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The construction industry is facing a skills shortage, with CITB estimating more than 43,000 new entrants are needed every year for the next five years to maintain output. This campaign aims to encourage the next generation into the woodworking and joinery manufacturing profession by shining a light on the apprentices and former apprentices and the breadth of opportunities offered by the sector. The campaign, which includes video interviews and case studies, will run across multiple channels to raise awareness of the diversity of roles, skills and career pathways within the industry. “Hearing direct from apprentices and apprentice graduates in our profession about why they chose a career in woodworking and joinery is inspirational for the next generations,” says Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation. “The wide range of roles, jobs and opportunities within the industry is clear, and as our apprentices have highlighted, every day is exciting, different and a chance to learn new skills. “As the focus on sustainability is pushed to the top of the agenda, it’s clear that woodworking and joinery skills will be sought after as demand for sustainable building materials, such as timber, increases. It’s therefore vital that as an industry we come together to champion the important role that apprentices play in securing the growth and future of our profession. This campaign will maintain the momentum and focus on apprentices throughout the year, raising awareness of the diverse and fulfilling career options that lie ahead for those joining our industry.”

The campaign forms part of the BWF’s 2022 plans and core focus on skills, talent recruitment and retention. “Our industry’s next generation: Apprentices tell their stories” includes content from BWF members: A R Manley, ERW Joinery, George Barnsdale, Input Joinery, Masonite and William Holmes. www.bwf.org.uk/education/timber-futures/

Guaranteed Irish membership is open to both homegrown and international companies in Ireland which provide quality jobs, support local communities and are committed to Irish provenance.

The Awards celebrate companies across Ireland that contribute to and support the local circular economy by creating shorter supply chains and protecting the environment. Hundreds of entries were submitted for around 10 award categories which covered industry sectors such as hospitality, food & beverage, pharmaceutical and e-commerce. The judging panel, made up of industry leaders, spent six weeks shortlisting 50 finalists.

“Our Irish values are at the heart of everything we do,” comments Combilift CEO and co-founder Martin McVicar, “and we are delighted that the judging panel recognised our company’s achievements, particularly as we were up against some particularly strong competition in our category.

“Many thanks also to the category sponsor, Etex. What Guaranteed Irish calls ‘support local and look global!’ mirrors our philosophy of using national suppliers wherever possible whilst exporting our products to over 85 countries, which helps to raise awareness of Irish expertise and business acumen around the world.” www.combilift.com

The Unilin Panels 2022-2026 decorative range provides a superb choice of 44 MFC (melaminefaced chipboard) and 191 HPL (high pressure laminate) finishes, ready to transform furniture and interiors with surfaces that are stylish, yet durable and easy to maintain. This impressive MFC and HPL collection is now available from Panelco, for next day delivery across the United Kingdom.

“Our next-generation decorative MFC and HPL surfaces can be used for a broad variety of applications,” explains John Bradley, Unilin Panels. “We’re delighted to announce this partnership, as it will ensure that our class-leading collection is supported perfectly by the excellent service that Panelco are renowned for.”

Panelco partners with the best wood panel and decorative surface brands, providing next day delivery and a range of services including bespoke machining and quick and easy samples. Through a fleet of over 50 vehicles and a centrally located 1,000,000ft2 warehouse in Stoke on Trent, it serves customers right across the UK. www.panelco.com

After the successful trial and installation of two Protec 84’s during 2021, Sawtec has invested in a further three CNC Routers due to arrive in May. Sawtec aims to offer an entry level, heavy duty CNC router with accurate workpiece setting, powerful vacuum table and with PC Control at an unrivalled cost.

The company’s team has expanded too, with the addition of service engineer, Craig Hughes, and sales assistant, Daniel Rohn. Craig has joined the busy machine service team to carry out installations, repair machine breakdowns, carry out preventative/routine maintenance and used machine refurbishments.

Daniel, meanwhile, is the youngest member of the Sawtec team, with a keen eye for detail and an interest in the industry and

football. Dan is Sawtec’s new ‘front of house’ for enquiries in person, on the phone or by email. Other key updates include a freshly designed website, with increased usability; two new vans to allow for visiting customers without vehicle maintenance or breakdowns interfering, and a renewed digital effort that has seen Sawtec advertise for a dedicated member of staff in this sphere of the business.

Lastly, research and developmentwise, John and Brian have made significant changes to one of Sawtec’s Vollmer knife grinders in the pursuit of improving the hollow grinding process for Morso knives. www.sawtec.co.uk

MWM is proud to announce it is hosting a 2022 open day at its showroom in Leicester where it will be demonstrating a variety of machines.

There will be a particular focus on OAV brand machinery to coincide with the launch of the new model OAV 370A +.

Visitors will also be able to see live demonstrations of the full range of Martin and Robland machinery on display.

In addition to this, there will also be a range of Kundig sanders in

operation, including the Uniq and Master range.

The event will last from 9am Wednesday 25th to 4pm Friday 27th, with demos and displays available on all three days. As an extra treat, visitors on Friday 27th May will be able to meet a special guest; Derek Barret from Derek Barret Design. Derek will be available to chat and answer questions from visitors, and the day will finish with a BBQ.

You can book tickets via www. eventbrite.co.uk/e/martin-oav-androbland-machinery-open-eventtickets-299050326577. www.mwmachinery.co.uk

The concept is an answer to specific demands from the Chinese high-end furnishings and design market.

SCM reconfirmed its attendance at Interzum Guangzhou, the main trade fair event in China for the woodworking industry, and proved to be a benchmark partner for businesses in the “high-end” Chinese market looking for highly innovative, efficient technological solutions to produce top quality design products.

Behind the Italian group’s solidity and reliability lies a story of technological innovation and toplevel skills in the woodworking sector that has been protracted for 70 years, an anniversary that SCM celebrates in 2022.

China continues to be a strategic market for the Italian group with its directly managed branch and a specific engineering team, capable of offering the most advanced Chinese businesses projects of entire factories that are “turnkey” as well as highly innovative and efficient customised automated solutions.

Solutions like the “integrated compact factory” on show at Interzum Guangzhou 2022 are one of the many configurations that the SCM Smart & Human Factory can assume based on specific client demands. A cell of automated, modular and scalable technologies which, depending on “The key advantages of the cell presented by SCM include extreme machining flexibility, a fixed and just in-time production flow and an excellent end product quality, thanks to the special features of the technological solutions on display”

the different production needs of the clients and market trends, can be integrated with additional and even more advanced solutions.

SCM aims to present a complete factory model for panel machining in a few square metres and with three technological solutions that stand out for their high level of efficiency even in the most flexible machinings and for their ability to achieve a top quality, design product. Equally important is the MES management system that optimises 4.0 programming, management and interconnection of the entire production flow.

The key advantages of the cell presented by SCM include extreme machining flexibility, a fixed and just in-time production flow and an excellent end product quality, thanks to the special features of the technological solutions on display.

The gabbiani beam saws sizing area, stable and heavy-duty, is the ideal solution for sizing both single and multiple panels made by wood and its derivatives.

It combines the great advantage of flexibility with high levels of efficiency, with a productivity of up to 8m3 per shift, thanks to the high-speed device that allows to reach a speed of 70 m/min of the pusher and 100 m/min of the carriage, without any additional maintenance.

As a must, an excellent cutting finish thanks to the exclusive characteristics of the blade carriage and a safe and constant tightening made possible by the pneumatic blade unblocking system. Besides this, precision in every phase of working is guaranteed by uniform

pressure over the entire length of the cut, a secure grip on the panel even at maximum speed and perfect parallelism even with panels that are not perfectly flat.

The base and the work table in reinforced and ribbed steel allow precise movements of the carriage, ensuring stability, compactness and maximum repeatability of the cut over time. The possibility of enabling or disabling the selective air floating on each working table thanks to the independent motors, ensures immediate and quality cuts with the additional advantage of obtaining maximum cleanliness and smoothness only where needed, thus avoiding accidental falls of panels already cut.

The cell also features the morbidelli x200 CNC machining centre; the ideal solution for flexible “batch 1” production because it permits nesting machining of pieces that are even shaped, and in a variety of sizes, with a cutting speed of up to 50 m/min and unprecedented productivity levels for this technology.

All the machining work is done without removing the spoil panel, even in 3D thanks to the X-POD suction cups. This dramatically reduces the machine’s set-up times.

Another advantage is its maximum precision: even the smallest pieces can be blocked during machining thanks to the new X-Vacuum system which activates a dynamic vacuum concentrated on the worktable zone where machining is ongoing.

The machining centre on show at Interzum Guangzhou is designed to offer an even faster machining speed compared to market standards thanks to its integration with an articulated robot for unloading the panels. So, outstanding performance and maximum configuration combine with a considerable increase in flexibility and productivity.

Stefani x, the new industrial edgebander designed to offer top machining quality on any kind of panel and material to fully meet the needs of a connected, integrated digital factory, is making its début at Interzum Guangzhou and on the Chinese market.

Stefani x can machine panels at a speed of up to 30 m/min. over the course of several shifts a day. All this, thanks to top of the range units and a new, highly rigid mechanical structure.

Another advantage is the excellent flexibility when changing glue: thanks to the unique “glue switch” solution, just in time change of colour and glue type is possible, thus achieving even more flexible, efficient production.

The “secret” lies with the two glue tanks operating simultaneously during machining, that can be interchanged using the type and colour of glue requested by the work program. The glue tank can also be replaced, or maintenance work carried out on it without having to stop the edgebander.

The new Stefani x also offers top-quality gluing on any type of edge. The intensity of the first pressure roller is adaptive: it can be automatically adjusted by the edgebanding machine’s control system according to the edge being used. Furthermore, the edge can be replaced with a reduced distance between the panels thanks to the new automatic edge change device with two and six rolls and with a roller change system that allows for a reduced interspacing of 350mm without limiting the machine’s performances.

Also featuring is the new range of high-end electronic units (end trimming, rounding and glue scraping) designed to meet two objectives that are key to the market: easy use even for more complex machining on delicate, trending materials, thanks to an automatic, flexible set-up, as well as repeatability, quality and accurate production processes, thanks to the electronic touch.

Still on the subject of edgebanding, SCM is confirmed as a benchmark partner for AirFusion+ technology, greatly appreciated by the Chinese businesses in the furniture and design industry looking to stand out from the crowd with an exclusive and surprising finish.

Indeed, AirFusion+ allows for edgebanding without the use of glue, making the joint between edge and panel invisible. The AirFusion+ technology presented at Interzum Guangzhou on a Stefani kd edgebander is compatible and easily integrated with traditional gluing technologies as well as being available on the entire range of SCM edgebanding machines. As well as the technologies on display, the SCM team will be presenting an extensive programme of virtual demos on the latest technologies most in line with Chinese market demands, in answer to the vastly varied panel and solid wood machining requirements. www.scmgroup.com

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That’s according to the largest forestry and timber group in the UK, BSW Group, who welcomed Member of Scottish Parliament Kate Forbes to its BSW Timber sawmill in Fort William during Scottish Apprenticeship Week.

During her visit, Ms Forbes toured the site and met with apprentice engineers and saw doctors, to hear first-hand about their experiences and the growth of the industry. Group Learning and Development Manager Tony Lockey believes the visit was crucial to raising awareness about the skills shortage that exists in the timber sector.

He said: “In the wake of COP26, there has been an emphasis on the fact we need to promote working in timber and forestry, and how a career in our industry can support young people’s values about protecting the environment.

“A lot of the time, the apprenticeships that the Government pushes are focused on public sector needs, such as a call for 30,000 new NHS workers. Having the opportunity to show one of our region’s MPs around is great, and we welcome more MSPs to come along and see what we are doing.

“The passion that our apprentices were able to get across enables Kate [Forbes] to go to Westminster and promote apprenticeships in timber and forestry businesses.”

The largest sawmiller in the country and a subsidiary of BSW Group, BSW Timber has a strong history of apprenticeships, with 22 of the 25 taken on in the last ten years still working for the business. For Lockey, building awareness of apprenticeship schemes beyond national frameworks is vital to getting people into the industry.

He added: “What people often forget is that we need to educate parents and colleges on various types of apprenticeships too. It’s not very often that parents will advise their children to look at an apprenticeship with us, but they might push them towards an officestyle apprenticeship. Getting people down to the sawmill, can be an eye-opener, which really represents what career opportunities there are in our sector.

“Some of our leading lights have come from the apprenticeship route. We are always keen to put them forward for awards as they not only promote the fantastic work they are doing within the sector, but it raises the profile of apprenticeship schemes. When people see the technical side of what we do, it presents our world to a wider audience.”

Lockey added: “When we select young people for our programme, it is to provide them with a career in our business at the end of it. We want apprentices to capitalise on opportunities with the aim that they will stay within our teams into the future.”

Former apprentice Shaun MacLeod played a starring role in Ms Forbes’ visit to Fort William. MacLeod, who was nominated for a Scottish Apprenticeship Award, has not only helped BSW Timber to reduce its carbon footprint, but also to save money.

Innovations developed by a team of apprentices, and driven by MacLeod through Skills Development Scotland’s Fuel Change Challenge, included the idea of introducing a new electric-powered mobile side-loader fleet to the mill in Fort William.

The initiatives explored by the 21-year-old and his team offered new ways of working and could potentially deliver annual savings of £400,000 a year for the mill, with the added opportunity to cut carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes per year.

Shaun began his Modern Apprenticeship in Electrical Control Systems with BSW Timber straight from school and completed his apprenticeship in November last year.

“Technically I really progressed my learning in electrical and mechanical areas and my understanding of industrial manufacturing through my apprenticeship,” said MacLeod.

“My apprenticeship has also helped me massively with my personal skills, my confidence, and being able to communicate with others. I’m currently in a mentor role for the younger apprentices going through the Fuel Change Challenge, so this has helped with my leadership skills.”

The Fort William management team is well-versed in apprenticeships, with electrical supervisor Stuart Matheson working his way through the ranks after joining the firm as an electrical apprentice in 2015, while engineering manager Robert Wojcik was appointed in December to support employee development as an apprentice mentor.

Mill manager Oliver Stephen was thrilled to promote the site to Ms Forbes and believes it can be a catalyst to getting more young people interested in the industry. He said: “The visit was great, and it gave Kate [Forbes] the opportunity to hear first-hand from Shaun, Jamie Duncan (a third-year saw doctor apprentice) and Ryan Boyle (a fourth-year mechanical apprentice) on what they do day to day in the mill.

“It’s important to have these visits from people like the Cabinet Secretary as it gives us the opportunity to showcase what we are all about and discuss future growth plans.

“The benefits of taking part go much further than helping the business, as it also engages young people and enables them to influence their colleagues by coming forward with different ideas about ways of doing things, which has been a very positive experience.” www.bsw.co.uk

Member of Scottish Parliament Kate Forbes pictured with fourth year mechanical apprentice, Ryan Boyle Fort William’s Mill Manager, Oliver Stephen, was thrilled to promote BSW Timber to Member of Scottish Parliament Kate Forbes recently

GUARANTEE ON SLIDO

A one-day conference for UK furniture and joinery manufacturers, there will be four panel discussions with questions from the floor at the end of each session. A number of awards will run alongside to celebrate the best in our industry and there will be ample opportunity for networking before, during and after the conference – it promises to be a fulfilling and inspiring day.

The four panel discussion sessions include topics such as: the skills gap; equality, diversity and inclusion; appealing to the younger future workforce; sustainability; and working with the latest technology and brightest new materials.

Peppered around the panel discussions, a number of awards will be made to furniture and joinery manufacturers, trade suppliers, and young designer-makers, concluding with an award bearing witness to a significant individual in our industry.

Discussions are on-going with leading trade bodies serving our industry and will be announced on the website and via social media in the coming weeks. In addition, as the line-up of conference speakers evolves, and the numbers of partners and supporters develops, this detail will also be available via the conference’s social media channels on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Following the conference, a ‘whitepaper’ will be produced to report what was discussed and debated and what conclusions were able to be drawn, and it will also be a vehicle to celebrate the award winners. The report will be augmented by and benefit from additional context and valuable insight from our partners and collaborators, helping to provide an impartial agenda which will be promoted on the conference website, across the Furniture & Joinery Production media portfolio, and it will be made available to the furniture and joinery industry and media outlets at large.

For those wishing to become involved with the conference, for instance as a judge on one of the awards, a speaker on the discussion panels, or as a sponsor, partner, supporter or indeed as a delegate, please contact the team via the website.

The conference’s chosen charities for 2022 are the Furniture Makers Company and Help For Heroes. www.fjconference.com

2021 saw the Turkish woodworking machinery sector break the export record again, equalling its record for the fourth time in a row. Evaluating this success, Arif comments: “As the Turkish woodworking machinery industry, we write a new success story at the end of each year.

“Not only our export figures but also our production and domestic sales are on the rise. We fully believe that our industry, which has become one of the important players of the world woodworking machinery industry with its high-tech machinery and services, will add new successes to its list.”

Noting that the woodworking machinery industry – which realised the highest export of all time with $110m at the end of 2020 – increased its exports by 15.69% by the end of 2021, Arif said: “When the export figures are examined, it is seen that the total export of the sector at the end of 2021 was realised at the level of $126,629,000.

“The production of our industry, which increases its production capacities every year to meet the demands of machinery from many different countries, increased by 18.44% at the end of 2021 and reached $301,498,000.”

Arif explains that the Turkish woodworking machinery industry exports to many different regions of the world: “The Turkish woodworking machinery industry made the most exports to Iraq with $7,427,000 in 2021. Russia followed Iraq with $6,672,000. After Russia, England came with $4,595,000.’’

Arif also underlined that England, which imports $300m worth of woodworking machinery annually, is one of the priority and potential markets for the Turkish woodworking machinery industry. www.turkishwoodworkingmachinery.com

The team at Handy hosted a 24-hour table tennis tournament over the 24th and 25th March 2022. The whole team took part in the tournament, covering the various shifts throughout the day and into the night. Donations came from business partners, suppliers, manufacturers and supporters and the total amount was doubled by the FMC.

The FMC’s Step 2 It Campaign was set up to encourage the UK furnishing industry to organise and take part in a sports-based activity or challenge to generate vital funds to help those struggling financially.

The charity provides financial and practical support to people working throughout the furniture trade, and have done for over 100 years. Since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the charity has committed to award up to £1m in welfare grants to those whose livelihoods have been critically impacted by the crisis. As a Corporate member of the FMC, the Handy team felt strongly about this and wanted to give back to an industry that they have been part of for over 30 years. “We are delighted to have taken part and raised vital funds for the Furniture Makers’ Company Step 2 It Campaign,” comments Nick Harland-Smith, MD of Handy. “The charity has been so supportive of companies in the furniture industry, which have faced many challenges over the past two years dealing with the impact of rising costs and disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. “The Table Tennis marathon gave us all a renewed sense of community and belonging as a team, as well as raising money to support others in our industry.” www.handyltd.co.uk

Now in its eighth year, this summer’s tournament will be the first event in two years due to the pandemic. The Tim Bloyce Cup will be taking place at the Lucozade Powerleague Football Centre, Coventry on Sunday 3rd July 2022 and the charity is looking forward to welcoming new and returning teams to the industry’s answer to the Premier League.

Kick off will be at 1pm, with the tournament commencing with a group stage. Every team will be guaranteed a minimum of three matches. Mixed gender teams from offices, factories, showrooms or groups of friends of all abilities are very welcome. The winners of the groups will then go forward to the elimination rounds. Once the action is over, the day will finish with a BBQ buffet, before the winning team is crowned.

Neil Clark, sales director at Ocee Design, says: “Our much-loved colleague Tim Bloyce recently received the devastating news that he has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). We are all having to come to terms with this dreadful situation and we want to do as much as we can to support Tim and his family at this difficult time.

“Ocee Design work closely with charity The Furniture Makers’ Company to support our great industry and the people that work within it. We saw an opportunity to not only get more involved in their fundraising efforts but also where we could highlight one of Tim’s great passions, football.

“For almost a decade now, The Furniture Makers’ Company has organised an annual five-a-side football tournament. Considering the above and in recognition of his amazing commitment and achievements with Ocee Design in his 29 years of employment with the business, the tournament will be renamed the ‘Tim Bloyce Cup’ in his honour.” The cost of entering a team of seven is £500 (+ VAT) To book, visit https://bit.ly/ TimBloyceCup22

The growing network of Click & Collect pick-up points offers even more options for tradespeople looking to reduce delays on site and schedule orders around project lead times, with quick access to the products they want, when they want them.

With pick up points in shops including Sainsburys, Halfords, Matalan and Co-op, as well as Doddle at key railway stations and Select local convenience stores, IronmongeryDirect customers can simply select their Click & Collect option at the checkout for next day delivery within five miles of their home or worksite.

The Click & Collect service is just one of the delivery options offered by the specialist retailer, with next day delivery available for orders placed online by 9pm, as well as same day delivery to postcodes in selected areas of London and the East of England.

“We are committed to offering tradespeople a wide choice of delivery options, so that they can choose their most convenient delivery address, whether it be home, their workplace, or a collection point near to their job site,” explains Dominick Sandford, MD at IronmongeryDirect.

“As a specialist supplier, we are focused on going beyond the standard delivery service to include flexible and useful alternatives such as our 9pm order cut off time, Sunday deliveries, and now even more Click & Collect pick up points – all designed to help reduce delays on site and deliver projects as efficiently as possible.”

IronmongeryDirect has been supplying architectural ironmongery to the trade for over 50 years and ranges over 18,000 products which are regularly reviewed to offer exceptional value. www.IronmongeryDirect.co.uk

Lone Wolf Creative Ltd, based in Staffordshire, has over 30 years’ experience in the design, build, manufacture and installation of award winning exhibition stands, eye-catching interiors and retail environments.

Since the company was established in 2018, the Lone Wolf team has been keen to get a solution for all the timber, MDF and other wood waste that is generated as a result of its manufacturing process. MD, Steve Bowman, had seen a wood waste heater in action at another business, so was keen to purchase one.

Steve explains: “Having experienced the benefits of a wood waste heater first-hand in another business, investing in a wood waste heater was a no-brainer. Instead of throwing away our waste and spending around £1000 a month on skips, we could burn our wood waste to create free heating and save the company an extra £300 or so a month by not having to purchase fuel for the diesel heater! We worked out that within six months the wood waste heater would have paid for itself – so we ordered one!”

The wood waste heater Steve had used before was supplied by Wood Waste Technology, so he just picked up the phone and spoke to MD, Kurt Cockroft. After a survey and a quote, Steve ordered a WT5 for his 3500ft2 workshop in Tamworth.

Steve said: “We’re absolutely delighted with the heater. It’s not just the cost-saving benefits, it’s just such a great piece of kit that is so easy to use and operate. The heater warms up quickly each morning, much quicker than our old diesel heaters which used to take ages to warm up the workshop!

“Many of the exhibition stands we produce can be one-off projects, meaning that the stands come back to us to be disposed of. It’s great knowing that we can dispose of them sustainably and responsibly, and convert the waste wood to heat rather than sending more waste to landfill. I’m really pleased we’ve invested in one.”

MD of Wood Waste Technology, Kurt Cockroft adds: “We’re delighted that Lone Wolf Creative is benefitting from its investment in a wood waste burner. We’re finding many exhibition companies are looking at biomass solutions due to the amount of waste wood that is generated in that industry.”

Wood Waste Technology offers a full range of wood waste heaters, from small hand fired units to larger fully automatic systems, and offers site survey and design, as well as manufacture, installation and ongoing maintenance. The company also services all types of wood waste heaters and supplies genuine spares up to 60% cheaper than other suppliers. 01785 250400 www.woodwastetechnology.com www.grossuk.co.uk