EWPAA C ase Studies

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	Illegitimate Use of JAS-ANZ Symbol on Chinese Formwork Plywood
A distributor of falsely-labelled imported formwork plywood has been seeking market acceptance for the product in Queensland after claiming that it had been selling quality formply successfully in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth since 2007. The imported formwork plywood, sourced from Shanghai by Jinshan International Australia, had technical data claiming the F17 and F14 product was qualified by an Australian authority and exhibited an Australian certification number. More >>
	Workcover Shuts Down Construction Site Using Imported Non-Compliant Formply
A Sydney unit development was shut down by the NSW Work Cover Authority in a breakthrough test case against the use of imported non-compliant formply in building construction. WorkCover NSW stopped concrete pouring on the site until the formply was replaced with material that complies with the requirements of the Australian Standard and is correctly labelled for stress grade. The action followed an inspection of the construction site in the southern suburb of Sutherland by workplace inspectors from the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) after reports that imported formply used at the site was structurally unsound. More >>
	Asian Plywood Suppliers Come Unstuck on Quality
Imported underlayment plywoods have failed stability tests and Australian Standards for lyctid susceptibility and accepted formaldehyde levels. Random samples of plywood sheets obtained on the open market by the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA) were unlabelled for grade, bond type and formaldehyde emission class and there was no indication of the manufacturer or exact country of origin. More >>
	Failures in Hardwood Bracing Plywood
Following a period of wet weather, where timber frames experienced extended weather exposure in the Queensland housing industry, a number of home owners were prompted to request frame inspections to assess the impact the weather had had on the structural integrity of the framing. In several instances, these inspections revealed delamination of hardwood bracing plywood manufactured from tropical hardwood veneers. The products did not appear to have any brands or identification indicating independent product certification. The delamination problem was not deemed to have been caused by the weather exposure. More >>
	Non-Compliant Underlayment plywood Threatens Melbourne Flooring Market
Melbourne timber merchants have reported that timber flooring failures are being increasingly attributed to the use of inferior imported underlayment plywood. An EWPAA spot survey among reputable builders reveals a very real concern that delaminating of underlay material on many projects can be tracked to the use of non-certified product imported from Asia, including plywood of the Populus spp genus, a low density hardwood frequently used by Chinese plywood manufacturers. More >>
	'If Your On to a Good Thing, Stick to it !' Says Leading WA Flooring Manufacturer
“It just amazes me why anyone with even a modicum of responsibility would consider using imported non-certified plywood material .. and risk the legal consequences,” says Charlie Mitchell a Perth-based manufacturer of flooring for the top-end housing market. Renowned for its ‘Plank-Flor’ flooring systems used for small parquetry jobs up to extensive 2000 sq m sports stadiums, Granwood Flooring has been using PAA-certified plywood since the company was established almost 30 years ago. Mr Mitchell says severe delamination of underlay plywood, mostly imported material, is one of the major curses of flooring failures. More >>
	Roof Project Saved in the Nick of Time
In New Zealand, EWPAA members have reported a number of ‘near misses’ where they have managed to stop a substitution of imported non AS/NZS2269 compliant plywood being used. In one case, the imported non-compliant material was used in a roof substrate application for a retirement village, a school and a police station. More >>