Karl Aicher

Director Project Engineering
Grenzebach

Wood Fiber Insulation Batts: Properties, Use and Production Process

This presentation will explain what wood fiber insulation is, the physical properties of WFI, how it compares to other insulation materials, where it’s used in buildings and how it is made—from wood chips to batts.

Timothy Chaffee

Business Director
Wanhua Chemical (America) Co., Ltd.

Closing Technological Gaps of Isocyanate Wood Binders

While polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (PMDI) binders for composite wood products could be considered mature technology, a significant portion of the market continues using formaldehyde-based binders due to a perception that PMDI cannot work for them. Wanhua continues to innovate in the wood binder space and has closed many of the technological gaps that limit PMDI as an option for any composite wood products producer. Three of these innovations are discussed—fast-cure PMDI, PMDI accelerator, and PMDI tackifier. Fast-cure PMDI binder (WANNATE 9131FC) can be used to manufacture more sustainable molded wood pallets at 50% higher production rate with 54% lower thickness swell for improved water resistance and 133% higher static load compared to pallets made with urea-formaldehyde binders. Wanhua’s PMDI accelerator (WANOL C3110) can be used with standard PMDI binder to increase line speed 10-20%, or it can be used to maintain line speed at reduced press temperatures. Lastly, many of the world’s particleboard manufacturing lines cannot operate without tack (or green strength) in the pre-pressed fiber mat. Adding Wanhua’s tackifier (WANALYST KC367N) along with standard PMDI binder improves tack from 3 cm to 20 cm, giving the fiber mat the tack needed to traverse the manufacturing line from formation to hot pressing.

Christian Dieffenbacher

CEO
Dieffenbacher

Future-Oriented by Tradition: How 150-Year-Old Family-Owned Dieffenbacher Is Driving Digitalization and Sustainability in the Wood-Based Panels Industry

Under the motto “150 years of transformation on solid ground,” German family-owned Dieffenbacher, a leading manufacturer of press systems and complete production plants for the wood-based panels industry, celebrated its 150th company anniversary in 2023. One of the threads that run through the company’s history is transformation. Dieffenbacher presses transform a wide variety of materials into useful products, while Dieffenbacher the company has permanently transformed itself to help industry and society address increasingly complex challenges. Among those challenges is the careful use of the earth’s valuable resources. Sustainability has already been part of Dieffenbacher’s strategy since 2019 and is one of its most important corporate goals. Another complex challenge is digitalization. Introduced in 2021, Dieffenbacher’s digital platform EVORIS has long since successfully established itself on the market with more than 20 references worldwide.

Cory Elliott

Senior Project Manager
Crow Engineering

The Future and the Fundamentals

Technological advancements have created opportunity for transformative change in our industry. Adopting AI based control systems will enable human like responses to the process, a constraint that has limited automation in the past. With this opportunity comes warning, knowledge of, and adherence to, process fundamentals will be evermore important to capture the opportunity these technologies create. Crow Engineering and their AI partner RIOS’ approach to plant modernization embeds this thinking in their designs, seeking first to provide solutions that work, enhance process tolerances, and enable operators to move into more supportive roles.

Lorne Fardy

Director, Product Development
Kadant Carmanah Design

Using Smart-Connected Technology to Improve Stranding and OSB Production

Very little attention is dedicated to tracking and analyzing the log stranding process in an oriented strandboard (OSB) mill. Decisions about how to set up, operate and maintain a strander and its components are traditionally influenced by the quality and throughput seen downstream at the press. To help green end production managers gain more visibility across their stranding operation in real-time, Kadant Carmanah has developed, installed, and thoroughly field-tested ARGUS condition monitoring sensors and camera systems for the SmartRING strander. This presentation highlights what we at Kadant Carmanah are learning based on the data we are collecting, as well as the significant impact we are seeing in how smart-connected technology is helping green end production managers optimize the productivity, efficiency and profitability of their stranding operation.

Paul Gavin

Sales Manager (North America)
Biele Group

Digital Solutions and Production Control in Press Lines

Biele Group, by means of its Biele Digital company is integrating digital solutions and capturing process data, turning them into valuable insights, to improve efficiency of the lines, minimizing rejects and allowing a more accurate and controlled production. These solutions are especially interesting in those lines where presses are included and accurate control of each pressing parameter is key for a proper final product. Biele will show practical examples where the different solutions offered by Biele Digital are being used.

Stuart Gray

CEO
Roseburg

Looking Back to Look Forward: The History and Future of Roseburg Forest Products

Stuart addresses how the history of Roseburg illuminates its future. Key strengths that enabled the company to survive and thrive over the decades pave the path to continued growth and making more lives better from the ground up.

Todd Havican

Sales Director
Fagus GreCon

Emerging Technologies in Spark Detection and Extinguishing

This presentation includes a review of new technology in spark detection and extinguishing, highlighting what this new technology does to better protect facilities.

Topics to be covered include 

1) Types of ignition sources and types of detectors that should be used to detect these sources
2) New Detector – Intelligent DLD 1/9 spark detector and how this detector uniquely can detect the spectrum of ignition sources: mechanically generated sparks, burning material, hot particles and smoldering nests
3) Extinguishment Process – discussing the importance of spraying patterns, calculations of distance from detection and the amount of water to be used
4) New Intelligent Extinguishment Module (IEM) that helps predict maintenance to keep systems safer and more reliable – optimizing maintenance costs.

Steve Jaasund

Senior Product Manager
LDX Solutions

Emission Requirements for the Wood Products Industry—What Will the Future Bring?

The engineered wood products industry is a young industry. Its growth since World War II has been in parallel with the growth of the environmental movement. Because the manufacturing processes that are the mainstay of the industry are known as significant sources of air emissions, the parallel development of emission control regulations has been a continuing concern for the industry. This presentation will summarize the history of emission control performance in the industry and, from this perspective, offer a view of the where future regulations will take the industry.

Bo Johansson

V.P. Sales Building Material
LIMAB AB

Benefits with In-Process Non-Contact Dimensional Measurements

LIMAB supplies laser based in-line solutions at several locations in the production line with high accuracy and a minimum of maintenance and total cost of ownership. LIMAB has system references all over the world and has supplied more than 1,000 systems, whereof around 150 systems of the PanelProfiler.

Greg Lewis

Vice President, Wood Panels
Forest Economic Advisors

Strong Demographic Tailwinds Will Support Wood Panel Demand Mid-Decade

Following near-term market weakness in late 2023 and the first part of 2024, FEA expects healthy demand growth to resume in 2025. Construction markets will improve and absorb the growth in capacity.

Hanoch Magid

CEO
SMARTECH

Revolutionizing the Wood-Based Panel Industry Through the Power of AI Technology

SMARTECH solutions can help wood-based panel manufacturers to reduce significantly the use of raw materials (wax and resin); increase productivity; improve quality and stability; reduce environmental impact; and stay ahead of the competition.

Torben Marhenke

Team Leader R&D
Fagus-GreCon

Next Level of Panel Quality Measurement

By using new and innovative measuring principles, Fagus-GreCon has raised the quality control of wood-based materials to a new level. Laser spectroscopy makes it possible to reduce the measuring time for formaldehyde determination from six hours to 15 minutes. The result is very repeatable and does not require manual analysis. Along with laser spectroscopy, several new applications have been developed based on profile laser sensors. Most recently an inspection solution for the furniture and door frame industry was launched. Edges from furniture panels or door frames are measured three-dimensionally and inspected for defects. The measurement is independent of the color of the components and no learning or teaching process is required. Furthermore, a solution for three-dimensional particle classification was launched. The three-dimensional information about the particle allows conclusions about the particle geometry, glue consumption and the mechanical properties of the particleboard.

Also of interest for particleboard production is the segmented scalper. So far, it has been successfully used in fiberboard and OSB board production. By streamlining the design and a new material discharge, it is now possible to integrate the scalper into the forming machines of particleboard and thus to control the weight per unit area in the best possible way.

Roy O. Martin III

Chairman, CEO, CFO
Martco

Empowering Culture: Navigating Change While Preserving a Culture of Excellence

As RoyOMartin is amid growth and will be facing upcoming organizational transitions, Roy will discuss how sustaining current company culture and empowering leadership will be crucial in navigating these changes. He’ll highlight the need to empower individuals within the organization to adapt and thrive while preserving the core values and RICHES that define the current culture of excellence. With the recent grand-opening of RoyOMartin’s new state-of-the-art OSB mill expansion in Corrigan, Texas, and 100-year anniversary celebration, it is imperative that our commitment to excellence continues as we look forward to the next 100 years. As with every company, succession planning is a vital aspect that cannot be overlooked. As we move forward, the next generation of leaders must be prepared to carry our legacy forward into the next century. Our leaders play a critical role in setting the tone, providing guidance, and aligning organizational vision with the current culture. Organizations need to strike a balance between embracing change and preserving a culture of excellence. Change should not be viewed as a threat to the established values and principles but rather as an opportunity for growth and adaptation. By embracing change without compromising our core values, RoyOMartin will unlock the potential for continued success and excellence.

Conor McElveen

Sales Director, Aftermarket
Kadant Carmanah Design

Using Smart-Connected Technology to Improve Stranding and OSB Production

Very little attention is dedicated to tracking and analyzing the log stranding process in an oriented strandboard (OSB) mill. Decisions about how to set up, operate and maintain a strander and its components are traditionally influenced by the quality and throughput seen downstream at the press. To help green end production managers gain more visibility across their stranding operation in real-time, Kadant Carmanah has developed, installed, and thoroughly field-tested ARGUS condition monitoring sensors and camera systems for the SmartRING strander. This presentation highlights what we at Kadant Carmanah are learning based on the data we are collecting, as well as the significant impact we are seeing in how smart-connected technology is helping green end production managers optimize the productivity, efficiency and profitability of their stranding operation.

Nick Milestone

Director, Project Execution
Mercer Mass Timber

Innovation in Mass Timber and Hybrid Building Systems

The learnings and innovations gathered through decades in the off-site construction industry have helped to develop a successful hybrid construction business model utilizing the key components of glulam, cross-laminated timber, structural timber cassettes, structural steel and light gauge steel framing technology for the residential, education, leisure, commercial and retail markets.

Matthew O’Malia

Co-Founder
TimberHP

Using Smart-Connected Technology to Improve Stranding and OSB Production

A new generation of prefabricated, wood composite panels is coming to the North America market, outfitted with an ingredient that will change the future of renovation and new construction: high performing, carbon storing wood fiber insulation. These climate friendly, all wood assemblies marry this game changing insulation, now being manufactured domestically, with CLT, mass timber, oriented strandboard and medium density fiberboard.

At TimberHP’s manufacturing plant, a renovated and repurposed former paper mill in Maine, shipments of wood waste—low-grade chips and woody debris—are pre-steamed, refined, treated with adhesives and with borate for fire retardancy, sent through flash tube dryers and high efficiency cyclones and made into loose fill, batt, and board insulation—carbon storing, high performing and priced for mainstream market adoption. Wood fiber insulation is then shipped across the state to OPAL Build, a TimberHP sister business, where it’s used—along with CLT and mass timber—to make fully recyclable, zero waste, prefabricated panels for all wood building systems. Co-founder of TimberHP and principal at OPAL Architecture, Matthew will discuss this novel approach to new construction and renovation and look at ongoing building projects using these panelized assemblies, their efficiency, their environmental and performance attributes, their ability to be effective in a wide variety of building types and their potential to be scaled to meet the growing renovation and new construction demands in North America.

Guillermo Velarde

Principal
AFRY Management Consulting

North American Wood Panels Outlook: Future Opportunities for the North American Industry

Wood products demand and outlooks are corrected by many macroeconomic drivers, but in this market it is very closely tied to construction spending and furniture production. Structural and non-structural panels benefit from higher construction spending both in new construction and in repair and remodeling in both residential and commercial end-use applications. Global macro-economic conditions and market constrains make the North American market an attractive region for exports, new investments, in both wood-based panels and engineered wood products, and acquisitions of existing assets. Understanding all the variables will be necessary today more than ever for domestic producers to take advantage of the opportunities that are to come in this market. The race in this market will depend on competitiveness, product offering, commodity vs value-added, geographical access, product performance, differentiation, and regulations. Surfacing materials and novel uses of wood products continues to be an important topic in this market that drives product demand. Product substitution both positive and negative will also affect the industry. As we grow the overall wood products per capita consumption in North America, the “winners” will be those preparing for the shifts and not those waiting to react. These and other relevant questions will be addressed to help the North American wood products industry make informed decisions to help it grow and build value.