Seven companies won Sequoia Awards from AWFS for product innovation and leadership in the green movement. The Sequoia Awards recognize and honor the creativity, quality and innovation of the best new offerings in the woodworking industry. Entries are evaluated on quality, production impact, practicality, innovation and user-friendliness.

This year's awards, chosen by a panel of judges representing distinct areas of the industry, including professional end-users, woodworkers and company owners, were announced at the 2009 AWFS Fair Awards Dinner. Here is a description of each winning product.

For Leadership in Product Innovation & Productivity - Components:  

Hafele America Co., Aerofix 100
Hafele America Co. won the Sequoia Award in Product Innovation - Components with Aerofix 100. The Aerofix 100 is a manually installed insert containing a glue-capsule that breaks open and evenly distributes glue on the upper and lower cover layers of lightweight panels. The self-contained glue insert spreads out and provides a mechanical force fit in addition to the strength of the glue. Hardware can fasten to the fitting right away and can be stressed after approximately only six hours of cure time. With the Aerofix 100 it is not necessary to use special screws or dowels, and there is no need for external glue. For more information visit www.hafele.com/us. 

For Leadership in Product Innovation - Hardware:  

Hafele America Co., Moovit
Hafele America's Moovit double-wall drawer system won the Sequoia Award in Product Innovation/Productivity - Hardware. This contemporary designed drawer holds a weight capacity of 110 pounds and can be used in residential, commercial and medical cabinets, as well as hotel and condominium projects. Moovit's interior drawer walls are straight, not curved, with a practical 90º angle. This optimizes drawer space and allows for the use of almost any cutlery tray or drawer insert. Moovit is available in a champagne finish that accompanies Hafele's Arena Champagne program. An integrated soft and silent mechanism provides a smooth and consistent close. Vertical and horizontal adjustment for drawer fronts is easy to locate and operate and makes assembly and installation quick and simple. For more information, visit www.hafele.com/us/products/moovit-drawer-box-system.asp.

For Leadership in Product Innovation & Productivity - Tooling:  

SCM Group USA, Rapid Tool Locking System for Moulders
SCM Group USA won the Sequoia Award for their innovative Rapid Tool Locking device for moulders. The Rapid Tool Locking system eliminates the need for lock down wrenches and body torque, also referred to as "knuckle busters." The RTL system does not depend on the strength of the operator to tighten the tool in place. It uses a special method combining air pressure and simple hand strength. Within seconds, a moulder cutterhead can be loosened or tightened, decreasing changeover time and increasing daily production. For more information, see www.scmgroup-usa.com.

For Leadership in Product Innovation - Power Tools:  

Precision Casework, TP-2000 Ultimate Hardware Drilling System
The True Position 2000 is a hardware jig that drills doors, drawers and shelf-pin holes. The shelf-pin hole template is reported to be the largest on the market with a span of 48 inches and allows the user to drill holes before or after cabinet assembly. The TP-2000 also converts into a fully adjustable door and drawer jig that installs handles and knobs. For more information, see www.precisioncasewerk.com.

For Leadership in Product Innovation - General:  

Accurate Technology, ProCAB,  QC Measuring System
ProTable-CAB is a two-axis measuring system designed for quick and affordable length and width measurements of cabinet doors. It is built with aluminum extrusion and low friction bearings to ensure smooth operation and to minimize errors. The table top sits above the actual measuring devices, keeping the measuring devices out of harm's way when parts are measured. Three standard configurations are available to measure up to 40 x 60 inches (1000mm x 1500mm).  For more information visit www.proscale.com.

For Leadership in Productivity - Machinery:   

Delmac Machinery Group, Busellato CNC Router with Linear Flow Automated Load/ Unload System
Delmac Machinery Group won a Sequoia award for Busellato's Linear Flow load/unload device. Busellato's Handsfree, Linear Flow load/unload device is designed to be added to the Busellato Optima Router for high productivity nested base machining. It simultaneously loads a new panel, unloads finished parts and vacuums the table during the process. The operator only has to remove parts from the unloading table. Delmac's Busellato product manager, Bill Blackmon and Claudio Cortese, Busellato sales manager, were presented with the award. For more information, see www.delmac.com.

For Leadership in Green/Environmental - Components:  

Collins Companies, Collins Pine FreeForm
Collins Pine FreeForm is the only FSC-certified particleboard in North America that is produced with no added urea formaldehyde. A melamine-based binder is used rather than industry-standard urea formaldehyde. The FreeForm board is not dark like phenolic-based products. Melamine is white which makes for a more consistent color and better lamination as the melamine does not bleed through the laminates. In addition, this new product already meets the proposed Phase II California Air Resources Board standards for formaldehyde emissions. For more information visit www.CollinsWood.com.

For Leadership in Green/Environmental - General:  

Mohawk Finishing Products, Waterborne Finishing System
Mohawk Finishing Products has been awarded the Sequoia Award for their line of Greenguard Certified Waterborne Finishing Products. The Mohawk system includes waterborne pre-catalyzed lacquer and sealer, conversion varnish, dye stains, dye concentrates, dye stain base/reducer, wiping stains, wiping stain base, glaze, glaze base and colorants system. All of the waterborne products have very low VOCs and have been designed for production environments that need quality materials. For more information see www.mohawk-finishing.com.