Woodworking Leaders to Gather for Wood Tech Summit Tomorrow
Wood Tech Summit Focuses on Best Practices

MISSISSAUGA (TORONTO) - Seven of the best and brightest minds of the Canadian woodworking industry will share some of their strategies for success at the Wood Tech Summit Leadership Conference, Wednesday, Oct. 23.

The full-day program will feature discussions on green finishing, RFID inventory systems, robotic work cells, setting up a factory in China, participating in a wood cluster and more. In addition to the educational sessions, the event features a Networking Reception with table top exhibits.

Wood Tech Summit will take place before the start of the 2013 Woodworking Machinery & Supply Expo, Canada's national woodworking show, at the Four Points by Sheraton, 6257 Airport Road, near Pearson International Airport in Mississauga. The program is organized by Woodworking Network and the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing at the University of British Columbia.

Woodworking Leaders to Gather for Wood Tech Summit TomorrowNorthern Apex, a provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions for the wood products and other industries is a sponsor of the event.

The Wood Tech Summit lineup includes:

Achieving Operational Excellence: Sepp Gmeiner, partner of Lignum Consulting, will discuss some of the many ways wood products companies have to differentiate themselves from their competition. This presentation will highlight the key facets where companies need to build competences to be successful, including how aligning the efforts and improvements in material flow improvements, layout, machines and tooling, software, organization and skills development will lead to operations excellence.

Reaping the Benefits of Participating to a Wood Manufacturing Cluster: Adam Hofmann, president of Bogdon and Gross Furniture will discuss his company's involvement with the Bluewater Wood Alliance Inc., a cluster of wood products manufacturing companies that was formed in southwestern Ontario in March 2011, The alliance is made up of nearly 20 wood product manufacturing companies and more than a dozen key stakeholders to the industry. Hoffmann will discuss how the members of the “cluster” organization are collaborating to increase their competitiveness.

Woodworking Leaders to Gather for Wood Tech Summit TomorrowHow Much Did that Job Really Cost?:  Luke Elias, president of Muskoka Cabinet Company, will explain how his mid-size cabinet manufacturing firm has seized on a number of technologies including a durable water-based finish line, RFID technology and ERP tools to help manage quality and costs.

Woodworking Leaders to Gather for Wood Tech Summit TomorrowLights Out Woodworking at Ro-Bois-Tic: Bastien Larouche, owner, Ro-Bois-Tic near Quebec City was featured on the February cover of Wood Products magazine alongside the industrial robot that mans a nesting cell  that includes a CNC router, edgebander and drilling and dowel insertion machine. The 24/7 line was designed to produce 1,200 ready-to-assemble cabinets per week.

On-Shore Vs. Off-Shore Manufacturing: Pierre Fournier is in a unique position to address this topic as his company Triangle Kitchen operates manufacturing plants in Dieppe, NB, and in China. In addition, Triangle exports its products to international markets, including the Northeast U.S. and France.

When Opportunity Knocks: Rebuilding a Wood Products Company After a Devastating Fire: Denis Staples, president of Deslaurier Cabinets, will discuss how he and his partner Jim Deslaurier seized the opportunity to build a leaner and greener manufacturing operation following a destructive New Year's fire. The story of the company's rise from the ashes is chronicled in the best-selling book: That'll Never Work: Business Lessons from Successful Canadian Entrepreneurs.

Achieving Award-Winning Design: Ann Marie Snook, vice president of operations for Nienkämper, will address the company's success in corporate and residential furniture markets. Nienkämper's 120,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art plant in Toronto produces classic and contemporary furniture designs for shipment around the world. The company has been named one of Canada's 50 Best Managed firms for four years running.

View the full Wood Tech Summit Leadership Conference schedule.

View details to attend, exhibit or sponsor Wood Tech Summit.

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