8 | News


West Fraser reports Q1 progress


while its European EWP division reported EBITDA of US$-1m. Overall, the company


recorded quarterly sales of US$1.62bn and adjusted EBITDA of US$200m. “Our North American


Above: NA OSB sales are reportedly positive for West Fraser


West Fraser has reported stronger North American engineered wood product (EWP) sales than in its European operations. In its Q1 2024 trading


statement, West Fraser reporter EBITDA of US$188m in its North American EWP business (featuring OSB, plywood and other engineered wood products),


IMA Schelling to hold in-house exhibition at Schwarzach, Austria


Above: IMA Schelling’s Schwarzach base


IMA Schelling is holding an in-house exhibition at its Schwarzach base in Austria from June 12-14. Three days of “Wood Vibes”


will give customers a look behind the scenes at the Schwarzach location, as well as lectures on current industry topics, workshops and product demonstrations. “With the planned in-house exhibition, we want to offer our customers an inspiring technology event and the opportunity for networking,” explains Simon Waterbär, director sales at IMA Schelling. “One highlight is certainly our new screening room, which we completely redesigned at the beginning of the year. We also show the diverse possibilities of hl1


cutting using various example presentations.” The extensive lecture programme offers, among other things, insights into the world of automation, highlights the possibilities of high-performance cutting and presents the robot solution robot.work from IMA Schelling. “A highlight of the in-house exhibition is certainly the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of our company and get to know our production on site,” promised Mr Waterbär. “The planned tours take


visitors from production to the warehouse to final assembly and provide insights into the value chain of our production.”


IMA Schelling’s product range includes workcells for the entire process chain, ranging from storage through cutting, handling and conveying, edge banding, CNC machining, drilling, to sorting and stacking of panel-shaped workpieces made of wood, metal or plastic.


WBPI | April/May 2024 | www.wbpionline.com


OSB, plywood and other engineered products had another strong quarter in Q1 2024, with robust demand driven by strength in new home construction, which carried over from the fourth quarter,” said Sean McLaren, West Fraser’s president and CEO.


“This was in contrast to ongoing demand softness in our European EWP business and North American lumber business.


“We continue to make progress optimizing our portfolio of assets and investing capital to modernize mills and lower costs across our platform, creating a more resilient organization.” The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of US housing starts was 1.32 million units in March 2024, with permits issued of 1.46 million units, according to the US Census Bureau. The company is experiencing near-term softness for MDF and PB in Europe and the UK, but it is experiencing slightly better demand for OSB products in 2024. The company expects to invest US$450m to US $550m in 2024.


Swiss Krono holds Magnumboard OSB licensees conference


Above: Magnumboard OSB consists of laminated Swiss Krono OSB4 panels


Magnumboard OSB licensees travelled from all over Europe in mid-April for a conference organised by Swiss Krono. The licensees manufacture the elements of the construction system based on Magnumboard – which consists of Swiss Krono OSB4 panels laminated together to form thick wall, floor and roofing elements.


Presentations included


Sto, which presented products for direct coating of Magnumboard OSB elements.


Pro Clima did a live demonstration on the topics of sealing and weather protection on construction sites, while Wolf Bavaria clearly explained an innovative sound insulation solution for apartment partitions.


Swiss Krono presented the


topic Building Physics and Certifications.


“The meeting succeeded in raising this network and future co-operation to a new level,” said Swiss Krono.


News


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