Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/819351
10 PalletCentral • March-April 2017 palletcentral.com Global Forum T he 3rd Global Forum was held in conjunction with the NWPCA Annual Leadership Conference. International representatives from The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia, South Africa, United States and Canada were present. Challenges facing the industry were discussed including: ISPM 15 alternative methods, fire codes, circular economy, food safety and biomass. Members of the Global Forum agreed to meet annually. Member Engagement & Communications N ew for the 2017 ALC, NWPCA sat down with nearly two dozen industry thought leaders and recorded video testimonials of members and staff discussing NWPCA membership and The Pallet Design System™. The footage is being compiled and we're very excited about the initial results of this project. NWPCA will keep members informed of its availability. In March and April, we hosted two webinars to discuss the USDA BioPreferred® program and what it means for PDS license holders. Based on the feedback and questions from participants, we compiled a Q&A document on page 20. The Q&A will be updated regularly at PalletCentral.com/ BioPreferredFAQ. Pallet Design System™ Short Course O n May 2-4, NWPCA and Virginia Tech will host a PDS short course in Blacksburg, Virginia: Wood Pallet Design and Performance: "Pallet Design in the 21st Century." Dr. Brad Gething, NWPCA Director of Science & Technology Integration, teams up with Dr. Laszlo Horvath, Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech, to teach a course on pallet design. The course provides a solid foundation for wood pallets and pallet design as well as the "whys" behind the decisions being made in PDS. Part of the course also includes a tour of the pallet testing facility. • Cooper Machine • Corali-USA • DBL Stack, LLC • Econotool, Inc. • Mid Continent Steel & Wire • Rotochopper, Inc. • SMETCO, Inc. • Vecoplan Midwest • Viking Engineering & Development Inc. • Wood-Mizer, LLC Thank you ALC 2017 Sponsors