GRAND RAPIDS, MI –The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Assn. said December orders grew two percent year-over-year to $875 million, a three percent drop from November, according to Reuters. This continues a trend toward slower growth for office furniture orders, an analyst said. The growth of shipments also slowed, increasing only five percent to $1.01 billion compared to 8 percent growth in November.

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S.

CLEVELAND -- Demand for hard surface flooring in China is expected to climb 7.3% per year through 2010 to over three billion square meters, according to a new study, Flooring in China,

WASHINGTON – According to the Composite Panel Assn., producers of MDF in North America reported record shipments in 2006 of more than 2.6 billion square feet of MDF panels (3/4 in. basis). The total increased 7 percent from the previous high of 2.4 billion square feet set in 2004.

GAYLORD, MI – A company that planned to purchase a former Georgia-Pacific particleboard mill to make wood pellets to export to Europe has backed out of the deal. According to the <I>Record Eagle,<I>principals of Upper 40 could not be reached for comment and G-P representatives decline to say why the deal died.

WELLINGBOROUGH, ENGLAND – The latest data from IMS Research shows the production of industrial machinery in Europe has experienced consistent growth since 2002, according to Manufacturingtalk. The total output is forecast to surpass $345 billion by 2010. Reportedly, the growth is mainly due to strong demand for machinery from emerging markets in India, China and South America, as well as economic expansion in Europe and the United States.

San Francisco -- Andrea Traber has been elected to a one-year term as president of the board of the Northern California Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, according to Alternative Energy Retailer. Traber has been an active member of the Northern California Chapter since 2001.

NEW YORK – Representatives of the Rainforest Alliance have helped establish the Sustainable Furniture Council. The council brings together members of the home furnishings industry and organizations committed to responsible business practices and promoting furniture manufactured in an environmentally and socially responsible way. The council, which currently has more than 40 representatives, held its third meeting during the Las Vegas Market last month.

RESTON, VA – The Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Assn. announced the establishment of a voluntary program to certify domestically produced hardwood plywood to meet the emission requirement of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer Assn.’s new Environmental Stewardship Program.