Month: February 2024

Originally published on Rayonier.com

ABERDEEN, Wash., February 29, 2024 /3BL/ – Plywood is crucial in construction, but have you ever wondered how plywood is made? In this article, we explore how trees are transformed during the plywood-making process at a veneer mill in Aberdeen, Washington and the significance of the forest lifecycle in maintaining a sustainable supply of this essential resource, including:

What is plywood and what is it used for?What type of wood is used to make plywood?What are the steps to make plywood?What happens to the wood scraps in the plywood-making process?What happens to the land after trees are harvested for plywood?What is the importance of sustainable forestry in plywood production?

What is plywood and what is it used for?

Plywood is an incredibly important forest product used in the construction of all kinds of homes and buildings.

This versatile material is made by bonding together many layers of thin sheets of wood veneer. Consumers choose plywood over other wood building materials such as solid lumber for several reasons:

Value: A sheet of plywood is more affordable than the same amount of solid wood.Strength: Plywood is a very durable wood product thanks to the manufacturing process, which layers wood veneer at varying angles.Uniformity: Because of the way they’re made, plywood panels can be depended on to come in the width, length and thickness expected without major defects.

What type of wood is used to make plywood?

There is softwood plywood, hardwood plywood and plywood made up of a combination of both. Firs, pines, oaks, maples, birches and other woods are all commonly used to make plywood.

At the Pacific Veneer Mill in Aberdeen, Washington, hemlock, Douglas-fir, spruce and sometimes pine are all types of wood used to make veneer sheets.

Troy Kalinoski, who purchases timber for the mill, says he prefers to buy hemlock wood, which is more affordable and helps the mill keep the overall cost of its product low. In this part of the country, hemlock also has less knots than Douglas fir, making a better quality wood.

“We’re probably anywhere from 80 to 85 percent hemlock,” he says. “Because of that, our product is coveted by certain customers in our marketplace.”

The veneer mill purchases wood from landowners like Rayonier; manufactures it into sheets; and then sells those sheets to a plywood mill. The plywood mill then fastens each thin layer of veneer together into the final product, using a powerful laminate material.

Finding the right wood for the veneer mill

“We try to grow the best logs for the mills that we possibly can,” says our Senior Timber Marketing Manager Kevin Pilemalm, who sells Rayonier timber to Pacific Veneer. “Our silviculture team has worked really hard to get good, straight, clean logs that grow fast. There’s not really a technique to grow every log on the job to a veneer quality. We have to go out on those jobs and find the veneer quality logs that are there.”

Veneer mill logs are more valuable than, for example, lower quality logs Rayonier would sell to a pulp mill. It’s the timber marketing manager’s job, along with the logging crew, to determine the best use for each log.

“Our guys in the woods are really crucial in picking those logs out and putting those sorts together,” Kevin says. “Then, when they come in here, we have the right product and the mill gets what they need.”

Kevin says fostering good relationships with customers like Pacific Veneer is key to the role of a timber marketing manager:

“We work really hard to maintain the relationships Rayonier has with our local mills. It’s a long-term relationship to keep this industry running.”

What are the steps to make plywood? A veneer mill tour.

To make plywood, a tree has to be debarked, steamed in a vault and then peeled into a long, thin sheet at the veneer mill. Those sheets are then graded and cut down to size, dried and stacked. Once the stacks are delivered to the plywood mill, the plywood manufacturing process continues. The veneer sheets are covered in a powerful glue called laminate and then stacked with the wood grain facing in perpendicular directions, which ensures the wood will be extremely strong.

The team at Pacific Veneer provided a tour in the video included with this article, showing the step-by-step process to making plywood sheets. Some manufacturers will make veneer and plywood at the same site. Pacific Veneer specializes only in the veneer manufacturing process.

Below we go into more detail about each of the following steps in how plywood is manufactured, including:

Step 1: Prepare the logs for peeling in a steam vaultStep 2: Peel the logs into thin sheets of veneer using a latheStep 3: Clipping and assessing the veneer sheetsStep 4: Drying, grading and bandingStep 5: Creating the final product at the plywood mill

Step 1: Prepare the logs for peeling in a steam vault

The first step is to prepare the log for peeling. The mill removes the bark, cuts the logs down to 100.25-inch-long blocks, and places them in steamy vaults.

“Once the vault is full, they go up and turn the water on and shut the door. We’re going to cook those blocks at 165 degrees for 16 hours,” says Plant Superintendent Dave Newberry.

The steam helps to break down the wood fibers, ensuring a smooth peel and a better-quality end product.

Step 2: Peel the logs into thin sheets of veneer using a lathe

Once the logs are properly steamed, they’re ready to peel.

A charger digitally assess each log, locating the perfect place to hold the log to produce the most veneer. A pendulum then swings back, picks up the log and places it in the lathe, rapidly spinning it.

The machine can peel anywhere from a 7-inch to a 27-inch diameter log. The resulting sheets will be anywhere between 1/200th and 1/10th of an inch thick. The machine can peel up to 14 logs per-minute.

The peeler operator listens to the sound of the lathe cutting the log to determine whether it is working properly.

Every two-and-a-half hours, at break time, the lathe blade is replaced with a fresh, sharpened blade. The mill employs a full time grinder operator, whose sole job is to re-sharpen blades for the lathe.

Step 3: Clipping and assessing the veneer sheets

Once the logs have been unraveled into long, thin ribbons of wood, they are moved by a conveyor belt into a rotary clipper.

A digital scanner assesses the wood for defects and directs the clipped to cut the wood into 54- and 27-inch sheets.

Smaller pieces with defects like large holes will drop off the conveyor into a pile that will be used either as plywood filler or it will be processed into wood chips.

A moisture meter scans the 54- and 27-inch sheets to guide how the wood veneer is sorted. There will be heart wood, sap wood, and super sap wood.

Each will be stacked in a separate pile because each will require a different amount of time in the dryer.

Step 4: Drying, grading and banding

The veneer needs to dry in order to prevent decay and improve the properties of the finished wood.

While some plywood mills purchase the veneer at this stage and dry it themselves, others want the veneer sheets in a dried condition.

“It’s basically like an oven,” Dave says of the industrial dryer. “Once the sheet comes through, it needs to be 8 percent moisture or less.”

Once they come out of the dryer, each sheet is graded and sorted depending on the size and quality of the wood.

The mill places a band around each stack of veneer wood and prepares it for the plywood manufacturing customer that will transform it into the final product.

Step 5: Creating the final product at the plywood mill

Once a plywood mill purchases the veneer sheets, they will be transformed into the final product found in lumber and hardware stores.

First, the veneer sheets will be glued. The sheets run through a “glue curtain” that coats them with the laminate, then they’re stacked together. The wood grain is rotated between layers, which gives the plywood strength and prevents splitting and shrinkage.

Next, the assembled layers of veneer will be pressed and heated. Using pressure and heat presses the glue into an even, thin layer.

Finally, the plywood panel will go through the finishing process, where it is cut to size, edges are squared and the plywood may be sanded into the final product.

What happens to the wood scraps in the plywood-making process?

Nothing goes to waste in the process of making plywood. For example, bark and wood scraps from the logs are used to fuel the wood-fired furnace that heats the steam vaults and the dryer. The peeler “cores,” which are small cylinders of leftover wood once the logs are peeled, are also put to good use:

“Our customers do various things with the peeler cores, from making pallet stock to possibly landscape timbers, and there’s various other products they might get used for such as fence posts,” Dave says.

What happens to the land after trees are harvested for plywood?

On Rayonier land, harvesting trees for products like veneer is just one step in the forest lifecycle.

Typically within the next one to two years, crews will replant the forest, placing several trees in the ground for every one tree that was harvested.

The next generation of trees will grow for about 40 years — capturing carbon, providing a home for wildlife, and countless other benefits — before it reaches maturity for the veneer and other products the next generation of people will need.

Why is sustainable forestry important in plywood production?

The sustainability of our world’s forests is paramount in ensuring we continue to enjoy all the benefits of the forest as well as a continuous supply of fiber for products like plywood.

We use 1000s of forest products in our everyday lives, including lumber but also lesser-known items that rely on tree fiber, such as medicines, phone screens, and bath products including toothpaste, shampoo and moisturizers. You can learn more about products made from trees and why trees are the best raw material for so many items in our ongoing #ItStartsWithTrees story series.

Through responsible forest management practices, we can strike a harmonious balance between meeting the demands of industry and preserving the ecological health of our woodlands.

Want to learn more about the process of making plywood?

Watch this long-form video by Engineering World of how the plywood manufacturing process works in “mega factories.”

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

A new mixed-use, affordable housing development is underway in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood. Go For Broke Plaza and First Street North Residences will provide 248 units of affordable housing plus approximately 40,000 square feet of commercial space that will house the Go for Broke National Education Center and local minority-owned businesses.

“This project is among the largest 100% affordable housing developments to be built in the City of Los Angeles,” said Little Tokyo Service Center Director of Real Estate, Debbie Chen. “Beyond that, it is the realization of a Little Tokyo community vision that has been decades in the making, ever since this site was taken from the neighborhood in the aftermath of Japanese American internment during World War II.”

U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance is the equity investor in the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) transaction and the two Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) deals related to the project, and is providing the construction debt for the LIHTC transaction. For this development, over $83 million in debt and over $85 million in equity financing was committed through the four different transactions.

A longtime partner of Little Tokyo Service Center since 2009, U.S. Bank has provided $466,000 through charitable giving programs over the years to support the important work they do. 

“It was a privilege to lean into this complex financial deal to help drive change,” said Impact Finance Business Development Officer Drew Hammond. “My hope is that the project will not only preserve affordability for Little Tokyo residents and legacy businesses, but also stand as a symbol of reclamation and celebration of Little Tokyo’s history.”

Little Tokyo is in downtown Los Angeles and is home to one of the largest Japanese-American populations in North America. Portions of the neighborhood were declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1995. The Go For Broke Plaza and First Street North Residences project site has been designed to wrap around and prominently display the Go For Broke Monument that commemorates Japanese Americans who served in the United States Army during World War II. Eighty of the 248 units for residents will be designed for people with special needs, including units for veterans and people with AIDS. Some of the small businesses will include retail shops and restaurants that have been in the area for generations.

“This project is among the largest 100% affordable housing developments to be built in the City of Los Angeles.”

– Debbie Chen, Little Tokyo Service Center director of real estate

“This project is incredibly meaningful to the Little Tokyo community and provides much needed affordable housing,” said Impact Finance Senior Project Manager Suzanne Furay. “Not only has it been rewarding to work closely with Little Tokyo Service Center and all of the project collaborators, but within U.S. Bank, it’s a proud moment because multiple teams came together to meet the needs of our clients and the community.”

Construction is already underway and the development is expected to be completed in 2026.

“U.S. Bank provided a scale of investment and wholehearted commitment that was critical to ensuring First Street North’s success as one cohesive master planned development,” added Chen. “U.S. Bank’s appreciation for the entirety of the community vision and willingness to finance all the components of this project is worth celebrating. The efforts are an exemplar for how financial institutions can make a transformative difference in a place like Los Angeles.”

U.S. Bank’s total commitment to date for the broader Greater Los Angeles Area is $2.3 billion in debt and $1.56 billion in equity.

Written by Sudeepto Roy

Welcome to the Ecosystem Enablement blog series where we highlight key activities Qualcomm is driving around the world to help broader technology ecosystems flourish and the impact our programs are having in various emerging markets of the world.

In Vietnam, Taiwan and Africa, the Qualcomm ecosystem programs catalyzed innovation and intellectual property (IP) generation across the globe in 2023. Last year, we shared information about U.S. programs like The Inventor’s Patent Academy, as well as startup incubation, women’s entrepreneurship development and IP training in India. But our work didn’t end there. Dive into this update to see how we are empowering startups, championing entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds, and fostering IP awareness globally.

Vietnam

Launched in December 2019, Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge (QVIC), incubates startups in several transformational technologies. Collaborating with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, it fuels the growth of innovative, small-to-medium sized companies through Qualcomm technology, intellectual property and business expertise, while nurturing Vietnam’s technology ecosystem.

The QVIC program offers technology training, lab support, business coaching, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) mentoring and business development assistance, in addition to seed funding, monetary awards and financial incentives for patent filing.

To date, QVIC has incubated 29 startups in 5G connectivity, smart infrastructure, robotics and drones, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), agricultural technology, hospitality, healthcare, and multimedia technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR).

These startups have collectively raised more than $32M USD in funding, produced more than 25 commercial products, filed more than 87 domestic and international patents, and contributed to the realization of the Vietnamese Government’s Digital Innovation policies. In 2024, QVIC will incubate 10 more exciting startups from Vietnam.

Over the past 20 years, our presence in Vietnam has been transformative. Programs such as QVIC drive the rapid adoption of cutting-edge technologies — from 5G and AI/ML at the edge, to IoT and robotics — empowering local entrepreneurs and shaping the future of innovation in this key region of South-East Asia.

Learn more about the 29 Vietnamese startups incubated through the QVIC program

Taiwan

Since 2019, the Qualcomm Innovate in Taiwan Challenge (QITC) has nurtured 49 top-tier startups through five annual incubation cycles. These dynamic companies specialize in artificial intelligence of things (AIoT), extended reality (XR), edge computing, robotics, drones, smart infrastructure, healthcare, wearables, automotive and multimedia devices.

The key elements of mentorship program include helping startups strengthen their innovation and go-to-market plan, while helping them with rapid technology adoption and expansion of their product and services roadmaps. The startups are incubated at two innovation labs based in Taipei and Kaohsiung. Given Taiwan’s prowess in specialized semiconductors, compute and AIoT, the startups act as catalysts to the broader industry in quickly identifying monetizable use cases for advanced technologies.

Through close collaboration with Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), the vibrant Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and Kaohsiung Exhibition Center (KEC), the QITC program drives intellectual property creation, identifies regionally relevant businesses, helps startups go global and fosters skill development in key emerging technology areas.

Of note is the strong interest in intellectual property generation by Taiwanese startups. The startups have thus far filed 59 patents through the program’s incentives, but their patenting journey continued beyond incubation, and they have collectively filed over 327 domestic and international patents (with 133 granted), through their own efforts.

Learn more about the 49 Taiwanese startups incubated through the QITC program

Africa

In December 2022, we announced the launch of the Africa Innovation Platform, a suite of mentorship, education and training programs created to support the development of Africa’s emerging technology ecosystem. The platform provides resources and support for local universities, small-to-medium sized startups and grant participants, exposing them to Qualcomm Technologies’ engineers and its state-of-the-art capabilities suite for mobile platforms and technologies, including 4G, 5G, IoT, AI and machine learning.

The Qualcomm Make in Africa (QMIA) startup mentorship program is an equity-free mentorship program that has identified promising early-stage startups keen on applying advanced connectivity, AI and processing technologies to innovative end-to-end systems solutions, including hardware, and provided these companies with business coaching, access to engineering consultation for product development, and guidance on protecting IP. Ten startups from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Rwanda were selected from an applicant pool of more than 550 from 34 countries. These startups represent several industry areas, including electric vehicle (EV) transportation, precision farming, rapid composting, continuous glucose monitoring for diabetes, AI-based medical imagery analysis, and computing.

Upon completion of the mentorship phase, the startups participated in a finale event on Dec 11, 2023 to showcase their products and services in front of African industry, governments, academia and cellular operators. In addition, we announced a patent filing incentive and a Social Impact grant.

Another program launched for African inventors is a free, online IP education program in collaboration with South African Law firm, Adams and Adams, called Learn To Protect Africa, which provides comprehensive training on intellectual property fundamentals, including patents, copyrights, trademarks and IP integration into business models

To implement the Africa Innovation Platform, our representatives have engaged and collaborated with governments, trade associations and other key stakeholders throughout the continent, including the African Telecommunications Union (ATU). We look forward to engaging with 10 more African startups as part of its 2024 startup mentorship program.

Learn more about the 10 African startups incubated through the QMIA program

Our Global Technology Ecosystem: Nurturing Innovation, IP Generation and Entrepreneurship

I believe that Qualcomm is the world’s leading mobile technology innovator. As we stride forward in research and development, our vision extends to long-term investments that catalyze technology growth worldwide and fuel an intricate ecosystem. From science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent to universities, startups and government initiatives, we sow seeds for tomorrow.

Our commitment to regional innovation takes tangible form through incubation and mentorship programs. These nurturing grounds cultivate startups in vital tech domains. Guided by Qualcomm Technologies’ engineering expertise, these fledgling ventures incorporate advanced technologies. Business coaching, IP programs and strategic trainings propel them toward success. Remarkably, our programs take zero equity, nor ownership in the IP generated by the startups to protect their innovations.

Since 2016, our startup initiatives have incubated or mentored 220 startups. These emerging markets — India, Taiwan, Vietnam and Africa — witness a surge of design talent, robust supply chains and local manufacturing prowess. Here, startups harness the power of 4G, 5G and hybrid AI. Their end-to-end IoT applications span healthcare, smart cities, agricultural technology, smart homes, automotive, advanced computing, semiconductor design, XR, wearables, robotics and drones. As the digital tide rises, Qualcomm’s legacy of fostering innovation is unwavering.

Learn more about our global ecosystem enablement programs

Sustainability is coming to a course near you, thanks to support from the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business (Center) at the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business. An initiative known as the Faculty Educational Innovation Community, led by Professor Ravi Subramanian, provides support to faculty for implementing sustainability into their courses and pedagogy. The ultimate goal of the community is to serve students interested in acquiring sustainable business competencies in Scheller programs, from undergraduate to graduate and executive education.

In May 2022, Subramanian was tapped by the Center to serve as faculty director of educational innovation. Subramanian previously served as director of the Steven A. Denning Technology & Management Program and as a member of the Georgia Tech Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. He also has been closely involved in Scheller Executive Education. Center Faculty Director Beril Toktay said, “The role will be dedicated to enhancing education and the student experience. Ravi brings all the pieces that are so important to faculty leadership and to conceptualizing and realizing programs.”

Read the full story on the Scheller College Website.