The largest forest products industry expo since the COVID-19 pandemic began is about to open its doors. The East Coast Sawmill and Logging Equipment Exposition (EXPO RICHMOND) will take place May 21-22, 2021 at the Richmond Raceway Complex in Richmond, Virginia.
EXPO Richmond has become a leading industry event for professionals looking to see equipment up close, including live demonstrations. The event will likely be the year’s first and largest collection of pallet manufacturing and recycling, sawmilling, kiln drying, timber harvesting, biomass, trucking, optimization/scanning, material handling and firewood processing machinery in the United States. As usual, EXPO Richmond is put on by the Virginia Forest Products Association (VFPA) in conjunction with Virginia Tech’s extension service.
Attendees can compare their current equipment to the latest state-of- the-art, most technologically advanced options.
Lesley Moseley, the executive director of the VFPA, said, “Given the pandemic’s effect on travel, we are still seeing strong registration with already 1,200 people pre-registered for the event. We are encouraging everyone to pre-register by May 7, 2021 so their badges can be mailed to them and they can pre-register to avoid lines and make the entry process easier.”
Moseley added, “While we expect the total attendance numbers may be down a bit this year, we believe we will have a lot of quality attendees due to the need for automation and the strong economic reality of the overall forest products industry.”
One big question that many people are asking is, “What COVID-19 precautions are being taken?” Moseley explained, “Extra focus is being place on cleaning public spaces at the show. Everyone on show grounds will be required to wear a mask. Temperature checks will be conducted at the entrance. And based on the latest Executive Order from our Governor we can have up to 10,000 people in our outside areas and up to 1,000 people in the interior buildings which fall in line with past years attendance – great news for us!”
The show aisles will have one-way foot traffic guides. Exhibitors can give away product information and other items. But supplies, tools or other samples that may be handled by many people are asked to be wiped down with a sanitizer between each guest interaction.
While the show this year will be missing a number of notable pallet and sawmill industry suppliers, the event will feature many of the leading equipment suppliers in the industry. Check out the list of equipment and notable exhibits in this guide.
Anyone registered before May 7th, 2021 will have their badges mailed to them and be able to skip the lines! On-site registration is always available at EXPO Richmond grounds. Save money by registering in advance. Cost at the door is $20 per person. To register visit www.exporichmond.com.
Pallet or Sawmill Exhibitors Bringing Actual Equipment/Machinery
(Companies with an asterisk * will be conducting live demonstrations)
Supplier Name Booth Number
Automated Machine Systems Inc. * 212, 311
Baker Products * G23, G24, G25
Cleereman Industries Inc. * 402,404, 406
Go Fast Manufacturing * 8, 9
HMC Corporation K7, K8, K16
Innovative Data Systems * 515
Kiln-direct H4, H5, H6
Nyle Dry Kilns 717
Pallet Machinery Group Old Dominion Building
The Palmate Group * 212, 311
Rotochopper Inc. H1, H2, H12, H13
Vecoplan 301
Viking Engineering * Arena
Viper Industrial Products * K5
West Plains Resaw Old Dominion Building
Pallet-Related Exhibitors
Supplier Name Booth Number
Alliance Automation 2
Automated Machine Systems Inc. 21, 311
Baker Products G23, G24, G25
Brewco 328
Brewer Machine & Parts M10
Cresswood Shredding Machinery 636
DYNA Products K4
GBN Machine and Engineering Corp. 319, 321
Go Fast Manufacturing 8, 9
Innovative Data Systems 515
ISK Biocides 227
JF Industrial Technology K5
Kiln-direct H4, H5, H6
Linc Systems 519
Midwest Machinery & Automation 740
Newman Machine Co. 304
Pallet Machinery Group Old Dominion Building
The Palmate Group 212, 311
Pipers Saw Shop G1
Profile Technology 106
PRS Group 731, 733
Rayco Industries K17, K18
Rotochopper Inc. H1, H2, H12, H13
Simonds International 538
Smart Products K4, J13, J14
Timber Products Inspection 517
Vecoplan 301
Viking Engineering Arena
Viper Industrial Products K5
West Plains Resaw Old Dominion Building
West Salem Machinery 416, 418
White & Company 737
Wood-Mizer 528, 530
Sawmill-Related Exhibitors
Supplier Name Booth Number
Baker Products G23, G24, G25
BH Payne and Co 427, 429
Brewco 328
Brewer Machine & Parts M10
Cleereman Industries Inc. 402, 404, 406
Cooper Machine Co. 739
Go Fast Manufacturing 8, 9
HMC Corporation K7, K8, K16
Hurdle Machine Works J1, J17
Hurst Boiler 602, 701
ISK Biocides 227
Kiln-direct H4, H5, H6
Linc Systems 519
Mellott Manufacturing D11, D12
Menominee Saw and Supply Co 712
Messersmith Manufacturing 331
Multitek/Wood Beaver B4, B5, B6
Newman Machine Co. 304
Nyle Dry Kilns 717
Paw Taw John Services 516, 615
Peterson Pacific Corp. C9, C10, C11
Pipers Saw Shop G1
Precision Husky E3
Profile Technology Inc. 106
Rotochopper Inc. H1, H2, H12, H13
Simonds International 538
Smith Sawmill E4, E5
Timber Products Inspection 517
Timberwolf Firewood Processing Equipment A19, 20
Vecoplan 301
West Salem Machinery 416, 418
Wood-Mizer 528, 530
Alliance Automation
Booth #2
Key Contact: Joe Woods
Will showcase new video footage of its Urban Sawmill and Robotic Pallet Dismantler designed to help recyclers produce more recycled boards. Footage will also include equipment covering the merger of Alliance Automation and Smetco lines. Learn what is possible with pallet conveyance, stacking, sort and repair lines.
Automated Industrial Technologies
Booth – Old Dominion Building
Key Contact: Chip Lamb
AIT will be discussing its stackers and materials handling systems designed for pallet lumber operations.
Automated Machine Systems (AMS)
Booth # 212, 311
Key Contact: Kris Chayer
AMS will have computer kiosks and other hardware to offer demonstrations of its PalMate software. AMS will also show videos of its recent pallet repair and sortation lines. AMS offers a wide variety of sortation and repair equipment as well as pallet painting/marking and robotic solutions.
Baker Products
Booth # G-23, G-24 & G-25
Key Contacts: Clay Hedrick, Josh Rahlfs, Clyde Reed
Baker Products will have plenty of equipment to touch and watch at the show. Baker will demonstrate its band sawmill, band resaw, scragg mill and Wood Wizz planer/edger. Baker specializes in sawmill and pallet mill equipment to turns round logs into finished boards. It will have on display resaws, notchers, chamfering machines, band sawmills, edgers, scragg mills, stacking rack dumpsters and the unique Wood Wizz.
Cleereman Industries Inc.
Booth # 402, 404
Key Contacts: Paul Cleereman
A number of Cleereman sawmill equipment will be on display including: Cleereman linear positioning carriages, bar turner, head debarker, edger and dual air bag tensioner. Live demonstrations will be offered of Cleereman controls. The booth will also show a new video on the Cleereman controls with optimization.
Cooper Machine Company
Booth # 739
Key Contact: Frances Cooper
Cooper will focus on its scraggs (overhead and sharp chain), optimized edger, pallet mill (including merchandising system, primary cutting and slab recovery). Booth will also show a new video on its optimized edger.
Cresswood Shredding Machinery
Booth #636
Key Contact: Kevin Sundstrom
Will feature videos of its pallet and wood grinding solutions including videos of specific applications to demonstrate various Cresswood technology. Boulware LLC will also be represented at the Cresswood booth, ready to talk about trailer loadout systems for pallet recyclers. Cresswood offers a full line of horizontal and hopper-fed industrial grinders for wood and pallet recycling applications.
GBN Machine and Engineering Corp.
Booth # 319 and 321
Key Contacts: Raj Nainani and
Paul Bailey
GBN will showcase videos of several customized pallet machines. GBN manufactures both block and stringer nailing systems.
Go Fast Manufacturing
Booth #8, 9
Key Contact: Dan Berken
Go Fast Manufacturing will be operating its equipment for interested buyers including its notcher, resaws, trim saws, and firewood wrapper. At the expo, Go Fast will be launching its brand new 2NXP automatic, high-feed production notcher.
HMC Corp
Booth # K7, K8, K16
Key Contact: Joel Taylor
HMC specialized in sawmill equipment and will have on display its MDS50 drop saw trimmer and the V2110 buggy deck.
Innovative Data Systems (Pallet-Track)
Booth #515
Key Contact: Alan Miceli
Offers live demonstrations of its Mill Manager ERP and Pallet-Track software as well as its plant floor data collection systems. The latest version includes e-signature paperless bill of ladings, online ordering, accounting integration and new cloud-based software solutions. Increase margins by reducing overhead and redundant business processes.
ISK Biocides Inc.
Booth #227
Key Contact: Lance Johnson
ISK supplies anti-sapstain/moldicide products for lumber and pallets. It also offers a complete line of wood protection products including end coatings for lumber and logs. Find out how ISK solutions can help you with your wood mold problems.
Kiln-direct
Booth # H4, H5, H6
Key Contact: Niels Jorgensen
Come see in person Kiln-direct’s heat treatment chambers for pallets and firewood. Kiln-direct offer 12 standard models that are end or side loaded plus a conversion unit for a reefer-van. With more than 900 pallet kilns running, Kiln-direct has become a popular choice for the industry. Stop by to see the latest upgrades from 100% stainless steel chamber structures to mobile access to kiln information via a smartphone.
Midwest Machinery & Automation
Booth #740
Key Contacts: Wayne and Del Wagner
Will have running videos of its American-made pallet nailing equipment including the Woodpecker, the Woodpecker Jr., Master Recycler and a block nailing machine and specialty nailing equipment.
Newman Machine Co.
Booth #304
Key Contact: Randall McCorquodale
Newman will show new footage of its entire product line in operation to include but not limited to: PM-1600 high speed planer matcher, S-382 and EPR-24 double roughing planers, KM-16 multiple trimmer, SLB-3004 fixed box shaving mill, LS-1044DB double box shaving machine, LS-1044 single box shaving machine as well as its entire line of cutterhead and knife grinders. Since 1906 Newman Machine has provided innovative high-quality machinery to the woodworking industry, specializing in planers, trimmers and shaving machines.
Nyle Dry Kilns
Booth #717
Key Contact: Jeremy Pitts
Will be talking with attendees about Nyle’s lumber dry kilns and pallet/firewood heat treating systems.
Pallet Machinery Group
Booth: Old Dominion Building
Key Contacts: Greg Wine and Evan Karlewicz
Pallet Machinery Group (PMG) will not be running live demos this year. But it will have on display a West Plains 600 series resaw and a M2L Stacker designed by Automated Industrial Technologies. PMG will also be discussing its WoodLock mold inhibitor that is being used to treat pallets by a number of major companies in the industry. PMG will be unveiling a video on a new board notcher with a bypass option.
Profile Technology Inc.
Booth #106
Key Contact: John Lieber
Displaying the latest innovations in indexable tooling including a quick changeover of notch width, variable corner designs from square corner, ½” radius, ¾” radius, 1" radius and 1-1/2" radius. Discuss with our experts how custom tooling can improve your cutting efficiency and production.
PRS Group – Pallet Repair Systems
Booth # 731, 733
Key Contact: Jeff Williams
Will showcase videos of its pallet repair automation solutions, lumber reclaim equipment and the CAPE pallet assembly machines. Find out how PRS can help you automate to reduce labor and improve production efficiency.
Rotochopper
Booth # H1, H2, H12, H13
Key Contact: Jody Parker
Will have on display two machines at the show, its 75DK shredder and a MC-266 horizontal grinder, which has become popular with the pallet sector. For over 30 years, Rotochopper has specialized in grinding equipment that transforms waste materials into profitable opportunities, such as colored mulch, animal bedding, biomass fuels and compost.
Simonds International
Booth #538
Key Contact: Ray Eluskie
Simonds will feature a new video of its Saw Filer Vocational Training program in Florence, South Carolina. Its blade division will feature saw blade and chipper knife reconditioning services. Simonds has completed a major investment in its factory for the manufacture of PreSharp narrow bandsaw blades. PreSharp blades feature an unique saw tip geometry that helps blades cut true and control the flow of sawdust to improve the cleanliness of boards.
Timber Products Inspection
Booth #517
Key Contact: Matt McGowan
Talk with experts about ISPM-15 compliance for pallets and heat treat lumber as well as program compliance for softwood lumber grades and pressure treating. TPI specializes in quality control audits and testing. It is a leader in auditing compliance for ISPM-15 certification for solid wood packing.
Vecoplan
Booth #301
Key Contact: Dan Dinan
Vecoplan will have on display its VPC 1600, a pre-shredder designed to process large bulky wood items, such as chunks, crates, pallets and dunnage. When combined with a grinder, throughput is increased, and downtime reduced. Also, will show a video of a complete wood scrap to pellet system. Vecoplan offers wood scrap processing, scrap recycling and wood pelletizing solutions.
Viper Industrial Products
Booth #J16
Key Contact: Tony Grilo
Come see the Woody pallet nailing machine and the Honey Badger recycle pallet machine live in action. Both machines will be set up and building pallets. Viper will also run a video on both machines and will be unveiling a video on its new machine set to be introduced later this year.
Viking Engineering
Booth – Arena
Key Contacts: Scott Ellefson, Kenneth Rose, Darren Bergstrom, Mark Mitchell
A popular destination for pallet manufacturers at the show, Viking Engineering will continue to run live equipment at the Arena. This year Viking is expected to have on display its new Voyager, high-speed nailing ling as well as its Silver Anniversary Edition Viking Turbo 505. Known as a workhorse in the industry, the Turbo 505 has been updated to offer improved cycle times up to 15%, advanced operator screen settings and an extended catwalk for easier access.
West Plains Resaw Systems
Booth Old Dominion Building
Key Contacts: Brent Ball
West Plains Resaw Systems will be bringing its 600 series band resaw with 18" x 18" capacity and hydraulic controlled setworks. Also on display will be videos of customer installations. West Plains offers grade resaw systems will full returns, slab recovery resaws, multi-head pallet resaws, tie sorting systems, unscramblers and conveying equipment.
West Salem Machinery
Booth #416, 418
Key Contact: Mark Lyman
West Salem offers grinding and shredding solutions for the wood products industry. Will focus on its horizontal hogs and grinders, vertical hogs and grinders, shredders, hammermills, no-knife re-sizers, disc screens, oscillating screens, vibrating screens, and conveyors.
