21 minute read
From the Editor
THE INTERSECTION OF
PEOPLE AND AUTOMATION
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Grace Tatigian WE’VE WRITTEN A LOT OVER the last year about the skilled labour shortage and the problems it causes in our industry. While it’s good news for the economy that unemployment in Canada reached a record low of 5.2% in April, it makes hiring very challenging. As we’ll see in our article on labour shortage and retirement, this problem isn’t going anywhere soon; we need long-term solutions.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll repeat it: automation is the answer. We have several articles delving into the benefits of automation and robotics in this issue. Automated shops make more products in a day, get them out the door faster, and reduce errors and waste. All that adds up to higher profits and better margins. Yet, many smaller shops are still hesitant to take that step. Another nerve-racking change a lot of companies are reluctant to make? Getting into the export business. International sales average higher value than domestic sales and can result in 60% faster growth for your business, but many choose to stick to working close to home.
Maybe that’s because they don’t have the capacity to start taking orders from orders from outside the country, which brings us back to the labour shortage and automation again. It’s circular and will only get better when we integrate permanent solutions.
But that’s not to say that automation can replace the need for intelligent, capable people on the shop floor. Some things, particularly custom work, will always need to be done by hand. You also need people to watch for the newest products and latest trends. We’ve got a few design pieces here to give you an idea of what people want and what’s possible. We cover everything from your classic white painted cabinet to unique VeroMetal finishing.
Some customers want the newest trends incorporated into their designs, and others want something timeless. Either way, it’s essential to have this kind of knowledge so you can be the go-to choice for every type of customer. That’s where we come in, keeping you up to date. We’re lucky to have an extensive list of industry experts who provide us with articles and opinions to make sure we have our finger on the pulse of the industry.
Like what you’ve read so far? Inspired to jump into the conversation? Interested in adding “Industry Expert” to your title? Get in touch, and we’ll work with you to find the best way to share your knowledge, whether you’re a writer or not. Our e-digest is where we share the latest news, updates, and time-sensitive information. That might be awards finalist profiles, association updates, and news on available government funding.
Reach out to me at gracet@mediaedge.ca, and we can get to know each other and learn how we can work with one another to create a magazine that represents you and your business.
PUBLISHER Mike Neeb
miken@mediaedge.ca
EDITOR Grace Tatigian
gracet@mediaedge.ca
PRESIDENT Kevin Brown
kevinb@mediaedge.ca
PRODUCTION MANAGER Rachel Selbie
rachels@mediaedge.ca ART DIRECTOR Annette Carlucci
annettec@mediaedge.ca
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Thuy Huynh
roxyh@mediaedge.ca
CIRCULATION
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© 2022 by MediaEdge Communications All rights reserved. MediaEdge Communications and Wood Industry disclaim any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect to the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. The opinions of the columnists and writers are their own and are in no way influenced by or representative of the opinions of Wood Industry or MediaEdge Communications
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Team Growth at HOMAG Canada
HOMAG Canada is pleased to announce that Sascha Kuraschka has joined the team as digital solutions product specialist. Kuraschka has been in the industry for more than 20 years, during which time he has held positions in software development, field service, IT, and service management. Kuraschka’s strong technical customer service background and extensive industry experience will ensure our customers receive expert advice and support in the area of software and digital solutions as they grow their business.
The company is also pleased to announce the promotion of Nelio Fernandes to regional sales manager.
“Nelio has been with HOMAG for 12 years, during which time he has held positions in field service, service support, and product management, proving himself to be committed to the growth of our customers and fellow colleagues. His manufacturing background, along with his extensive industry experience, has proven to be an asset in his ability to consistently deliver solutions and exceed the expectations of our customers.”
Red Seal Forty Under 40 Winner
BCIT Carpentry alum Kevin Hatch receives Forty Under 40 award from Business in Vancouver (BIV). Winners are under 40 and have demonstrated excellence in business, judgment, leadership, and community contribution.
“I was super honoured to receive the award amongst so many amazing business leaders,” says Hatch, President and Founder of Twin Lions Contracting. “I’ve always really tried to drive our company forward while providing a company culture that makes people love to come to work and while keeping our community a top priority. It was great to be recognized for that.”
Hatch and his company were recognized for their commitment to community, growth through entrepreneurship, and a strong focus on the skilled trades. In addition to their busy contract work, Hatch and his team make time to take on pro-bono work in the North Vancouver community, applying their renovation skills to projects that are impactful for the non-profit organization and meaningful for his staff.
New CTO at WEINIG AG
WEINIG AG, the leading technology provider for the solid wood and panel processing industry and small businesses, has a new Chief Technology Officer. The supervisory board has appointed Dr. Georg Hanrath as Chief Technology Officer. He studied mechanical engineering, focusing on manufacturing/production technology at RWTH Aachen University, where he also completed his doctorate.
“With Dr. Georg Hanrath, we have been able to win an excellent, internationally experienced chief technology officer. We are convinced that with the newly completed management board, we are very well positioned to successfully continue the future development of the WEINIG Group,” said Thomas Bach, Chairman of the supervisory board.
Alongside CEO Gregor Baumbusch and CFO Axel Steiger, Dr. Hanrath is responsible for the area of technology.
New Board Members at Goodfellow Inc.
Goodfellow Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Paule Têtu and Jim Hewitt to the Board of
Directors.
Têtu holds a degree in forest engineering from the Université Laval and a master’s degree from the University of Georgia. She is recognized for her strategic planning, concertation, communications, governance, and project management expertise. From 2012 to 2015, Têtu was Assistant Vice-Rector for Research and Creation at Laval University. In 2011 and 2012, she was responsible for strategic partnerships at FPInnovations.
Hewitt is the Chairman and CEO of Hewitt Group Inc. and the Hewitt Foundation following the sale of Hewitt Equipment Limited, the Caterpillar dealer for Québec, Labrador West, and the Maritimes. Hewitt has been active in both industry and community affairs throughout his career. He has been a Board member of the Association de Construction de Montréal et Québec, the Canadian Construction Association, and the Montréal Board of Trade.
Anthony Remus Named New Managing Director at Holsag
Holsag, a manufacturer of fine wood chairs, has appointed Anthony Remus as the new Managing Director. Remus has more than 20 years of business leadership experience and joined the company in July 2021. He had previously joined the parent company, MITY, in 2017. MITY Inc. ranked #114 on the FDMC 300 list of top companies.
“One thing that I’ve learned since joining Holsag is that the company pays extreme attention to detail,” he added. “The goal is to avoid having warranty issues or missing customers’
expectations with our products and our interactions. When our customers get their products, we want them to receive exactly what they ordered and what they expect to receive to maintain the high brand awareness of both Holsag and MITY.”
GreenFirst’s New Additions to Board of Directors
GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. announced that Barbara Anie, David Chartrand, and W. Sean Willy had been elected to the GreenFirst Board of Directors.
Anie is an experienced media marketer with over 17 years of expertise specializing in Brand Partnerships/ Strategic Solutions and Digital Sales/ Strategy with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Ryerson University. Currently, she leads the go-to-market strategies for key accounts and corporate partnerships across Torstar.
After leaving the Department of Justice with the Province of Manitoba in 1996, Chartrand was elected President of the Manitoba Métis Federation in 1997 and is the longest-serving President of the MMF, devoting his career to human rights, education, child welfare, economic development, justice, and veteran’s issues.
Willy was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Des Nedhe Group in August 2017, after a 25-year career in the resource industry. With roots in the Denesuline and Metis communities, Sean, a member of the North Slave Metis Alliance, brings an understanding of the expectations and needs of Indigenous people.
Hettich’s New Technical Trainer
Hettich Canada’s National announced Chris Huston as their new technical trainer. A member of the Hettich Canada family for over 17 years, Huston brings a wealth of product knowledge and technical support to our customers and clients. If you have ever watched the Hettich Product Spotlight videos, you will recognize Huston as the calm, level-headed trainer able to walk one through any technical questions.
Huston will be responsible for supporting the sales team’s business development initiatives and programs by adapting, developing, and delivering all product training programs for customers and enhancing relationships with our customers at the national level.
He will be the go-to person for all technical support questions for the sales team and drive the product knowledge outreach activities. He will also work closely with trade associations on product knowledge and outreach to members.
NKBA’s 2022 Board of Directors
The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) has named the 2022 NKBA Board of Directors. The newly elected NKBA Board Chair is Basil E. Larkin, vice president of sales at Hestan Commercial Corp. He succeeds Michael Mahan, senior vice president of Home and Distribution, North America, Schneider Electric.
“I am so honored to be named chair of the board of directors of the NKBA for
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2022. The relationships I have formed and insight I have gained since I have joined the board have been invaluable to me,” said Larkin. “This is an incredibly exciting time for the design community, and the enthusiasm is infectious.”
Research indicates more homeowners are turning to professionals for their projects after the challenges in 2020. The NKBA and its members persevered through incredibly difficult times and continue to lead the industry. I look forward to serving our members and community alongside my valued fellow board members.”
Ralph Austin Steps Down As President of Seagate
Earlier this year, Ralph Austin stepped down as President of Seagate Mass Timber Inc., taking on a reduced role within the operations group for the company. Austin is the founder of Surrey, BC-based Seagate and has worked diligently to grow the brand and mass timber exposure in the industry for the last 20 years. Austin maintains that a strong team and positive industry relationships are crucial to success and has consistently run the company with these values.
Scott Comfort has since assumed the role of President. Comfort has been Seagate’s general manager since mid-2021 and brings a wealth of construction and leadership experience, has a passion for positive change, and will “build on Seagate’s previous achievements while growing an even stronger, more successful, full-service mass timber company.”
Comfort’s 30 years of experience in construction leadership and strong blend of technical industry and formal post-secondary education uniquely positions him to guide Seagate in a construction industry poised for the exponential growth of mass timber.
WFP President and CEO Retiring
Western Forest Products Inc. announced that its President and CEO Don Demens had announced his intention to retire by March 31, 2023.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished at Western,” said Demens. “I am confident in the strength of Western’s management team and am fully committed to ensuring a smooth transition to a new President and CEO who will continue to move Western forward as a leading wood products company.”
The Board of Directors has started searching for the right candidate to fill the position. Demens will continue in his role until his replacement has been found to ensure a smooth transition and minimal disruption to Western’s business. He will also remain a member of the company’s Board of Directors until the transition to his successor occurs.
“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Don for his significant contributions to the Company over the past 13 years, including nine as CEO,” said Michael Waites, Chair of the Board. “We are grateful for his continued commitment to providing leadership and support while we undertake the important work of selecting the company’s next President and CEO.”
Dr. Schwarz Appointed To HOMAG Executive Board
The Supervisory Board of HOMAG Group AG appointed Dr. Sergej Schwarz to the Executive Board. This means that it will consist of three mem-
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bers even after the retirement of the Chairman of the CEO, Ralf W. Dieter: Dr. Daniel Schmitt as the new Chief Executive Officer, Rainer Gausepohl as Chief Financial Officer, and Dr. Schwarz.
Dr. Schwarz joined the HOMAG Group back in 2016 as Head of the Edge Processing business unit. Since March of 2021, he has also been Spokesman of the Board of Management of HOMAG GmbH, Schopfloch, and Managing Director of HOMAG Kantentechnik GmbH, Lemgo. As a member of the Executive Board, he will be responsible for the global activities of the Edge Processing business unit and the project business with large-scale plants. Before joining the HOMAG Group, the graduate engineer held various management positions at Schaeffler AG in Herzogenaurach and Schweinfurt for many years, most recently as Vice President of the Renewable Energies sector.
Jan Sickmann Appointed Bürkle Group CEO
Shareholders of the Bürkle Group have appointed Jan Sickmann CEO.
With a background in mechanical engineering, Sickmann takes over management of the group of Bürkle companies with the other managing directors. The company says this will strengthen the management team and consolidate its market position and expand international growth in a period of dynamic market changes.
“Bürkle is an excellently positioned company with strong technology and solution competence. With the highly motivated and innovative Bürkle team, we will consolidate operations and then further expand our international market position,” said Sickmann.
In the wood manufacturing industry, Bürkle roll and spray coating systems, laminating, thermoforming, and automated storage systems are used to produce furniture, flooring, doors, and wall panel. The focus on the three growth areas of wood-based material finishing, photovoltaics, and printed circuit boards is intended to continue the success story of recent years. The company is being supported by an individual strategic orientation of each business area and further technical innovations.
Newest AWMAC Lifetime Member
Tony Boyce has been in the furniture industry, starting work as a 16-year-old. Boyce emigrated to Canada in 1988 with his wife and family. They were brought to Canada by Goldcrest Furniture in Toronto, where Boyce worked as their Production Engineer; his biggest success was to convert the company to the metric system. At that time, Goldcrest was Hettich Canada’s biggest customer, accounting for over $2.5 million of business annually.
Boyce then started work at Hettich Canada in 1989 as Technical Advisor. He was hired by his mentor, Ernst Ehlebracht, the President and CEO of Hettich Canada. In 2016, Boyce went on the road as a Territory Sales Rep, starting in the Atlantic provinces. In subsequent years, he was also given the responsibility of Northern Ontario and Manitoba.
Boyce finally decided to retire from Hettich after serving Hettich for 31 years and two months. AWMAC Ontario would like to congratulate Boyce on his retirement, thank him for his support of AWMAC throughout his years at Hettich, and welcome him as a lifetime member.
Save the Date: WTD
The Canadian Woodworking Machinery Distributors Association (CWMDA) members are both pleased and excited to join their efforts again, bringing to the Canadian industry a unique and broad display of industrial woodworking machinery. This year, the event will run for six days, November 1-6, 2021, taking place simultaneously at all the participating members’ GTA showrooms. You can expect to see the latest technology available from top leading manufacturers – including some North-American premieres – and have the opportunity to attend impressive in-person live demos. No other show or single event brings you as much! Mark on your calendar and check the CWMDA website to know more!
THE FASTEST NON-CONTACT TRIGGERING SAFETY DEVICE IN THE WORLD!
Felderʼs Preventative Contact System-PCS prevents accidents at the speed of light.
Every woodworker (and woodworking company) has ten good reasons not to compromise when it comes to working safety - PCS prevents accidents and assures dexterity and a quality handshake forever!
Today, all state-of-the-art saws and panel saws need to have standard safety equipment such as a splitter and an overhead saw guard in accordance with the applicable Ontario Health and Safety accident prevention regulations. For some years, there has also been a technical solution that largely prevents cuts due to instant blockage of the saw blade, but it destroys the saw blade as well as the saw unit. The consequential costs for the repair are the price that you have to pay for saving one or more fingers. Until now, because there is a better way: • If the system detects movement past a certain threshold - which surrounds the saw blade and protects against access from all directions - a safety lowering mechanism is triggered.
The system lowers the sawblade below the circular saw bench a few milliseconds after a risk detection. Its extremely fast response time is possible thanks to the principle of electromagnetic repulsion, says Felder. • The safety lowering mechanism does not cause any damage to the blade or incur extra costs. And the table saw will be ready for reuse at the push of a button. • The PCS system doesn’t feature any wear parts - avoiding the need to adjust or maintain anything beyond regular machine maintenance. “ “ The system is amazing. No one else has anything comparable to the system. It acts without being touched, it drops down at light speed without causing any damage, and the customer is able to restart the machine right away. Robert Tratter, Head of R&D at the Felder Group
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Surveillance of danger zone with advance approach detection.
Accident prevention in a matter of milliseconds.
In the case of an unexpected fast approach in the saw blade area the PCS drop down safety feature is triggered. The area of protection encloses the sawblade and prevents access from any direction.
After detecting the risk of an accident PCS triggers the retraction of the saw blade under the table in a matter of a few milliseconds. The method used on the electro magnet repulsion principle enables a never before achieved ultra fast action time.
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Immediately ready for use again.
The Panel saw with the PCS retraction is ready for use again at the touch of a button and does not require additional attention or cleaning cycles.
Felders Preventative Contact System is available on the Kappa 550 Emotion
FELDER GROUP CALGARY, AB 1-403-720-8330 info@felder-group.ca BURNABY, BC Ultimate Tools 1-604-291-WOOD(9663) felder@ultimatetools.ca OAK BLUFF, MB Wallace Machinery & Tool Co.Ltd. 1-204-788-1199 kevin@wallacemachinery.com
CABINET REFACING
A great option for customers on a budget
By Curtis & Channell Murray, Owners of 180Kitchens
Refaced kitchen by 180Kitchens
Kitchen cabinet refacing is one of the most economical and simple ways to transform the look of a kitchen — just don’t confuse it with the old-school cabinet refinishing where cabinet doors were removed, painted, and then re-installed.
“Refacing is using the existing footprint and removing all the old doors and drawers and replacing them with brand-new manufactured ones,” says Curtis Murray, whose BC company 180Kitchens installs about 10 to 12 kitchens a week.
“We cover the visible exterior of the cabinets in a material that matches the new doors exactly, making the cabinets look like they were custom-matched to the new doors. The process is quick when done by professionals, and the final product looks fantastic,” he says.
Murray says refacing has been around for quite a while, but the ease of installation makes this the most popular choice right now.
“This is suitable for all kitchens. The process can be done on all types of cabinets, and it really comes down to two things: are the bones of the cabinets good, and are they structurally sound? If not, then a facelift is not going to fix that. And second, how much of the footprint is changing? There are a lot of things we can add or remove, but at some point, it just makes sense to go with new structures.”
Murray says that 70-80% of kitchens never have their footprint changed.
“I just did a kitchen that was 40 years old, and it had good bones — solid wood — and we moved the doors a little closer together, gave it a Eurostyle with new hinges, and the transformation was unbelievable in such a short time,” he says.
Murray says refacing is ramping up as homeowners discover that an entirely new look is created at roughly half the price of replacing the cabinet boxes, doors, and fronts. This makes it a clear choice for customers looking to update their kitchen before putting their house on the market.
Murray says there are more than 40 colours in matte, high gloss, and wood grain finishes and about 20 different styles of doors. What customers are embracing as much as new fronts is the option for customized work.
“Pullout drawers are huge,” he says. “Everyone wants that kind of space, as well as pullouts within cabinets. The homeowner really has a lot of choices and can create that dream kitchen at a fraction of the price. We can add or remove cabinets, install pot and pan drawers, extend cabinet boxes to the ceiling, add crown moulding, soft close hinges, and brand-new handles.”
Typically, once the customer has chosen the style and colour, Murray and his crew spend about a day or two installing the cabinets and drawer fronts, plus installing the same finish on the trim, spacer areas, and islands to match the cabinets.
Murray said one customer has a condo where the footprint wouldn’t change, and he installed cabinet extensions that went to the ninefoot ceiling — with each top cabinet door more than four feet in height. The look is elegant and creates a lot more storage space. The island, part of which was previously faced in a brown wood-grain finish, was transformed with the all-white finishing.
As for things to consider, Murray says to trust the professionals you speak to about this and get a free inhome estimate to assess the condition of your cabinets.
“Our designers know what looks good. There are so many choices, but if you don’t want to follow trends, classic white will always be around,” he says.
