The sixth European Panel Products Symposium at Llandudno, Wales, on October 9-11 attracted 120 delegates from around the world and all sectors of industry, from academia to machinery makers to panel manufacturers.
The symposium was divided into four sessions: fundamental properties; new products; environmental and process control; and resins.
Representatives from countries including Canada, the US, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Holland, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Chile and Ecuador heard keynote speaker Professor Anthony Pizzi from the University of Nancy in France, talk about the technical and market trends in resins.
In another presentation Steve Winistorfer, executive vice-president of certification organisation TECO, detailed the background to TECO, which was formed in 1933 as a subsidiary of what is now the American Forest & Paper Association.
It is a recognised certification agency under BS 5268 and is registered in Japan as an RFCO (registered foreign certification organisation) to certify JAS production of plywood, OSB, LVL and glulam produced in North, Central and South America, and in Europe.
“In recent years, TECO has developed a range of panel testing machines that can be used at the point of production rather than relying solely on ‘after the event’ product sampling and testing procedures,” said Mr Winistorfer.
He concluded that quality assurance is an important aspect of the entire building process and that certification agencies such as TECO contribute to the overall quality assurance process by testing and certifying structural panels to be in compliance with the relevant standards.
