Forest Industry Engineering Association

Friday Offcuts

FIEA

Connex

WoodWeek

Innovatek

Home

ADVANCING WOOD TECHNOLOGY

FIEA - The key to Improving Your Operating Efficiencies and International Competitiveness. The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) a division of Innovatek Ltd, is a unique grouping in Australasia. It's principal vehicle for technology transfer for forestry and wood products companies. Through a range of independent programmes, new product and process technologies are introduced to New Zealnd and Australian companies. Technologies best suited to the size of the industry and to the local resource are being identified and "showcased".

A regular series of conferences, practical workshops and managed exhibitions are run every year. Forestry and wood product companies, key product suppliers, researchers adn technology providers from throughout the world are targetted and involved with the programmes. In addition to these events, new resources from the technology programmes are being supplied to New Zealand and Australian companies.

FIEA is also now the largest provider of weekly and monthly forest products news in Australiasia.

2012 NZ Forest Products industry map just released

Updated and printed every two years by the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA), the 2012 map has just rolled off the presses.

Since the release of the last edition, there have been over 50 changes to wood processing and manufacturing operations - changes in ownership, closures, new operations and changing production levels. The names and location of 119 wood processing plants including; all fibreboard, LVL, plywood, veneer, wood pulp, paper and paperboard mills, wood manufacturing operations producing > 5000m3 of finished products and all sawmills – by production level – cutting > 2,500m3 of sawn timber have been incorporated into this new map.

The maps are generally sold out each year and are widely used as an essential reference tool, displayed prominently in offices and used for general promotion of the industry - both in New Zealand and internationally.

For orders, please find attached an order form for the new map.

2012 FIEA events being planned

Building on the successes and feedback from the FIEA run tech events last year, a wide cross section of forestry, wood products and finance businesses have been putting their heads together for 2012.

They've been identifying programmes under the current environment that are of immediate interest to the forest products sector - technologies suited to the local wood resource that will lift performance and operating efficiencies.

For planning purposes, mark these dates into your 2012 planners or diaries. At this stage, we have four events planned. We’re also currently working on two more with local industry which will be profiled shortly and some exciting new initiatives for Australasian forestry and wood products companies and our FIEA members in 2012.

Programmes being planned for 2012 include;

• Future Forestry Finance 2012; 7-8 March 2012, Auckland, 13-14 March 2012, Sydney, www.forestryfinanceevents.com

• Wood Preservation 2012; 16-17 May 2012, Rotorua, 23-24 May 2012, Melbourne, www.woodpreservationevents.com

• Carbon Forestry 2012; 22-23 August, Auckland, www.carbonforestryevents.com

• Wood Innovations 2012; 10-11 October 2012, Melbourne, 16-17 October, Rotorua, www.woodinnovationsevents.com

• ForestTECH 2012. Improving Wood Transport & Logistics. 28-29 November, Melbourne, 4-5 December, Rotorua, www.foresttechevents.com

If you would like additional information on any of the planned events, you’d like to look at the option of presenting or being involved in displaying your company’s products or services, please make contact with either of our two FIEA offices.

Top New Zealand industry scholarships for 2012

Two scholarships have recently been awarded to outstanding students from the School of Forestry. The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) awarded the $2,500 FIEA Scholarship to Jessica Brown who is completing her last year of a Bachelor of Forestry Science degree at Canterbury University.

The Scholarship is the first which will be awarded to students over five years by FIEA and builds on its recent contribution of over $50,000 through its Educational Fund to upgrade saw sharpening and levelling equipment at the Waiariki Institute of Technology.

The other major award, the Southern Wood Council Forest Products Scholarship went to a first year student, George Ferguson, originally from Oamaru, who is starting his first professional year at the School of Forestry in 2012. The award is valued at a total of $4,500 over the three final years of professional study and follows the first recipient of the award last year, Sarah Naylor.

“We’re delighted to award both students, Jessica and George (photo attached) with industry support to assist them with their University studies” says Brent Apthorp, FIEA Director and SWC Secretary. “Both were outstanding academically and in their work experience, as were all of those applying this year for the two Scholarships. The industry’s certainly well placed with the calibre of students currently being attracted to professional study through the University of Canterbury”.

FIEA members able to access comprehensive news coverage

FIEA is now the largest provider of weekly and monthly forest products news into Australasia. The Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) has set up unique arrangements with leading international forestry and wood products trade magazines. As part of its mandate to advance wood technology, this arrangement ensures FIEA members as part of their membership benefits are now getting supplied FOUR leading industry trade magazines.

To ensure forest products companies in Australasia are keeping up with the news and issues that will directly impact on their operation, FIEA members in addition to receiving weekly updates through Friday Offcuts and WoodWeek also now are sent free copies of NZ Logger, International Forest Industries, Australian Forests & Timber News and Australian Timberman magazines.

FIEA Members accessing new resources

Through the Technology Showcase section of this site, FIEA Members can now download over 450 presentations and papers from recent technology events. These provide probably the most valuable on-line resource on new and emerging technologies for forest products companies. Only FIEA members have EXCLUSIVE ACCESS to this comprehensive resource.