ATLANTA - Updated: Twenty wood manufacturing products from 19 companies have been named finalists in the 2012 Challengers Distinguished Achievement Awards competition. The preliminary step leads to the Challengers Awards that will be announced at IWF 2012, the International Woodworking Fair in August.
Presented every two years, The Challengers Awards recognize seven outstanding exhibiting companies for innovative woodworking machinery, supplies and services. The Challengers Awards program, which was inaugurated at 1966 IWF, is designed to encourage companies to develop revolutionary, creative, ingenious, forward-thinking technology, materials, services or safety devices that advance the industry.
| Company Name | Entry Name | IWF 2012 Fair Booth Number |
| Accu-Systems, Inc. | Panel Sizing & Squaring Machine | 6569 |
| Bessey Tools North America | BESSEY Auto-Adjust Toggle clamp | 4534 |
| Biesse America |
Biesse Automated Nestling Cell | 6735, 6769 |
| Blum, Inc. | TANDEM plus BLUMOTION | 2637 |
| Cim-Tech | Solid-CIM 3D | 5820 |
| Giben America, Inc. | Prisma6000 ECOtech | 6712 |
| Hafele America Co. | Frontino | 2307 |
| James L. Taylor Mfg / JLT Clamps / Cameron Automation | Cameron Flooring Nester | 6412 |
| Kanefusa USA Inc. | UFO(U-formed) planer head and knife | 5140 |
| Martin Woodworking Machines Corp. | MARTIN T75 Sliding Table Saw | 6748 |
| Miltec UV | Gloss Control UV Finishing | 6534 |
| Newman Machine Company, Inc. | EQ3 Equalizing Module | 5352 |
| S D Machinery | Wiithdrawn |
Withdrawn |
| Stiles Machinery Inc. | Venjakob automatic coating change system | 7535, 7935, 8135, 8155 |
| Stiles Machinery Inc. | Weeke vertical machining center | 7535, 7935, 8135, 8156 |
| Techniks, Inc. | ATEMAG EXTRA Plus Aggregate | 5239 |
| TigerStop LLC | SawGear with Crown+MiterPro | 5929 |
| Timesavers, Inc. | CNC Profile Sander | 6426 |
| Tisfoon Ulterior Systems | Tisfoon Scanner | 6076 |
| Voorwood Company | A11 Table Shaper/Sander | 5763 |
| Weinig / Holz-her | The Weinig CUBE | 7555, 7955 |
Eighty wood industry products from 62 companies were entered for the 2012 IWF Challengers Distinguished Achievement Awards competition by the April deadline.
A panel of judges reviewed each of the 80 entries and to select the 20 finalists. (The number was 21 until SD Machinery withdrew its product June 27 due to unavailability in time for the IWF show.) Just prior to IWF Atlanta, scheduled for August 22-25 at the Georgia World Congress Center, the judges will meet with representatives of the finalist products the day before the show opens to select the winners, who will be announced on the first day of the show.
The accompanying list of Challengers Awards Finalists will be fully described as Woodworking Network publishes the Official IWF 2012 Challengers Awards Publication the week of June 18, with expanded coverage of the Challengers Awards winners and the individual products being considered for the award. A review of past award winners will also be included.
Challengers Award Finalists
Accu-Systems, Inc. Panel Sizing & Squaring Machine 6569
Bessey Tools North America BESSEY Auto-Adjust Toggle clamp 4534
BIESSE AMERICA Biesse Automated Nestling Cell 6735, 6769
Blum, Inc. TANDEM plus BLUMOTION 2637
Cim-Tech Solid-CIM 3D 5820
Giben America, Inc. Prisma6000 ECOtech 6712
Hafele America Co. Frontino 2307
James L. Taylor Mfg / JLT Clamps
/ Cameron Automation Cameron Flooring Nester 6412
Kanefusa USA Inc. UFO(U-formed) planer head and knife 5140
Martin Woodworking Machines Corp. MARTIN T75 Sliding Table Saw 6748
Miltec UV Gloss Control UV Finishing 6534
Newman Machine Company, Inc. EQ3 Equalizing Module 5352
S D Machinery MagPi 6957
Stiles Machinery Inc. Venjakob automatic coating
change system 7535, 7935, 8135, 8155
Stiles Machinery Inc. Weeke vertical machining center 7535, 7935, 8135, 8156
Techniks, Inc. ATEMAG EXTRA Plus Aggregate 5239
TigerStop LLC SawGear with Crown+MiterPro 5929
Timesavers, Inc. CNC Profile Sander 6426
Tisfoon Ulterior Systems Tisfoon Scanner 6076
Voorwood Company A11 Table Shaper/Sander 5763
Weinig / Holz-her The Weinig CUBE 7555, 7955
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