IWF is a great bi-annual show showcasing trends in machinery, materials, and manufacturing to cabinet, furniture, and millwork manufacturers across North America.  After going for most of the past 38 years, the trends one has seen are both amazing and, as a lumber guy, disturbing.  I have jokingly said it should be retitled the ISTUALSWAP or the “International Show To Use As Little Solid Wood As Possible.” Much of the show is dedicated to wood-look alternatives, but that is capitalism, and if someone can create a better mousetrap, they have more power.  We need to do a better job touting the value of solid wood in durability, uniqueness, and carbon capture. 
 
So, when you are at IWF, look at how wood is making a comeback. We will be pushing the attributes and advantages of using Alder and meeting with many of our distribution partners who will be there.  The Cascade booth number is C1150, and there, we will have a team of salespeople to answer questions and discuss where we are headed as a company.  We will also have a great new display booth highlighting our Marketing Alliance with Murphy Plywood and letting you quickly see why “Color-Matched” lumber and panels can make all your projects easier.   
 
With many of our manufacturing customers continuing to struggle to get employees, we think many will be looking to labor-saving devices ranging from scanning rip and chop saws to robots to stack parts and some even to assemble cabinets.  Labor-saving machinery will be everywhere as this is the best venue to see what the manufacturers are working on in a single place. 
 
As you see, with all the fancy new equipment, keep in mind things Cascade has already done to lower production time and costs.  Our Port Angeles mill has become expert at width sorting SUPerior, PREmium, and some CAB and RUStic to meet the demands of manufacturers looking for predictable yields.  We have begun offering cut-to-size Alder components for those wanting to forego rough lines and go straight to molding parts (a trend we think will explode in the next upturn).  More and more manufacturers, including Cascade, are ripping more lumber before shipping to save on shipping, waste disposal, and manufacturing costs, as it makes sense to leave 12-30% of the volume behind that would have been cut up/ripped off anyway.  We are just encouraging you to look on the horizon as we think value-added manufacturing will continue to move back up the supply chain to forward-thinking companies like Cascade as downstream manufacturers move towards assembly, finish, shipping, and less manufacturing from random-width lumber.