The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA), celebrating its 10th anniversary as the champion of woodworking skill standards, will present a well-rounded collection of workforce development tools and strategies at the AWFS Fair July 19-22 in Las Vegas.

Since it was chartered in 2007, the WCA has developed Skill Standards for more than 240 woodworking machines and operations and issued nearly 1,400 individual skill credential passports. The standards and passports are recognized by educational institutions and woodworking companies operating throughout the United States and Canada. The overarching goal of the WCA is to develop and grow the industry’s workforce by creating pathways for woodworkers to advance their careers and income as they learn new skills.

The WCA’s integral participation at the AWFS Fair will include previewing new training tools, offering seven Accredited Skill Evaluator Training sessions and leading three of the AWFS Fair’s College of Woodworking Knowledge seminars.

The WCA’s booth #9846 will anchor the AWFS Fair’s new “Higher Education Learning Pavilion” (HELP). Woodworking instructors can stop by the WCA’s booth to learn about the benefits of becoming an EDUcation® member. Woodworkers and suppliers can learn about the value of WCA INDustry® membership. The WCA also will preview first generation training materials developed by Madison College instructor Patrick Molzahn, a WCA Chief Evaluator. In addition to more than 50 videos, Molzahn has assembled training outlines, teaching notes, exercises and activities to help build a woodworking candidate’s skill and knowledge. All of these training tools are correlated to his recently revised textbook, Modern Cabinetmaking, and represent a major new benefit for INDustry and EDUcation members.

Molzahn will be joined by fellow WCA chief evaluators Kent Gilchrist and Greg Larson, to present accredited skill evaluator training sessions slated for each day of the show. These train-the-trainer workshops teach woodworking program instructors how to evaluate passport holders’ skill standard achievements. Woodworking instructors interested in reserving a seat for one of the evaluator training sessions should contact WCA President Scott Nelson at snelson@gmail.com
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The WCA will be well represented in the AWFS Fair College of Woodworking Knowledge education program. Each of the three programs presented by WCA members will focus on workforce development. These timely WCA-led sessions include:
 

• Workforce Crisis – Job One, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 19 – Kent Gilchrist will explain how to find qualified woodworking candidates and how to educate, train and retain valued woodworking employees.

 

• Create Your Own In-House Training Program with WCA Skill Standards & Passport Program, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 19 - Scott Nelson, President of the WCA, will present how woodworking companies can use the WCA Skill Standards to develop a training program to evaluate and reward the skill levels of new and existing employees.

 

• Tools for Teaching and Evaluating the WCA Standards, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 21 - Patrick Molzahn and Bert Christiansen will show how schools or woodworking shops can implement the WCA’s credentialing Passport system and access the WCA’s training tools to develop an effective training program.

 
Learn more about the Woodwork Career Alliance and its Skill Standards and Passport programs at www.WoodworkCareer.org.
 
About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America was founded in 2007 as a 501C(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 240 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued more than 1,300 Passports, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of achievements as a woodworking professional. More than 165 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation® members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved with its programs, visit www.WoodworkCareer.org.

SAMES KREMLIN and Tricoflex have partnered together to bring their innovation and product knowledge to North America. Tricoflex is a hose manufacturer offering four types of hoses:  braided, non-reinforced, knitted and spiral hoses with a manufacturing and production facility located in the Champagne region of France. 

The Tricoflex brand was patented in the early 1950's.  They expanded their product line by offering technical and multi-layered hoses through the 70's and 80's and in the 1990's, created the first Super Tricoflex PVC foam hose.   Their facility is operational five days a week with three shifts working to meet production needs and demands.

Tricoflex offers more than 1000 types of hoses which are standard and readily available in stock to ship. Their product range consists of:  Multi-purpose, compressed air / medical gas hoses, agricultural and fuel & oil and chemical hoses, water, food grade hoses and many more. These hoses are available to purchase in the following reel types: multi-purpose (water & compressed air), compressed air mini reel, and water real pro for water hoses.  

Over the past couple of months, SAMES KREMLIN has supplied various customers with air tubing, water hoses and mini reels of compressed air lines for wood working shops.  These woodworking shops are using the compressed air line hoses to supply air to their pneumatic tools.  This is just one example of an industry where Tricoflex can make a measurable difference and improve production.

For more information, please contact SAMES KREMLIN at 1.800.573.5554 or our marketing department at marketing@exel-na.com. 
 
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Tricoflex Website
 
SAMES KREMLIN Website

On Thursday, May 11th, 2017, Stiles Machinery Inc. was pleased to host a retirement celebration in honor of seven former employees.

In an effort to demonstrate their gratitude to these individuals, who’ve each played a significant role in shaping who the company is today, Stiles unveiled a new foundation which aims to invest in the lives of future industry leaders for years to come.

This year, in honor of their recent retirees and over 190 years of combined service to the company, Stiles contributed $10,000 to the Manufacturing Industry Learning Labs’ National Training Center located in Colorado Springs, CO. The Manufacturing Industry Learning Labs (MILL) offers training courses in lean manufacturing, using the latest woods technology and industry-driven curriculum. It is the first national training center of its kind designed to educate future leaders and talents in the wood manufacturing industry.

The donation, which was accepted by the MILL’s Founder and President, Dean Mattson, will go towards supporting the continual efforts of the MILL to impact the lives of over 400 manufacturing students who attend their educational courses daily.

“We wanted to honor our retirees with the opportunity to become part of a greater legacy, one that gives back to the industry and will live on in their name for years to come,” stated Christian Vollmers, President of Stiles Machinery. “We’ve decided to honor their efforts and years of service [by further investing in the MILL] to grow and develop new talent for our industry,”.

In his heartfelt response to the donation, Mattson explained that his decision to pursue education was directly influenced by his desire to help people and that he considers Stiles to be one of his largest role models. “Many corporations only care about money, but Stiles cares about people,” said Mattson.

The event, which was hosted at The Knickerbocker in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan was the company’s First Inaugural Recognition Celebration. Stiles plans to continue celebrating their retirees by giving back to the industry and investing in the lives of future leaders.

About Stiles Machinery Inc.
For more than 50 years, Stiles has been helping manufacturers succeed. As the largest supplier of quality machinery,
Stiles provides a Total Production Solutions approach by also offering equipment integration, financial services,
education, service and parts. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., Stiles has regional offices in High Point, North
Carolina; Bristol, PA; Coppell, Texas; and Rancho Cucamonga, California. Stiles is a proud member of the HOMAG
Group, a global leader in the production of industrial machines for manufacturing.

Visit Stiles at www.stilesmachinery.com. 

Tuesday, May 16 was the widely anticipated worldwide debut of Cabineo, an innovative and timesaving one-piece RTA cabinet connector. Cabineo was developed by Lamello AG of Bubendorf, Switzerland, the pioneering wood joining company. Colonial Saw is the exclusive U.S. importer for Lamello and will be showcasing Cabineo in the U.S. at AWFS, woodworking’s largest tradeshow of the year in Las Vegas.

“Cabineo’s unique design requires significantly fewer processes and eliminates the chance for errors during assembly,” said Dave Rakauskas, Vice President of Colonial Saw. “In comparison with the standard cam and dowel fitting, Cabineo delivers more efficient production, faster installation, stronger connections and a higher clamping force. There is no more need for edge drilling or wooden dowels.”

The concept behind Cabineo was to use a minimal amount of resources for a maximum of functionality, offering considerable advantages throughout the entire process. Cabineo is inserted into a surface-only routed shape on the cabinet components during production or at the final destination. When factory-installed, they are easily flat-packed for transport, and end-users don’t need to install loose fittings. Cabineo can be used with all kinds of CNC machines, including very simple 3-axis and nested-based machines.

Installers can then singlehandedly install the finished product with just a cordless drill in seconds. Optional, aesthetic
cover caps are also available in a variety of colors. Product testers report drastically reduced setup time and absolutely zero mistakes during assembly.

“We share Lamello’s commitment to innovation and we’re excited to bring Cabineo to the AWFS Show,” Rakauskas said. “With time-savings built in to production, transportation and assembly, we expect it will be a huge hit.”

To see Cabineo in action, AWFS attendees should stop by Booth #9211. More information can be found at www.csaw.com/lamello/lamello-cabineo

About Colonial Saw
Colonial Saw, Inc. is North America’s importer of Swiss made STRIEBIG Vertical Panel Saws, LAMELLO specialty tools, biscuits and biscuit joiners, and the worlds’ finest grinding machinery. For over half a century, the company has delivered uncompromising performance and value, along with one of the most comprehensive and responsive after-sale customer support programs in the industry. More information can be found at www.csaw.com.

Vero Software has issued Version 10 of its industry-leading solution for cabinet and casegoods manufacturers.

The latest release of Cabinet Vision is designed to help woodworkers take their businesses to the next level.

Product Business Manager Marie Cassidy says Version 10 represents the next milestone of an ongoing goal to deliver the most powerful and flexible software on the market while retaining ease of use in the design module and Screen-To-Machine (S2M)™, which sends accurate, optimized NC code to the machine tool.

“From entry level cutlist packages to fully integrated Screen-To-Machine solutions, this latest release has been developed specifically to give woodwork companies even more productivity and efficiency.”

A major asset in Version 10 is the ability to export entire rooms and import them into other jobs. “This allows users to save time by capitalizing on the work they’ve already done.”

Another completely new feature is the ability to set and save camera angles and viewpoints when viewing rooms in 3D mode. “These viewpoints mimic the way the eye creates depth and perspective based on the location and height of the observer, giving a more realistic and creative look at the rooms.”

There is no longer any need to type the name of an object when creating CAD leaders, saving time and effort. Cabinet Vision now gives the ability to select any object in any view to quickly create a CAD leader to identify it. These ‘smart’ CAD leaders know what the selected object is and automatically add its name in the text.

An enhanced light editor is displayed in its own resizable dialog box, giving more space and flexibility when working with lighting. “This is better for users when setting and adjusting lighting for renderings,” Cassidy says.

A new ghost rendering feature means that varying degrees of transparency can be set when rendering jobs, meaning both the inside components and outside features can be shown in the same view.

Cabinets can now be copied and mirrored, reversing all the sectioning both inside and out. This new feature saves time, as users no longer have to manually recreate a perfect mirror image of an assembly, piece by piece.

Version 10 also features a complete hatching overhaul, with the use of vector hatch patterns supporting the .pat file format, allowing the use of industry standard hatch patterns when creating submittal drawings. 

When working on sliding or paired doors, each door can now be independently sectioned, giving more scope for design creativity.

The Cabinet Vision Bid Center’s reporting capabilities have been completely enhanced in the Solid Ultimate module, and for Solid Advanced users with the Report Editor add-on. This new feature gives more power and flexibility when creating customized bid reports.  

There is now the ability to layout mouldings around curved arches, making it easier to ‘dress up’ a room or object, enhancing design.
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The S2M Center automatically processes part geometries and produces machine ready G-code to send straight to workshop CNC machinery, eliminating time and costly errors. Amongst a number of new features:

• Using the Machine Set feature, users now have the ability to create a Workflow process streamlining the process for parts to flow through production, including information for labels and reports. This leads to better utilization of both labor and machine tools.
• Machine operations that have been generated through the S2M Center’s machine links can now be simulated, meaning users can visually check the operations before machining.
• Perimeter Nesting is an innovative S2M Center start point methodology. “It maximizes the part hold on the sheet during cutting, reducing movement on the nested sheet,” Cassidy says. “This decreases the amount of rework needed, and machine time.”

In conclusion: “Cabinet Vision is used extensively by companies designing and manufacturing kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and furniture for schools and offices, along with bespoke case goods. Every user will find many of the updates in the latest release invaluable in improving their processes even further, whether they have manual cutlists or use CNC equipment.”

About Vero Software
Headquartered in England, Vero Software designs, develops, and supplies CAD/CAM/CAE software radically enhancing the efficiency of design and manufacturing processes, providing its customers with exceptional value through high productivity gains and significantly reducing time to market.

The company’s world-renowned brands include Alphacam, Cabinet Vision, Edgecam, Machining STRATEGIST, PEPS, Radan, SMIRT, Surfcam, WorkNC and VISI, along with the production control MRP system Javelin. Despite the diversity of application, these solutions have one thing in common: they all address the rising challenges of achieving manufacturing efficiencies and bring huge value to the operations in which they are deployed.

 Vero has direct offices in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, USA, Brazil, Netherlands, China, South Korea, Spain and India supplying products to more than 45 countries through its wholly owned subsidiaries and reseller network.
 Vero is part of Hexagon (Nordic exchange: HEXA B), a leading global provider of information technologies that drive quality and productivity across geospatial and industrial enterprise applications.

For more information, please visit www.verosoftware.com.

Blum, Inc. is celebrating 40 years in the United States and marked the occasion by inviting all employees to a special event on April 29, 2017. The affair offered sincere acknowledgement and thanks for team members’ contributions towards the success of the family owned company. “We have always believed in building long-lasting relationships with employees, customers and key suppliers. Many times, it is said that customer comes first,” Blum, Inc. CEO Karl Rudisser said. “I believe that both the employee and customer are equal. I think if you have great employees, the natural consequence is they will take care of the customer.”

Blum was incorporated in Austria, where founder Julius Blum had the vision to start this venture in the United States. Over the course of 40 years, the people of Blum, Inc. have turned that vision into a reality, making the North Carolina-based subsidiary exceedingly successful. To this day, Blum is still driven by the familial spirit of its founders, which has enabled Blum to push new boundaries and pioneer new products. “We are continuously innovating new products and services and working to improve the quality of existing ones,” Rudisser said. “Because of this, we can look back on many years of continued growth.”

Special guests from Austria were in attendance that night, including a member of the Blum family. Commenting on the occasion, Julius’s grandson, Martin Blum, said, “Employees are the key factor for our success. Motivated people working together, with a high identification with the company’s philosophy were the base of the success of the past 40 years, and I’m sure it will also be in the future.”

Milestones
Blum, Inc. was established in 1977 in Hickory, NC, in a small rented warehouse. In the early years, Blum focused on developing customer relationships, and products were imported from Austria. Shortly thereafter, Blum moved to its current home in Stanley, NC, where the manufacturing of products in the United States began.
In 1995, Blum, Inc. founded the Apprenticeship 2000 program. Today, they continue to recognize the importance of youth education and career development in North Carolina. Karl Rudisser conveyed this by stating, “Today we can reap the benefits of this program with many of our former apprentices in key positions within our company.”
Today, Blum, Inc. operates in a 450,000-square-foot building on 75 acres of land. Blum has more than 400 employees and the estimated sales for this financial year is $280 million.

The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS®) announces the opening of its leading educational program, the College of Woodworking Knowledge® (CWWK®), which will take place at the upcoming AWFS®Fair, over four days, July 19- 22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Designed to meet the current needs of the show audience demographics, the 54 sessions will span topics to enhance business management acumen, improve skill sets, and increase knowledge of the latest technologies as well as provide the latest in safety, workforce development, and legislative updates.

CWWK Educational Track Highlights

• Business Management: Trying to master digital marketing techniques? Don’t miss the best practices panel session, including Marc Spagnuolo (“The Wood Whisperer”) and Kyle Toth, and learn how to strengthen your online and social media presence. Participate in the two part “Kick-ass Lean” session with Brad Cairns and his team from the Center for Lean Learning to begin your lean journey or take it to the next level. Daniel Moshe of Tech Guru will help get your business back on track with “meaningful numbers” scorecards and the Six Key Components™ of successful businesses.
  
• NEW! Workforce Development: New in 2017, participate in three FREE sessions about critical efforts to strengthen our industry’s workforce through the Woodwork Career Alliance (WCA) and the Manufacturing Industry Learning Lab (MiLL). Also, Bobby Lewis, a successful millennial entrepreneur, shares his insight into maximizing the energy and potential of the “next generational employee” for your business.
  
• Cabinet/Millwork: Learn from AWI experts about the Architectural Woodwork Standards (AWS) version 2, how to increase sales through collaboration, and how to improve efficiency with installation. Hear from Spencer Dick, founder of TigerStop on how you can reduce your hardwood costs by as much as 20-45%.
  
• Furniture: Seasoned refinishing pro Mitch Kohanek shares some of his best tips in “Touch-up Repair to Damaged Wood and Coatings”. In two separate sessions, award-winning woodworker Scott Grove will address cold metal casting and “Curved Joinery, Edges and Inlays”. Jonathan Benson, author of Woodworker’s Guide to Veneering and Inlay will cover “Matching Fine Veneers”, and furniture design professionals from ASFD will share their insight on design and branding for furniture makers.
  
• Small Shops Ten & Under: Small shop owners can choose from sessions on intellectual property, choosing the right spray equipment and dust collection management. Paul Downs, author of Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business returns with his well-received session from 2015 where he shares candid insights into how he runs his shop. Interested in 3D printing but don’t know where to start? Hear from experts from MAKE magazine and Autodesk’s Pier 9 makerspace on what you need to know to incorporate 3D printing into your woodworking business.
  
• NEW Industry 4.0: New in 2017, machinery manufacturers and software experts share their knowledge on this newest phase of the manufacturing economy, how it will impact your business and our industry, and what you can do to prepare and incorporate Industry 4.0 concepts into your operation. Don’t miss opportunities to hear from expert panels, including wood products manufacturers of various sizes who are already adopting Industry 4.0.
  
• Software & Technology: How do you approach your software purchasing process? Two sessions will address software from different perspectives, CAM and CAD, what questions you need to ask yourself and how to prepare and ask the right questions of software sales representatives to make the right buying decision for your business.
  
• Techniques & Applications: Three sessions, including two SMARTs, on plastics fabrication will be offered. One panel discussion will address the different materials on the market and their applications. RadTech, the association for UV&EB technology, presents a half-day conference on UV Finishing Technology including experts from IKEA, Superfici, and more.
  
• Safety & Environment: This track offers two free sessions to all attendees. “Legislation Affecting the Industry” is a panel of guest speakers from EPA and AF&PA, to address combustible dust and formaldehyde emissions. “Developing a Written Workplace Safety Program” is an OSHA-compliant safety plan that can be applied to any size shop. There will also be programs on “Dust Collection” devoted to both small and large shops as well as “Developing an Effective Machine Guarding Program”.
  
• Teacher Track: Teachers can learn how to implement the WCA standards from peers who are conducting evaluations with their students. Learn about the STEM Guitar Building program and the valuable curriculum site CTEOnline.org. An instructor who successfully promotes his program to the community and industry shares how he does it, and participate in sessions to master the grant process and shop safety.
  

SMART sessions
Seven SMART sessions will be offered in 2017, including two addressing plastics fabrication and three on Industry 4.0 concepts. These sessions take place on the show floor in exhibitor booths and before the show opens, from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Seating is limited, and registration is capped at 25 per session.

NEW: Sessions in Spanish
Three sessions will be offered entirely in Spanish, by industry professionals who are fluent native Spanish speakers. Topics include shop management, finishing, and lean management. Go to awfsfair.org/espanol for more information.

Keynote features Celebrity John Ratzenberger
Don’t miss the 2017 AWFS®Fair Keynote presentation with film and television legend Mr. John Ratzenberger, at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 20. This special event is FREE to all registered AWFS®Fair attendees and exhibitors. Learn how Mr. Ratzenberger is supporting skilled trades and manufacturing in America.

Woodworking Network Symposia
New in 2017, Woodworking Network presents three full-day symposia on Tuesday, July 18 which will complement the CWWK™ programming with current topics and an impressive lineup of speakers. Celebrity closet designer Lisa Adams headlines the Closets and Home Storage Symposium; take the opportunity to query experts from AWFI, Centre from Advanced Wood Processing, and multiple manufacturers in the Wood Finishing Symposium; hear about Virginia Tech’s FutureHAUS and current trends and technology from leading woodworking companies in the Leadership Forum.

AWFS®Fair Stage Offers More Events
Events on the show floor stage, booth #5527, include live interviews with John Ratzenberger, acclaimed furniture artist Sarah Marriage, and woodworkers Kyle Toth and Marc Spagnuolo (“The Wood Whisperer”). Attend the “Education Town Hall” on Saturday morning to learn about the post-secondary woodworking programs that are training our future workforce.

The full program is accessible at AWFSFair.org/education, including complete session descriptions and speaker bios.