Quality Future for Engineered Wood
Brendan Smith re-elected president of EWPAA
THROUGH product innovation, unrivalled service and support, and the strictest adherence to Australasian building codes and compliance, the engineered wood industry is well placed for the future.
This is the belief of Brendan Smith, who was re-elected second-term president of the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia at the annual general meeting in Rotorua, NZ, on November 14.
“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,” Mr Smith said.
“The big focus for EWPAA continues to be ensuring EWPs going to market are fit for purpose.”
Mr Smith said the EWPAA quality control program was an industry leader and the benchmark for other wood manufacturing industries.
Brendan Smith is site manger for Juken New Zealand Ltd’s plywood and sawmill operations at Gisborne. He has worked in the plywood industry in Australia and New Zealand for more than 25 years, starting with Brown and Dureau Building Materials in Canberra. He moved to the Juken Gisborne operation in 1994.
“In these difficult trading times, EWPAA is moving to fortify its base to ensure the association continues into the future,” Mr Smith said.
He flagged the possibility that EWPAA might operate from a new wood technology of excellence centre in the not too distant future to unite sections of the association and rationalise operations.
Addressing the AGM, Simon Dorries, EWPAA general manger, said the timber industry must focus on preparing for an inevitable upturn in the economy or risk losing market share.
“The industry must be ready to act on competitive products, including timber imports.
“Forest and wood products businesses that are agile and prepared for the next cycle will steal the march on their competitors.”
An industry-driven organisation, the EWPAA remains fiercely independent of government support and is voluntarily funded by veneer, plywood, LVL and wood panel manufacturers in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
The association 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 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 board of directors for 2012 are:
- Brendan Smith ‐ Juken New Zealand Ltd NZ (president)
- Stuart Toakley ‐ Borg Panels Pty Ltd (vice-president)
- Miguel Latouche ‐ Brown Wood Panels Pty Ltd (treasurer)
- Mukhtar Ali ‐ Valebasoga Tropikboards Ltd
- Graham Andrew ‐ The Laminex Group
- Richard Barry ‐ Nelson Pine Industries
- Jim Bindon ‐ Big River Timbers Pty Ltd
- Gary Byrom ‐ Momentive Specialty Chemicals NZ Ltd
- Graham Church ‐ Alpine MDF Industries Pty Ltd
- Paul Dimarelos ‐ DIM Furniture (Vic) Pty Ltd
- David Henderson ‐ D &R Henderson Pty Limited
- Tony Honey ‐ PNG Forest Products Ltd, PNG
- Stuart Matthews ‐ Austral Plywoods Pty Ltd.
- Michael Murphy ‐ Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts
- Muk Nai Boh ‐ RH Plywoods, PNG
- Ian Potter ‐ Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts NZ
- Blair Price ‐ Carter Holt Harvey Woodproducts
- Ahsan Qureshi ‐ Wesbeam Pty Ltd.
Brendan Smith .. strict adherence to building codes. |
