Industry 4.0, the new wood industry approach to running lean and profitably, will find its first major North American presentation during the education sessions at the WMS 2015 how in Toronto. U.S. woodworking business owners will also hear the scoop on small-shop robotics, enterprise programming, Batch One production, as well as live demonstrations of technology first seen at LIGNA 2015. The Toronto Woodworking Machinery & Supplies Expo, Nov. 5-7, will be accompanied by a mix of paid and free on-the-floor sessions.

84 Lumber, the largest privately-held building materials wholesaler 84 Lumber Co. in the U.S., will reopen a St. Augustine, FL store, closed at the depths of the downturn in 2011. Serving professional residential and commercial contractors, "We were always optimistic of being able to return as the housing market rebounded,” says 84 Lumber president Maggie Hardy Magerko.

Leggett & Platt today announced that David S. Haffner, the company's Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair, will retire from the company and the Board on December 31, 2015. Karl G. Glassman, the company's President and Chief Operating Officer, will assume the role of CEO on January 1, 2016.

60 Minutes says Lumber Liquidators laminate flooring is being ripped out by consumers, fearful it will give off formaldehyde gas. The CBS show revisited its Lumber Liquidators report, first broadcast in March, in which it said the $1 billion supplier of U.S. hardwood and laminate flooring falsely labeled floors as CARB compliant.

West coast exports of logs and lumber in the first half of 2015 are lower than they were during the first half of 2014. “Port strikes during the first quarter of 2015 reduced overall log and lumber exports from the west coast, which makes the increases we saw in the second quarter significant,” said Xiaoping Zhou, a research economist with the station who conducted the analysis and compiled the data.

Veteran luxury furniture executive Eric Graham has been named president of Fine Furniture Design, which manufactures furniture in a 1 million square foot plant in Shanghai. Graham was senior director of Century Wood Products and Century Leisure at Century

The Roseburg Forest Products softwood plywood mill in Coquille, OR is a massive facility with lots of moving parts. A new system of wireless alerting transmitters is enhancing safety and improving response times for electricians and millwrights, and improving efficiency.

Manufacturer Fusion Furniture Inc. is expanding operations at its facility in Ecru, Mississippi, hiring 100 and investing $1.6 million in a 100,000 square foot addition. Total employment at the factory will rise to 430, according to the Mississippi Development Authority, which is helping fund the project.

Kimball International has appointed Kourtney Smith to the position of President for Kimball Hospitality. Smith will assume responsibility for the entire Kimball Hospitality organization, including strategic direction, goals, growth and driving share-owner value.

Mohawk flooring CEO Jeffrey S. Lorberbaum says flooring sales in North America segment increased 40 percent last quarter, with sales of hard surface products are growing faster than carpet due to their increasing use in new home construction and residential remodeling.