Preliminary Investigation Affirms Chinese Dumping Allegations
On Friday the U.S. International Trade Commission issued a unanimous affirmative determination in its preliminary investigation into allegations of dumping of engineered flooring by Chinese manufacturers. The commission, an independent federal agency, determined that there is "a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of multilayered wood flooring from China that are allegedly subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value."
As a result of the vote, the U.S. Department of Commerce will conduct a detailed investigation into the pricing practices of Chinese engineered wood flooring manufacturers and exporters, as well as subsidies provided to those companies. Its preliminary countervailing duty determination is due on or about Jan. 14, 2011, and its preliminary antidumping duty determination is due on or about March 30, 2011.
"The fact that today's vote was unanimous, we believe, is a reflection of the weight of the extensive evidence reviewed by the commission, and the seriousness with which the agency viewed the concerns detailed by the domestic industry," said Jeff Levin, counsel for the Coalition for American Hardwood Parity, which filed a petition for the investigation in late October. The coalition consists of Anderson Hardwood Floors LLC, Award Hardwood Floors, Baker's Creek Wood Floors Inc., From the Forest, Howell Hardwood Flooring, Mannington Mills Inc., Nydree Flooring, Forest, and Shaw Industries Group Inc.
Copies of the report from the ITC are expected to be available after Jan. 3, 2011, by e-mailing [email protected], calling 202/205-2000, or writing to the Office of the Secretary, 500 E St. S.W., Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be faxed to 202/205-2104. The press release from the ITC is available here.
Lack of Ventilation Factored in Death
An inquisition into the death of a Kitchener, Ontario, man has determined that insufficient ventilation may have been a major factor in the explosion that killed him. Ontario's CTV reported that Ron Pilon, 59, was using highly flammable wood floor sealer during a residential refinishing job in July 2008. With all of the home's windows closed, something ignited fumes that had accumulated. Pilon was badly burned in the resulting fire and later died of his injuries. The investigation was conducted by Ontario's Ministry of Labor, which develops and implements the province's labor legislation. During the investigation, a woman who had been hired to paint the home testified that she repeatedly stepped outside because of the fumes from Pilon's sealer.
A person crossing a room and building enough static charge to shock a metal doorknob, flipping a light switch, or the brushes from a freezer or refrigerator motor are all possible sources of ignition in a situation like this, Jeff Minten, an Ontario fire marshall investigator, told CTV. Minten recommended turning off a home's electricity before beginning such work, and using non-flammable materials.
CTV's full story can be read here.
From Landfill to Wood Flooring
The city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, is looking to expand a program that diverts the city's fallen trees from the landfill and channels them into useable products, including wood flooring, reports the Winnipeg Sun. Currently a local company, Wood Anchor, uses the city's trees that have fallen due to disease, storms and other causes to create products, mostly wood flooring, at an off-site facility. The city of Winnipeg would like to expand that program; ideally, a firm would set up an on-site processing plant and possibly a retail outlet at the landfill. In return, the company would have free access to the roughly 2,500 tons of elm and 1,000 tons of ash, maple, linden, poplar and other trees that are hauled to the landfill every year, the paper reports.
"One of the things we want to do is transform people's ideas of a 'dump' to seeing it as an environmental management centre," Darryl Drohomerski, Winnipeg's manager of solid waste services, told the Sun. Companies have until Dec. 10 to express their interest; interested parties should contact Darcy Strandberg at 204/986-5108 or [email protected]. Information on the project can be found here.
After Hunkering Down, Conn. Contractor Expands
It seems the tough decisions Leo Robitaille made in mid 2009 are paying off. Last year the owner of New Milford, Conn.-based Masterpiece Wood Floor Inc. asked his employees to take a 10 percent pay cut. Today Robitaille is giving his 18 employees a 15 percent raise and opening a second location in nearby Ridgefield, Conn. "When everyone was retrenching, cutting back on advertising and letting workers go, I spent on advertising and sat down with my staff," Robitaille told The News-Times of Danbury, Conn. "I told them, 'You have to go out and get the work. It's not going to just walk in the door.'" Robitaille says his business is thriving on his offering high-quality and green products like European hard-oil flooring and resin-based finishes.
For Robitaille's full story, read The News-Times article here.
For Sale: Reclaimed Bowling Lane Flooring
Know anyone specifying reclaimed bowling lane flooring? If so, here's a hot lead: A Toronto developer has plenty of the stuff and, according to Canada's Daily Commercial News, he went to great lengths to save it from the Dumpster. Mehran Nouri and his development partners are turning a north Toronto bowling alley into a parking facility, so the bowling lanes had to go. Each lane is 60 feet long and three feet wide, and the thickness ranges from 21/4 to 23/4 inches. To save the flooring, Nouri had to make his own number 18 Robertsons screwdrivers-he made a lot of them, actually, since the commercial ones are always heat-treated and nickel-plated. "We couldn't even find a Robertson screwdriver that large any more, so we had to make our own tools, grinding down metal shafts to size so we could remove the screws" Nouri told the Daily Commercial News. Nouri decided to save the flooring after learning the bowling lane wood is valued for making tables, kitchen counter tops, bar tops and entrance doors-and flooring. If you're interested, act fast: Nouri has been approached by furniture makers and restaurateurs hoping to capitalize on the kitsch afforded by old bowling alley equipment.
Read all about the struggles Nouri endured to save this flooring here.
Manufacturer News
Representatives from Mullican Flooring (Johnson City, Tenn.) were on hand in New York City on Dec. 2 as HGTV presented the winner of its HGTV Urban Oasis 2010 Giveaway with the key to the new luxury apartment. University of Central Florida student Adam Venckauskas was the winner of the home decorated by HGTV's Vern Yip; the design included 800 square feet of flooring in walnut ebony brown from Mullican's Frontier Collection.
Distributor News
P.A.W. Enterprises LLC has relocated its showroom and warehouse to 422 E. Cork St., Suite A, Kalamazoo, MI 49001. The company's phone number (269/329-1865) and fax number (269/329-2088) are unchanged.
DeLong Equipment Co. has been named a distributor of Blastrac NA (Oklahoma City), a maker of surface preparation equipment, in the Southeast. DeLong will service Blastrac from its two locations in Atlanta and Duncan, S.C. For more information, contact DeLong at 800/959-5009.
By the Numbers
Construction Spending Increased in October
Residential construction spending in the U.S. increased 2.5 percent in October to $229.6 billion from $224.0 billion in September, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. This increase pushed overall private construction across the country up 0.8 percent in October to $481.8 billion from $477.8 billion in September.
Home Prices Declined in the Third Quarter
Home prices across the U.S. declined about 2 percent during the third quarter, according to the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which monitor the rate at which U.S. home prices increase or decrease. Since the end of the third quarter of 2009, home prices have fallen 1.5 percent. S&P's monthly 10- and 20-city composite indices tell a different story, however; those rose 1.6 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively. Overall, though, it seems annual home price returns are slowing; September was the fourth consecutive month where annual price increases moderated from the previous month's pace.
"Another weak report; weaker than last month," said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P. "While some of the bad numbers may reflect the end of the government's tax incentive for first time homebuyers, there are other problems weighing on the housing market," including the U.S. economy and a large housing surplus bolstered by delinquent mortgages, pending foreclosures, and vacant homes. "A sustained recovery could be a ways off," Blitzer added.
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This Week on the HF Blogs
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NWFA Member Services
The NWFA will offer the second of its Green Forest University webinars on December 9. Jan Stensland, a leader with more than 20 years' experience in green building, will present "Indoor Air Quality and Wood Flooring," which will address the basics of indoor air quality issues and how they relate to wood products, the lastest CARB compliance and EPA regulations as they relate to wood, and the world of product certifications, especially those that relate to LEED projects. The cost of the session is $75 and will last one hour beginning at noon Pacific, 1 p.m. Mountain, 2 p.m. Central, and 3 p.m. Eastern. Discounts are available to NWFA members. For more information, contact the NWFA at 800/422-4556.
