Today ZOW is synonymous with a new, more efficient business meeting and is well known as a trend-setting platform for communications through its innovative 'workshop' concept. Strong demand is driving the need to provide more exhibition space at Bad Salzuflen. Hall 23.1, which is the ground floor of Hall 23, will be used for the first time this year. This means that visitors will now circulate in a closed loop inside Halls 20-23. The south entrance, which is right next to the new parking lot P2 at the B239 highway, will be modified and there will be direct access to Hall 20. Including Hall 23.1, the total space available at ZOW has now increased to 45,000m². By consolidating the Architecture Lounge, the E3S European Solid Surface Show and M Technology Award exhibition in close proximity to each other at ZOW 2008, organiser Survey GmbH has created a concentrated area specially to attract architects and trade visitors. Because E3S is focused on the commercial sector, placement of the exhibition next to the Architect's Lounge is considered ideal, because the target group for E3S exhibitors will be located right next door. In parallel, the M Technology Award exhibition will provide an overview of the top innovative products of the sector. The competition is open to exhibitors and non-exhibitors. Survey has seized the initiative to offer logistics suppliers the opportunity to also exhibit at the show. It will be their first chance to make contact with customers from the furniture industry at an established trade fair platform. The organisers will also actively support ZOW exhibitors if potential cases of product piracy are identified. In the run-up to the show, exhibitors are being notified about the European law and jurisdiction concerning intellectual property. Market researchers say that women control or influence more than 85% of all consumer purchases and that purchases by women total trillions of dollars annually. In the furniture industry, analysts indicate that 53% of adults planning to purchase furniture are women. The woman is the key in selling home furnishings. She makes the ultimate buying decision. She chooses the colour, texture, scale, comfort level and furniture finish. She also normally decides how furniture purchases will be placed in her home. With this in mind Decotec Printing SA called on four renowned women from different countries with significant expertise in design to create a collection of decors for printed decorative paper. These 12 decors form part of Decotec's Woman Power Collection and will be presented at ZOW. The designers taking part in this project are Conchine Terranegra (Jordi Vidal & Asociados, Valencia, Spain), Sung Sook Kim (BBCK Studio, Milan, Italy), Athina Peletidou (COR3 Creative Works, Thessaloniki, Greece), and Eviete Dacol (Inove Design, Curitiba, Brazil). Working on these collections resulted in an exciting inter-cultural experience, said Decotec. Wood based product manufacturer Egger will be exhibiting decors under the tag line "neutrality and vitality". Numerous new decors will be shown which are said to breath life into designs either alone or in combination with other Wood, Uni or Fantasy decors. One of the most striking things with the Uni colours is the use of mother-of-pearl, which gives a greater impression of depth and brilliance, creating a very high-quality appearance, says Egger. DTS-Systemoberflächen GmbH has been processing decor papers using the electron beam process for more than 10 years and is considered one of the market leaders in the production of this material, sold under the brand name 'Elesgo'. The product, which will be shown at ZOW, is supplied in rolls and depending on the quality required can be processed on all conventional coating lines with various glue systems. Elesgo surfaces are mainly employed in laminate flooring, wall and ceiling panels, furniture surfaces, interior doors and door frames and kitchen worktops. Wilhelm Taubert, owner and managing director of DTS, has been engaged in the innovative technology of electron beam cross-linkage since the 1970s and is a recognised expert in the field of electron beam curing of acrylate resins. One special feature of the patented DTS method is that the papers used are first impregnated with acrylate and polyester resins in the company's own impregnating lines. According to Decorative Panels Ltd's design chief Julian Tatham there is a trend towards darker, richer foils - and, he says, many will be shown at ZOW. But lighter foils, he says, still remain popular in some sectors, particularly in civic, commercial and corporate environments, as well as for limited spaces like boats and caravans. But the trend towards the richer tones of traditional dark woods, like walnut and oak, in the consumer home environment looks strong for 2008. Exotic new fruit woodgrains like plum bring subtle cuts and effects to decors - Wallis Plus is one of Decorative Panels' latest foil introductions. And new technologies, such as laser engraving of printing cylinders, is taking quality and detail in printing and reproduction to another plateau, says Mr Tatham. Powder coating on metallic substrates has shown a tremendous growth in the last 40 years. On substrates which are sensitive to thermal impacts, like MDF, the technique is about 10 years old and it has only been two years since the industry seriously focused on this new innovative technology for surfacing panels. iCoat Group Holding GmbH, a young start-up company, has designed and erected a special powder coating line simply for coating MDF. The experience of 20 years of sister companies within the group was utilised in the construction. The line has been in full operation for six months and now coating is being done on various substrates (MDF, light weight boards, some solid woods) as well as in different textures (micro structure and smooth design). iCoat is offering the ready-made furniture piece, including the MDF, machining, drilling and sanding, details of which will be explained on the company's stand. "The powder coat does have some outstanding features compared to other foil or wet-lacquering systems," said Peter Hauer, managing director of iCoat. "It is mainly green, with no solvents, and up to 95% of the powder is used. BLP UK Ltd is constantly working with foil producers to develop new ideas for its cabinet doors and this year at ZOW it plans to inspire visitors, said Barry Berman, sales and marketing director for BLP. "We will demonstrate a number of door designs in new and innovative foils which show BLP's capabilities both from the UK and China factories. "With the recently opened 60,000m² door factory in Suzhou, China combined with the existing 25,000m² factory in the UK, BLP will have lots to talk about." Pennacchioni SpA produces postforming and preforming semi-finished furniture and will be exhibiting examples of its products. The company supplies a wide range of different items and finishes: worktops, panel doors, plywood or MDF, covered with HPL or melamine, and cut to size and edge-banded according to customers' drawings and models. Products are aimed at furniture manufacturers of kitchens, bathrooms, offices, bedrooms, shops and interior design. Riken will be exhibiting its specially-developed new metallic gloss finishes, as well as introducing gloss-matt printed foils which give the appearance of a surface texture synchronised to the wood grain. The company will also display its most recent updated colours within its long-established high quality gloss range, both in PVC and PVC-free materials. The gloss colours shown will centre on a strong trend of black and match-to-black. The hardware and hinge specialist Hetal-Werke GmbH will be presenting a product innovation designed to complement any kitchen design. The flap fitting KB-35-D allows wall-mounted kitchen flaps to be swivelled up out of the way of the cabinet itself, above the top of cornices, pelmets and attached lights. The fittings also afford convenient access to the storage space, as the flap swivels upwards out of the work area. Furnco AB is based in Sweden, with production facilities in China for the manufacture of electronic low voltage converters, halogen lighting, fluorescent lighting and LED lighting fixtures, aimed primarily at European manufacturers of kitchens and bathrooms. A selection from the product range will be on display. Sandvik Hindrichs-Auffermann, the producer of press plates and endless press belts for the laminating and wood based panel industries, will welcome all visitors to its booth. The company's textures are mostly developed in close cooperation with its customers and their needs. Finally we offer congratulations to Agoform GmbH, one of the main leaders in vacuum forming products. The company will be celebrating 80 years in the business and what better place to do it than at ZOW, Bad Salzuflen. Agoform is selling in more than 60 countries worldwide and is a competitive partner for the kitchen, furniture, decorative and automotive industries.

The main chemical components of wood are the polymers cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and the extractives.   The extractives are normally a minor component but tend to determine the characteristics of wood in terms of colour, smell and bio-resistance. Wood has many different extractives so they are often classified by how they are extracted. Common solvents include water, ethanol and ether. Each extracts different groups of components.   An example of commercial use of extractives is turpentine, made by steam distillation of resins collected from wounded trees.   Pure cellulose is made of glucose. More accurately, cellulose is a linear polymer of cello-biose units and cello-biose is two glucose molecules joined 'end to end'. Consequently, the two ends of the cello-biose units have different chemical properties and this is true of cellulose too, because of the repetition of cello-biose units throughout its length. The number of cello-biose units found in a cellulose molecule varies between species.   Hemicellulose is also made from sugar molecules and so is a polysaccharide, like cellulose, but the hemicelluloses are more complex because they consist of different sugars and often have a branched structure. The hemicelluloses of softwoods tend to have higher proportions of mannose and galactose, which are hexoses, ie sugars with six carbon atoms, than hardwoods. Hardwoods have more xylose, which is a pentose.   Lignin too is a complex polymer made of three basic units which can join together in a variety of ways leading to the complexity of lignin. The resultant macromolecule is a high-strength 3-D amorphous polymer. Lignin in the cell walls of woody plants allows them to grow high and support branches. It is also responsible for the gradual discolouration of wood in sunlight. Thus lignin must be removed during the manufacture of paper for books.   This simple introduction to wood's chemical components shows its complexity and helps to explain its variety and why it is not like other materials.  

Luxurious Palm Springs, California, and its Hyatt Grand Champions resort at Indian Wells, was the venue where nearly 400 members and suppliers assembled for APA's 70th annual meeting. During his chairman's address, Jonathan Martin, Roy O Martin Lumber Co, Alexandria, Louisiana, spoke frankly: "It's been a difficult year for residential construction with both demand and markets down. But our association is financially strong. We have excellent staff and an excellent strategic plan. We are prepared for contingencies and we have a strong leadership. I like our chances going forward." Richard Huff, vice president and general manager of Tolko Industries Ltd, Vernon, British Columbia is new chairman and Jim Enright, president, Standard Structures, Inc, Windsor, California, is new vice-chairman. Mr Martin announced Thomas Maloney as recipient of the Bronson J Lewis award. Dr Maloney is director emeritus of the Wood Materials and Engineering Laboratory at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. He also founded the International Wood Composites Symposium, now held in Seattle, Washington. The panel industry's problems are rather longer term, a result of the economy getting out of kilter, a consequent dearth of credit, a surplus of unsold homes, a weak US Dollar. All these have magnified other problems resulting in weakening panel markets and consequent lower profit margins. David Lereah, executive vice president of Move, Inc, Westlake Village, California, forecast it all during his 2005 APA meeting appearance citing danger signs of a tiring market including stretching credit, rising mortgage rates, dropping home affordability, rising inventories, lengthening days on market and more speculation. He returned last November and outlined the present problems, explaining the geography. "All real estate is local. Real estate expansion started in 1991. Immigrants started buying homes in a big way. The industry had a mortgage product for whatever anyone wanted. Real estate expanded. Everyone turned to real estate, which was a safe haven. It didn't work that way. So many loans were made with nothing. So we have a real mess today. This is the worst. Home sales are down 35% now. It's the 'Dot com' of real estate." In the last few years of the boom, customers were purchasing for short term. "If you want short-term, you should be in the stock market, not the real estate market," he advised. Mr Lereah said 40% of all home sales in 2005 and 2006 were second homes. "Risky," he declared. He said real estate is a good, but cyclical, investment. He tempered his dire report by adding the fact that home prices increased tenfold over 38 years. He predicted a 10% drop, compared with a 33% climb during the boom. And it all affects the wood products market. "If we know how we got here, maybe we can get some sense of how we're going to get out of this thing," he said. "The inventory must come down," he said of the present excess housing supply. He said the speculators are out of the market. "That's good news, but they're coming back in to bottom-fish." He observed that construction jobs fell, but seemed to be turning around recently. He said the economics are improving, but consumers lack confidence. "The level is way down, off the charts. Every consumer has the expectation that prices will continue to drop." Mr Lereah ranked the state of California as leading in mortgage foreclosures and said that state will take the longest to correct the market (into 2009), with Florida next. The real estate recession in 2008 will be worst in California, Florida, District of Columbia, Las Vegas and Phoenix in Arizona and some metropolitan areas in the East and Midwest. He predicted an upswing in most parts of the country in the first quarter of this year. "When the market does come back, I expect it to jump a level in activity," he added. APA president Dennis Hardman agreed with the market description. "It's been a bad year," he said frankly. "You, through your association, have laid a strong foundation for better times to come." He reported that industry non-residential construction and Gulf Coast rebuilding programmes are moving forward under the auspices of the Wood Products Council and he praised the Engineered Wood Technology Association (EWTA), APA's related supplier organisation, as "a valuable asset for industry networking and information transfer". Earl Phillips, phenolic resins technology manager, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc, said the main focus in air quality in resins has been on public buildings, with the next targets to be private homes and structural products. He warned: "A freight train is coming your way. Every living thing gives off formaldehyde. The pressure coming is based on emotion, not fact". He said resin prices have increased 215%, but the increase is less than that of wood raw material. He said consistency might be an issue with bio-based adhesives. Ward Hubbell, executive director of Green Building Initiative, outlined activities of his association: promoting credible building practices; wood promotion network; expanding National Association of Home Builders partnership; education; and third party research. Mary Jo Nyblad, Boise Cascade LLC, further explained the importance of the state of California to the US wood products market. She said the state has a US$1.5 trillion economy which would rank 8th in the world's country rankings. One in eight Americans lives there. She said California's home price now exceeds median income by ten times, while the rest of the country is 4.5. The average housing demand is 240,000 units. She said that the California Building Standards Commission is to adopt the green building programme. Ed Elias, APA, reported that the significantly weakened US dollar makes a better market for importers of US goods. APA's Tom Williamson posed some problems in wood design, saying: "Steel is easy. Wood is complicated". He said software for wood design is fragmented and component-based and designers make more from designing with steel than with wood. Continuing in that vein, Mark Halvorsen, APA, told members: "Process designers and product engineers, take note: engineered wood panels deliver increased value, better durability and long-term performance". He stressed some other pluses: strength and stiffness; dimensional stability and flatness; surface texture; workability; relative lightness in weight; lower formaldehyde emissions; environmental friendliness; durability; unique features; and surface durability. Marilyn LeMoine, APA, reported that the organisation has published 402 titles and distributed 475,000 in the first nine months of last year. Building professionals downloaded 60%. "If only 1,000 of the projects were built, it would result in using one million ft², 3'8in basis, of plywood," she conjectured. Craig Adair, APA, said reducing home inventory is the key to market recovery. His five-year forecast calls for a small improvement in 2008 and 2009 and a return to the 3% improvement range in 2010. He said demand for housing should be greater in the 2006-2015 decade. He described the recent housing boom as "too much, too fast". He predicted that plywood imports to the US will increase and total OSB exports from Canada and the US will increase substantially throughout 2008. He forecast structural panel growth with further opportunities. Mr Adair said converting concrete floors to wood would be a 2.6 billion board foot opportunity for lumber and a three billion ft2 opportunity for structural panels. "The stakes are high," he declared. He noted that the total share of wood based construction hasn't changed much since 2000, adding that plywood production is expected to decline from 2007 to 2012. An OSB forecast taking advantage of a predicted housing resurgence would be expected to increase from 2007's 24 billion ft² to 28.6 billion ft² by 2012. He had hopes for a glulam rebound after it suffered from the housing drop. LVL was also a victim, but he thought LVL would increase after 2008. Mr Adair concluded on a medium-sized high note: "We don't see a recession". Jim Bowyer, Bowyer and Associates, Inc, Minneapolis, Minnesota and professor emeritus, University of Minnesota, reported that global energy consumption is rising and US energy use per capita continues to rise. He said China exported petroleum in 1993, but is now a major importer. India is perhaps seven to 10 years behind in energy consumption. He sees a peak in world petroleum consumption in 2010-2020. The US Department of Energy predicts 2037. Dr Bowyer declared: "The US is not prepared for what is coming". Coal still provides 21% of today's energy needs. Gasoline uses more energy to produce than we get out of it, he said. He explained that less than half of a barrel of oil goes into making gasoline. Other products, such as resins, use the rest. "It's possible to make all of these materials from biomass. Interest in biomass energy is higher than it has ever been. Potential suppliers of biomass are large," he concluded. A record of 70 exhibitors showed and discussed their machinery and supplies with members during several periods set aside for the activities. The Engineered Wood Technology Association sponsors the Info Fair. Raute, Willamette Valley Company, and Coe Newnes McGehee shared awards for seniority. Each has exhibited at 15 annual meetings. Eighteen awards in the all-important safety category were handed out during a special banquet, with LP taking home six; Weyerhaeuser Company five; Georgia-Pacific Wood Products three; PlyVeneer Products two; and Norbord, Inc, and Boise Cascade, one each. Eleven of the 16 winning mills had zero accident incidence rates. APA's 2008 annual meeting is scheduled for September 21-23 at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, Henderson, Nevada.

As I write this column in late January, the world's stock markets are in sharp decline and the R-word, for 'Recession', seems to be in every news bulletin.
Companies are revising their forecasts downward for 2008 across Europe, and elsewhere, as the problems in the US economy apparently drive sentiment in the rest of the world. As you would expect, the North American OSB industry is suffering badly as the US housing market stalls and this has had a knock-on effect on the European producers in the second half of 2007 - a year which started with such promise.
Expansion plans in the US and Canadian OSB industry are mostly, though not entirely, being put on hold or cancelled and mills are being closed or production suspended, while in Europe some major mills are taking extra downtime to try and match supply with demand. The producers will all be hoping for some upturn when the better weather comes in the spring. On a brighter note, APA-The Engineered Wood Association, is making upbeat forecasts for OSB in the years ahead (see p50). South America, on the other hand, is showing considerable activity in the OSB sector now, with takeovers and mergers - and new mills going up. The producers are also finding markets outside their traditionally strong customer base in the US (see OSB, pp14-25 for our full survey of the world's producers and markets). In fact, South America is the hot topic in this issue of WBPI as in January, as we went to press, Sonae announced that Chile's Masisa had bought Brascan's shareholding in Tafibras, in which Sonae has shares (news, p12). I have a feeling that this may be just the beginning of a round of consolidation among panel makers in various parts of the world in 2008 - and maybe among machinery makers as well. In the last issue of 2007, we reported that Siempelkamp had acquired the press business of Metso Panelboard and in this issue we find that Dieffenbacher has purchased Metso's forming, drying, sifting and handling businesses (news p5). That leaves Metso with only its refining activities. It also left us with only two suppliers of continuous presses. Or did it? Shanghai Wood Based Panel Machinery Co Ltd (SWPM for short) has started up its first continuous press at its owner, Kronospan's, mill in Slovakia. That is a development that I am sure will be watched with great interest by the global industry. With the annual round of exhibitions and conferences kicking off, I look forward to seeing you at 2008's events around the world.