IWF Partners Agree on Buyout
By Mike Botta May 24, 2012 – The Woodworking Machinery Industry Association (WMIA) and the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America (WMMA) have agreed to buy out the ownership interest in the International Woodworking Fair (IWF) that is...more »
Xylexpo 2012: Woodworkers Heading for Milan
By Mike Botta Final preparations are under way for woodworking’s big Xylexpo 2012 show taking place May 8 to 12, 2012 in Milan, Italy. ...more »
U.S. Challenges China to Play by the Rules
By Mike Botta...more »
Awards Competition Includes Furniture Design
By Mike Botta February 9, 2012 – A New York-based online design service is inviting furniture designers, students and others to enter its second annual awards competition....more »
Cabinet Makers Anticipate Growth in 2012
By Mike Botta December 22, 2011 – The nation’s cabinet makers and custom woodworkers are bullish on growth prospects for 2012, according to initial results of a survey conducted by the Milwaukee-based Cabinet Makers Association (CMA). ...more »
Roseburg to Close Facility in Mississippi
Roseburg, OR – Roseburg plans to indefinitely close its particleboard plant located in Louisville, MS. As a result of the closure, approximately 80 employees will be out of work, according to the company. “Weak demand, increasing raw...more »
Report: Manufacturing Outlook Brightens
By Mike Botta Most U.S. industrial manufacturers anticipate positive revenue growth for their companies over the next 12 months, according to issued July 28 by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). ...more »
Sourcing Overseas May Be Huge Mistake
By Mike Botta Is China the manufacturing miracle that countless global corporations believe it is, or have many of the same international giants simply been guilty of practicing “herd mentality”? Perhaps surprisingly, there’s a...more »
Report Card: Indiana ‘A’, New Mexico ‘F’
By Mike Botta Only five states received “A” grades for manufacturing and health while four others were slapped with “F’s” in a new report card released this month by Ball State University. ...more »
Harvard Study Gets Thumbs Up by Woodworking Group
By Mike Botta Tuscola, IL – The head of WoodLINKS USA, the non-profit national program designed to aid the nation’s wood manufacturing industry, recently applauded a report by Harvard University calling for high schools to improve their...more »
Knape & Vogt Bolsters Drawer-Slide Business; Will Close John Sterling
Grand Rapids, MI – Knape & Vogt (KV) is expanding its operations here by increasing its drawer-slide manufacturing capabilities and consolidating its newly acquired John Sterling Corp. operations currently located in Richmond, IL. ...more »
Good and Bad: Technology’s Two Faces
By Mike Botta This is not about politics. It’s about technology and our ability to grow, advance and, frankly, to live with it. Once again we were reminded in a very stark way about a week ago in Tucson that for all the great things that...more »
What Happens in Vegas, Stays in the Shop
By Mike Botta Need a really good reason to plan a summer vacation in Vegas? What better reason than to line up new business opportunities. Nearly 20,000 woodworking professionals from around the world are expected to descend...more »
Time to Give Thanks and Set Goals
By Mike Botta With Thanksgiving a week away and the holidays just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to reflect on where we’ve been, where we are and where we seem to be headed. In the American woodworking world that can be a rather...more »
New Robot Safety Rules Around the Corner
By Mike Botta With new international standards for robot safety in the final stages of development, the U.S. robotics industry is getting ready to unveil its own set of revisions. ...more »
