Rich Christianson
Read the latest blogs on the wood industry from Rich Christianson. Stay informed about green wood products, woodworking machinery and lumber.
IKEA 2012: Profitable Year; Plenty of Saga
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 03/15/2013 11:49:00 AM
IKEA's worldwide sales increased by 9.5% to $4.2 billion for its fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. But improved revenues hardly begin to tell IKEA's story - or better yet - saga of 2012.
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Cabinets & Closets Expo Earns High Praise
By RIch Christianson | Updated: 03/08/2013 11:50:00 AM
I can go on and on about how great it felt to be one of the organizers of this awesome event. But why take my word for it when you can read the comments of exuberant exhibitors and attendees who participated at the 2013 Cabinets & Closets Conference last week in Edison, NJ.
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Made in America Does Not Equal American Owned
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 02/03/2013 12:15:00 PM
More foreign investors are finding the production cost advantages in their homelands is less valuable than being directly attached to the world’s greatest consumer market.
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Composite Panel Association's New Board Reflects Merger Trend
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 01/11/2013 11:55:00 AM
The wood panel companies represented by the new executive board of the Composite Panel Association reads like a who's who in mega mergers and acquisitions of 2012.
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Thermally Fused Melamine Is So Yesterday
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 12/07/2012 11:04:00 AM
I can only begin to imagine the thousands of wood products company websites, brochures, etc. that are in need of swapping out the term thermally fused melamine in favor of thermally fused laminate.
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The Lacey Act, Plywood Antidumping and the Sen. Wyden Connection
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 11/30/2012 1:14:00 PM
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) did not have a magic wand to un-burst the housing bubble, but that did not stop him from using his senate seat in Washington to take a whack at stemming the flow of Chinese wood imports.
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Pfleiderer’s Retreat Complete with Pergo Sale
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 11/02/2012 11:39:00 AM
Mohawk Industries's agreement to purchase Pergo laminate flooring for $150 million will bring an end to German-based Pfleiderer's 7-year presence in the North American wood products market.
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