Manufacturers and fabricators arrive at the International Woodworking Fair supported by accelerating business growth. New expectations in for quality, service, and design among wood products buyers is changing the game. IWF 2016 is retooling itself in response, with registration running 30 percent ahead of 2014.

In 1965, standard-sized cabinets were all the rage, the average turnaround time on components was weeks — not days — and the tape-controlled routing and shaping machine was still a year away from making its mark in the woodworking industry. It was against this backdrop that Jack Lansford Sr. made the pivotal decision to start a custom wood door factory to service small cabinetmakers in Southern California.

Automated, customized production of case goods in Lot-size 1 production is a hotly-debated issue in the kitchen cabinetry and furniture industry. Schelling says it will be presenting a completely redesigned concept in panel production at the LIGNA 2015.

Mass customization, the latest frontier in wood products production, allows manufacturers to deliver a wide range of individually tailored products, but without a corresponding increase in production costs. Broadcast date: June 12, 2:00 p.m. CT.

Among the many woodworking technology highlights for 2013 was the launch of hot air edgebanders, a lower-cost option for zero-edge glue line than laser edgebanders. These and other stories are summarized in the 2014 Wood Industry Almanac.