Kelowna-based Norelco Cabinets taps into the Business Innovation Partnership (BIP) on all fronts and achieves huge impact to their bottom-line.

Companies that have accessed the BIP services have seen significant payback! For Norelco Cabinets, the market and technical advice delivered through the BIP has dramatically changed the way the company manufactures its products, as well as how it markets and sells those products. Hear from company owner Peter Raja in this short video (link below) as he details some of the changes that dramatically increased productivity, product quality, and sales – along with an increase in profitability.

Some of the areas Norelco focused on were the better use of their manufacturing space and how product moved through the shop. With FPInnovations’ help, the company was able to increase its production without expanding its footprint – a significant capital savings! Along with gains in productivity came increases in product quality, and lower rework costs. Accessing new markets and developing new business approaches helped Norelco expand its sales. With the help of BCWood, Norelco embraced new sales techniques including both online marketing as well as traditional client/vendor interaction, and discovered new sales potential in markets it had not previously ventured in to.

Overall, the biggest benefit for Norelco was working with BCWood and FPInnovations concurrently. As new sales opportunities were discovered, the manufacturing process was being improved with the final result of getting to the market quicker, and efficiently capitalizing on new sales potential.

If you’d like to discover how you can achieve results like these, watch this short video. If you have questions or want further information, contact FPInnovations at (604) 222 5672, or BCWood at (877) 422 9663.

Norelco Cabinets from Rumin Mann on Vimeo.

This year, the UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) is once again organising a short tour of technical facilities and wood buildings related to timber construction and energy-efficient housing in southern Germany and Austria, culminating in attendance of the International Wood Construction Conference in Garmisch Partenkirschen, Europe’s largest wood building event, which annually attracts over 1,000 participants. The tour will be held from December 3 – 10, 2011, and will be of interest to architects, designers, engineers, researchers, and industry professionals working in the wood building/wood construction fields who are interested in the following topics:

• Production of factory-built homes
• Innovative wood buildings and structures
• Green buildings and passive/low energy homes
• Energy-efficient building products

The theme of this year’s Garmisch conference will be low-energy buildings. The group will meet in Munich on Sunday, December 4th, then travel by bus to visit a number of production facilities, wood buildings, and a permanent low energy housing exhibition before arriving at the conference on Wednesday, Decemeber 7th. The group will return to Munich on Saturday for return flights to Canada. Numbers will be limited to no more than 12 participants

For more information, please contact CAWP at cawp@cawp.ubc.ca, phone 604-822-6448 or call toll free (North America) to 1-866-822-2297.

“Storytelling may just be the best management tool available to modern business leaders because it exerts influence in ways that other techniques cannot” Annette Simmons, The Story Factor

This workshop will teach you why the story of your business is vital to your branding and marketing efforts.

Strategic storytelling can be one of the most successful ways to strengthen your business because it allows people to connect with who you are and what you do. By developing a Brand Story, which is an in-depth portrayal of your business from different perspectives, you encourage your customers, your staff, and your shareholders to identify with your brand and to see themselves as part of the story. This workshop will inspire discussion, provide insight and spark innovative ideas as to how you can market your business based on the stories that surround you.

What you will learn:

• How to build a brand story that will increase your sales, build customer loyalty, and attract new employees by allowing you to better communicate your message
• What elements you should incorporate into your brand story and who should be a part of this process
• How you can then use your Brand Story to improve your marketing strategy by turning it into content for websites, marketing materials and social media strategy.

Who should participate:

• Owner / Operator
• Communications or Marketing Manager

When and Where:

Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2011
Time: 9:00am – 1:00pm
Location: TBD

Testimonial:

“Storytelling has always been a part of what I do, but I was having difficulty putting my passion into words. Working with Megan Sheldon at Narrative Communications helped me understand how important it is to have someone outside your business look in on what you are doing, ask questions, listen, and then weave together the different points of view to create a single Brand Story. Now when we talk about our business, we share the same story, and our customers learn to retell that story, creating brand awareness. With everything we do moving forward, we look to the Brand Story to make sure we are headed in the right direction.”
- Brent Comber Studio

Save the date and register now! For more information or to register, please contact Rumin Mann at rmann@bcwood.com or 604-882-7100. We will email a registration form with the location soon.

Part two in a three-part series on product development.

In part one of this series on managing product development, we looked at the importance of having a highlevel strategy to guide your efforts. (For part one, visit woodworkingcanada.com.) The next challenge for management is to determine the “how” and “who” of product development.

As companies grow, they tend to refi ne and legitimize various aspects of their business, and the area of product development is no different. At the fi rst level, product development efforts lack planning and performance tends to depend on the capabilities of a few individuals’ skills. At the second level a system is implemented to give structure so successful practices can be repeated. Product development process can be characterized at this level as practiced, documented, enforced, trained and measured. (Most wood product manufacturers tend to be at the stage where they are moving from level one to level two.) The third level focuses on optimizing processes. Failures are analyzed and there is continuous improvement. This level is more critical to fast-paced industries such as electronics where product life-cycles are short and speed to market is everything.

Several different methodologies for new product development exist. Adopting these methodologies can result in cost savings through decreased development times, improved manufacturability of new products, reduced launch costs and increased consumer satisfaction with products. Some of the more written about models include Quality Function Deployment, Stage-Gate Process, and Superior Product Development. While the details of each model differ, the basic ideas are similar. We outline the Stage-Gate process below but it’s a good idea to explore several models and then pick and choose elements to create your own, tailored process.

Click here to read the entire article

After seeing the success from their 5S activities, the next step was to get training on Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to help them map out their process and make improvements to the flow of their products. VSM is a Lean manufacturing technique used to analyze the flow of materials and information currently required to bring a product or service to a consumer.

“We saw immediate payback after we finished the VSM exercise. With one of our products, we were able to reduce the number of processes from 18 to 7. This was a huge savings in the production”, commented Ken. “Because we have been looking at our products in depth with VSM, it helped us improve our consistency and our quality”.

Without buy-in of the staff, many of the Lean concepts won’t work. “Initially, I didn’t understand how Lean could be good for our staff”, says Ken. “After all, if you can do more production with less staff, how would your employees feel? People tend to think that if you look at efficiency in production it means jobs are on the line”.

Vintage began by making small changes that let the staff experience the improvements. For example, convincing the moulder operator that he was going to save money by doing lots of shorter runs rather than setting up once and doing bigger runs was difficult at first.

However, after witnessing that the machines were not tied up and the set ups were happening three times faster, employees began coming around. Says Ken, “with less inventory we did not have our cash tied up and it kept what inventory we did have clean and fresh”. “Reduced work in progress cleared the floor, kept the staff focused and reduced the possibility of damage to the products as they made their way through the shop”.

The next steps for Vintage Woodworks include creating the framework so that its staff can sustain the Lean improvements they have already done, and getting ready for further Lean implementation.

Adds Ken,” I have been really lucky to have an Operations Manager in our company that truly believes in the Lean journey. Working together, our staff is looking forward to future changes and the benefits it will result for them”. “We anticipate it will take Vintage some time before we meet our goals, however each step we take we should realize an improvement on our productivity”.

Brian Ehrecke is a manufacturing specialist for FPInnovations. FPInnovations is a company with over 25 years of experience providing technical and manufacturing support to the wood products industry in Canada. He can be reached at (250) 462-4000 or brian.ehrecke@fpinnovations.ca.

We recently held workshops in Kelowna and Victoria that focused on the latest details of federal, provincial and other assistance programs that relate to enterprises in British Columbia.

CLICK HERE to view a summary of the workshop, in Power Point form, that you may find useful for your business.

Roy Manion

This week, we are wrapping up quite an active month with the architect program. June activities included:

• AWMAC Convention in Osoyoos where we exhibited, attended some highly interesting seminars, and met a number of individuals from BC’s Millwork Sector.
• 2 Factory Tours and seminars (Unison Windows and Doors in North Vancouver and Structurlam Products in Penticton and Okanagan Falls)
• Participated at an open house for Tamlin International’s new facility in Aldergrove
• Conducted a lunch and learn session on Cabinetry with one of our members carrying the ball in the session. This session was requested by the architect firm on that specific topic. This was in follow up to a previous session we held for the firm.

Details of the two factory tours are as follows:

Unison Windows and Doors:
Located in North Vancouver, Unison is a designer and manufacturer of high end wood windows and doors, primarily for the residential market. The two hour event included seminars on how to use wood windows for multi-story floor to ceiling glazing systems and how wood glazing systems can be made to provide low maintenance wood exteriors and achieve many structural advantages over aluminum frames. Also featured were 2 architects who were frequent specifiers of wood windows and gave presentations from the architect’s perspective on the advantages that wood windows offer and also responded to questions.

The tour included demonstrations on glazing, laminating different wood species together, and water testing required to achieve certifications. Approximately 25 architects attended the 2 hour session.

Structurlam Products Inc
This was a full day event also attended by 25 architects. The primary purpose was to tour Structurlam’s brand new CrossLam facility in Okanagan Falls, the largest Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) plant in Western Canada and one of the world’s most modern. During the tour, we witnessed the preparation and lay-up of CLT panels – which can be as large as 10′ wide and 40′ long – and the planing of these large panels.

We also toured Structurlam’s Glulam plant in Penticton and while there had demos on 5 Axis CNC and 3D modeling. At lunch we had a seminar by Robert Malczyk of Equilibrium Consulting on the advantages of CLT panels and their role in construction

We then toured the Okanagan College Campus which is in line for designation as BC’s first Living Building Challenge institutional structure and LEED Platinum certification. The day concluded with a wrap up at Poplar Grove Winery and included a little wine tasting.

Both tours were highly regarded by the architects who gave up considerable time to attend them and both give credence to the value of having architects tour members’ facilities.

We currently have 3 more factory tours in various stages of planning. However, with summer now hear, the Architect Program’s activities will definitely slow down. As always, it also allows us time to “retool”, and work on our data base of our target audiences. We also use the time to prepare for the GBM.

Global Buyers Mission (GBM):
We are well into the planning of the Architect Program for the GBM.

As you read in the last “Wood Connections”, this year we are offering an exciting new program for both the architects and exhibitors where all interested exhibitors will be able to give 15 minute presentations throughout Friday afternoon to the attending architects and designers. Arangements have been made with AIBC to make the presentations qualify for architects’ learning credits. We will be in touch with the exhibitors who have signed up for the program to assist in their presentations so if you don’t know exactly what to do, we will be there to help you.

Once we have finalized the speakers, which we are in the process of doing, we will be sending invitations to the architects and designers throughout the province. We expect this to happen next week. I have already been asked by a few architects if we are going to have a GBM this year so the awareness is definitely out there.

As always, should you want your company to participate in any of these program or just require additional information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com. If you aren’t quite sure if architects should be included in your marketing activities or how to go about doing it, again, just get in touch with us. We would be pleased to provide answers to any of your questions and if you wish to proceed, to assist you in making your company “architect ready”.

Working Wood, the BIP Mentoring Program is a funding assisted program designed to deliver tools and instruction to help small furniture manufacturers/designers grow their business. 2011 will be the third year of this valuable program and with two years under our belts, we have been able to streamline, refine and develop the program to allow participants the opportunity to grow their business capacity and see quantitative, measurable results.

The Working Wood program will take place June 2011 – November 2011. The program is intended for small companies who are looking for opportunities to grow their capacities and industry specific knowledge. For more information and the application form, please click here. Space is limited, so please contact Jason Heard ASAP if you are interested in this great program: Jason@idswest.com or call 604.220.2725.

Since the beginning of the year, FPInnovations has been informing you about a successful process called “Training Within Industry” (TWI). FPInnovations has already held an introductory webinar and a half day workshop on this topic and as a result, has received great interest from businesses asking what they need to do next to apply this information in their shop.

Companies that have already adopted elements of TWI have noted unprecedented success including cost savings from productivity improvements, scrap and waste reduction, employee retention, and cost avoidance. The TWI programs are vehicles to instill standardization into the workplace, as the method and skill to implement standardized work is often missing from the tool belts of supervisors. Without standardization, it is difficult to know if a process is being improved, where errors are occurring, or if improvements are being sustained.

Currently, theTWI “J” programs specifically address the following skill needs:

• Job Instruction (JI): by teaching the skill of instructing and how to transfer the knowledge of work to others.
• Job Methods (JM): by teaching the skill of improving methods where one can achieve greater production of good quality products and services.
• Job Relations (JR): by teaching the skill of leading to gain the necessary cooperation from others.

By addressing these three areas and the skills they develop, supervisors can manage their daily activities more effectively. TWI has a proven 4-step process that exemplifies standardization and through its “learn by doing” approach, instantly makes the skills learned beneficial to any company in any sector.

The first module – Job Instruction Training (JI) – is being offered this coming July 25th to 29th, 2011, in centrally located locations. For more information, contact Brian Ehrecke at 250-462-4000 or by email: brian.ehrecke@fpinnovations.ca

To register for this program, please click here.

Hear the previously recorded one hour webinar held on May 26, click here:

http://fpi.adobeconnect.com/p6k42tfp7li/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

The Business Innovation Partnership is putting on a special presentation and overview of Thermally Modified Wood (TMW) on Wednesday June 29th. Numerous samples will be available for viewing including both BC softwoods and various hardwoods. Come and see how Hemlock and SPF transform in appearance and functionality to that of Western Red Cedar and how local Maple and other lighter hardwoods can be transformed into rich exotic tropical hardwoods. Thermowood has long been used in Europe and this exciting process is starting to gain some traction in North America. Come and find out for yourself!

When: June 29, 2011, 10:00am-12:00pm (lunch will follow)

LOCATION CHANGED TO: Sheraton Guildford Hotel – 15269 104 Ave, Surrey, BC

Presenters: Mike Friesen, Dallin Brooks – Business Case Analysis; Derek Williams – Technical Analysis

What will be covered:

• History of TMW
• The TMW Process
• TMW in BC
• Industry/Market Analysis
• Competition in North America
• Product Analysis
• Attributes of TMW
• Production Stages
• Financial Information and Analysis
• Strategic Issues

Who should attend: Artisans, millworkers, primary producers, remanufacturers, furniture makers, cabinet makers

Cost: In addition to the session and lunch, participants will receive an exclusive copy of the Thermowood Study for $249

Please click here for more information and to register or contact Scott Thompson at 604-882-7100 or at sthompson@bcwood.com

This hands-on workshop will walk you through the steps you need to take — and the things you need to know — to make your website do what it’s supposed to do — produce sales!  Come with your laptop and leave with a detailed plan that you will have already started to implement during the workshop!

No matter what the nay sayers say, the truth is that social media and online marketing produce sales. Want to take the mystery out of social media? You will learn why and how to use SM “strictly for business” — and how you can conduct a solid social media program in less than ten minutes a day.

Date: June 28, 2011

Location: Sheraton Guildford Hotel – 15269 104 Ave, Surrey, BC

Testimonial:

“Broad range of topics but each component clear and to the point, with personal experience and relevant examples. Neil is very good, great understanding of his subject. He removes, for me, hurdles to understanding social media – and how helpful it can be to business. I highly recommend this.”
For more information or to register, please click here or contact Rumin Mann at rmann@bcwood.com or 604-882-7100.

Contact Scott Thompson at BC Wood for more details on any of the services provided by the Business Innovation Partnership: 1-877-4BC-WOOD

This hands-on workshop will walk you through the steps you need to take — and the things you need to know — to make your website do what it’s supposed to do — produce sales!  Come with your laptop and leave with a detailed plan that you will have already started to implement during the workshop!

No matter what the nay sayers say, the truth is that social media and online marketing produce sales. Want to take the mystery out of social media? You will learn why and how to use SM “strictly for business” — and how you can conduct a solid social media program in less than ten minutes a day.

Date: June 21, 2011
Location: Victoria, BC

Date: June 23, 2011
Location: Kelowna, BC

Date: June 28, 2011
Location: Surrey, BC

For more information or to register, please click here or contact Rumin Mann at rmann@bcwood.com or 604-882-7100.

The Business Innovation Partnership is putting on a special presentation and overview of Thermally Modified Wood (TMW) on Wednesday June 29th. Numerous samples will be available for viewing including both BC softwoods and various hardwoods. Come and see how Hemlock and SPF transform in appearance and functionality to that of Western Red Cedar and how local Maple and other lighter hardwoods can be transformed into rich exotic tropical hardwoods. Thermowood has long been used in Europe and this exciting process is starting to gain some traction in North America. Come and find out for yourself!

When: June 29, 2011, 10:00am-12:00pm (lunch will follow)

Where: Surrey, BC (location TBA)

Presenters: Mike Friesen, Dalling Brooks – Business Case Analysis; Derek Williams – Technical Analysis

What:

• History of TMW
• The TMW Process
• TMW in BC
• Industry/Market Analysis
• Competition in North America
• Product Analysis
• Attributes of TMW
• Production Stages
• Financial Information and Analysis
• Strategic Issues

Who should attend: Artisans, millworkers, primary producers, remanufacturers, furniture makers, cabinet makers

Cost: In addition to the session and lunch, participants will receive an exclusive copy of the Thermowood Study for $249

For more information and to register, please contact Scott Thompson at 604-882-7100 or at sthompson@bcwood.com

The Business Innovation Partnership (BIP) is about to launch the Working Wood Mentoring Program for our 3rd year. This dynamic training and mentoring program is for small, start-up designer/manufacturers in BC who are ready to take the next step.

Mission: Assist selected furniture designers /manufacturers in a comprehensiveeducational/mentoring program to provide tools and skills to successfully participate in a trade/consumer event and grow their businesses, thusly the furniture sector in general.

The program includes a variety of workshops, in-house one-on-one training and site visits, and covers important topics such as business planning & management, marketing and branding for your core audience, product development and finally, actual participation in an important local trade event; the IDSWest Show.

This BIP initiative is one of our shining examples of how working closely with small, almost start-up wood working/ furniture designers in BC can lead to successful company growth. We believe that BC has some of the best designers and craftsmen in the world and are pleased to have this opportunity to help them grow their business.

If you, or someone you know, would like to apply to be part of the upcoming program, please contact Jason Heard at Jason@idswest.com for more information. Space is very limited and the workshops start soon! Check out this video to hear what some of the 1st year participants had to say:

If the above video does not work, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz8jwLMIgII

Find out how to increase your throughput and improve your bottom line using the latest tools in manufacturing automation.  A taste of CNC technology will change your manufacturing experience forever!

FPInnovations has released Understanding CNC Routers, a handbook that provides you with the information you need about tooling, software, vacuum pumps, and the myriad of accessories available to the wood manufacturing industry.

You can order the easy to read, 100-page handbook for $20 at publications@van.forintek.ca or contact the author, Alain Albert, directly at 604-222-5613 or alain.albert@fpinnovations.ca

Brian Eherke

With the advent of the Lean movement and the Toyota Production System (TPS), TWI has had a revival in North America. TWI Service was first established by the US War Production Board to ramp up war time production in the 1940′s. TWI Service established the first “J” programs. In 2001, Robert J. Wrona and Patrick Graupp partnered together to reintroduce TWI to U.S. companies, beginning in New York State and then expanding throughout the country and around the world (www.twi-institute.com).

The TWI “J” programs are vehicles to instill standardization into the workplace. The method and skill to implement standardized work is often missing from the tool belts of supervisors. Without standardization, it is difficult to know if a process is being improved, where errors are occurring, or if improvements are being sustained.

Equally important, standardization can help increase the job satisfaction of employees and contribute to the success and growth of the company.

Results for companies that have implemented TWI vary based on their personal situation and the metrics they have put in place. Many companies have noted successes in one or more of the following areas:

• Cost savings from productivity improvements
• Reductions in defects, scrap and waste
• Reduced cycle times
• Reduced inventory
• Better on-time delivery
• Higher profitability
• Reduced space, travel, human errors, and customer complaints
• Higher employee retention and quality of work life

Click here to read the entire article

To learn more about TWI, its history and how it can benefit your business, a free one-hour webinar will be held at 10am PST on May 25th, and then again on May 26th. Please click on the links below for the date of your choice to register and receive the login information.

For May 25
https://www.regonline.ca/twi_imp_may25

For May 26
https://www.regonline.ca/twi_imp_may26

Roy Manion

For the most part, the last 2 weeks has been relatively quiet with the Architect Program as the BC Wood staff, along with FPInnovations and CAWP, spent much of last week in Kelowna where a series of meetings focusing on the Business Innovation Partnership (BIP) program took place.  Along with the meetings, we broke into groups and visited numerous companies to conduct needs assessments.  Many companies that were visited were unaware of the many programs that are available to them from the three associations involved with BIP so finding out how these companies can be assisted to make them better at what they do is always gratifying.

As it relates to the Architect & Designer Program, we did book a couple of sessions and are finalizing details for two mill tours.  We also are putting the final touches on the 2011-2012 Architect & Designer Program and will be sending applications out in the next week.

As always, if you require any information on any aspect of the Architect & Designer Program including how to participate in either lunch & learn sessions or in the Specifiers Book, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com

Wood product manufacturers can access wood finishing services through Business Innovation Partnership (BIP). We offer ongoing industry support through seminars and publications on finishing issues, and we work with individual manufacturers to help them resolve their finishing problems and increase their productivity and quality.

FPInnovations can support your finishing efforts by:

1. Forensic Testing: We can help you to determine the causes of finish failure and ways to help prevent future failures
2. Coatings:
   • Coatings performance analysis/suitability
   • Wet and dry film thickness measurements and an analysis of them
   • Sheen measurements (refractometer)
   • Solid content of your liquid coatings
   • Hardness (scratch test)
   • Analysis of your catalyst, reducers and retarders
3. Stains: How to achieve that specific colour each and every time through the use of spray only, spray and wipe, toners; the preparation and use of colour samples and step boards
4. Equipment: An analysis of the spray equipment used, the maintenance of that equipment, and alternative equipment; transfer efficiencies
5. Supervision and Training:
   • Standard operating procedures
   • Quality control programs
   • Safety

For more information, contact Norman Smith at 604-828-9555 or norman.smith@fpinnovations.ca

Wood Finishing Services information brochure

During my visits with manufacturers who work with nested based CNC machines I am often confronted with questions regarding hold-down vacuum performance. Surprisingly, there is very little information available to these manufacturers apart from the specs of the vacuum pumps. Manufacturers have told me when they have problems holding down parts to their table they often refer to the machine distributor who sold them the system. On occasion, they are told that the pump is not strong enough and that they must purchase a bigger pump. In some cases, after purchasing a bigger pump, the problem persists and they are told that the vacuum is not the problem, they must be doing something
wrong.

In order to hold down a piece of wood to a table using vacuum, more than just the performance of the vacuum pump has to be taken into consideration. The air that will be drawn by the pump must first travel through a spoilboard; then through a plenum in the table; then through different valves and plumbing fittings and finally through a pipe or tube to the pump itself. Let’s take a look at each of these elements separately.

Click here to read entire article