, the majority of the land gazetted for plantations after the 1980s comprises plots that were previously used for agriculture.

With the National Forest Policy and the Montreal Process in place as concrete guidelines for sustainable forestry, Australia has also moved towards decentralising the

management of plantation forests. There are now diverse ownership arrangements, including a variety of joint-venture schemes between public and private sectors.

Privately owned plantations now represent 62 percent of Australia’s plantation forests, far exceeding public plantations at 33 percent Australia’s move towards private ownership of plantation forests can be seen as a nod to North America’s strategy of encouraging the private sector to take up stewardship of the environment through responsible forestry.

North America: Softwood Farming & Forest Ownership The United States and Canada, as traditional centres of softwood production, have taken active steps towards ensuring the sustainable progress of their timber

industries. The words of Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, “Wood is a crop. Forestry is Tree Farming”, best sum up the strategy adopted by North America in ensuring a sustainable and healthy supply of softwood.

The term “tree farming” was first used in the 1940s to introduce the concept of long-term stewardship of the land and the forest to the public. Tree farming implies commitment to the land and ensuring its health and well-being for future harvests, as opposed to the traditional hack-and-slash strategy which has resulted in deforestation in many regions.

The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) was set up to regulate tree farms and provide guidance on forestry management.

The ATFS’s mission is to demonstrate sound forest management practices to private

ENQUIRY NO. 155

term multiple socioeconomic benefits to meet the needs of societies 7. Legal, institutional and economic framework for forest conservation and sustainable management.

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Wood & Sustainability

Attributes Of Hardwoods

The Hardwood Council gives a snapshot of the positive attributes of hardwoods:

Is it a healthy material?

With hardwood floors, there is no place to harbor pollen or animal dander, or for mold to grow.

Does it require a lot of processing?

Cutting and drying of lumber is all that is required.

How much of the material is utilised?

Virtually every part of a log is used as lumber or by-products, including bark, sawdust, and scrap.

Why is it important to consider a material’s origin?

Some foreign countries have no governing agencies to assure quality standards or environmentally safe manufacturing practices. In the US, quality standards and safe manufacturing practices are regulated by US agencies and associations.

Are harmful chemicals needed for manufacturing and ongoing maintenance?

With the proper finish, hardwood products require minimal maintenance, like dusting or occasional buffing.

What maintenance and repair costs are associated with the material?

Minimal maintenance is required. Typical repair is refinishing.

What is the useful life of the material? How does it compare with other materials?

A solid hardwood floor can last up to 125 years or longer with several refinishings. Museum quality furniture can last centuries.

Can the material be recycled or repurposed?

Hardwood products can be repurposed or used as a combustible fuel.

What happens to the material after its useful life?

MTC

If in a landfill, hardwoods naturally decay and return to nature, unlike many synthetics and plastics which will remain almost indefinitely.

landowners. As tree farms are regarded as important centres for reforestation and regeneration of the environment, biodiversity is a critical component for ATFS certification.

Tree farmers are required to maintain natural forest buffers and also employ other aspects of conservation techniques. The strategy of the ATFS is to regenerate forest environments through active planting.

In addition to the ATFS, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) was also set up to promote sustainable forestry development.

The SFI is a broad-scale project that involves collaborations with Canada. A SFI certification is now internationally recognised as a hallmark of sustainable development.

The SFI Standard is a comprehensive programme that promotes sustainable forest management in North America through 14 core principles.

These principles include measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value. The main difference between the ATFS and the SFI lies in their scope: the ATFS certification extends only to the management of tree farms, while the SFI is committed to improving the practice of forestry on all forestlands in North America.

SFI’s philosophy proposes that healthy, productive forests yield immense environmental, social and economic benefits, and also mitigate the impact of climate change by absorbing and storing carbon in trees, soil and biomass.

Replanting The World Despite the differences in policy implementation, location and species planted, it is evident that countries are embracing tree farming as a viable solution to resolving dwindling hardwood and softwood supply.

Beyond economic concerns, tree plantations are also becoming important centres for addressing environmental concerns such as global warming and conservation. Tree farms are more than hardwood and softwood factories - they are the cradles for replanting a deforested world. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8010

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ENQUIRY NO. 135

Wood & Sustainability 15th AHEC SEA & Greater China Convention

‘Green Marketing’ ‘Timeless’ Designs And

The timber and forestry industries have crafted programmes tailored to tackle issues such as sustainability, environmental credentials, legality and responsible procurement policies. Wood, with its credentials, is the most mainstream of ‘green’ energy in the future. By Frank De Marcus

T

awareness, support and more importantly stewardship amongst timber trade players.

Underlying the ‘green movement, Mr Snow stressed, was the definite shift of focus on the environment, with consumers becoming aware of and advocating products and services that do not impact the environment. The programmes set in place within the timber and forestry industry are tailored to tackle issues such as sustainability, environmental credentials,

AHEC

he global wood product industry should initiate a ‘green marketing’ campaign as soon as possible. This was the rallying call of Michael Snow, executive director of American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), on the occasion of the 15th AHEC Southeast Asia and Greater China Convention held in June in Chengdu, China. The convention, attended by over 500 traders, manufacturers and furniture designers from the region, was AHEC’s platform this year to promote

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AHEC

Wood & Sustainability

legality and responsible procurement policies. In particular, many wood-based businesses have stamped an ‘Environmental Statement’ on their products. However, Mr Snow cautions that these statements or credentials should be reviewed and verified regularly. Further, the environmental credibility of wood should be recognised by procurement policies within the public and private sectors, as well as by the Leadership In Energy & Environment Design (LEED) program. Lastly, all parties should explore risk-based assessment and authentication methods for timber.

Mr Snow tackled this issue deeper in his speech on the environmental credentials of American hardwood. The environmental credentials of American hardwood are present throughout its life, starting with the forest. American hardwoods come from sustainably managed forests, as certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Wood as a material has inherent environmental advantages over other materials: not only is wood recyclable and renewable, it also uses much less energy in its manufacturing process, and creates much less waste than other materials such as concrete, steel, aluminium or plastics.

the carbon dioxide in the air and helps alleviate the greenhouse effect. By this credential alone, wood is undoubtedly the most mainstream of green energy in the future.

Several bodies provide a ‘green’ rating. For example, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) has a LEED rating systems for green construction. A number of other entities provide green points, including the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) which rewards the use of any biobased material, notably wood and recycled materials, such as reclaimed flooring. For commercial projects, there is also Green Globes certification, which is coordinated by the Green Building Initiative and features an online assessment protocol, and guidance for green building design, operation and management.

In China, in particular, ‘green’ initiatives have begun, with the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (formerly Ministry of Construction) enforcing new national standards for green building development, including the introduction of ‘Green Building Design Label for design of buildings’ and ‘Green Building Label for operational efficiency.'

“This opens up enormous potential for US hardwoods as timber and wood-based materials have excellent environmental performance and are often better than that of alternative materials,” said Mr Oliver.

‘Green Building’ ENQUIRY NO. 108

Carbon accounts for nearly half of the net weight of wood, said Rupert Oliver, Director of Forest industries Intelligence Ltd. This ‘sequestered’ carbon content is still retained in wood after it is manufactured into different items such as floors, windows, doors and furniture. In the long run, wood reduces

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53

Wood & Sustainability Diversity, Versatility, Aesthetic Appeal

AHEC

"The diversity, sustainability, versatility and aesthetic appeal of US hardwoods are well suited to match Chinese consumers' refined taste and can meet growing demand in environmentfriendly architectural and interior design,” said Orn Gudmudsson, AHEC chairman.

What all varieties of American hardwood have in common – and what makes them a favourite of architects and designers – is the rich patina of colours that sets them apart from other imported hardwoods: the pale blondes and greyish browns of ash; tulipwood’s olive greens and yellowish brown gradations; the interesting coarser, pale, grained textures of white and red oak; to the sophisticated warmth of cherry and maple and the deep cocoa hues of walnut. AHEC also prides itself in the premium quality of its timbers. Only kiln-dried lumber is exported from America, its low eight percent moisture content ensuring minimal shrinkage and warping.

Thanks to its natural lustre, natural versatility and astonishing durability, stained hardwood can be used in an enormous range of settings. The material lends itself well to fixtures such as doors, veneers, wall panels, skirting boards, ceiling mouldings and staircases, either as lumber or veneer. Mr Snow also noted that selected types of US hardwoods are also outstandingly suitable – not to mention luxurious – when used as a flooring material. Still other varieties are commonly used in furniture, giving it a texture and colour that can compliment anything from traditional to contemporary interior schemes. It is these very qualities and properties that ensure designs made of wood will stand the test of time – its beauty is unmatched and, more importantly, its source is sustainable. FDM

ENQUIRY NO. 8011

The 15th AHEC Southeast Asia

Institute of Interior Designers, and

professor of Furniture Design of

and Greater China Convention

Sichuan Interior Accessory Design

the Rhode Island School of Design

was held on 17-18 June at the

Association.

in the US, presented her report

Shangri-La Hotel in Chengdu,

The press conference was headed

entitled ‘Furniture Design with US

China. This year’s topic was

by John Chan, AHEC SEA and Greater

Hardwoods’; Willam Paley, senior

‘Sustainable US Hardwood —The

China regional director, together with

associate of Tony Chi & associates

Timeless Yet Modern Choice for

Orn Gudmundsson, AHEC chairman;

in the US, talked on ‘US Hardwood

Interior Design.’ The convention

Michael Snow, AHEC executive director,

and Interior Design’; Patrick Leung,

was sponsored by AHEC and

and Rupert Oliver, Forest Industries

founder and principal designer

supported by the Chengdu Building

Intelligence Ltd. director.

of PAL Design Consultants Ltd of

Decoration Association, Chengdu

Key experts in the fields of

Hong Kong, talked about ‘Cherish

Furniture Industrial Chamber of

design and wood gave their views

of Wood’; Ekkehart Hoppe and Bob

Commerce,

Interior

during panel discussions: Rosanne

Sabistina on Specifying and Using

Decoration Association, China

Somerson, department head and

American Hardwood.

Chengdu

54 FDM Asia August/September 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Features

The

Air I Breathe Vincent Chia, design director of Air Division, sits down with FDM Asia to talk about working with wood, the universality of design, and the benefits of persistence. By Jerome Lim

Mr Chia’s ‘Ark Table’ received the ‘Honourable Mention’ recognition at the Furniture Design Award

Air Division

I

n an age where technology has allowed furniture to be made out of almost any imaginable material from glass to steel to resin to plastic, wood still has not lost its power to allure.

Just ask Air Division’s design director Vincent Chia. With an accommodating smile and the looks of someone in his 20s, it is difficult to guess at first glance that this Industrial Design graduate has helped found one of Singapore’s largest furniture design firms, along with friends Bacus Boo, Lim Kay Yong, Michael Toh, and Nathan Yong.

Just this year, his ‘Ark Table’ design was given the ‘Honourable Mention’ recognition in the Open Category of the Singapore Furniture Industries Council’s (SFIC) Furniture Design Award, and was also one of the three furniture designs featured in SFIC’s Push Showcase. His designs have also appeared at major international trade shows and furniture fairs such as the IMM in Cologne, the Milan Furniture Fair in Italy, the International Furniture Fair Singapore, and more recently at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York.

Solo Chair

Grace Chair

Not bad for a 36-year-old.

“Wood is still the most popular material in terms of furniture,” he observes. “Judging from the fairs I have been to in Milan and in New York, a large portion of it is still wooden furniture. I mean, you cannot forget that wood has been used to make furniture for the last 5,000 years, so I do not think we will ever get sick and tired of it.”

Natural Touch If buying trends in Air Division are anything to go by, not even the seesawing price of lumber could dampen consumer demand for wooden furniture. They are still his most saleable items.

“Wood furniture for my shop is on the rise,” he says. “It just so happens that our popular range is our wooden range.

So like I said, I know wood is still the number one choice.”

As an explanation, he points to wood’s homely and natural qualities. “Wood is very warm. You go home, you want to have that warm, welcoming feel. Wood has that natural

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55

Features

Jerome Lim

Western concepts. “For me, there is no such thing as Asian design or European design.

You do not design something with a particularly Asian look.

We do not have that. But being educated and brought up in Asia, we are heavily influenced by Asian elements.

But Asian elements might not mean a particular look. It can be material, it can be in intangible ways that is incorporated into the design.”

Even though he grew up and was educated in Asia, he also admits the influence that European designers, particularly those he calls the “Scandinavian modern masters,” have had on him. “I just absorb everything basically. As a designer I think it is best to absorb everything, keep an open mind, explore new ideas, and grow with it. At different stages of a designer’s life, I think he is influenced by different people.”

And this, he believes, is why his and his company’s designs have been so successful in Europe and in his native Singapore, where half of their clients are foreigners. “Our products appeal to the European markets. When we are in Europe, the feedback we get is very encouraging, because if not for the fact that our face is Asian, they would not know the difference!” he chuckles.

He also shared his ideas on how furniture was used and perceived, then and now. Whereas the primary reasons for choosing furniture involved mainly practical considerations 20 or 30 years ago, things have changed. “From what I see, a lot of people are now using furniture as an accessory. It is a status and a fashion statement. It raises their status level, just like buying a Mercedes is a status of wealth.”

Vincent Chia

(touch). It used to be a living thing. So there is an emotional attachment to it.”

Economics & Sustainability Issues Regarding the choice of species, economics plays a significant role, and the furniture design business is no exception in having the need to balance profitability and aesthetics. “We used to do our wooden furniture in teak wood. But teak wood prices have skyrocketed that walnut and oak is now cheaper. Imported wood is cheaper than Asian woods, which is ridiculous.”

Another factor in their switch to American Walnut, he says, had to do with sustainability. Since teak wood usually comes from regions that struggle with issues on sustainable sourcing, American and European suppliers are hesitant to source wood from those areas. “We are getting wood from AHEC-affiliated wood companies because they only harvest from sustainable sources.”

“That is a very important issue right now in the US and Europe, where everything is going green. So you cannot use material from unreliable sources. You do not know whether it is harvested from reserved forests or really harvested from sustainable ones.”

In the end, the switch did little to affect the quality of the product. “Walnut is a classic wood. It will never go out of trend. And we love walnut because it is so similar in terms of quality to teak wood. In fact, some of the walnut colour looks like teak wood.” Besides, he says, teak is pretty hard, making some manufacturers concerned about possible costs of machinery maintenance.

East Vs West As a firm believer of the universality of design, Mr Chia downplays the perceived difference between Eastern and

56 FDM Asia August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Out Of The Box Still, he tries to push the boundaries of what can and cannot be done, and tries to work with other types of wood and materials. “As a designer myself, I like all kinds of wood. I do not limit myself. But of course, on a commercial basis we try to accommodate more by selling what is more popular and which wood are available through sustainable forestry.

As you can see from our range, we work on everything from fabric to metal, to wood to glass to stone. In fact every single material that can be possibly available to us, we will want to try to work on it.”

This aversion to being “boxed in” and relegated to a specific category is where their company name Air Division

Features

Features

came from. Besides looking for something that is short and easy to remember, they wanted a name that will not put them in a box. “Air represents, basically, nothingness.

But then air itself is what everybody needs as well,” he explains.

“That is the one thing that I am sure every designer hates, being boxed in and being able to do just one type of design. Just like an actor does not want to be typecast.

You know, he does not want to be just the bad guy. I think that is the same concept.”

Road To Success

ENQUIRY NO. 162

The road to success was not always easy. After all, growing up in a culture where many parents encourage their children to take up more lucrative studies such as business or engineering, Mr Chia faced the same dilemma of many young people in picking a career. In the end, he followed his heart and chose the road less travelled by taking up Industrial Design, a career path that received its share of raised eyebrows. What did friends and family think when they found out he was majoring in design?

“Not very kind,” he recalls. “To this day, my mom still wants me to go to work in a suit and with a briefcase.”

It is a traditional way of thinking, he muses, wherein you have to be either a doctor or banker to be somebody. “In Singapore, people used to say that if you are an actor or artist, you cannot make a living. You will be begging on the streets and all that. But then, look at us now,” he said, his voice resonating in the company’s furniture showroom, one of the largest of its kind in the city-state.

However, he is quick to counter the perception that he breezed through the whole process. On the contrary, while most aspiring designers tend to see them as pop stars or rock stars, he begs to differ: “They do not see that behind the scenes it is blood, sweat, and tears. They think it is, ‘Man, I’m a designer, I’m somebody, I’m hip, I’m cool.’ But actually, behind that it is all blood, sweat, and tears. You really have to work hard.”

In the end, it all comes down to persistence, understanding the needs of the market, and having some business acumen.

“Be very persistent and thick-skinned. You have to sell your design skills, your products, because it’s really a tough market now. You still have to come up with products that are marketable and can sell, so the company makes money.

Maybe only a good 20 percent of your design (should be) avant garde, but those have to sell. It helps to market you.

It is basically a normal career like everybody is doing. It is just because of the media that being a designer looks hip,” laughs Mr Chia. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8012

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/september 2010

57

Features

Making

WavesWith Rafting The apparent decline of rafting hints at the increasing sophistication of floor systems. By Peter Kaczmar, flooring expert, Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA)

M

uch has been written about commonly occur as a consequence of edgemoisture dynamics and the bonding, where the flooring components way wood floors respond to become stuck together by applications changes in local micro-climate, even as of lacquer which can permeate into gaps seemingly more pressing considerations between adjacent elements. have superseded commonly debated This causes the bonded elements to subjects in the past. respond to moisture movements as if they One of these old ‘faithfuls’ is the were a single entity or ‘raft.’ Large cracks phenomenon of rafting, which enjoyed along joint lines of weakest resistance flavour-of-the-month status some years subsequently and cumulatively relieves Rafting as shown on woodstrip floor ago. Debates centred on its evils and internal stresses generated as a result of the commonly held perception that the the shrinkage. use of water-borne lacquers on parquet floors increased the In the past, there was a tendency to think that waterrisk of rafting. borne lacquers exacerbated the incidence of edge-bonding, How do we react to the fact that, what was a common particularly due to the intrinsic ability of acrylics and acrylic problem some years ago, today seems much less of an issue co-polymers to act as adhesives. However, this could be by virtue of its apparent absence in the technical press – an over-simplification and does not address the fact that especially if one considers the increasing use of water-borne these formulations can be more viscous, with a shorter lacquers in recent years? Could rafting be on the decline? open-time than many solvent-borne alternatives. This makes Or have installers just learned to accept it as a professional the latter more likely to permeate between even the very hazard and become de-sensitised to it? smallest of joints.

Shrinkage & Swelling

On The Decline?

Rafting or cumulative shrinkage occurs when floor coverings made up of individual elements are prevented from dissipating lateral movements caused by shrinkage, or for that matter swelling, in an even manner and across the entire area of the floor. Local restrictions in lateral movement can be caused by a number of factors, but more

But what of the notion that cumulative shrinkage is on the decline?

It is less likely for rafting to occur if the adhesive cover is uniform and the adhesive offers a degree of in-service extensibility. This provides individual components of the floor with a degree of tolerance for lateral movement.

58 FDM Asia August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

Features

Features

Cumulative shrinkage brought about by edgebonding relies upon the lacquer being applied to the floor after it has been laid. The growing trend towards factory pre-finishing may in itself make a sufficiently compelling case Actual rafting on wood flooring to argue that rafting could be on the decline.

In theory this explanation would not apply to remedial maintenance applications. But in practice it could be argued that, by the time maintenance was necessary, the floor would have bedded sufficiently – with any gaps sealed by everyday trafficking – and would be far less susceptible to rafting than one which had been newly laid.

There is also the distinct possibility that developments and trends in floor-laying methods may be at work in changing the movement dynamics of wood floors. Take stick-down systems, for example, where the floor covering is laid into an adhesive applied directly to the screed.

Hitting The Headlines

Wood floors prior to rafting

ENQUIRY NO. 153

In installations like this, it is less likely for rafting to occur if the adhesive cover is uniform and the adhesive offers a degree of in-service extensibility. This provides individual components of the floor with a degree of tolerance for lateral movement.

There is no hard evidence to suggest that there is an actual decline in rafting, other than a perception that it is apparently no longer ‘hitting the headlines.’ Nevertheless, it has provided an avenue to air a number of topics which one often thinks about but seldom get the opportunity to express.

The purpose in doing so is to underscore that floor systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Furthermore, functionality and performance are no longer aspects which can be defined solely by the product itself, but more by the compatibility of various constituents and techniques inherent within the system. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8013

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA August/september 2010

59

Product highlights Wen Chih: ISO 30 & HSK63F Series Taiwan-based Wen Chih Machinery Industrial specialises in the manufacture of multi-shaft boring products for the woodworking industry. The company has introduced its ISO 30 series and HSK63F series collet holders.

The ISO 30 series and HSK63F series are designed to work with various router bits. Hardened and precision ground, the polished collet holders are fabricated with SNCM220 alloy, and offer stiffness and rigidity.

It is highly accurate in running test at speeds of 24,000 rpm / G2.5.

Enquiry No: 8103

Tong Fong: Helical Planning Cutterhead With Disposable Knives Tong Fong introduces the Helical Planning Cutterhead with Disposable Knives. Made of quality tungsten steel (30*12*1.5mm), it works in conjunction with carbide steel or aluminum alloy tool holder and features fast, safe cutter displacement. Its accuracy reaches up to tolerance +/- 0.015mm. Featuring low noise, low power consumption and low wear-out really properties, the helical planning cutterhead can be employed on a 4-side molder.

Enquiry No: 8104

Dieffenbacher: Steam Preheater

Heco-Schrauben: Structural Timber Screws

Dieffenbacher launches a concept in preheating systems for particleboard, MDF, THDF, OSB and OSL: the steam preheater system. Using patented heating technology using steam injection, the Dieffenbacher Steam Preheater System helps improve press speed and increase capacity of 15 to 30 percent, especially for thick products. It provides specific moisture in the surface layers through the use of saturated steam, at a steam consumption of 30 to 60kg per m3 of product. It is compatible for use with UF, Melanine and MDI resins. Further, in the case of retrofits, it is possible to install the preheater between the prepress and the press without cost-intensive plant conversions.

The Heco-Topix range of structural timber screws from Heco-Schrauben requires virtually no pre-drilling and additional metalwork. The product, which figured in high-profile projects in the UK such as the under-construction Olympic velodrome, can be used with any softwood and most hardwoods without predrilling.

Marketed as an alternative to nails, bolts, and joist hangers, the product features shank ribs and a patented point to reduce drive torque. Other end uses for the screws include construction of SIPS panels, timber framing, joists, staircases, and exterior landscaping/garden structures. The Heco-Topix range is also available in stainless steel.

Enquiry No: 8105

Enquiry No: 8106

60 FDM Asia  August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

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Exhibition Preview

Shanghai New International Expo Centre • Shanghai, China • September 7-10, 2010

Furniture Manufacturing and Supply China 2010 A

s the worldwide economic crisis continues to lose steam, the Shanghai New International Expo Centre will play host to an even bigger Furniture and Manufacturing Supply China 2010 (FMC China 2010) from September 7 to 10. Being one of the world’s largest furniture equipment shows, this year’s FMC China will be held in conjunction with Furniture Manufacturing Premium 2010 (FMC Premium), a high-end show for manufacturers of furniture raw materials and components. Both exhibitions are part of Furniture China 2010.

The expansion of Furniture China’s show area from 400,000 sq m to this year’s 420,000 sq m has translated to an equally upbeat reception: for FMC 2010, 90 percent of exhibitor slots have already been filled two months

62 FDM Asia August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

prior to the show, with pre-registered overseas visitor statistics up 40 percent at 2,785 compared to the same period in 2009.

Even Bigger Now on its 16th year, FMC continues to see a rise in visitors, from more than 26,000 last year to an expected 30,000 from 150 countries. Majority of FMC’s visitors come from India, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, Canada, and the USA. Estimates for Furniture China are even bigger, with 70,000 trade visitors likely to come as compared to more than 61,000 in the previous show.

More exhibitors are anticipated to come on board this time as well, from last year’s 630 to this year’s 650 exhibitors – implying that growth indeed has returned.

In addition, FMC Premium will aim for a more relaxed environment for visitors, who can look forward to WLAN internet, uniform display stands, upgraded booths with catering services, a business centre, and ceiling with adjustable lighting system.

Seminars & Conferences As with most major furniture and woodworking exhibitions, technical seminars will also be a mainstay of this year’s FMC. Various seminars and symposiums will be organised in the E5 conference room, including the first FMC

Exhibition Preview

As part of plans for FMC and FMC Premium to double its exhibition area by 2012, the two shows will be transferring to their new venue in 2011 at the recently opened Shanghai World Expo, a move that will hopefully open new doors for Chinese and international furniture.

Buyers Sourcing Event to be held on September 8. As a value-added service to B2B members, the event plans to create a new B2B service model so as to promote more opportunities between furniture suppliers and global buyers and to improve cooperation between businesses.

Exhibitors will also be free to use the new exhibitor conference room for 30 minutes, increasing opportunities for them to promote their products, enhance rapport with visitors, and expand their network of contacts.

Eight exhibition halls have been prepared and divided by category,

namely: woodworking machinery and accessories; saw, blades, and tools; furniture hardware and fittings; furniture components and raw materials (FMC Premium); office furniture supplies and gas spring; furniture fabric and leather; upholstery furniture components and supplies; furniture panels and surface deco; furniture coatings, adhesives, and chemicals; furniture raw materials and fittings.

Recognised brands will also be taking part in Furniture China, most of them returning from 2009. Among them are Jowat, Biesse, FrenchTimber, AHEC, Henkel, Dehua TB, Jiangsu YuHui, MY

Timber, Homag, SCM, Shanghai ChaoLun, the Taiwan Woodworking Machinery Association, YueTong, Cefla, Paolino Bacci, Nanxing, and Henkel.

As part of plans for FMC and FMC Premium to double its exhibition area by 2012, the two shows will be transferring to their new venue in 2011 at the recently opened Shanghai World Expo, a move that will hopefully open new doors for Chinese and international furniture.

FMC 2010 is jointly organised by the China National Furniture Association and Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8014

www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA  August/september 2010

63

Exhibition Review

2 0 1 0

FURNITECH ASIA Furnitech Asia 2010 • BITEC • Bangkok, Thailand

A

ttracting approximately 36,000 visitors across four days, ‘Furnitech Asia 2010,’ closed on a positive note. As Thailand’s sole fair for furniture manufacturing technologies and part of the Furnitech Woodtech and the Manufacturing Expo 2010 exhibition series, the exhibition received positive feedback from exhibitors and visitors consisting of local industrialists and overseas trade missions.

With 80 percent of the show space occupied by machinery providers, the show was indicative of the recovery and competitiveness of the woodworking industry in the region.

Government Support Key to the success of the exhibition was government support. Singapore Furniture Association VP Paul Keng concurs: “Thailand’s Board of Investment is encouraging foreign investments

64 FDM Asia August/september 2010 | www.fdmasia.com

through special privileges. Furnitech Asia is well-recognised and attended by embassies and high-ranking authorities.

This signifies strong support from government bodies.”

“Also critical to its success are the strong purchasing trends in Thailand’s furniture market due to its unique designs, artisan and craftsmanship,” he adds.

First-time exhibitors from countries such as the USA, India, and Japan gave positive views on their gaining exposure to the Thai market. “Our company has come to explore Thai markets...I am pleased (to have done so) as I met quality visitors here,” said Will Donoho, international sales manager at Classic American Hardwoods.

Masahiro Fujita, president of Tokai Netsushori, a saw blade manufacturing company-exhibitor, said he sees the show as “an effective way to boost the furniture industry in Thailand.”

”This is our first-time participation in Thailand,” Mr Fujita said. “And relatively, this exhibition can effectively help develop Thailand’s furniture manufacturing sector.”

Optimistic Outlook Thai Furniture Industries Association president Paiboon Pinitkanchanapun says he sees growth in the industry this year, especially given the diversity of raw materials available in the country: “Thailand’s furniture industry’s trend is on a positive side, as it has a long experience in woodworking, designs and exports. We have a wide variety of raw materials, but we also have high production costs.”

The next Furnitech Asia will be held on June 23-26, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. FDM ENQUIRY NO. 8015

CUSTOMERS looking for a fresh, cost-effective alternative are specifying Northwest Hardwoods’ Western Hemlock. It’s flat, straight, accepts stain well and is available in our custom grades.

Our Western Hemlock is certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI), a standard that is also endorsed and recognized by the PEFC. Shanghai, China: 86.21.6249.9898 Vietnam/Guangzhou, China 86.20.3878.1570 Taiwan: 886.42.496.3308 Hong Kong: 852.2865.5922

, and Northwest Hardwoods are registered trademarks of Weyerhaeuser NR Company. © 2010 Weyerhaeuser NR Company. All rights reserved.

IWF 5052

booth Number

Graded for Yield®

ENQUIRY NO. 170

E-mail: even.tong@weyerhaeuser.com or visit our website at www.wy.com/hardwoods

Calendar of Events 2010 August 19-Sept 4 – Homes Middle East Furniture & Furnishings Show 2010 Expo Center Sharjah Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Expo Center Sharjah Tel: +971 6 577 0000 Fax: +971 6 577 0111 Email: info@expo-centre.ae Website: www.homesmiddleeast.com

24-27 – Wood Products & Technology Tra & Teknik 2010 Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre Gothenburg, Sweden Elmia Fairs / Svenska Mässan Tel: +46 31 708 80 00 Email: tra@svenskamassan.se Website: nemonet.swefair.se/ templates/StartPageMain____1059.aspx

25-28 – IWF 2010: International Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair Georgia World Congress Centre Atlanta, Georgia, US Tel: +1 404 693 8333 Fax: +1 404 693 8350 Email: iwf@iwfatlanta.com Website: www.iwfatlanta.com

September 1-5 – The 24th International Famous Furniture Fair 2010 Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center Guangdong, China Tel: +86 769 85900111 Fax: +86 769 85585780 Email: fbf@3f.net.cn Website: www.3f.net.cn

To be considered for inclusion in the Calendar of Events, send details of event (name, date, venue, organiser contact) to: The Editor FDM Asia. Eastern Trade Media Pte Ltd. 1100 Lower Delta Road. EPL Building #04-02.

Singapore 169206.

Tel: (65) 6379 2888 • Fax: (65) 6379 2805 Email: fdmasia@epl.com.sg

2 –4 – FinnMETKO 2010 Jämsä, Finland Tel: +35 8207 6396 02 Fax: +35 8207 6396 09 Email: bioenergy@finbio.fi Web: http://bioforest.finbioenergy.fi/default. asp?SivuID=24109

13-15 – BEX Asia 2010 Sands Expo and Convention Centre Marina Bay Sands Singapore Tel: +65 6780 4653 Fax: +65 6588 3832 Email: louise.chua@reedexpo.com.sg Website: http://www.ex-asia.com

3-6 – China International Home Furniture Fair 2010

16-19 – ZOW Turkey

China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex Guangzhou, China China Foreign Trade Guangzhou Exhibition Corp & China Foreign Trade Centre Tel: +86 20 26088888 Email: marketing@fairwindow.com.cn Website: www.cftc.org.cn

Istanbul Convention Centre Istanbul, Turkey Survey Marketing and Consulting GmbH Tel: +90 (0) 212 324 9610 Fax: +90 (0) 212 324 9609 Email: info@zow.com.tr Website: www.zow.com.tr

7-10 – Furniture Manufacturing & Supply China 2010

October

Shanghai New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition Tel: +86 21 6437 1178 Fax: +86 21 6437 0982 Email: william.yuan@ubmsinoexpo.com Website: www.fmcchina.com.cn

3-6 – W10 National Exhibition Centre Birmingham, UK Huddlestone Ltd Tel: +44 01629 530 998 Fax: +44 01629 530 999 Email: info@w10exhibition.com Website: www.w10exhibition.co.uk

在欧洲优化的 安全性能

8-11 – Woodpro Africa 2010

MTN Expo Centre, NASREC, Gauteng Johannesburg, South Africa Specialised Exhibitions / Allworld Exhibitions Tel: +27 (0) 11 835 1565 Fax: +27 (0) 11 496 1161 Email: roz@specialised.com Website: www.woodpro.co.za

8-12 – BIFE - TIMB 2010 Romexpo Exhibitions Center Marasti Blvd, nr. 65-67 Romania, Bucharest Tel: +40 2120 7700 0, Ext. 1005 Fax: +40 2120 7707 0 Email: directiacomerciala@romexpo.ro Website: http://www.bife.ro/index. php?limba2=en

6-10 – Ho Chi Minh City Expo 2010

Ho Chi Minh City International Exhibition & Convention Centre Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry & Trade Tel: +84 8 3823 9572 / 3823 9571 Fax: +84 8 3823 4536 Email: trade@hchiminhcity.gov.vn Website: www.hcmcexpo.com.vn

欧洲制造的木材加工技术

8-11 – Index Furniture 2010 Bandra-Kurla Complex (MMRDA Grounds) Mumbai, India Universal Expositions Ltd Tel: +91 22 2830 2870 Fax: +91 22 8216 140 Email: marketing@ueindia.com Website: www.indexfairs.com

Kindly indicate the events you are interested in and fax the sheet/s along with your details in the Product Enquiry Page to (65) 6379 2806 or enquire online at www.fdmasia.com

QUALITY DEVELOPED IN e UROPE Woodworking Technology Made in Europe

eUMABOIS European Federation of of Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers European Federation Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers

*All details subject to change without notice.

Please check with organisers for updates.

13-15 –Woodworking 2010 Lahti Fair Centre

19-20 – MTC Global Woodmart 2010

Lahti, Finland Tel. +358-3-525 820 Fax +358-3-525 8225 Email: irina.lehtonen@lahdenmessut.fi Website: http://www.lahdenmessut.fi/eng/ fairs/puuntyosto_woodworking.html

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Malaysian Timber Council Tel: +603 7803 2276 Fax: + 603 7803 3276 Email: Fairsconnection@gmail.com Website: www.globalwoodmart.my

13-16 – 2010 NHLA Annual Convention & Exhibit Showcase

20-24 – 7th China-ASEAN Expo

The Fairmont Hotel / Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Canada National Hardwood Lumber Association Tel: +1 901 399 7551 Email: l.covington@nhla.com Website: www.nhlaconvention.com

Nanning International Convention & Exhibition Centre Guangxi, China Tel: +86 10 8812 8036 Fax: +86 10 8811 6532 Email: caexpo@caexpo.orgcaexpo@caexpo.org Website: eng.caexpo.org

13-16 – ZOW Italy Veronafiere Verona, Italy Survey Marketing & Consulting Tel: +39 0541 783775 Fax: +39 0541 635056 Email: info@zow.it

15-18 – Maison Bois 2010 Angers Parc Expo Saint Sylvain d’Anjou, France Atlanbois / Angers Expo Congress Tel: +33 2 40 73 73 30 Fax: +33 2 40 73 03 01 Website: www.salon-maison-bois.com

16-20 – Wood Processing Machinery 2010 Tüyap Fair Convention & Congress Center Istanbul, Turkey Tuyap Fairs & Exhibitions Organisation, Inc. Tel: +90 (212) 867 11 00 Fax: +90 (212) 886 93 99 Email: sales@tuyap.com.tr Website: www.woodmachineryistanbul.com

November 16-19 – Wooden Construction Krasnoyarsk 2010 Siberia International Exhibition Business Centre Krasnoyarsk City, Russia Restec Exhibition / Krasnoyarsk Fair Exhibition Tel.: +7 812 320 6363 Fax: +7 812 320 8090 Email: main@restec.ru Website: www.restec.ru

24-26 – IFFT Interior Lifestyle Living Int’l Furniture Fair Tokyo International Exhibition Centre (Tokyo Big Sight) Tokyo, Japan International Development Association of the Furniture Industry of Japan / Mesago Messe Frankfurt Corp Tel: +81 3 3262 8443 Fax: +81 3 3262 8442 Email: info@ifft-interiorlifestyleliving.com Website: www.ifft-interiorlifestyleliving.com

28-30 – Middle East Manufacturing Exhibition 2010 (MEMEX) Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center United Arab Emirates Tel: +97 1433 6516 1 Fax: + 97 1433 5067 3 Email: memex@iirme.com Website: http://www.memexnews.com

December

在欧洲优化的 安全性能

17-19 – Japan Home & Building Show 2010

Impact Exhibition & Convention Centre Nonthaburi, Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2314 0855 Fax: +66 (0) 2319 8337 Email: service@unionpan.com Website: www.unionpan.com

欧洲制造的木材加工技术

22-26 – ZOW Moscow Expocentr’ Krasnaya Presnya Fairgrounds Moscow, Russia Survey Marketing + Consulting GmbH / Restec Exhibition Tel: +49 (0) 521 965330 Fax: +49 (0) 521 96533 to 99 Email: zow@survey.info Website: www.zow.ru

Woodworking Technology Made in Europe

BMICH Memorial International Conference Hall Colombo, Sri Lanka Buysell Interactions Tel: + 91 44 2835 3739 Fax: + 91 44 2835 0839 Email: info@buysellint.com

4-12 – Bangkok Furniture Festival

Tokyo International Exhibition Centre Tokyo, Japan Japan Management Association Tel: +81 3 3434 1988 Fax: +81 3 3434 8076 Website: www.jma.or.jp/jhbs/en/

SAFETY OPTIMIZED IN e UROPE

3-5 – Office Today Colombo

24-27 – Homex & Household Expo 2010 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Hong Kong, China Hong Kong-Asia Exhibition (Holdings) Ltd Tel: +852 2591 9823 Fax: +852 2573 3311 Email: hkexhi@hka.com.hk Website: www.hka.com.hk

eUMABOIS European Federation of of Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers European Federation Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers

Advertising Index Enquiry Number

Advertisers / Agency

Page Number

176

AMERICAN HARDWOOD EXPORT COUNCIL ifc

165

American Lumber Co

31

671 Baillie Lumber Co

21

132

becker acroma thailand ltd

39

174

Diamond Wood Nanjing Manufacturing Co Ltd FC

155

E-Chain Machinery Co Ltd

169

Eumabois

49 1

172 Fagus-Grecon Greten GmbH & Co KG

Ibc

164 FireFly AB

29

083 French Timber 140

3

fulpow industrial corp

68

166 Giantway Machinery Co Ltd

23

173 homag asia pte ltd

OBC

159 Jiangsu Five Continents Machinery Co Ltd

41

167 Kanefusa corporation

37

171 Koelnmesse co ltd

33

160

19

MIFF SDN BHD

141 Shanghai Qiulin Machinery Co Ltd

17

135

shanghai UBM Sinoexpo Int'l Exhibition Co Ltd (FMC 2010)

51

168

siempelkamp maschinen-und anlagenbau gmbH & co KG

5

108 taihao woodworking machinery co ltd

53

110

25

Technik Associates Inc

153 tong fong cutters co lt

59

175 wemhoener (changzhou) machinery manufacturing co ltd 7 162 wen chih machinery INDUSTRIAL co ltd

57

170 weyerhaeuser marketing

65

016

43

Legend:

Wuxi Kemar Stainless Steel Plate Treatment Co Ltd Advertisers with e-Brochures

This quick reference guide is provided as an additional service.

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