Product News
October 2013

Trying to keep up with all the latest products available in the biomass industry can be an impossible task, however, with the help of Wood Bioenergy magazine and our ever-updating blog site—you can now stay up-to-date on the products that really matter, and get first hand knowledge of their implementation and performance.

 

For the latest in product news, visit or blog site.

Exhibitors Signing Up For Bioenergy Event

Organizers of the 2014 Bioenergy Fuels & Products Conference & Expo reported that as of mid-August, 30 equipment manufacturers and suppliers had already signed up as sponsors of the event, which will be held Wednesday-Thursday, March 18-19, 2014 in the Grand Ballroom North of the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

The event caters to technologies, issues and trends in wood pellets production, biomass power, biofuels and wood fiber procurement and harvesting.

The Bioenergy Conference immediately precedes the Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), which will be held March 20-21, also in the Grand Ballroom North of the Omni Hotel. Both events are supported by Wood Bioenergy and Panel World magazines, and Georgia Research Institute. Many of the exhibitors participate in both conferences.

The 2012 Bioenergy Conference attracted more than 400 industry professionals, and featured 45 speakers and 75 equipment and supplier exhibitors.

Early Gold sponsors include Bruks Rockwod, Dieffenbacher, Siempelkamp, Sigma Thermal/TSI and Canadian Biomass.

Silver sponsors so far include Brunette Machinery, Cogent Industrial Technologies, Con-Vey, CPM, Domtec International, Firefly, Integrated Environmental Solutions, Imal/Pal, Kice Industries, Koch Knight, M-E-C, MoistTech, Nestec, Prodesa, Scheuch, Timber Products Inspection and Wolf Material Handling Systems.

Bronze sponsors to date include BM&M, Clariant, Flamex, Hunt Guillot & Associates, Pöyry, Process and Storage Solutions, Process Sensors and Sunomi.

Organizers are currently piecing together the conferences speakers and agenda, which will be released in October.

To inquire about exhibiting, contact Fred Kurpiel, Co-Chairman, 678-642-1238; e-mail fredkurpiel@aol.com.

Conference registration is expected to open in October.

Bandit Industries May Be Sold

More than 250 dealer representatives from 19 countries gathered for the Bandit Industries 2013 Dealer Meeting at headquarters in Remus, Mich. This year’s event coincided with Bandit’s 30th anniversary, and dealers had plenty of opportunity to give feedback on a range of topics and technologies.

But the biggest attention getter was the news that Bandit Industries is for sale, that numerous offers have come rolling in and Bandit principals have narrowed it down to a few companies.

In recent years, Bandit’s global workforce and sales volume have increased substantially. The company’s dealer network now spans more than 160 dealers worldwide, with 25 dealers joining in just the last two years.

Jerry Morey, President of Bandit Industries, says he and company founder Mike Morey want to step back. “To take Bandit to the level that we think it can go to, we think that selling could be a good option,” Morey says.

Morey adds that they want a buyer that is currently not in the same business but wants to get into these markets. He also says a sale will not happen unless the purchasing company agrees to certain terms—namely that Bandit Industries will still be called Bandit Industries, will continue to operate the factory at Remus, with the staff and sales organization kept intact, and the purchaser will have a plan to continue to grow the company.

The Moreys expect to make a final decision within three months.

Morbark's Top Dealers

Morbark, Inc. recently recognized four of its top dealers. Columbus (Ohio) Equipment Co. was named Industrial Dealer of the Year for the second straight year, while Alexander Equipment Co., Lisle, Ill., Nortrax Northeast, and Schmidt Equipment, Inc. (Mass. and R.I.) earned Gold Tier Dealer status for their tree care products divisions. Left to right, Charlie Stahl, Morbark Territory Specialist; Jesse Garber, Columbus Equipment Co. Environmental Sales; Jim Shoemaker Jr., Morbark President; Tim Smith, Columbus Equipment Co. Environmental Div. Sales Manager; Bob Stewart, Columbus Equipment Co. Environmental Sales; John Foote, Morbark VP of Sales and Marketing; Don Duperow, Columbus Equipment Co. Environmental Sales.

34th Expo Richmond Dates Announced

The 34th East Coast Sawmill and Logging Equipment Exposition will be held Friday-Saturday, May 16-17, 2014 at Richmond Raceway Complex in Richmond, Va.

Expo Richmond will showcase sawmill technologies, pallet manufacturing equipment, logging equipment, biomass processing equipment and more. With more than 12 acres of outdoor exhibit space and hundreds of indoor booths, Expo Richmond provides more than one-half million square feet for active equipment demonstrations, exhibits and static displays.

The exposition is sponsored by the Virginia Forest Products Assn. and the Cooperative Extension Service at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Attendee pre-registration forms will be available in early 2014 in trade publications and direct-mail forms from the exposition office. There will be no charge for any forest products member who pre-registers, and a small fee collected on site.

For more information, contact Mike Washko, Exposition Manager, East Coast Sawmill and Logging Equipment Exposition, PO Box 160, Sandston, VA 23150-0160; call 804-737-5625; fax 804-737-9436; e-mail info@exporichmond.com.

Schwartz Named VP-Sales At MEGTEC

MEGTEC Systems, Inc. has promoted Rodney Schwartz to Vice President of Sales, Americas, for MEGTEC’s Environment, Climate and Energy group. Schwartz will lead the company’s sales efforts for MEGTEC’s environmental compliance and energy recovery products in North America as well as Central and South America.

Joining MEGTEC in 1985, Schwartz has experience in engineering and engineering management, sales and marketing of air pollution control equipment, capture technology and heat recovery systems. Schwartz and his team have successfully led the company’s growth in the oxidizer business in the Americas, especially in the wood products, automotive and other process markets.

Thermostatic Valve Offers Protection

The Danfoss BVTS thermostatic valve offers the ultimate protection for biomass or solid fuel boiler systems and is now available for purchase in the North American market.

The BVTS thermostatic valve has two important control functions. Overheat protection: If the water temperature exceeds 95° C the valve opens and hot water is discharged from the boiler or the built-in heat exchanger. Protection against back burning: If the temperature in the fuel feed system rises above 95° C the valve will dispense water to extinguish fire. Visit danfoss.us/ia.

Brunette Offers Smart Vibe Conveyor

The Brunette Vibrating Conveyor is a unique and simple vibrating conveyor. The design optimizes low cost maintenance and maximum up-time efficiencies by being fully balanced at all strokes and using a springless vibratory mechanism. The stroke is simply changed by adjusting the RPM of the drive motor via a VFD input.

This versatile conveyor is suitable for many industries including biomass, recycling, pellet manufacturing, sawmill, plywood, OSB, food processing and agro industries.

It’s available in different widths and lengths complete with size specific screening options and metal detection. Visit brunetteindustries.com.

Mini Pellet Press

Dieffenbacher has supplied North Carolina State University with a mini pellet press for the wood science lab at the university in Raleigh, North Carolina. This press will be used for R&D and to make pellet samples for potential customers of the pellet industry in North America. With the mini pellet press, left to right, Dr. Daniel Saloni, NCSU; Michael Kluschkewitz, Dieffenbacher Germany; Trevor Frazier, Dieffenbacher Alpharetta (Ga.); Guillermo Velarde, NCSU.

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