Impact KPI-5: Expand opportunities for wood products and systems

IO2 – Increase the profitability of solid wood processing through customer solutions and supply chain innovations


Impact KPI-5: Expand opportunities for wood products and systems

By 2019, Scion will have supported wood processing and manufacturing companies by delivering new productivity enhancing tools and technologies that assist them to meet their growth targets and encourage increased investment in wood-based manufacturing in New Zealand. 

Leading indicator
Progress
By 2015, Scion will have demonstrated the potential to maximise recoverable yield, minimise waste, and manage variability between and within radiata pine logs.

Scion led a trial for Solid Wood Innovation (SWI) at the Kaingaroa Processing Plant (KPP) to measure and select appearance logs for an algorithm development dataset. Scion also assisted SWI to extend this warp-prediction dataset to structural logs with a trial in Australia. Results of the KPP trial were analysed and algorithms found that potentially can remove the worst warp-prone logs. The algorithms need to be applied to the Australian structural dataset and validated by independent trials.

By 2015, Scion will have demonstrated and secured external investment to enable at least one new engineered wood product with demonstrated potential to compete in high margin market segments.
Scion continues to provide support via testing and consultancy services to New Zealand wood and building sectors, e.g. we assisted a new prefabricated building company launch its residential building system.
By 2016, Scion will have demonstrated to a pre-commercial stage at least one new wood preservation/protection system that meets the needs and ability to support New Zealand wood products in New Zealand’s most environmentally discerning markets.

Scale-up trials were set up to test the leading bioactive preservative with radiata pine. The outside trials are testing for decay and ultra violet light resistance both in and above ground. No decay was observed in the first year. A quantification solution was identified, more work is needed to develop a spot test. Other samples were sent to the US for termite resistance testing.

 

By 2019, the Woodscape methodologies have been adopted and underpinned, at least to business case stage, the development of a new or substantially enhanced wood manufacturing operation.In 2014-15 the Woodscape model was used to assess a range of primary solid wood processing and remanufacturing options for a client with a hardwood resource. The initial analysis has led to the client undertaking further work, including sawing and peeling studies.