North America - Page 1
Stay up to date with the latest North America updates from the global wood industryLatest North America Update
New capacity in both regions This is the first edition of this two-part survey, in which we list all the particleboard mills operating in Europe and North America as at the end of 2014. We also look at the markets, and the prospects, for the industry in the future.
Plus ça change There’s been a kind of déjà vue about the North American world of OSB this past year, with one major producer near to closing a merger/acquisition with another, and one of the parties involved being the same as last year.
Formaldehyde futures Developments in US regulations governing formaldehyde emissions have been a hot topic in the wood based panel industry, but uncertainty over potential state and federal legislation remains. Our correspondent Robin Meade talks to David Harmon of Momentive Specialty Chemicals.
Long term gains Recovery in US housebuilding may have been slower than predicted, but the long-term trend for OSB is still one of growth, reports our correspondent Robin Meade.
Continuous improvement Arauco’s acquisition of Flakeboard was one of the biggest developments in the North American panel industry in recent years. Stephen Powney talks to Arauco North America President Kelly Shotbolt about the benefits of the move; and his thoughts on the industry’s future prospects.
Adding MDF Duraplay de Parral, an old-established Mexican panel producer with a name for customer service on both sides of the US border, has joined in the challenge to build Mexico’s first worldscale MDF plant, says Richard Higgs.
Masisa sparks MDF rush It has taken a major Chilean wood panel manufacturer to finally kick-start world-scale MDF production in the potentially huge, still largely unexploited, fibreboard market in Mexico. Richard Higgs visited Masisa México.
Growing experience Proteak group, a fresh name in Mexican wood panel manufacturing, is promising to break the established sector's mould, opening up a new plantation-fed mill in the south of Mexico, reports Richard Higgs.
In the right direction Mexico’s wood panel industry appears to be on the verge of a slow motion revolution as the sector is poised to resolve some long-standing key issues that have left it trailing its South American counterparts, says Richard Higgs in the first of his reports from Mexico.
Euphoria will subside but recovery will continue! Bernard Fuller of Cambridge Forest Products Associates looks at recent developments in the North American wood products markets and finds that, unlike in Europe, things are definitely improving.
Between the drought and the flood With the US housing market now trending more firmly upwards, higher demand and prices for OSB have prompted several producers to commit to re-opening shuttered mills in 2013-14. No mills reopened in 2012, but OSB production still reached its highest level since 2008.
The climb out of the abyss continues Bernard Fuller of Cambridge Forest Products Associates looks at the economic prospects for the North American panel industry in 2012-14 and finds good reason for optimism, tinged with some reasons for caution in this uncertain world
Managing the woody biomass supply chain For its 46th Annual Symposium, Washington State University (WSU) integrated the topics of composite panel developments and advanced renewables technologies, assembling a variety of experts to give presentations in Seattle, Washington State, in April. Geoff Rhodes summarises the presentations for us
Global and American markets are the focus The world economy has a major influence on what is accomplished at the versatile Willamette Valley Company, situated in northwestern US, reports Steve Ehle
US housing market still slumping While the immediate situation in the housing market in the US is still not good, there are positive signs of recovery, according to a study carried out by Al Schuler for Virginia Tech University. North America correspondent Steve Ehle interviewed industry expert Mr Schuler to bring this assessment of the future
Better times ahead.... North American engineered wood producers seek global markets and growth in the coming year as they predict that 2012 will show an upturn compared to previous years, according to the APA-The Engineered Wood Association. Steve Ehle spoke to the APA’s marketing director, who kindly shared some of the association’s data
Industry tied to housing by ‘umbilical cord’ Panel industry consultant Leonard Guss says deeper penetration into existing applications is needed to breathe new life into the panel industry. Steve Ehle, WBPI’s new North America correspondent, interviewed Dr Guss for this report
Better than the headlines suggest? With the US single-family homes market continuing to languish during 2011, OSB producers have seen little change in demand and mills that were indefinitely closed in the last five to six years are still shut
CPM- How Olympic Panel Products spells success
In 2003, Atlas Holdings of Greenwich, Connecticut, purchased Wood Resources LLC and with it Olympic Panel Products, formerly Simpson Timber – the largest overlaid plywood manufacturing facility...