Registration is open for the 2014 Wood Tech Summit, Oct. 9-10 at the Woodworking Centre of Ontario. Located on the campus of Conestoga College, it is a 60-minute drive from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

The event will feature presentations on industry best practices in the front office and shop floor, tabletop exhibits, optional facility tours and networking opportunities. It will bring together owners, executives and key managers of North American secondary wood products companies and leading industry suppliers.

An inspiring lead-off speaker will be Judson Beaumont, the charismatic and creative founder of Straight Line Designs furniture.

Organized under the auspices of the Woodworking Centre of Ontario at Conestoga College, the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing at the University of British Columbia, the Wood Manufacturing Council, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Lignum Consulting and Woodworking Network, the event is also supported by the Bluewater Wood Alliance. The Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association also has pledged support.

The professional woodworking track will focus on increasing raw material yield, improving process flow, achieving high-quality green finishes, boosting productivity, exporting wood products, getting more from nesting, choosing the right tool for the job, developing a winning production team, hiring and training new employees, how to break into new product markets, etc.

Wood Tech Summit kicks off Thursday, Oct. 9 with a full-day conference program, tabletop exhibits, and a networking reception. Attendees will have the option to attend the Friday, Oct. 10 facility tours, which currently include George Guenzler & Sons and the Woodworking Centre of Ontario. Wood Tech Summit will feature separate educational tracks for professional woodworkers and high school woodworking instructors, guidance counselors and students. The vocational woodworking track will focus on career opportunities for high school and college students in the wood products industry.

Wood Tech 2014 Speakers
Surviving & Thriving Through Continuous Innovation – Judson Beaumont, Owner/Designer, Straight Line Designs.

• Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Hiring & Training Best Practices – Richard Lipman, President, Wood Manufacturing Council

• On-Shore vs. Off-Shore Manufacturing – Pierre “Pete” Fournier, President, Triangle Kitchen Ltd.

• Big Marketing Ideas for Small Marketing Budgets – Jim Lawrence, President, Avondale Kitchens & Baths and President of the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association

• Reaping the Rewards of a Woodworking Cluster – Mike Baker, Manager, Bluewater Wood Alliance

• New Technologies & Trends That Have, Will or Might Transform Your Woodworking Business – Sepp Gmeiner, Partner, Lignum Consulting

Oct. 10 Facility Tours
George Guenzler & Sons Inc. has bulked up on CNC technology at its plant to manufacture turned and shaped wood components. Its customers include many of the leading and largest wood product manufacturers in North America.

The Woodworking Centre of Ontario is a 50,000-square-foot, well-equipped facility on the Conestoga College campus. Facilitating excellence in secondary wood processing education and training, it is ranked in the top four in the world as a top-rated training institution.

Wood Tech Summit has negotiated a group rate at the Holiday Inn Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel & Conference Center, 30 Fairway Road South in Kitchener. Learn more, book a room, and register at woodtechsummit.com.