UBC - Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) will be offering two online courses: Sales & Marketing; and  New Product Development, starting May 4 - June 15, 2015.  These wood products industry specific courses are designed for owners, managers, supervisors or management tracked employees.  These are not academic courses and the skills learned can be applied immediately to the work place.  Each part-time course is led by a tutor with extensive industry experience. 

For more information on the courses, please click on the following link: Management Skill Training

Training Funding available for Canadian companies, click here for more information.

BC Jobs Grant - Training Funding

The courses also qualify for training funding through BC Jobs Grant.  Please visit the following website: https://www.workbc.ca/canadabcjobgrant for more information or call Jason Chiu at 604-822-0082 

A comprehensive, hands-on introduction to drying technology taught from a practical, real-life perspective and backed with solid explanations into the scientific background of drying. 

This highly-regarded workshop discusses the key processes and concepts involved in drying wood. Beginning with wood properties and moisture movement, students become familiar with kiln design considerations, drying schedules and kiln loading considerations. Other topics include drying with air, drying degrade, lumber storage and handling, control systems and power plants.

Date: June 8th - 12th, 2015

Location: Centre for Advanced Wood Processing, Vancouver, BC

For more information and to register, click here or contact Jason at  Jason.chiu@ubc.ca 

Anyone who has ever been part of the creative process knows firsthand that designing trade show exhibits can prove a challenge in all the best and worst ways. Creatively, business executives love getting the chance to flex their marketing muscles and design trade show exhibits that effectively capture the very essence of their brand. However, achieving that goal can prove a daunting challenge.   

There are 6 creative "must haves" in your final design strategy and they can help propel your trade show exhibits ahead of the competition and make an impact at your marketing event. When designing your trade show exhibit, consider the following:

Your Brand
Effectively capturing your corporate brand image throughout your exhibit is one of the most critical ways to captivate your audience. Don't have a consistent brand identity? Partner with a professional design team to help you create one, not only for live marketing events, but for all of your promotional functions.

J&S Reclaimed Wood Custom Furniture is a studio workshop in Vancouver, BC Canada. Their team rescues local antique wood from dilapidated heritage buildings, old barns, abandoned industrial buildings, unwanted pallets, and fallen logs. They take pride in turning unwanted material into beautiful timeless pieces of handmade furniture for homes and businesses.

Partners, Josh Hooge and Steve McFarlane have generations of wood workers in their ancestry with Josh's reaching back to the 1600's in Germany. In 2012, they started building reclaimed wood furniture as a hobby in their backyard. After decorating their own home, friends and family soon noticed their talent and began requesting pieces of furniture for their own houses. Word traveled and orders started piling up, necessitating a move of production to a small east Vancouver garage.

In 2012, J&S Reclaimed Wood Custom Furniture was founded. Growing commercial attention required moving to a much larger workshop and the hiring of staff to assist with full time production. Every single step of production is done by the J&S team onsite from designing to building to sanding and finishing. Every piece is engineered to suit their customer's lifestyle and design needs. They focus on highlighting the unique natural beauty of the raw materials, while designing each piece of furniture to be durable, simple, and functional. Not only is it environmentally sustainable and eco-friendly, each piece they make has its own unique story that we want to preserve for years to come.

In 2015, they received recognition from the Industry Training Authority for ongoing sponsorship of interns from a local women's trades training program. They provide hands-on training, practical skills, and exposure to a real world shop environment in preparation for apprenticeship in the trade. The majority of these interns have gone on to successfully pursue careers in the woodworking industry, some as apprentices on the J&S team.

Watch the video below for more on J&S Reclaimed Wood Custom Furniture (if you can not see the video link below, click here: https://youtu.be/oZgnraXZkMY): 

For more information on J&S Reclaimed Wood Custom Furniture, visit their website:  www.jsreclaimedwood.com   

BC Wood will coordinate the exhibition of member companies at the EXPO CIHAC MEXICO CITY 2015 together with a trade mission component to meet Mexican wood importers, distributors, manufacturers, and visit construction sites. Member companies that participate in this event will have an opportunity to gain first-hand market intelligence, further develop their Mexico market network, and meet prospective importers and buyers.

This 27th anniversary of EXPO CIHAC is the best exposure for the Building Construction Industry in Latin America. Over 53,000 construction industry professionals participate in 150 conferences, 115 workshops, and see 500 exhibitors showcasing their products in building materials, machinery, equipment, tools, building systems, prefabricated technologies, and industry trends.

BC Wood will have a 21 sqm booth where member participants will have kiosk displays to show their products and services, meet attending delegates, and have the support of bilingual staff. Member participants will also have the opportunity to join the five day trade mission component, running simultaneous with the show days, to meet with qualified importers, distributors, manufacturers, industry associations, and see construction sites.

Contact Ken Hori at khori@bcwood.com for more information and to arrange your participation.

The Interior Design Shown West (IDSwest) is Western Canada's annual premiere residential design show featuring 250 exhibitors. IDSwest attracts 35,000+ attendees over 3 � days, including 5,000 guests to The Party on Opening Night, 6,000 designers, architects, buyers, builders/developers, and other industry professionals during trade day, and an additional 25,000 consumers interested in design. This year, IDSwest will take place from September 24 to 27 in Vancouver.  

Participation is open to manufacturers, distributors, importers, retailers, designers, and others interested in marketing, selling, and promoting Canadian and international products and services for the design industry.

BC Wood will coordinate the exhibition of member companies at IDSwest with a 800 sq ft island pavilion.  

At this time, all we need is an expression of interest from you as space is limited. When the actual price has been determined, pre-registration and deposit on BC Wood's online system is required.

Contact Ken Hori at khori@bcwood.com for more information and to arrange your participation.

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

BC Wood has two important trade events taking place in the next few months that members should be aware of. Interest in both events is high as they each reach diverse, yet important target markets in the residential and light commercial construction sectors in the Western United States.

From May 11 to 13, BC Wood and member companies will be participating in The National American Indian Housing Council Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona. This exploratory event should provide a solid opportunity for BC manufacturers of prebuilt, log Home, and timber frame housing to create new market share and sales into this growing niche market. The need for quality built housing for First Nations and Native American communities is being felt across North America. This show attracts over 1,000 of the key influencers and decision makers for both the single and multi-family housing sector for tribal communities across the United States. BC Wood has made inroads on working with architect and building firms that specializes in providing housing solutions to Native American Communities. This combined with recent success from BC based prebuilt housing manufacturers selling to Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, suggests that this niche market provides potential and needs further exploration as provided by this trade event.

In late June, BC Wood will once again participate in the annual Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) in San Diego. This event provides a very effective way for BC suppliers of interior and exterior construction material and supplies to connect with builders, architects, and distributors from targeted markets across the West Coast of the United States, including California, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest. With residential construction starts being strong across the California market, it is expected that member companies will develop strong leads and sales opportunities through their participation at PCBC.

We have very limited space available for both events so if you are interested, please contact me immediately at dfarley@bcwood.com or on my cell at 604-728-8786.

CLT Shake Table Test in Japan

As I have noted in previous articles, CLT has become one of the hottest topics in the Japanese construction industry over the past year or so. Much of this has to do with the Japanese government pushing the idea of large-scale wooden buildings as a way to increase the demand for domestic wood species. There are many ideas on how to accomplish this including the utilization of fire-rated 2x4 or post & beam assemblies. In North America, such use of fire-retardant coverings and sprinkler systems is well accepted. However, in Japan, many people believe that the structural material itself should be fire-proof as such measures could be compromised in earthquakes. Mass timber offers the promise of such natural fire resistance in large wooden structures thus leading to its ever-expanding following.

Aside from fire, earthquakes themselves are of course a major concern. Therefore, the CLT Association of Japan conducted tests on a five story CLT structure on the world's largest shake table in Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture in February. I was fortunate enough to be invited to witness the structure being shaken with the same force as the devastating Kobe earthquake in 1995 and was able to make a video. Conducting these tests to prove the seismic strength of CLT is just another step in convincing Japanese construction companies to promote CLT structures going forward.