In other news this month, read on for Hettich sponsors voluntary work; Only the air you need with Kaeser; SCM figures in 2017; Inside Intermac; Non-shedding Christmas trees; HOMAG Cares donation for Tanzania; Tie the knot with a tree; Ikea founder dies; Leitz BrillianceCut sawblade; $190 million sawmill investment.

Hettich sponsors voluntary work

In 2017, the Hettich Group sponsored projects receiving voluntary support from members of staff to the tune of €84,000. This campaign is being continued worldwide in 2018. 168 members of staff took part in the ‘Hettich Voluntary Work’ campaign, with projects they dedicate their time to voluntarily. Funding went to 121 projects in Germany and support was given to 47 projects in the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, China, Australia and the UK. Worldwide, 653 projects have been sponsored with a total of € 401,500 since 2013. “Some projects, whether for children, for people in need or projects in the fields of sport or culture, are only made possible through the active help of volunteers. This is why we welcome and encourage this involvement on the part of our staff” says Dr. Andreas Hettich, Chairman of the Hettich Management Board.

Only the air you need with Kaeser

The Sigma Air Utility operator model from Kaeser Compressors, allows the compressed air user to purchase just the compressed air they require, in the same way you would purchase gas, electricity or water, and without the need to invest in capital equipment. Contracting models provide a key tax advantage – by obtaining compressed air at a contractually established price per cubic metre, fixed costs are converted into variable operating costs, which can immediately be claimed for tax purposes. The Sigma Air Utility compressed air station from Kaeser is continually adapted to meet changing operating conditions and to incorporate the very latest technological innovations. When a company changes to compressed air contracting, the contracting partner usually installs a completely new compressed air system to ensure full utilisation of any and all potential energy savings. It is not unusual for customers to achieve savings of 30 percent and beyond over the long-term. For more information on Sigma Air Utility phone 1800 640 611

SCM figures in 2017

SCM Group continues to grow, and its 2017 revenues are estimated at 650 million euro. In 2017 it confirmed their commitment by inaugurating a new production area in Zogno (Italy), reviving a 20,000 square metre manufacturing centre in order to increase production of CMS special machines for the processing of advanced materials, plastics, glass, metal and stone. SCM also participated in the Digital Master’s Studies course developed in collaboration with leading universities. The finalists joined the Digital Innovation Graduate Programme at SCM.

Inside Intermac

The Inside Intermac event is scheduled to take place from 15 to 18 March 2018 at the showroom in Pesaro. One of the most exciting experiences is the presence of Montresor, the leading producer of edge-polishing machines. The invitation to the event is extended to all manufacturers, from large companies with significant production volumes to companies that need to produce thousands of unique products designed to meet the specific needs of a given customer and small companies who often focus on artisan production. Thanks to the 4.0-ready solutions provided by Intermac, Donatoni Macchine and Montresor, these companies can become fully-fledged ‘smart factories’.

Non-shedding Christmas trees

We might want the experience of a real Christmas tree but around the World, we don’t want to clean up after them. And so Dalhousie University’s Christmas Tree Research Centre has announced the first commercial licensing of its SMART balsam fir trees; a sort of Superman version of the highly popular balsam fir grown in eastern Canada and exported around the world. This process, called somatic embryogenesis, could be a major advance for the industry. Researchers identified the gene that controls needle retention, and developed trees that can retain their needles for up to three months after the harvest. Source: Motherboard.

HOMAG Cares donation for Tanzania

At HOMAG, everything revolves around furniture – something that is often alien to the people in Kidatu. Where Homag think about design, surfaces and multi-function capabilities, some people don’t even have somewhere appropriate to sleep. Beds are a rarity, and mats or old mattresses are the order of the day. With Homag’s Christmas donation, they want to change that and supply people in Tanzania with locally produced beds. Homag’s objective is to make a sustainable investment. Therefore, they are having the beds made by local carpenters and wood turners. By doing so they want to sustainably support the economy and local businesses.

Tie the knot with a tree

The Daily Mail reports that a group of women walked down the ‘aisle’ to find a tree waiting for them. The strange ceremony; organised by Peruvian artist and activist Richard Torres was entitled ‘marry a tree and save it’ and involved local actresses carrying white bouquets of flowers and promising to look after the trees until parted by death. The aim of the event was to remind Peruvians of the value of trees and the need to look after them.

Ikea founder dies

Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of the Ikea Company passed away late January at the age of 91. No one else has put Sweden on the map as much as Kamprad and Ikea and there are few Swedish homes that do not feature an object from IKEA. Around the World, people go to Ikea to furnish their homes with affordable and stylish designs. Often criticised for his business practices designed to minimise taxes in the Countries Ikea operates in, Kamprad succeeded better than any other to implement the ideas and values that Bauhaus and Functionalism brokered during the 1920-30’s. Even a flirtation with Nazism and struggles with alcoholism will not diminish his impact on the furniture industry Worldwide. Kamprad started selling matchboxes at 17; then fish, Christmas decorations; seeds; ballpoint pens and then ‘ready-to-assemble Ikea furniture that for seven decades has been one of the world’s most profitable companies.

Leitz BrillianceCut sawblade

At the 2017 WOOD-TEC exhibition in Brünn, Leitz got an award for the BrillianceCut circular sawblade. The new development from Oberkochen provides very smooth cutting surfaces as well as absolutely nick-free cutting edges when processing acrylic glass, Corian® and many other materials. Trimming, grinding, polishing – up to now three working steps have been obligatory. Now, grinding after trimming can be eliminated, making the production process more efficient thus saving a lot of time and money for the users. Already in July 2017, Leitz got the Visionary Award on the AWFS in Las Vegas for the BrillianceCut circular sawblade.

$190 million sawmill investment

The Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT) and the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) welcome a new $190 million sawmill investment in Tasmania’s north in what will be Australia’s largest plantation hardwood mill and timber product manufacturing facility. The Hermal Group will build the Tasmanian Amalgamated Renewable Timbers (Start) Mill and Cross-Laminated Timber Panel (CLPT) facility in Burnie. “It is a welcome development that the project will provide for value-adding to the plantation resource within Tasmania, rather than exporting that resource to create wealth and jobs in other countries,” Mr Edwards, CEO of FIAT said.