All articles by Blatha
Blatha
A global shift in wood usage
Our guest expert in this issue is, once again, Dr Morwenna Spear of the BioComposites Centre in Bangor, North Wales, UK
A voice for the UK industry
Alastair Kerr is Director General of the UK’s Wood Panel Industries Federation, a body which represents wood panel manufacturers in the UK and Ireland. Mike Botting spoke to him about his role and that of the Federation he heads
Developments in the industry, 1995-2018
As he nears the end of his second tenure as full-time Editor of WBPI, Mike Botting looks back on his 22 years’ involvement with the panel business and summarises the major changes which he feels have shaped, improved, and sometimes threatened, that industry
Surface currents
Dave Huggins, business development director at International Decorative Services (IDS), in the UK, talks about trends in panels
Technology, beauty, innovation
The Brazilian Tree Industry association (Ibá) represents the entire planted tree production chain, from fields to factory. It says that Brazilian laminate floors are innovative and sustainable, respect the environment, and guarantee well-being and quality of life for consumers
Panel discussions
Sally Spencer of sister magazine, TTJ, reports from the UK Timber Trade Federation’s(TTF) first UK Wood panels Conference which took place in London in November
Yugra-plit’s big plans
Yugra-Plit aims to become a leading producer and exporter of particleboard in Russian West Siberia and the Urals in years to come, by doubling the capacities at its existing plants. Our Russia correspondent, Eugene Gerden, reports
From IWF to ligna
Since it took over machinery distributor Stiles Machinery in North America, both Homag of Germany and Stiles in the US have thrived, as Mike Botting reports
Recycled wood: waste or resource?
During the Wood Based Panels Symposium, held in October 2018, Silvio Mergner (Principal at Pöyry Management Consulting in Munich, Germany) asked if ‘waste’ wood was, in fact, a valuable raw material. He compared different countries in western and eastem Europe
New hybrid binder
BASF says that it has developed an innovative binder system which raises the efficiency of particleboard production. The binder is called Kauranat MS 1001. Dr stephan Weinkötz explains the benefits of the new system