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The Centre for Advanced Wood Processing invites you to two days of workshops focused on advanced computer-controlled fabrication of timber building components and structures. The event will discuss current and emerging technologies used to fabricate wood elements such as posts, beams, floor and wall panels, and other building components. Specialists from Canada, the US, and Germany with expert technical knowledge will present in an informal environment that will encourage two-way Q&A and knowledge sharing throughout each day. BC innovators, Daizen Joinery, Fraserwood Industries, and others will share their significant experience using the technology.

Who Should Attend?

• Existing users of CNC-controlled timber processing equipment and those considering investing in such technology
• Architects, designers and engineers wishing to better understand how digital design and manufacturing tools are impacting the design-fabrication-construction continuum

We invite participants to sign up for one or other of the two workshop days - or both - depending on their specific interests

DAY 1 Theme: Digital Fabrication and Its Impacts on Design and Construction (10am to 4pm)

DAY 2 Theme: The Hundegger ROBOT Drive Machine and the Future for CNC for Timber Construction 

For more information and a full agenda call 1-866-822-2297 or visit the CAWP website: http://cawp.ubc.ca/digital-design-construction-of-timber-structures-workshop-2014/

Trade show newbies can face a lot of stress and worry when they're getting ready to exhibit with their trade show booths. If you're planning on taking your display to an event, here are a couple of beginner tips that will make the process less stressful and more enjoyable.

Tip #1: Don't Be Afraid To Ask For A Discount For Services For Your Trade  

Show Booths Your booth isn't the only trade show cost you'll have when you're exhibiting. You'll need to pay for exhibit space, shipping your display, promotional materials, electrical work, storage, and a host of other fees. You can just pay the list price for each of these items, but instead ask if there's a discount available. Many organizations will provide discounts for non-profit organizations, if you pay in cash, or if you meet certain deadlines. The worst that can happen is that the vendor refuses to give you a discount, so there's no harm in asking.

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Rumin Mann

Westeck Windows & Doors, locally owned and operated from their Chilliwack, BC, head office, specializes in serving the custom home, multi-family, and light commercial markets. By partnering with clients from the design stage through project completion, Westeck ensures that no detail is overlooked.

Westeck began in 2000 as a small vinyl window company. By being progressive in nature, their product lines grew and this small company evolved into an innovative window and door manufacturer with 150 employees, 2 manufacturing facilities, and 5 well-appointed showrooms found in Chilliwack, Vancouver, Kelowna, Victoria, and Nanaimo.

They have a full in-house test facility, allowing for improved research and product development. The result is the most diverse and comprehensive collection of BC manufactured compliant window and door products. Both windows and doors are AAMA/WDMA/CSA-101/I.S.2/ A440 and A440S1-09 (NAFs08) compliant.

Westeck combines the latest in wood working technology with the expertise and craftsmanship of skilled and dedicated staff, culminating in quality, precision-built window and door products to suit any architectural or design request. Windows are available in solid wood, metal clad wood, and vinyl clad wood. Doors are available in all North American swing and bi-folding configurations, as well as in a Lift and Slide patio door. Products come standard in Douglas-fir, but can be produced in many alternative wood species including the revolutionary Accoya Wood.

All rail and stile door slabs are built in-house allowing customers ultimate design flexibility. Customers can design the slab using any panel and/or glass options without the restriction of industry standard sizing. All metal clad full lite slabs, wood full lite slabs, and now wood panel doors are built from thick veneered LVL core stile. LVL core material has greater dimensional stability and strength-to-weight ratios than lumber and OSB components. This virtually eliminates cupping and bowing while keeping the stile and rails uniformly straight, flat and true.

Westeck strives to design, develop, and deliver exceptional products, and service, while allowing customers unparalleled design flexibility and performance. For more information, please call 1-877-606-1166 or visit westeckwindows.com.

Roy Manion  

Happy New Year!

As you most likely have read in other articles, BC Wood's fiscal year began on April 1st therefore; I thought I would take this opportunity to review activities as they related to the Specifier Program throughout the 2013 - 2014 fiscal which ended, of course on Monday, March 31st.

Last year, on behalf of and with companies from our industry, BC Wood organized and implemented 49 specifier events including 40 lunch and learn sessions, primarily with architects and at their premises, plus off site group seminars and factory tours. What struck me the most is that, unlike previous years, the majority of these sessions were driven by industry. That is, many companies participating in the Specifiers Program contacted me with names of specific architectural or design firms they wanted present to and BC Wood was able to set up sessions in each and every case. I can't think of one instance of being turned down which speaks both to the relationships BC Wood has developed with the specifier community - and the reputation for having first class seminars.

BC Wood participated for the first time in two major associations' conferences: AIBC's annual conference which was a joint affair with AIA's Pacific Regional event, and the Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) Conference. We exhibited at both with our booth featuring many industry products. The primary purpose was to provide exposure for industry products and to connect and network with architects and contractors.

We also attended a variety of trade shows both here and in Alberta including IDSwest, Buildex Calgary and Buildex in Vancouver. In all three shows, BC Wood sponsored a "BC Wood Pavilion" in which a number of companies from industry participated, with each having their own individual booths.

Another first for BC Wood was our entry into the US Pacific Northwest and Alberta specifier communities (including architects, designers, contractors and engineers). In the US, accompanied by 5 companies from industry, we held specifier seminars in Seattle, Portland and Spokane. A total of 100 specifiers registered for the 3 events. In Alberta, we were accompanied by 4 companies from industry and held seminars in Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge for which 70 companies registered. Not only was this a great opportunity for the companies to present their products to these specifiers - in an educational format - but also for the participating companies to get to know one another and to learn about each others products and companies. Not only were the participating companies at each group of seminars non-competitive by design, but complementary, which opens the door to referring other company's products should the situation arise.

Aside from the obvious benefits for the participating companies in meeting face to face with all these specifiers, there are also a couple of other side benefits. One of them is that BC Wood had to become registered providers with both the AIA (nationally) and the Association of Alberta Architects (AAA) which was necessary so we could offer attending architects in both regions the incentive of much needed credits. The other very positive benefit is that in order to reach out to these architects we needed to develop a working data base of the specifiers in these two regions in order to send out the invitations. Now that we have both of these tools in our belt, we expect them to bode well for our GBM this September when we will be sending invitations directly to these architects and to offer them credits for attending. We are both hoping and expecting a good turnout at the GBM from architects in both these new markets.

Last but definitely not least was another very successful GBM which, for the architects, was full of opportunities to learn about industry products directly from the exhibitors with our mini seminar series (which we affectionately call our "speed learning program"); hear from architects from Finland, Germany and New Zealand as well as local experts; and to network with their peers. The turnout by the specifier community at our last GBM was one of the best on record.

All in all, it was a very active year with many "firsts" and accomplishments, all of which we plan to build on over the next 12 months. As soon as details from our funding partners are finalized, we will be out with our new Specifiers Program. While we would like as many companies from industry as possible to participate, we need to cap at 25 in order for the program to be effective. If you aren't involved in the program but want to be and want further information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com. I would be pleased to meet with you to discuss the 2014/2015 Specifiers Program and how it can benefit your firm.

India's growing demand for forest products and the very large volumes of high quality forest products that BC mills can potentially supply was generally recognized by all the industry representatives I spoke to. The question remains, however, will the price levels that BC mills can expect from the India market match levels that they can achieve in other markets?The India market is at this time, very price conscious and SPF lumber is currently positioned against very competitively priced Southern Yellow Pine and Radiata Pine. Other opportunities may also exist for Industrial grades of Western Hemlock, Douglas Fir and Yellow Cedar, but, there are again, competitively priced alternatives that these species will be positioned against.

The visitors to BC Industry display came from a broad range of wood related industries, including architects, interior designers, builders, lumber distributors and end-users such as furniture, door and window manufacturers. The BC companies attending the INDIAWOOD trade fair had an excellent opportunity to gather a great deal of first-hand intelligence and connect with potential customers. An additional three-day mission, organized by FII's India market staff, visited a number of forest products end-users and further enhanced the understanding of market conditions and practices for the company representative.

With the on-going support of the BC Industry, BC Wood plans to return to India in February, 2015 to participate in another wood products trade fair and investigate opportunities for BC's forest products in the Delhi region of India. For more information on the recently completed INDIAWOOD trade fair and BC Wood's plans for the market in the fiscal year please contact Brian Hawrysh at 604-882-7100 or by email at bhawrysh@bcwood.com.

A few comments, suggestions, and ideas that may be of interest...

I have seen a lot of unique and interesting things in my years at BC Wood, but my trip last month to Montana to participate in the Billings Home Improvement show has to be near the top of the list for being just plain weird. But, before I tell you why, I should give some background information on the event. The promotional literature aptly describes the event as the largest home and builders show in the Rocky Mountain States attracting over 650 exhibitors and 30,000 attendees over the three day duration of the event.

I have no issue with the number of attendees, in fact 30,000 may be on the low side as the exhibit halls were jam packed with people from the time the show opened to near closing every day.

The problem I have is with the name. Call me an elitist trade show snob, but no "Home Improvement or Builders Show" in good standing would allow a Mary Kay cosmetics stand to display their wares next to Husqvarna chain saw display; or for that matter, the stand selling cute little puppies, right next to the little old lady selling jams jellies and marmalade. In fact, there were lots of food displays and stalls making me wonder if the good people of Montana were a bit obsessed with sausages, beef jerky, bison burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, and other fine assortments of meaty goods being flogged at the show. It sure seemed like the vendors selling meat products were busy.

The exhibitor who broke the proverbial camel's back was the Taxidermist. Situated directly across from the Lindal Cedar Homes booth was Perfect Image Taxidermy, displaying a fully stuffed mountain lion ready to pounce on any unsuspecting passerby. Having live animals next to stuffed animals, next to the Mary Kay lady, was all just a little too much. It made the event, part carnival, part country fair, and if not for the 100 or so exhibitors showcasing construction products, part builders show.

The good news is that the five BC Wood members who chose to exhibit in Billings all had a good event with strong leads and sales opportunities resulting from their participation. Members including Linwood, Viceroy, and Pacific Homes always seemed busy, with people stopping by looking to build single and multi-family residential projects across the State. The Oil and Gas sector continues to drive the economy in Montana and many of the attendees I spoke to had just returned from working in the oil patch of the Dakotas. They were at the show with family and kids in tow, ready to spend money on pre-built housing, sausages, cosmetics, or a stuffed elks head. As I said, the show was good... but, weird.

Since the 9.0 earthquake and following monster tsunami on March 11th, 2011, I have been to the affected area literally dozens of times. The first trip was about a month after the disaster, so along with two COFI staff, I was able to see the tremendous scale of the devastation. Based on that first trip, BC Wood and our Canada Wood partners put together the Canada-Tohoku Reconstruction Project which kept me going back on a regular basis.

During the first year, efforts focused on cleaning-up flattened communities and disposing of the rubble (to the south containing the Fukushima nuclear reactors has of course been the highest priority). Having seen the mountains of garbage that had once been coastal towns, I was impressed by the speed and thoroughness of the clean-up process. However, once most of the debris had been removed by the winter of 2011, progress seemed to get bogged down and signs of rebuilding were very few. This made our first two reconstruction projects special as they were pushed through and led to hope in the communities. Unfortunately these early successes became lonely exceptions.

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