September 2024

The Issues: GEARING UP FOR TP&EE

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Timber Processing

Timber Processing will once again serve as the media host of the Timber Processing & Energy Expo (TP&EE) to be held September 25-27 at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Ore. TP’s affiliate, Hatton-Brown Expositions, is producing the event, which is held every other year, for the seventh time. Beginning in 2010, it would be number eight, but COVID knocked out the 2020 version.

As of this writing, about 170 exhibitors will participate, and only a handful of 10×10 booths were still available for sale. Attendee registration numbers were up compared to two years ago, which is a good thing, considering that a number of Northwest sawmills have gone out of business in the past couple of years, but then again companies like Sierra Pacific Industries, Stimson Lumber, Roseburg, Hampton Lumber and many others are still going strong with sawmill investment in the Northwest.

In addition to the exhibits, once again TP&EE will host the Sawmill Productivity & Efficiency Conference, scheduled for Thursday, September 26, with two half-day sessions on “Sawmill Byproducts” and “Artificial Intelligence Implementation.”

As to byproducts, one of the talks with a little different twist will be on the procurement and usage of sawmill chips and residue in the production of wood fiber insulation products, to be given by Karl Aicher, director of project engineering at Grenzebach. Also, Dane Floyd, CEO of Biomass Engineering & Equipment, which manufactures materials handling equipment, will speak on modernized and efficient handling of byproducts.

The AI session will feature Anne-Marie Levesque, VP of Business Development at BID Group, addressing how BID’s AI is revolutionizing the industry and is driving exceptional results. And Norvin Laudon, head of sales at MiCROTEC, will speak on his company’s Connect Solution and full traceability technology from logs to lumber. Check out the show web site for the full roster of speakers.

On the first day of the show, Wednesday, September 25, at 3 p.m., everyone is invited to attend the presentation of the ­Timber Processing 2024 Person of the Year Award to Andy Pollard of Pollard Lumber in Georgia. Pollard is the 36th annual recipient of the award. You might be remember the first award, in 1989, going to Duane Vaagen of Vaagen Bros. Lumber in Colville, Wash. My, how time flies. We hope Duane and some of the other previous winners will be on hand.

There might even be a little music permeating throughout the show floor on Thursday, with some of the talented fellas from Nelson Bros. and JoeScan providing it.

Of course when it gets right down to it, TP&EE is all about the bottom line, meaning sawmill projects and machinery sales. And if you read the results of our 2024 Sawmill Capital Expenditure Survey a few months ago, you saw where 41% of the softwood sawmills had budgeted for or committed to spending at least $1 million in 2024-2025 and 24% of those said at least $5 million. There you have it.