A critically important conference on manufacturing competitiveness of the North American forest products industry will be held Wednesday, November 3, through Friday noon, November 5, 2004 at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Madison, Wis. –
This conference is not about a search for a quick fix for the production environment.  Nor is it about just another tool or new piece of equipment. Nor is it about getting together to share gloom and doom projections. This conference is about developing a state-of-the-art approach to competing in today’s global economy.  It is about understanding the value stream, aligning production with demand while achieving quality, and designing ultimate flexibility into forest products manufacturing systems.  This conference is about manufacturing excellence. This conference considers examples of infrastructure and programming to support local, state, and regional forest products manufacturers.  This conference is about competing. 
Objectives of the conference include:
• Summarizing the current state of competitiveness of the forest products industry by addressing the global wood manufacturing environment, the business environment, and the production environment
• Examining the contributions of the wood manufacturing industries to local economies
• Presenting timely and relevant information on competitive strategies in the business and production environments
• Examining relevant supply chain, quality, and industry support issues and challenges
• Fostering a platform among conference attendees to bring recognition and examples of solutions for competing in today’s highly competitive manufacturing and business environments

Sponsored by the Forest Products Society in cooperation with the American Forest & Paper Association, American Furniture Manufacturers Association, Arkansas Wood Manufacturers Association, Architectural Woodwork Institute, Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers, FDM Magazine, Healthy Forests Healthy Communities Partnership, Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, Louisiana Forest Products Development Center, Mississippi Forest Products Laboratory, Modern Woodworking Magazine, North Carolina State University, Southern Forest Products Association, University of Tennessee Forest Products Center, USDA Forest Products Laboratory, Virginia Forest Products Association, Virginia Tech, Wood Component Manufacturers Association, Wood Digest Magazine, WoodLINKS USA, Wood Machinery Industry Association, Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, Wood Molding & Millwork Producers Association, Wood Products Manufacturers Association, and Wood & Wood Products Magazine.

For further information, contact the Conferences & Meetings Department, Forest Products Society,
2801 Marshall Court, Madison, WI 53705-2295 USA; Phone: 608-231-1361, ext. 208, Fax: 608-231-2152, or
E-mail: conferences@forestprod.org. Complete information on the conference including hotel and conference registration forms can be found at http://www.forestprod.org/confmanufacturingcompetitiveness.html