By Maria Fernanda Laguarda Mallo and Omar Espinoza. University of Minnesota
Wood has played an essential role in the development of civilization for its abundance and remarkable properties. Wood’s intrinsic characteristics make it remarkably flexible and versatile, as being demonstrated …
by Henry Quesada. Virginia Tech.
State and federal agencies across the country are taking action on methyl bromide (MB) log fumigation operations. For example, in North Carolina environmental regulators are requiring all sites to capture and control 90% of the …
Adam Taylor, University of Tennessee and Richard Bergman, US Forest Service.
The environmental advantages of wood products are important and may be common sense to many; however, not everyone recognizes and understands these merits. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is …
By Dr. Earl Kline. Professor. Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, Virginia Tech. Email at kline@vt.edu
Background
Wood, a naturally renewable, sustainable raw material, was one of the first materials used in ancient civilizations for many needs including shelter, furnishings, tools, fuel, …
Scott Leavengood – Oregon Wood Innovation Center, Oregon State University
Most, if not all, wood products professionals around the globe are familiar with Douglas-fir, the ‘king’ of Pacific Northwest wood species; and the species has a connection to Oregon in …
The U.S. forest products industry has been struggling for over two decades. The rise of electronic media, the globalization of manufacturing, and a declining housing industry have caused significant loss of employment in the industry. Plastic, steel, and hybrid materials …
Identifying customer needs is probably the most important step in the product development process. Only by understating target customers’ needs can the enterprise design a product that fits those needs. Figure 1 illustrates the process to identify customer needs, as …
Probably the most effective tool to translate customer requirements into design and manufacturing specifications is Quality Function Deployment (QFD). This method allows to systematically converting customer’s demands into technical requirements, for each stage of product development and production. One of …
Increasing numbers of sophisticated customers are demanding customized goods, and companies are offering a growing number of choices. This presents manufacturers with the challenge of achieving seemingly contradictory goals: produce highly individualized products at a relatively low cost, and in …
The forest products industry has an opportunity to reduce energy costs using energy management, thereby boosting their global competitiveness. Increasing manufacturing costs have contributed significantly to the decline of the forest products and wood manufacturing industries …
