Ninety-five exhibitors will be packed into the Grand Ballroom North of the Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) to be held April 13-14 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
“To say it’s a hard exhibitor sell-out would be an understatement,” comments Rich Donnell, co-chairman of PELICE and editor-in-chief of Panel World magazine. Donnell says several companies remain on a waiting list.
Meanwhile, nearly 40 speakers have been lined up, including nine keynoters. The latest keynote speaker to sign on is Jim Salchenberg, project director and director of engineering services for Roseburg Forest Products. Salchenberg is leading Roseburg’s new laminated veneer lumber (LVL) plant venture in Chester, South Carolina.
Other keynoters addressing new projects include Roy O Martin III, CEO and president of RoyOMartin, who will speak about his company’s new OSB plant startup in Corrigan, Tex.
Erik Christensen, CEO, and Norm Voss, project manager, will address Swiss Krono’s new MDF-HDF mill being built in Barnwell, SC.
A Suppliers Keynote Session will feature Dave Jones, global vice president of Hexion, speaking on Accelerating Global Wood Products Growth; Bernd Bielfeldt, GM over Dieffenbacher’s Wood Business, addressing Digitalization and Automation in North America; and Scott Springer, product specialist, speaking about the former steel belt manufacturer Sandvik’s transition into a new company.
A special session on mass plywood panel and cross laminated timber will be held the second morning, Saturday April 14, with representatives from Freres Lumber and IB X-LAM USA addressing their respective projects.
That session will run in parallel to a session on International Developments, featuring several highly regarded experts such as Bob Flynn of RISI and Kip Howlett of Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Assn.
Other sessions during the conference will cover Air & Water Treatment, Production & Energy Savings, Quality Control, Industry Developments, Heat Energy, Adhesives & Bonding, and Safety Technology.
The event will end Saturday with a special anniversary Mimosa Brunch, recognizing the 10th anniversary since the first PELICE was held in 2008; followed by a cash prize drawing.