Highlighted in the infographics are the top Canadian provinces for wood products manufacturing, average annual wages per industry, average hourly earnings for cabinetmakers by region, and a listing of Canada's top trading partners.

Highlighted in the infographics are the top U.S. states for wood products manufacturing, average annual wages per industry, and hourly earnings per job description. Worker shortages are a top concern for wood manufacturing firms.

The residential furniture industry continues to display slow, but steady signs of improvement, with the year-to-date figures from Smith Leonard’s Furniture Insights showing a 1% gain in new orders over the first 8 months of 2015, and shipments holding about even. We also continue to see a number of manufacturers expanding and/or reshoring, particularly on the upholstered side, due in part to a desire for fast delivery and customization.

Infographic: The secondary wood products manufacturing industry includes custom wood interiors firms and, often larger scale, production wood manufacturing companies, both servicing the commercial as well as residential markets. Despite constant competition from low-cost imports, woodworking continues to rank among the top 20 industries in North America.

Recent controversy over the U.S. presidential election aside, consumer spending is not expected to diminish over the next few years, a fact which bodes well for the retail environments sector.

Window and door demand, overall, is projected to grow over the next few years, particularly in the U.S. residential arena. According to research analyst The Freedonia Group, this segment is projected to rise 6.0% per year through 2020 to $25.6 billion, with continued growth in new housing and remodeling boosting demand.

Architectural woodworkers should continue to see improved operating margins as business in the commercial and residential markets continues to strengthen.Business also looks good for custom woodworkers of cabinets and casegoods, and they too are seeing improved profit margins.

The new National Woods Manufacturing Training Center has a home in a building in Colorado Springs. School starts in August 2017, but industry will play a large role. There are many ways to help, including donations of equipment, supplies and cash. In November, hundreds attended an open house hosted by Peyton and Widefield school districts that featured presentations by the schools and industry, and drew hundreds of students, local officials, teachers and local woodworking companies. It is the education and industry partnership that has created this new training effort.

Sales volume of the $23.14 billion U.S. floor covering market totaled 20.52 billion square feet in 2015, says Catalina Research, with hardwood flooring accounting for 1.70 billion and laminate flooring 950 million square feet. Overall projections look good, as both residential and commercial new construction and remodeling markets continue to improve.

Proving people really learn and close deals in person, conferences and trade shows proliferate around the world.