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Sept/Oct 2014
CALENDAR

October 15-17, 2014
Portland, OR

Wood Solutions Fair
October 23, 2014
Portland, OR

NAWLA 2014 Traders Market
November 12-14, 2014
Chicago, IL

November 12, 2014
Arlington, TX

January 20-22, 2015
Las Vegas, NV

January 27, 2015
Oakland, CA

March 4, 2015
Atlanta, GA

June 7-12, 2015
Grand Teton National Park, WY

June 10-12, 2015
Atlanta, GA

QUICK LINKS




 
QUOTE
"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children." 

-- John James Audubon
(1785-1851)
American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter

 
 

As someone who has spent their entire career working in the wood products industry, I sometimes find myself having to justify the work I do to people who are concerned about nature and the environment.  The presumption is that since I work in an industry that relies on cutting down trees, I must not be concerned about those things, and nothing could be further from the truth.  I wouldn't call myself a "tree hugger" but working in the wood products industry doesn't have to be incompatible with also being concerned about the environment. 

 

But it sometimes helps to be reminded why wood is such a truly environmental building material, and I got such a reminder last week.  In his GoWood blog that takes "a lighter look at the world of wood, forestry, and renewable energy," Dr. Charles Ray of Penn State University tells of the stave churches in Norway, the oldest of which is believed to be built in 1130, almost 900 years ago (see photo).  

Stavkirke, or stave church
 in Urnes, Norway

Wood, as a building material, has proven to be durable enough to last for centuries.  But in doing so it also sequesters carbon that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere decades, or centuries, ago.  

 

There's no denying the benefits we get from trees, but there is also value and benefits in the wood that comes from them. So for someone like me who has a lifelong interest in construction but is also concerned about the environment, working in the wood products industry seems, well, natural. 

 

May the forest be with you!

 

  

Steve G. Winistorfer, PE

CEO and President
TECO


    
TECO WELCOMES NEW CLIENT 

Omak, WA
Plywood for PS 1 and CSA certification
 
TECO Training:  Plywood Staff in Wisconsin

From September 29 - October 1, TECO hosted a training session at its corporate office in Wisconsin for all of TECO's Plywood Technicians, Inspectors and Auditors.  The trip to Madison was a first for some in the group, which included staff from five states, plus Canada and Brazil. In addition to spending time improving their skills to grade veneer and panels, the group toured the USDA Forest Products Laboratory and participated in an interactive presentation by Leaders' Edge 360 founder Randy Goruk on what it takes to be the "perfect TECO ambassador."  

 

TECO staff on State Street in Madison,
with Wisconsin state capitol building in the background.

 

 

U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition
As part of the Obama administration's commitment to mitigate climate change, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Softwood Lumber Board and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, has announced the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition.  This competitive prize, open to teams of architects, engineers, and developers, will showcase the architectural and commercial viability of advanced wood products like Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in tall buildings. 

Advanced wood products are becoming the latest innovation in tall building construction. Products like CLT are flexible, strong, and fire resistant. In construction, wood products can be used as a successful and sustainable alternative to concrete, masonry, and steel. Using wood also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by storing carbon and simultaneously offsetting emissions from conventional building materials. 



Statistical Process Control Seminars at U of Tennessee

From Timothy M. Young, Ph.D., Professor:

 

"Statistical process control or 'SPC' is an important statistical tool for panel producers in reducing product variation, lowering costs, improving product value, and sustaining competitive position.   How can SPC help panel producers?  The main benefit of SPC is to quantify variation and separate such variation into two types: common-cause (natural) and special-cause variation. I'm not sure how a manufacturer can reduce variation in a process or product without first quantifying such variation. 

 

The control chart is the starting point or genesis for continuous improvement. Control charts measure the current state of variability over time and are essential for root cause analyses for reducing variability in the future. As Taguchi noted, operating targets are a direct function of the amount of process variation. The control chart is also a preventive tool and early warning device. The 'key' is to keep SPC efforts highly focused on the 'critical few' variables that represent significant costs to the organization, e.g., weight, thickness, sand-off, time-to-final position, etc.  Keep continuous improvement efforts simple, but highly focused!" 

 

Feel free to contact Professor Young at tmyoung1@utk.edu or 865.946.1119 if you have any questions or require any additional information.  You can visit his website at www.spc4lean.com for more information, or follow these links to three upcoming seminars:

 

Statisical Process Control and Lean Methods

November 4-6, 2014


Advanced Statistical Methods and Data Mining

December 2-5, 2014


Design of Experiments in Manufacturing Systems

December 9-11, 2014


 

TECO Impartiality Committee

TECO's Impartiality Committee met on October 8 at TECO's corporate office in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.  The Committee was established in order to comply with the Guide 65, now ISO 17065, requirements that certification agencies like TECO have a method to ensure that its actions and decisions are impartial.  The Committee's charge is to conduct, at minimum, an annual review of TECO's corporate structure and policies and to provide recommendations for improvements. 

 

The Committee is comprised of three professionals with varied backgrounds:  a Housing Inspection Supervisor and registered PE from the City of Madison's (WI) Building Inspection Division; a Project Manager and registered PE from consulting engineering firm J3 Engineering of Mequon, WI; and a Supervisory Research Engineer and PhD from the USDA's Forest Products Laboratory. 

 

The Committee concluded that TECO is acting impartially in it certification activities, and was complementary on the lengths we take to protect that and our other Guiding Principles.  TECO's Guiding Principles include Impartiality and can be viewed at the following links:

 

Guiding Principles

 

Impartiality Policy 

 

For more information, contact TECO's staff representative on the Impartiality Committee, Steve Winistorfer via email or phone (608-403-4197).