Amidst the bustle and hubbub on the IWF 2008 trade show floor, one very special project is bringing together an array of woodworking industry companies to benefit the community. Just ask Laura Mahone, Associate Director of WMMA, what the member response has been to the call to action. “WMMA members have continuously stepped up to the plate in different capacities to provide every piece of equipment and ounce of expertise. Everyone is eager to participate and cooperate – part of the enthusiasm is the opportunity to ‘show-off’ but it’s also about working hard for a great cause.”

What’s the cause of this excitement? The U.S. Innovation & Demonstration Center – A WMMA Community Project at the International Woodworking Fair (IWF) 2008, held in Atlanta on August 20 - 23, is an environmentally conscious production process. WMMA members companies are cooperating in a working exhibit that will construct kitchen cabinets for Atlanta Habitat ReStore and for the 1,000th and 1,001st homes built by Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.

As Ken Hutton, WMMA’s Executive Vice President, recently said, “WMMA member companies are pleased to build stronger connections with customers and U.S. manufacturing in a ‘green’ project that also supports the Atlanta community, the host city of IWF for 24 years.”

Atlanta Habitat ReStore is a home improvement store where all proceeds support Atlanta Habitat’s mission of building affordable, green, quality houses for working families. The Atlanta Habitat ReStore resells donated building materials, hardware, sinks, appliances, furniture and various other home improvement items to the public at a discounted price. All merchandise at the store is donated from manufacturers, retail stores, builders, renovation specialists and individuals.

Larrie Del Martin, Atlanta Habitat President and Executive Director, proudly revealed that “the Atlanta Habitat ReStore is critical to the organization’s environmental initiative. It is responsible for diverting over 1,300 tons of perfectly usable materials from the landfill during its last six years of operation.”

One of the WMMA member companies in the U.S. Innovation & Demonstration Center (UST&DC) is Super Thin Saws, Inc. (Booth #9000). Its sawblades, in fact, produce more product from fewer raw materials. It illustrates that good business can be good for the environment. Used for obvious economic reasons, Super Thin Saws’ products also cut down on waste and power consumption. As most sawblades are replaced, the design of Super Thin Saws lends itself better to retipping, so ultimately there is also less steel used.

TigerStop (Booth #s6268, 6269) is another UST&DC participating WMMA member dedicated to promoting sustainability and socially responsible products. It is making efforts to educate different industries about optimization. The use of material optimizing programs results in responsible use of material to limit waste and improve profitability. TigerStop offers TigerOptimizer, a true material optimization solution. Unlike the longest length first optimizer, TigerOptimizer makes hundreds of thousands of calculations per second to find the right cuts for any given length of stock.

Jamison Scott, Marketing Manager of long-time WMMA member Air Handling Systems By Manufacturer's Service Company, Inc. (Booth #9074), added that “We have been ‘greening’ our facility for 18 years. First with energy conservation: radiant heating, energy efficient lighting and motion detectors for interior lighting. We have been recycling steel and corrugated scrap for years. We have been doing these and other things because they are wise business practices – not just to be ‘green’ but to be business savvy.” He noted that Air Handling previously recycled used corrugated steel in a dumpster, which was costly, and now shreds the material in-house and uses it as packaging material. Air Handling is providing the dust and fume collection for the UST&DC.

Nineteen WMMA member companies and counting – each with a focus on quality products and services – are participating in the UST&DC, but all members exhibiting at IWF 2008 will be featured. The exhibit in Booth #5752, Hall B of the Georgia World Congress Center, is 3,600 square feet and showcases a total wood machinery system manufactured in the United States. WMMA member Vecoplan (Booth #6221) is providing its innovative size reduction equipment and systems to handle the UST&DC’s wood waste.

Hutton added, “WMMA is proud to support the economic competitiveness of the U.S. wood equipment industry through a demonstration of manufacturing methods to improve profitability and promote social responsibility. We are enhancing our knowledge about processing and the business skills for members involved in the development and manufacturing of wood products.”

Woodworking and non-woodworking professionals alike are encouraged to visit the UST&DC and witness the different WMMA member products in operation through a number of manufacturing cells, each showcasing a different manufacturing process but brought together under systems integration. Representatives of Atlanta Habitat ReStore will also be available.