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If you have not been featured in our Spotlight section and would like to be, please email me at rmann@bcwood.com or call 604-882-7100. You must be a value-added wood manufacturer in BC; however, you do not have to be a member of BC Wood, or any other association to participate and it is free of charge.
If you are using Microsoft Outlook to view this email, you may not be able to see all of the images. In this case, you can view the webpage version of this email by clicking on the link at the top of this email "Having trouble viewing this email? Click here" or visit our Wood Connections archives and click on 'Wood Connections - April 12, 2016' F eel free to send me news stories that you think our readers would be interested in. You can email them to rmann@bcwood.com
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| Industry News |
B.C. focus on wood reshaping the construction industry
Journal of Commerce - April 11, 2016
 B.C.'s focus on heavy timber and mass wood construction is reshaping the construction industry, creating a new type of construction expertise, while also showing the private sector that mid and highrise wood structures can make economic sense.
"Since the beginning of this year, we are starting to see more interest from developers in these projects and the City of Vancouver is also interested in them," said Eric Karsh, structural engineer and co-founder of Equilibrium Consulting Inc., a Vancouver firm that specializes in large timber, engineered structures."We are now just beginning to see developers seriously consider eight-to-10 storey solid wood buildings."
The City of Vancouver is providing equivalencies such as reduced parking for the construction of wood buildings, which can translate into a plus for developers, he said, and there is the growing realization that the prefabrication approach offered by mass timber construction can expedite construction and reduce costs."We are developing details that show these buildings are cost efficient enough and developers are beginning to take notice," he said. That interest is a change from earlier attempts to kick-start private sector involvement. Click here to read the entire article |
| Industry News |
Wood associations can provide technical and product support
Journal of Commerce - April 4, 2016
 B.C. is home-base to some of the world's foremost research and development facilities. Within that spectrum are two forest product research and marketing organizations providing Western Canadian contractors with expertise in wood construction while three others also provide strong support.
This is the first of a two-part series that explores the various organizations and the role they play in helping contractors. Part one looks at BC Wood Specialties Group (BC Wood) and Wood WORKS! BC. Part two will highlight NEWBuildS, FPInnovations and Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd.
BC Wood
Brian Hawrysh, chief executive officer of BC Wood, says the key premise behind BC Wood is to connect "our industry with the end-users of our wood products." The organization consists of 120 members ranging from primary breakdown mills to value-added manufacturers, doors and windows to cross laminated timber producers.
While BC Wood's major focus is market driven on the U.S. and offshore markets, the major downturn in the U.S. has placed increased importance on the domestic market by producers. The focus has dovetailed with the growing demand domestically for construction beyond wood's traditional market in single family residential construction.
Click here to read the entire article
Part 2 of the article highlights NEWBuildS, FPInnovations, and Forestry Innovation Investment (BCFII). Click here to read part 2
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| Industry News |
Penticton company beaming with pride
BC Local News - April 1, 2016
Structurlam Products LP is literally reaching new heights in its latest construction projects.That includes the 55-metre, 18-floor Brock Common student residence at the University of B.C. which will be the tallest wood structure in the world. The company is providing the structural components made from its innovative, state-of-the art solid cross laminated timber (CLT) product Crosslam.
"The first two floors are concrete and then 16 floors of wood. Right here in little old Penticton you've got some world-class projects going through," said Structurlam president Bill Downing. "All of it's B.C. fibre, B.C. labour and it's really a value-added story. This isn't two-by -fours being shipped to China."
Another feather in the company cap is the multi-million-dollar Rocky Ridge recreational centre being constructed in Calgary. There, the BC based Structurlam plants have been supplying the materials for North America's largest wood roof. At its widest point, the 27-metre beams, when fastened together will stretch about 90 metres across. Described by its architects as "inspired by the hills and ribbon horizon of the foothills region, the soft, curving undulations of the building create an open and integrated facility."
That translated into just short of an impossibility for those charged with the task of physically putting the pieces in place."To see some of this stuff going through the shops is just mind boggling and not easy either, that's for sure," said Downing. "There are 2,000 pieces in it and no two are the same, it's a really complicated roof."
Click here to read the entire article |
| Industry News |
Wood effective in seismic upgrades
Journal of Commerce - March 23, 2016
 Wood WORKS! BC has just completed a case study that shows that wood is an effective building material in the seismic upgrades of schools in coastal B.C.
"As our understanding of earthquake behaviour has evolved, more sophisticated approaches to the seismic design of buildings have been developed," said Jim Taggart, the author of Seismic Design With Wood: Solutions for British Columbia Schools. "Well-designed, ductile wood buildings fare better and pose less risk to occupants than those constructed in heavier materials such as masonry and concrete."
The seismic advantages of mass timber structures, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) and nail-laminated timber (NLT), stem from the fact that the forces that are unleashed in an earthquake are proportional to the structure's weight and wood is much lighter than either steel or concrete.
Click here to read the entire article |
| Industry News |
Tradeshow Events for 2016-17
Brian Hawrysh
BC Wood just received confirmation that funding for our 2016-2017 trade show and mission programs has been approved. Last November, BC Wood's staff began the process with sector meetings that were intended to gather input on Industry's marketing priorities. BC Wood took this input and put together a comprehensive package of market development activities. The proposals that resulted were submitted in mid-December to both Federal and Provincial funders for review and eventual approval. The BC based tradeshows are yet to be officially approved, however, it is expected that they will be shortly. The balance of the proposed activities focus on expanding market share in the United States, while maintaining the hard won presence that we have gained in the Asian markets. Recognizing the on-going need to explore new and emerging markets, BC Wood has also scheduled missions and participation in trade shows in Mexico in August, 2016 and March, 2017. The Global Buyers Mission, our 13th, will be a highlight, with over 250 buyers coming to Whistler in early September. I would like to recognize and thank the staff of BC Wood for the extra effort they put towards writing these funding proposals. The result was that BC Wood has another strong program of approved trade event activities for 2016-2017. For those of you wanting to see the updated list of trade show activities, please visit the BC Wood website at www.bcwood.com and select Trade Events from the Programs & Services tab. Any comments or questions regarding these planned activities can be directed to me at bhawrysh@bcwood.com or by calling our office at 604-882-7100. |
| Industry News | Advanced Timber Bridge Maintenance, Restoration, and Inspection Practices
Intermediate Certification Course hosted by Timber Resoration Services Canada in Conjunction with Wood WORKS! BC
Who should attend: Bridge maintenance workers, inspectors, engineers and bridge asset managers, technologists and technicians.
What will be gained by attending this seminar: - understanding of advanced timber bridge non-destructive testing techniques
- knowledge of timber bridge maintenance to extend longevity and reduce maintenance costs
Upon successful completion of the final exam you will receive certification as a Timber Bridge Intermediate Maintenance Restoration and Inspection Technician.
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Industry News
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UBC Wood Products Processing Co-op - Students Available for Summer Jobs If your company needs additional staffing for peak periods or special projects, the UBC Wood Products Processing Co-op Program has motivated and knowledgeable students available for summer (May to August or May to December) co-op job opportunities. The UBC Wood Products Processing co-op students are qualified for positions related to: - marketing/sales
- business process analysis/improvements
- engineering processes
- manufacturing
- quality control
- research and testing
- technical analysis
For more information on the program or to post a co-op position, please contact Sanya Sivic, UBC Wood Products Processing Co-op Coordinator, at sanya.sivic@ubc.ca or 604-822-4793.
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Industry News
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Technical Tour to London, UK, and Finland from June 10 to 18, 2016
The Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) at UBC is pleased to announce that it will lead a technical tour to London, UK and Helsinki, Finland from June 10th to 18th 2016 to visit architectural projects that showcase world-class innovative wood design and construction, culminating in attendance at the Forum Wood Building Nordic 2016 at Aalto University. The Forum is part of the Holzbau conference series which was established 20 years ago in Garmisch, Bavaria and has become the leading conference on timber construction worldwide. This will be the fourth event to be held in Scandinavia. CAWP led a group to the event in Trondheim, Norway in 2014 and participants were very impressed with the high quality of the conference itself and the strong relevance of the subject matter.
The tour will focus on the sustainability, performance, cost and energy-efficiency benefits that wood can bring to contemporary construction practices in both the residential and non-residential sectors. A wide range of architectural projects will be visited. The influence of modern engineered building materials such as cross-laminated-timber, glue laminated beams, passive house windows and prefabricated modular systems will also be of interest. AIBC core learning credits available for this tour (approx. 30 credits) If you are interested, we recommend that you complete the registration by April 15th to take advantage of the discounted rate. More information on the tour and itinerary can be found on the following link: Holzbau Information. If you have any questions, please call Jason Chiu at 604 822-0082.
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Industry News
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Annual Global Forest, Paper & Packaging Industry Conference
Registration now open for the 29th Annual Conference on May 4, 2016 in Vancouver, BC
Join us for the 29th Annual Global Forest, Paper & Packaging Industry Conference on May 4, 2016. With a theme of Transformation Through Innovation - Opportunities for People, Products and Processes, several hundred CEOs, senior executives and PwC leaders will discuss how companies are managing change, innovation and people to create competitive advantages and find growth in emerging markets.
PwC's Conference is part of the Global Forest Products Leadership Summit 2016, a five-day series of conferences focused on global pulp, paper, wood products and fibre-based packaging industries. In addition to the PwC conference, other confirmed events include International Pulp week (May 1-4) and the Annual Global Softwood Log & Lumber Conference (May 5-6). For more information, visit www.forestproductssummit.com. To register, click here
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Tradeshow Tips/Advice
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Emerging Ways to Promote Your Trade Show Presence Or Event
Skyline Tradeshow Tips
 If you show up at a marketing event or trade show and no one visits your booth, you probably won't consider it a success. With so many platforms and companies fighting for attendees' attention, it's not enough just to show up, you should be promoting your trade show presence early and often. How do you know which platforms and marketing channels are the best for your business? There are many factors that go into deciding how you should pre-promote your attendance at an event, including budget, staff resources, and time. Here are some of the most practical ways for you to promote your trade show presence this year.
Click here to read the entire article
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Spotlight: Arostegui Studio
| Rumin Mann
 Arostegui Studio designs and manufactures original and eclectic furniture in Victoria, BC. Arostegui Studio was founded by furniture designer and maker, Cristian Arostegui G. His Chilean background in architecture and advertising, complimented by the fine furniture program at Humber College in Toronto, helped him to refine his ability to design and handcraft his own furniture pieces. The blend of South American influences and creative/technical training materialize in to highly unique, personal, and versatile furniture designs.  Their goal is to create original and unique furniture with a focus on social and environmental sustainability. They utilize a blend of materials (wood, metal, glass, concrete, resin), colours, and textures, making every effort to provide unique and different pieces. Cristian strives to keep all manufacturing local. Components of the pieces are sourced largely from Victoria, with occasional support from other parts of Vancouver Island and Vancouver. By keeping manufacturing local, their goal is to generate better cooperation among Victoria's business community and support a sustainable and capable industry on the island. One of their most iconic furniture designs, the Sofi Bench, recently won first place in the Prototype exhibit at the Interior Design Show West in Vancouver. The Prototype Exhibit is a juried platform competition at the IDS West, a showcase of North America's next generation of designers. Professional and student designers present both to-market and conceptual works. Ten participants from an extensive list of applicants were carefully selected to compete in the prototype competition.
For more information, visit their website: www.arosteguistudio.com
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Specifiers Program Update
| Roy Manion
As March 31st marked the end of our 2015-16 fiscal year, this article will be a year-end review on the Specifiers Program. 2015-16 was a very full year including Lunch & Learn sessions, Group Seminars, Factory Tours, the US Pacific Northwest Workshops, Alberta Workshops, and the Wood First Forum at the GBM. Specifier Lunch & Learn Sessions: 42 Lunch & Learn sessions were held throughout the year. The trend of implementing two 30 minute sessions instead of a single 60 minute session continued to resonate with Specifiers and Industry alike. The spilt this past year was approximately 50/50. Click here to read the entire article
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USA Market Update - IBS Show Report
| Dave Farley
 A few comments, suggestions, and ideas that may be of interest to the industry... Anyone who has spent some time in Vegas knows that it can be a little weird, but even I was surprised by the orchestrated mayhem that took place during the recent International Builders Show. In no particular order, here is what was happening in Sin City during an average Thursday in January. Along with the IBS and the Kitchen and Bath Show, Las Vegas also hosted SHOT, the world's largest gun show, and the AVN adult Video Conference, which all made for some interesting people watching. Add in the opening of the Jennifer Lopez concert series, and filming of the new Bourne Identity movie - complete with an exciting car chase down the strip.... Vegas had it all going on.
As for the International Builders Show, it can summed up in one word from BC Wood Board member and CEO of Norelco Cabinets, Peter Raja, the event was "excellent". Over 117,000 industry professionals in the residential and light commercial construction sectors attended the 3 day trade event and conference. In fact, this year's attendance was the highest in recent memory and is reflective of the relative strength of the US housing market. For the next event in 2017, the IBS moves East to Orlando, Florida. While that city certainly lacks the energy and chaos of Las Vegas, the region is currently experiencing strong growth in residential construction. BC Wood will have a large contingent of members showcasing product in the coordinated "Wood Products Pavilion" at IBS next year.
For more information on upcoming events or contacts into the US market please feel free to contact me at dfarley@bcwood.com
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| Japan Market Update | |
IBMF New Year's Reception at the New BC Wood Showroom in Tokyo
Jim Ivanoff
New Year's receptions are an annual custom in Japan that are very important for business people to greet clients, re-establish contacts, as well as to meet new people. BC Wood takes part in many of these events each year, but we never had the opportunity to host our own, until this year.
BC Wood is a member of the "Imported Building Materials Forum" in Japan, which is an association of companies that works together to deal with new building regulations and potential trade barriers that would affect imported building products. The group usually holds its New Years reception at a restaurant, but we were able to host the event this year in our new Tokyo Showroom. The association members were able to enjoy some BC wine and Canadian themed treats while learning about the various members' products we have on display in the office. These guests were impressed by the showroom and its versatility in being both a fully-functional office as well as an events space.
We have hosted several such evening events in the showroom since it was officially opened in November and they have proven popular with our Japanese contacts. Going forward, we look to hold more functions in our office, in particular around trade shows when we have members in-market, to extensively promote ourselves to the Japanese construction industry as a resource centre and to maximize the exposure of our members' products. We have already seen an increase in foot traffic as contacts readily stop in when they are in the neighbourhood. The new office's convenient location has also been a big factor in encouraging clients to visit.
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| Korea Market Update | |
Housing Brand Fair 2016
Jim Ivanoff
 On behalf of its' members, BC Wood organizes one major construction show each year in the Korean market. We once again chose the Housing Brand Fair in January at Seoul's centrally located COEX trade and convention centre. The COEX Centre underwent extensive renovations last year, but it recently reopened and is once again drawing in large crowds. Over 260 companies participated with 1,000 booths this year. During the four days of the show, over 40,000 people came to see the Housing Brand Fair.
The Housing Brand Fair attracts a large cross-section of the construction industry including companies involved in new wood framed construction, condominium developments, as well as renovations. Therefore, the show is a great venue for a wide range of BC Wood members, from lumber to house packages to finishing materials. Being held in Seoul's main business district also ensures that key decision makers from these companies can easily visit. Our in-market representative, JC Lee, makes the most of this convenient location by setting up extensive meetings for participating members. This type of pre-show assistance is key to having a successful show as it ensures that members know that they will be able to meet the key targets for their products.
JC also organized visits to customers' offices and their building sites after the show. Through these visits, the members were introduced to projects for 2x6 wood frame homes, heavy timber frame homes, cedar homes, a golf course development with 300 wood frame homes, resort homes, rental homes at resorts as well as Korean traditional wood frame homes. Also, concrete construction job sites were visited for kitchen cabinets, windows, doors, as well as wooden interior and exterior finishing materials.
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| Japan Market Update | |
Nikkei Architectural and Construction Materials Show 2016
Jim Ivanoff
The last activity we hold for members each year in Japan is the Nikkei Architectural and Construction Materials Show at Tokyo Big Sight in early March. This year's show was held from March 8th through 11th and we once again had a strong group of members and Canada Wood partners in the BC Wood organized Canadian pavilion. Six BC Wood members took part in the pavilion showcasing products ranging from structural lumber and engineered wood to finishing materials, furniture, WRC, and 2x4 home packages. We maintained our WRC inspired central reception display, which featured traditional Japanese wood connection art created by the famous Japanese designer Hiroyuki Takamura, who tragically passed away a week before the show. This space always draws in show visitors both with its visual as well as aromatic appeal.
The power of the Nikkei Newspaper brand and organization always ensures that this will be a well-attended show. This year saw 208,195 visitors over the four days. It is important to note that this show is for industry professionals only, so the attendance is not inflated by consumers. The show is very popular with architects and designers and in particular those involved with commercial and retail space design. We were not only happy to see the strong attendance figures, but also the positive mood of the attendees. With preparations for the 2020 Olympics in full swing and 2015 showing another record year for inbound tourism, resort, and hospitality facilities, overseas guests were one of the main topics discussed by visitors to the show.
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| China Market Update | |
Interzum 2016
Jim Ivanoff
Our last show of fiscal 2015-16 was the Interzum Show in Guangzhou, China. BC Wood reserved 64m2 this year to make the Canada Wood Pavilion in which four BC Wood members participated, along with three of our Canada Wood partners. We were able to secure the same location as in previous years for the visually impressive Canadian Pavilion, so that clients would be able to easily find our exhibitors. The Canada Wood Pavilion not only maintains a professional appearance, but also maximizes the small footprint by employing an open design concept. Exhibiting members do not always like this format at other events such as the Japan Home Show, but our participants at Interzum enjoyed it as they said that it made them feel like a big team working together.
While the majority of the show's visitors still tend to be looking for hardwood, we were glad to see that more and more customers came to Interzum looking for softwood. The softwood is mainly for construction applications as well as remanufacturing such as sauna, bed slats, and wall paneling. Guangzhou is of course the hub of furniture manufacturing in China, but being that Interzum is the largest wood working show in Asia, it attracts wood buyers from across China and in fact, from around the world. As a result, Interzum continues to be an extremely important trade show for BC Wood in promoting Canadian softwood to the Chinese remanufacturing industry.
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Marketplace
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FOR SALE
I am the owner/artist of Featureworx. I offer design/build services with CNC carving capabilities. I also build and sell my own designs.
I have hundreds of board feet of what I think is old growth Indonesian/Burmese teak. And this is where I have a bit of a dilemma; I'm afraid to cut into this stuff, not knowing what it's worth, if I would devalue it by making any of these shorter. I would like to get some advice on how to sell some value added products I could make from it without feeling guilty about cutting a 16ft board in half...and..AND
...I'm also willing to sell the whole lot of it at an agreed upon price.
The boards have been in my shop for about a year and a half,
I know what harvested teak goes for and this stuff is not that. From what I've revealed so far, this teak is just stunning. I found some Asian looking script on the end of a few boards.
Most boards are at the 12 to 14 ft length but many are longer, only a few shorter and the shortest is is probably 11ft.
The width range quite a bit.
Most are 2�" thick, a few at just over an inch thick and a few at over 3"
If you are interested, please contact me.
Gerald Lauz� Designer / Owner
604-992-0972 206-19148 27th ave Surrey BC V3Z 5T1
In this section, you can post for free anything from job listings (for employees looking for work, and employers looking for new staff), to machinery for sale/wanted, to a request for a particular type of wood or service. If you would like to include a posting in our Marketplace section, please email me at rmann@bcwood.com or call 604-882-7100 and ask for Rumin.
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| Upcoming Events |
May 1-4, 2016: Multi-Family Exchange, Pasadena, CA, USA May 4-6, 2016: HD Expo, Las Vegas, NV, USA June 22-23, 2016: PCBC, San Francisco, CA, USA July 12-14, 2016: AFN-Circle of Trade, Niagara Falls, ON July 12-13, 2016: Reform Show, Tokyo, JapanAugust 17-20, 2016: Techno Mueble Expo, Guadalajara, Mexico September 8-10, 2016: Global Buyers Mission (GBM), Whistler, BC For a list of all trade and industry events, please visit our |
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Sincerely,
Rumin Mann
BC Wood |
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