New orders for residential furniture increased 7 percent in January compared to a year earlier, according to the latest survey of manufacturers and distributors by High Point accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard.

OSHA says employees at Wood Fibers Inc. worked at risk of amputation, fire, and electrical shock amid large amounts of combustible dust. The October 2014 citation, the fifth in three years at the wood pellets maker, carried proposed fines of $71,610.

U.S. hardwood lumber exports totaled 116 million board feet in January, virtually unchanged from the prior month but down 14% from January 2014. Year-on-year shipments to Asia and Europe were down 22% and 6%, respectively.

Architectural millwork firm, Modworxx, says it has hired Bill Corey as Vice President of Sales. Corey was Director of Architectural Design and Development at The Donaldson Organization; and before GM at Precision Cabinets, Inc.

Italian furniture manufacturer Natuzzi, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, says it laid off 429 Italian factory workers under terms of a new contract it had been rotating workers into shifts to avoid layoffs, but that hurt productivity.

Patrick Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: PATK), a major manufacturer and distributor of building and wood components for RVs, manufactured housing and industrial markets, named M. Scott Welch to its board.

Wood Resource Recovery sued the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center for $5 million because it says the 100 MW biomass plant made it impossible to do business under its current contract due to breach of a long-term fuel supply contract.

Kitchen and bath cabinetry, windows, flooring, doors and millwork were a major focus of the 2015 International Builders Show (IBS) and 2015 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS).

A national effort for remodeling services that would allow aging seniors to stay in their homes is among the programs being evaluated by the Bipartisan Policy Center. Former Republican and Democrat HUD Secretaries are steering the effort.