In the News

Getting Lean Without Going Trim

Roland Baumeister, FDM Asia, July 2011
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Contrary to popular misconception, lean manufacturing practices are more about the reallocation of resources to avoid wastage rather than the reduction of work force.
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Best Practices: Training Within Industry

Brian Ehrecke, Woodworking magazine, Sept/Oct 2011
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Supervisory training is a requirement for most manufacturers because in many companies, they carry a large responsibility for production, quality and cost control.
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Don’t make your edgebander the bottleneck in your plant

Ric Ptak, Woodworking magazine, July/Aug 2011
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Using value stream mapping (VSM) to determine flow, location and options of your edgebander.
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More Wood = Less Stress

David Fell, Woodworking magazine, March/April 2011
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Recent research at the University of British Columbia and FPInnovations has provided evidence of a link between wood visual surfaces and stress reactivity in occupants of the built environment. The study concludes that the presence of wood indoors reduces stress and promotes better long-term health.
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The Great Indoors: A Study in Canadian Environments

David Fell, Woodworking magazine, Sept/Oct 2010
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Highlights of a FPInnovations study "Best Prospects for Additional Wood use in Interior Environments"
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Vintage Woodwork

Brian Ehrecke, Woodworking magazine, May/June 2010
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Using online stream mapping to focus Lean improvement efforts.
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In the Canadian Kitchen

Allan Tong, Woodworking magazine, Mar/Apr 2010
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Current and emerging trends in cabinetry.
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Team Success

Phil Ginter, Woodworking magazine, Jan/Feb 2010
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Strategies to support continuous improvement initiatives
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In the Canadian Kitchen

Karen M. Koenig, Closets Magazine, January, 2010
www.woodworkingcanada.com

We take a look at some of the current and emerging trends in cabinetry
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Stor-X scores big with lean manufacturing

Karen M. Koenig, Closets Magazine, January, 2010
closetsmagazine.com

This Vancouver-area closet manufacturer nets profitable results through its transition to lean manufacturing. It's been slightly less than two years since Richmond, BC-based STOR-X first embarked on a path toward lean manufacturing.
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Fluid Finish - Water Based Finishing for Cabinet and Millwork Shops

Norm Smith, Woodworking magazine, Nov/Dec 2009
www.woodworkingcanada.com

An introduction to water-based coatings
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Downturn sparks new strategy

Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco, Financial Post, Monday, October 19, 2009
www.nationalpost.com

When the recession hit, Calgary-based Ingrained Style Furniture Co. was prepared. The custom-furniture manufacturer had changed its business model and marketing and sales strategy a year earlier in anticipation of the recession. "This is the third boom-and-bust we've been through; the Calgary economy is like that, going from boom to bust. So we knew it was just a matter of time," says Alisen Dopf, who co-owns Ingrained Style Furniture with her husband, Michael Dopf. But they could see more troublesome forces brewing in the horizon than just a recession, ones that in combination with a major economic downturn could hit their business with a perfect storm.
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Diversification readies West for recovery

Denise Deveau, Financial Post, Monday, October 05, 2009
www.nationalpost.com

Pain was worst at firms making goods for the resource sector. In just one month, Michael Dopf saw several company signs in Calgary's Foothills Industrial Park replaced with "For Lease" notices.
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Shades of Green: A Look at the Green Building Market

Jennifer O'Connor. Woodworking magazine, July/Aug 2009
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Excerpt from Forintek's green guide written specifically for wood product manufacturers and designed to clarify the requirements of green programs that are directly relevant to wood.
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Portfolio Management and Measuring Outcomes

Barbara Bell, Woodworking magazine, May/June 2009
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Part three in a three-part series on product development
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Managing Product Development

Barbara Bell, Woodworking magazine, March/April 2009
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Part two in a three-part series on product development
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Managing Product Development

Barbara Bell, Woodworking magazine, Jan/Feb 2009
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Part one in a three-part series on product development
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Calgary Furniture Manufacturer Wins Scotiabank's Get Growing Challenge

Woodworking magazine, Nov / Dec 2008
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Ingrained Style Furniture wins contest and plans to use winnings to automate some of their processes based on a Lean Assessment done by FPInnovations' Solutions for Wood program.
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Trend spotting: Outdoor Projects

by Dave Fell, Woodworking Canada, Nov / Dec 2008
www.woodworkingcanada.com

In our last column, we highlighted some of the key trends pertaining to doors. This time, we take a look at outdoor projects. Some of the trends mentioned are established while others are in their infancy. As a manufacturer it’s up to you to pick and choose the trends and opportunities that best suit your manufacturing, marketing and customer.
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Trend spotting: Doors

by Dave Fell, Woodworking Canada, Sep / Oct 2008
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Trend spotting is an important tool in enabling manufacturers to be proactive rather than reactive in their businesses. Recently, we pulled together a multidisciplinary team consisting of marketing, design and industry advising professionals, to track trends that are currently or imminently going to affect four sectors: cabinets, outdoor projects, windows and doors.
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Technology Time Machine

by Alain Albert, Woodworking magazine, June / July 2008

History of CNC in this excerpt from Understanding CNC Routers
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Achieving Gold : Best Practices for Successful Product Development

by Barbara Bell, Woodworking Canada, Mar / Apr 2008
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Dynamic markets and competitive pressures are forcing wood product manufacturers to move to higher-value markets that require highly innovative products. The pros at Solutions for Wood talked to Guy Belletête, general manager of The Institute for Product Development (IDP) in Montreal, a company who has specialized in product development and design issues for more than 25 years before you start developing a new product.
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Going Lean : A custom millwork business increases production capacity by implementing Lean practices

by Gilbert Steinke, Woodworking Canada, Jan / Feb 2008
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Many manufacturers think that solving a specific problem requires a single-point answer. In truth, a system-wide approach to finding a solution is often the best way to increase overall productivity and efficiency.
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Quality Matters

by Ken Wong, Canadian Kitchen & Bath, Winter 07/08
www.kandb.ca

A quality assurance program makes all the difference

by Ken Wong, Woodworking Canada, Nov / Dec 2007
www.woodworkingcanada.com

While most companies spend the bulk of their time trying to increase throughput and sales, few realize that they must strengthen their ability to consistently produce quality products — on time, all the time. One mistake many manufacturers make is that they perform rework, repair and related services for their customers as a normal part of their business.
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Leading the Pack

by Roland Baumeister, Canadian Kitchen & Bath, October 2007
www.kandb.ca

Many companies fail in their efforts to be innovative. Often the reason is a simple one: they have not invested enough thought into the areas where they can be the most innovative. In many cases, the need to innovate is forced upon companies by external factors, such as changing raw material supplies, a labour shortage and increasingly, the need to be “green.”
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Vancouver’s Upholstery Arts takes an innovative and "green" approach to gain the competitive edge. You can too

by Roland Baumeister, Woodworking Canada, Sep / Oct 2007
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Recently, daily and trade media have highlighted the need for innovation to help Canadian manufacturers become more competitive and environmentally responsible. Currently, many companies fail in their efforts to be innovative. Often the reason is a simple one: They haven’t invested enough thought into the areas where they can be the most innovative.
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Flatware from the forest

by Megan Stewart, Globe and Mail Update, September 7, 2007

Claus Gerlach leans his tall frame against a post and scoops caramel pudding from a plastic cup. The handle may be splintered, but the spoon still works.
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Reman Revamp

by Tony Kryzanowski, Logging & Sawmilling Journal, June 2007

A BC reman company has utilized the technical support of wood products research organization FPInnovations to look at different and better ways to manufacture products and develop effective equipment solutions.
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The Green Building Industry and LEED

by Roland Baumeister, Woodworking Canada, March 2007
www.woodworkingcanada.com

The environment has become the issue of most concern for Canadians. With ever increasing environmental challenges and the public’s h2 desire to address them, few industries possess as promising a future as the Canadian environmental industry.
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Lean Machines

by Phil Ginter, Canadian Wood Products, Jan / Feb 2007
www.canadianwoodproducts.ca

A look at how manufacturers add lean muscle to their business — from theory to practice at a reman shop in Alberta
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The Psychological Impact of Wood

by Jenny Rice, Canadian Kitchen & Bath, Spring 2007
www.kandb.ca

Cabinet manufacturers, and the many designers in the industry, already know intuitively that the design and styling of products and interior spaces play a role in alternating the emotional states of consumers toward their products.
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The Psychological Impact of Wood Products

by Jenny Rice, Woodworking Canada, January / February2007
www.woodworkingcanada.com

In our previous article, a cabinet and millwork manufacturer was featured that differentiated itself from its competitors by incorporating trends and unique features into its products. This company, intuitively, already knows that the design and styling of products and interior spaces play a role in alternating the emotional states of consumers towards their products.
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Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing : Keeping Ahead in the Innovation Game

by Roland Baumeister, Canadian Kitchen & Bath, Winter 2006
www.kandb.ca

The number of kitchen cabinets being built and installed has significantly increased over the last few years, thanks to the boom in housing construction and renovation. Today’s kitchen cabinet sector has become a fashion industry, with various styles ranging from suburban classic and rustic to sleek urban contemporary. Along with this, consumers are becoming more knowledgeable and are looking for unique designer items to personalize their kitchen.
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CNC + Humans = Innovation

by Alain Albert, Woodworking Canada, November / December 2006
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Founded 22 years ago, Pacific Woodworking specializes in manufacturing custom architectural millwork and components for its customers using the latest CNC equipment. Their clients include a “who’s who” list of hotels, bars, retail outlets and offices across
North America.
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Take back control…from your product line.

by Roland Baumeister, Woodworking Canada, October 2006
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Early in 2004, Vancouver area solid wood furniture manufacturer Whistler Creek Furniture was a struggling three-year-old start-up that had managed to secure quite an impressive list of clients. Just as impressive though was its product line. More than 450 distinct products were available in 12 colours, made out of four different species of wood and spanning the whole market spectrum from low- to high-end. The company had everything for everyone, a salesperson’s delight and a production manager’s nightmare.
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Switching to lean: Pushing production and profit through the roof

by Roland Baumeister, Woodworking Canada, June / July 2006
www.woodworkingcanada.com

The owner of Saskatoon’s SBC Case Industries Ltd., Patric Byrns, was already sold on the potential benefits offered by the lean manufacturing approach before participating in a multiple module lean training program. However, he needed help to raise the knowledge level of shop employees and to implement the concepts on the shop floor first. That’s where the technical expertise of an outside resource really paid off.
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Focus on processes keeps door and window producer competitive

by Roland Baumeister, Woodworking Canada, May 2006
www.woodworkingcanada.com

Most successful business operators are always looking for ways to improve. In fact, the sign of a good company can often be judged by its desire to review and improve its operations. For such efforts, management is often rewarded with improved product quality and increased production and sales. This was the case for Custom Window and Door Millworks of Salmon Arm, B.C., a manufacturer of high-end wood doors and windows for over 25 years. Its products are well known for their quality and workmanship throughout North America and Asia, and have been featured in some of the finest buildings around the world.
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Cabinetmaker Goes from Batch Flow to Lean Operation

Wood & Wood Products, May 2006
www.iswonline.com

With help from research group FPInnovations, Regina, Saskatchewan-based Cabtec Mfg. has made the successful transition to lean manufacturing.
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Modelling for Efficiency to Improve Manufacturing Processes

by Roland Baumeister, Woodworking Canada, January/February 2006
www.woodworkingcanada.com

A h2 Canadian dollar, an increase in offshore imports, a shortage of skilled labour and rising raw material costs are all impacting the profitability of the Canadian wood products industry. So how do you use technical knowledge to improve manufacturing processes and remain competitive?
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