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Missed previous Wood Connections issues? 

CAWP offers a Management Skills Training Program as a set of 8 short, affordable training courses for wood products manufacturers. We are offering two management skills training courses from June 9th to July 21st, 2014

-       New Product Development

-       Supply Chain Management

On June 12th and 13th CAWP  invites you to two days of workshops 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 with expert technical knowledge and practitioners with significant experience using the technology will present in an informal environment that will encourage two-way Q&A and knowledge sharing throughout each day. 

Who Should Attend?

• Existing users of CNC-controlled timber processing equipment and those considering investing in such technology (for Day 2 in particular) 
• Architects, designers, and engineers wishing to better understand how digital design and manufacturing tools are impacting the design-fabrication-construction continuum (for Day 1 in particular) 

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

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/

How can you enhance the look of your exhibit at your next show, without breaking the bank? Like any outfit you've had for a while, adding accessories can give you a whole new look.

Some of the greatest exhibit designs today use simple accessories to create a new look at their shows, or add a little "punch" to their exhibit. Just like that scarf that adds the right color to an outfit, accessories can add the graphic or addition to your booth you need.

LOOK UP: With the addition of finials or design elements and blocks of color to your exhibit, you can really highlight your corporate colors and create a nice, finished look. Try adding additional lighting to an area within the exhibit to enhance a graphic or a particular area of the booth. You could also use colorwash LED lights to change colors and add some interest to your exhibit.

LOOK DOWN: Just like the right shoes can complete an outfit, exhibitors are now considering the floor as an integral part of their booth design. Flooring can really enhance the overall design by adding richness, tying together your branding, or enhancing the overall environment. To give a more high-class feel to your booth, consider using deep and rich colors for your flooring. This can easily be done with flex-flooring solutions as a cost-effective addition. If you want to maintain an industrial image, use something like brushed metal flooring. No matter what look you're going for, choose something that is unique and customizable to your message and brand.

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This year, BC Wood is planning a return to the Mexican market to look at opportunities for BC's wood products. Mexico is a market which was showing good initial promise prior to the economic and construction downturn in the United States in 2008. Even during the downturn, Mexico's dependence on imported wood products, now at US $1.4 billion per year, has been increasing at 5.5% annually. Softwoods comprise the vast majority of wood products imported into Mexico with some hardwoods used primarily in the furniture industry (hard maple and alder are popular imports).

Almost half of the total wood imports come from the US; much of this share is vulnerable to Canadian competition. Deforestation remains a severe problem and Mexico's substandard infrastructure compels the country to rely on foreign sources of wood products. As the US and Canadian economies continue to expand, it is expected that Mexico will be forced to depend on larger and larger volumes of wood imports. In 2012, Canada exported almost $17 million of manufactured wood products to Mexico. This was an increase of 30.1% from the previous year. BC's share of this total was $6 million, a year over year increase of 49%.

BC Wood will coordinate the exhibition of member companies at the Expo CIHAC in Mexico City. Expo CIHAC is the premier event in Mexico and Latin America for the construction industry. This trade event focuses on the importers and distributors of construction and building products, but also goods that are used in industrial application like the packaging and furniture manufacturing sectors. The Expo CIHAC will be a suitable fit for many suppliers for hardwood and softwood lumber and other wood based building materials.

BC Wood will also coordinate a trade mission component post CIHAC that will take participants to directly visit and meet with Mexican wood importers, distributors, and manufacturers. Member companies that participate in this event will have an opportunity to gain first-hand market intelligence, meet with qualified buyers, and increase the sales potential of their products. For more information on CIHAC trade show and the proposed mission 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...

Last week, I participated in the Modular and Offsite Construction Conference at the University of Alberta. There were lots of interesting stuff and good speakers, but what impressed me most was how far this type of construction has improved over the last decade. It wasn't long ago that the word modular was synonymous with the mobile home parked permanently at the trailer park. Back then, your choices were based on width, single wide or double wide. Today, modular construction is seen as the best solution for reducing costs and construction time and in the end, a very high quality product. Of interest was how modular builders and suppliers are being driven by the boom in the energy sector. Growth in oil, gas, and potash across western North America and the need to house thousands of workers in remote regions have led to vast improvements in modular construction. Also, with a relatively short construction window in colder parts of the continent, companies have turned to factory and modular construction to meet their needs. This sector is one to certainly watch over the next while as I suspect that more firms will require that construction activity be completed in the controlled conditions of a factory rather than on site.  

One of the companies leading the way in modular construction and one to keep an eye on is Landmark Homes in Edmonton. This company has been around for 30 years and in that time, has become a leader in the design, construction, and erection of pre-built housing across the province of Alberta. They are not dissimilar to BC Wood members, Viceroy and Pacific Homes in that they design and build high quality energy efficient homes in a factory setting. Where Landmark differs is that they have a house from foundation to lock up in two days. In essence, all components of the house are constructed in the factory including the porch, staircases and even the roof with asphalt shingles and all. The benefit of their business model is amazingly quick construction time; the weakness, in my opinion, is that they are subject to a relatively small region on where they can sell their product as everything has to be trucked to site. Currently, they are producing 80 homes a month in their factory and shipping up to 125 kilometer radius around Edmonton. The automation in their factory is state of the art and impressive to see. As mentioned, if they ever figure out how to ship in containers rather than truck, then then they will have a highly exportable world class product.

The Korea Wood Fair 2014