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Click here to return to this month's Article Index The Cutting Edge™ - August 2004Public PolicyManufacturing Competitiveness of the Forest Products Industry:Competing in Today's Global Manufacturing and Consumer Marketplace November 3-5, 2004 PurposeThe North American forest products industry is facing many challenges in today's global marketplace, from resource procurement to environmental regulation to competition from off-shore manufacturers. The ability of the North American forest products industry to manufacture and compete in the global marketplace is being seriously challenged. Off-shore pressures from secondary manufacturers have begun to erode the manufacturing base of the secondary wood products industry. Primary producers face challenges in the commodity marketplace from off-shore producers and raw materials. Sustaining our manufacturing base is critical to the future of the forest industries in North America. This conference is not about a search for a quick fix for the production environment. Nor is it about just another tool or new piece of equipment. Nor is it about getting together to share gloom and doom projections. This conference is about developing a state-of-the-art approach to competing in today's global economy. It is about understanding the value stream, aligning production with demand while achieving quality, and designing ultimate flexibility into forest products manufacturing systems. This conference is about manufacturing excellence. This conference considers examples of infrastructure and programming to support local, state, and regional forest products manufacturers. This conference is about competing. We have assembled an excellent group of speakers representing industry, universities, and government. Collectively, all intellectual capital and stakeholders must come together to develop a synergistic approach to promoting the competitiveness of our forest industries in the new world marketplace.
Conference Objectives- To summarize the current state of competitiveness of the forest products industry by addressing the global wood manufacturing environment, the business environment, and the production environment. Who Should AttendDecision makers in industry, plant managers, local economic development and state commerce representatives, forest industry consultants, equipment suppliers, community and 4-year college faculty and students, workforce development specialists, legislators, and others in the wood products industry supply chain. ProgramThe complete program of this important conference is available in PDF format. If you would prefer to have a copy mailed to you, contact conferences@forestprod.org. Poster SessionOn Wednesday evening, 5:00-8:00 pm, an informal reception featuring complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages from a cash bar will offer attendees an opportunity to browse through a number of poster presentations on various subjects related to manufacturing competitiveness of the forest products industry. Poster presentation spaces are still available. The poster session will consist of poster presentations by individuals who are stationed at a booth space similar to a typical exhibit booth. Each space contains a draped table and a 4- by 8-foot posterboard on which an abstract, key points, conclusions, charts, and diagrams are posted. If you believe you have technical materials suitable for a poster presentation (no commercial materials accepted), please submit the Poster Presentation Request Form to the Forest Products Society by October 1. Poster presentations will be accepted based upon a review of their suitability to the objectives of the conference and on the availability of space. Registration InformationTo register for the conference, please print and complete the registration form and mail it to the Forest Products Society, 2801 Marshall Ct., Madison, WI 53705-2295, or fax it to (608) 231-2152, or you may register by phone (608) 231-1361, ext. 208. An on site registration desk will be set up at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel. Registration desk hours on site will be: Tuesday, November 2, 3:00-7:00 pm; Wednesday, November 3, 7:00am-5:00pm; Thursday, November 4, 7:00am-5:00pm; Friday, November 5, 7:00am-12:00noon. The conference fee of $595.00 includes conference materials, three continental breakfasts, two luncheons, one reception, and five coffee breaks. CancellationsRefunds for cancellations will be given if requested by mail, telephone, or fax. A charge will be made for late cancellations: within 2 weeks of the opening day of the conference, 15% of the registration fee; within 72 hours, 30% of the registration fee. No refunds will be given on cancellations after the closing day of the conference. Hotel InformationRegistrants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel at a special conference rate of $93.00 + tax Deluxe Queen (single or double occupancy) or $129.00 + tax Luxury (single or double occupancy). The room block will be held through October 11, 2004, 5:00 pm local time at the Hotel. After October 11 remaining rooms in the block will be released for sale to the general public, and attendees cannot be guaranteed the conference rate or room availability after this date. The hotel reservation form should be completed and mailed or sent by fax directly to the Omni. For telephone reservations, phone (800) 400-1700 or (504) 529-5333, or you may fax your reservation to (504) 529-7016. In order to receive the special conference rate, be sure to state that you are registering for the 2004 Manufacturing Competitiveness Conference. You may also make your room reservation on-line at the Omni Royal Orleans' Reservation Web Site. All events related to the conference will take place at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel. A luxury hotel, recipient of the AAA four-diamond luxury award for the past 27 years, the Omni Royal Orleans graces New Orleans most fashionable corner, St. Louis at Royal in the heart of the historic French Quarter. Offering Pinnacle Award winning meeting services, a unique rooftop pool oasis and the Zagat rated Rib Room-Rotisserie Extraordinaire. This restaurant has been the haunt of literary greats and the politically infamous for more than 40 years, and is known as the "place to see, and be seen"! SponsorsSponsored by the Forest Products Society in cooperation with the American Forest & Paper Association, American Furniture Manufacturers Association, Arkansas Wood Manufacturers Association, Architectural Woodwork Institute, FDM Magazine, Healthy Forests Healthy Communities Partnership, Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, Louisiana Forest Products Development Center, Mississippi Forest Products Laboratory, North Carolina State University, Southern Forest Products Association, University of Tennessee Forest Products Center, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Virginia Forest Products Association, Virginia Tech, Wood Component Manufacturers Association, Wood Digest Magazine, WoodLINKS USA, Wood Machinery Industry Association, Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, Wood Molding and Millwork Producers Association, Wood Products Manufacturers Association, and Wood & Wood Products Magazine. Planning CommitteeThe Planning Committee Chair is Paul M. Winistorfer, Professor, Department of Wood Science & Forest Products, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. Planning Committee Members include: Arthur B. Brauner, Executive Vice President, Forest Products Society, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Urs Buehlmann, Assistant Professor, Department of Wood & Paper Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Dan Cumbo, Research Associate, Department of Wood Science & Forest Products, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; D. Earl Kline, Professor, Department of Wood Science & Forest Products, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Chuck Ray, Assistant Professor, School of Forest Resources, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Janice K. Wiedenbeck, Research Scientist, USDA Forest Service, Princeton, West Virginia, USA; and Tim Young, Associate Professor, Tennessee Forest Products Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Table of Contents
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