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Trump Trade Policy Series: Lumber Wars and Trade Barriers - Jun 22, 2018
As renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have gone nowhere, it seems that the U.S. industry is in a protracted state where a new Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) seems like a distant dream.; Pallet Profile Summer Schedule, No Issue the First Week of July: The staff of the Profile has decided to only publish 50 weeks out of the year, and will not publish the first week of July. Instead, the first issue of July will be published on July 13th not July 6th.; Virginia Tech Offers Fall Courses for the Industry to Improve Packaging Design Capabilities: "Pallet Design for the 21st Century" is taking place August 21-23 at Brooks Forest Products Center on the Virginia Tech campus. This intensive three-day short course will teach techniques that pallet designers can use to save money when designing pallets. more...
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Trump Trade Policy Series: New Tariffs on Steel Are Directly Impacting Nail Prices - Jun 15, 2018
The immediate impact was that the largest pallet nail manufacturer in the country added a 19% surcharge onto shipments to cover those tariffs. Many are hoping the tariffs are temporary.; Senate Considers Pro Forestry Initiatives for Farm Bill: The Timber Innovation Act promotes research and development into mass timber, cross-laminated timber and tall building construction using wood. The proposal involves grant funding and market development. more...
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Insights for Pallet Manufacturers and Sawmills from EXPO Richmond - Jun 8, 2018
The following are some key new products or developments for the pallet manufacturing sector that I saw at the show. Since the Profile already provided a lot of coverage in its pre-show article, this is more of my quick observations than a complete review of everything new at the EXPO.; Letter to the Publisher: Not all brokers are created equal. There are good and bad ones, just like with pallet manufacturers or recyclers. more...
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Industry Votes to Approve Continuation of Softwood Lumber Board - Jun 1, 2018
Industry Votes to Approve Continuation of Softwood Lumber Board: Known as the SLB, this industry market promotion program is funded by domestic softwood manufacturers and importers of softwood lumber. The SLB has pushed for mass timber and other new uses of softwood.; NWPCA Offers Fire Code Training: The webinar offers information on the fire codes, best practices, tips to evaluate your current procedures and a Q&A session.; Summer Heat Exposure Tips: Companies must provide workers with water, rest and shade. Also, new or returning workers must be granted a workload and more frequent breaks to allow them to acclimatize or build a tolerance for working in the heat.; Updated One-Pager Whitepaper: Our staff has removed a confusing graphic and replaced it with the latest hardwood cant composite showing the skyrocketing prices from June 2017 to June 2018.; Auction: FORMERLY DONALD L. SHIREY LUMBER SATURDAY, JUNE 16TH 2018 10:00 AM EST LUMBER ROAD NEW BETHLEHEM, PA 16242 more...
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Insights for Recyclers from EXPO Richmond - May 31, 2018
Overall, the show attendance was good according to many suppliers. The following are some key new products or developments for the pallet sector that I saw at the show.; NWPCA Offers Fire Code Training: The webinar offers information on the fire codes, best practices, tips to evaluate your current procedures and a Q&A session.; CHEP Receive Coca-Cola Canada Supplier Award: The companies worked together to reduce waste and improve transportation efficiencies due to the density of the CHEP network.; Summer Heat Exposure Tips: Companies must provide workers with water, rest and shade. Also, new or returning workers must be granted a workload and more frequent breaks to allow them to acclimatize or build a tolerance for working in the heat. more...
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EPA Recognizes Forestry Biomass Energy as Carbon Neutral - May 25, 2018
The primary assertion for carbon neutrality is that carbon released when trees are cut down and burned is absorbed again when new tree growth takes its place thereby limiting total carbon in the atmosphere.; More Details Emerge in Response to Chinese Hardwood Log Export Restrictions: According to published news sources, Chinese officials are making changes after finding pests in loads of hardwood logs coming from the United States. It is not clear if this is just a temporary emergency action or if new import restrictions will be permanent. more...
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U.S. Housing Dips Despite Remaining Strong, Both Positive and Negative Trends to Watch - May 17, 2018
For now, interest rates remain relatively low. As a result, housing affordability is good for many areas of the country. Lot availability is an issue limiting new housing developments, and the preference to rent is growing.; NWPCA Offers Free Fire Code Webinar: Safety should be a top priority for any pallet company, and this 90-minute webinar will take place May 24, 1:30-3:00 p.m. (EST), and feature fire code experts. more...
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Price Shock One Page Summary - May 16, 2018
We have developed this one-pager to provide a quick-read explanation for interested parties that don’t want to read the entire report. more...
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Price Shock – Exploring Historic Market Shifts for Low-grade Lumber and Pallets - May 15, 2018
This white paper titled Price Shock is designed to assist pallet suppliers explain to their customers current constraints, market pressures and issues as low-grade lumber availability has been stressed for over six months. more...
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More Details Emerge on China Log Import Actions - May 11, 2018
According to various published reports, recent restrictions were imposed by the Chinese government on U.S. hardwood after Chinese officials discovered wood pests found in some log shipments.; Price Shock Special Report Developed: We have developed an updated white paper for pallet companies to explain the tough market conditions and help justify price increases connected to skyrocketing lumber prices. A modified one-pager is included in this issue of the Profile. more...
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