THE timber industry must focus on preparing for an inevitable upturn in the economy or risk losing market share, says Simon Dorries, general manager of the Engineered Woods Products Association of Australasia.

“The industry must be ready to act on competitive products, including timber imports; as they also emerge from the downturn they won’t be putting as much pressure on our markets,” he said.

“Forest and wood products businesses that are agile and prepared for the next cycle will steal the march on their competitors.”

The EWPAA held its annual general meeting on the Gold Coast last week, which followed the association’s conference and dinner attended by more than 100 members and special guests (pictures Page 4 and 10). This meeting saw the election of a new president for the EWPAA, Ben Sawley. He succeeds Rene de Vries of Carter Holt Harvey in New Zealand.

“The conference reflected a powerful, united association that has grown and strengthened with the merger earlier this year of the EWPAA and the Australian Wood Panels Association,” Mr Sawley said.

“The association now speaks for a notable proportion of the timber industry. The EWPAA represents plywood, LVL, particleboard and MDF manufacturers and services an industry in Australia and New Zealand valued at well over $1 billion, supporting more than 5000 jobs on both sides of the Tasman.”
Mr Sawley, who is general manger of Boral Timber’s plywood division, said the development of new and insightful engineered wood product solutions was the Australian industry’s answer to competition from wood alternatives.

“These products will give us a smoother – and safer – ride in the downturn as well as positioning Australian businesses well for the inevitable industry rebound,” he said.
“Also, the engineered wood panels industry is well placed to be a part of the climate change solution, through carbon sequestration in wood fibre.  The more engineered wood panels can displace high embodied energy panels such as steel and aluminium, the less carbon will be released to the atmosphere and the more carbon will locked into wood panels.”

Mr Sawley said through product innovation, unrivalled service and support, and the strictest adherence to Australasian building codes and compliance, the Australasian engineered wood industry was well placed for the future.

“EWPAA members have continuously, over a long history, provided the building and construction sectors with a ‘gold standard’ for certified products, a standard unmatched by overseas competitors,” he said.

An industry-driven organisation, the EWPAA remains fiercely independent of government support and is voluntarily funded by veneer, plywood, LVL and wood panels manufacturers in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

The EWPAA maintains two NATA-accredited laboratories – to test for formaldehyde emissions and for a full range of structural and physical properties. Bond quality from all member plywood and LVL mills is tested daily by the EWPAA laboratories with other properties tested on a monthly basis. The schemes are accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australian and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ).

EWPAA has initiated a national consumer campaign to identify and promote low-emission Australasian products, an initiative supported by the Housing Industry Association and the Furniture Industry Association of Australia.

Thousands of adhesive labels have been distributed to wood panel suppliers and joinery component producers carrying a ‘piece of mind’ assurance that EWPAA members’ engineered wood and panel products have been independently tested and certified for low emission.

EWPAA carries out laboratory tests for formaldehyde emissions from all certified products manufactured in the Australasian region. All EWPAA-certified structural plywood and Type A bond exterior plywood have an emission class of E0 with a maximum emission of 0.50mg/L. In fact, the average formaldehyde emission for all structural and Type A exterior plywood products produced by EWPAA certified mills is only 0.14mg/L or one-third the permitted level and approximate to the natural formaldehyde emission from timber.

Plywood, particleboard and medium density fibreboard (MDF) stamped with the PAA-EWPAA grade mark is the best guarantee of a safe and dependable product.
All these products have emissions class E0 or E1 and are certified suitable for use in all residential and commercial applications.
David Henderson of D&R Henderson Pty Ltd, Windsor, NSW, was elected vice-president of EWPAA at the AGM and Ron Cortis of Brown Wood Panels Pty Ltd, Camden Park, SA, was elected treasurer.

The EWPAA conference was the venue for the announcement of the winners of the national Australian Timber Design Awards (see Pages 8, 9).
During the conference dinner, EWPAA general manger Simon Dorries and outgoing president Rene de Vries presented the association’s annual awards for achievement and paid tribute to David Thurlow who is stepping down after 11½ as technical director of the AWPA Test Centre Association at West Burleigh.

EWPAA award winners:
John Hancock Award (President’s Prize): Stefan Crengle, Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts, Tokoroa, NZ.
Con Otto Award (manufacturing members of EWPAA): Gary Holmes, Austral Plywoods, Brisbane.
EWPAA Distributors Award: Jim Zacharin, Cabinet Timbers Pty Ltd, Victoria.

Ben Sawley .. engineered wood prepared for upturn in economy.

EWPAA outgoing president Rene de Vries makes a presentation to David Thurlow, who will step down on December 31 after 11½ years as technical director of the Australian Woods Panels Test Centre Association. Mr Thurlow joined AWP after 10 years as technical quality assurance manger at Laminex Industries.

The John Hancock Award (President’s Prize) was won by Stefan Crengle, Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts, Tokoroa, NZ. Accepting the award on Stefan’s behalf is Ian Potter, CHH site manager at Tokoroa. The presentation is made by Simon Dorries, EWPAA general manger, and Rene de Vries, outgoing EWPAA president.

Deeon Otto of Australian Timbers Pty Ltd, Trinity Gardens, SA, son of the late Con Otto, presents the Con Otto Award (open to manufacturing members of EWPAA) to Gary Holmes, sales and marketing manger, Austral Plywoods, Brisbane, while outgoing EWPAA president Rene de Vries looks on.

EWPAA president Rene de Vries presents a flower arrangement to Vicki Roberts of EWPAA in appreciation of her long and dedicated service to the association and its members.

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Further information:
Simon Dorries, General Manager, Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia, Tel: (07) 3250 3700