January 15,  2010.  FSC Certified.

As a manufacturer of wood products, we are very aware of our responsibility to act as stewards of our nation’s timberland.  We are pleased to announce that we have recently been certified as an FSC Supplier and look forward to providing you with FSC Certified Douglas Fir and Alaskan Yellow Cedar glulam.  For more on FSC please visit their website at www.fsc.org.

January 10,  2010.  Monthly Newsletter.

Starting this year, we will publish a monthly newsletter--Glulam Industry News--and with your permission, will be e-mailing you around the first of the month from now on.  If you missed our first issue, (Jan. 2010) you can download it HERE.

February 15,  2010.  Monthly Newsletter.

Our monthly newsletter--Glulam Industry News--went out today via pdf.   Contact the sales office if you want to be on the master mailing list.  Or, you can find it here-- WS NEWS 2.10 Final.pdf -- available for download.

May 10,  2010.  Monthly Newsletter.

This month’s Glulam Industry News--went out today via pdf.   Contact the sales office if you want to be on the master mailing list.  Or, you can find it here-- WS News 5.10.pdf -- available for download.

FSC Supplier

SCS-COC-003004

The mark of responsible forestry

July,  2010.  Monthly Newsletter.

Click on the link below for this month’s newsletter.   Contact the sales office if you want to be on the master mailing list.   WS NEWS 7.10 FINAL.pdf -- available for download.

July,  2010.  Project Pics.

Our customer in Tennessee sent us these nice shots of our beams making a fine entrance.  Thanks for the photos!

October,  2010.  Western Partners with Lamboo.

We have been working closely with our friends at Lamboo Inc., a company at the cutting edge of bamboo technology.  As of November 3, 2010 Western Structures and Lamboo Inc. have entered into an agreement to cooperate on marketing and manufacturing Lamboo as a structural product--LAMBOO® STRUCTURE ™

Lamboo is an amazing product.  When we did our initial testing for strength and shear, the beams made with Lamboo components were so strong that our testing machinery almost broke!  Glulams made with Lamboo components will be “off the charts” in terms of strength and durability. A Lamboo glulam is a beautiful structural component, devoid of knots but rich with color and character.  We will be able to manufacture virtually any size or length of this product and are confident that a structure made with Lamboo will be in a class all by itself.

As a green product, bamboo with its 6 year growth cycle and vast, worldwide range, is the perfect choice for a project where sustainability is a consideration.   Download the Lamboo brochure on our products page here. Or, visit the Lamboo home page here:  www.lamboo.us

December,  2010.  Introducing Formaldehyde Free Clear Glue. PurBeam.

Western Structures is proud to announce an exciting new development in laminated beams.  We call it PurBeam--a glulam made with a new Formaldehyde free clear glue. PurBeam in addition to being Formaldehyde free, will be void of the typical dark glue lines that are the standard in most structural laminated beams.  The end result is a beautiful structural beam.

Our PurBeam is made possible using a one-component polyurethane adhesive made without solvents or formaldehyde.  This adhesive, manufactured by Purbond of Switzerland and its partner, Bayer MaterialScience will change the way environmentally conscious consumers will view glulams.

We will continue to offer our products with the industry standard Phenol Resorcinol glue as well as our PurBeam, available in all sizes, both standard and custom. Download the PurBeam pd file Taiwan flyer 2.pdf. 

Western Structures is proud to be the only manufacturer of PurBeam. And in the US we are one of only two manufacturers using Purebond glue.  Call the sales office for pricing and check the Sustainability page for more info.

December,  2010.  Taiwan Green Building, Western’s Latest Export Project

Our export business has always been a strong part of our core business.  Our partner, Walsh Industries of Portland has handled our beam sales beyond the US borders for the past 10 years.  We like to see it when our value added products make it overseas and form the structure of cutting edge green buildings.  Massive Douglas Fir glulams, produced at our plant form the roof structure in this research center building.  Above our glulams, solar panels.  On the vertical surface to the rear, ivy will cover the entire facade.  The below photo shows the view inside the top floor.  Its nice to see that people around the world understand that glulams make for a better, greener building.

January,  2011.  Alaskan Rig Mats; Doug Fir Glulams Carry the Load.

Just received these photos from Mike at US Mat Systems.  USMS supplied their customer on the North Slope of Alaska with 6 inch thick rig mats used to offload two giant-sized production modules. These modules each weighed around 10 million pounds and were shipped via barge through the Panama Canal all the way to Alaska.  Our glulams went into USMS mat frames and performed flawlessly.  Check out the photos below and see this unique application of Douglas Fir glulams.  Just another use for wood--a truly green material.

May,  2011.  A Japanese glulam factory made with... our glulams

We work with other laminators around the world and were delighted when one of our associate companies announced its new production facility.  This new plant will open later this year and produce small dimension glulams for the Japanese housing market.  The main frame structure was produced at our Eugene plant and shipped at the beginning of the year.

June,  2011.  Glulam Deck Panels at Red Creek Bridge.

Our customer sent us these photos showing our massive deck panels being set across this beautiful gorge.  These beams were incised and then pressure treated with a preservative chemical for exterior use.  Glulam’s low specific gravity makes it a perfect choice as the deck material for this bridge. 

August,  2011.  Our Latest Project in China.

We just received these photos from our Chinese customer -- a beautiful entry way to a hotel building made up of our glulams.  We worked with our partners at Boise Cascade to make this project happen.  Its nice to see our “Made in Oregon” beams make such a statement in China. 

August,  2011.  Taiwan Delegation.

We recently hosted a delegation of engineers, architects and industry professionals from Taiwan.  We enjoyed their visit and discussed some of our past and future projects for the Taiwan market.  A special thanks to the APA for organizing and coordinating this visit.  Western has completed many projects in Taiwan and looks forward to seeing that market develop and grow in size.

October,  2011.  Shanghai, China.

We just received these photos of our latest China project.  We shipped these massive beams last summer and were delighted to see some of the jobsite photos this morning.  This is a pavillion structure in a smaller town just outside of Shanghai.  We completed our first project in that same town, Songjiang about 5 years ago.  Once again, we are proud to say that  we love to say the words “MADE IN OREGON”, especially as far away as China.

November,  2011.  Introducing WS RIM Board.

At Western, we keep trying to improve things.  This past year, we were the first to use zero-formaldehyde PurBond glue, changing the look and eco-footprint of the glulam forever. We also started to test and market LamBoo-- the first structural bamboo glulams for the US market.  Now we are proud to introduce WS RIM Board.   Rim boards are a specially designed component that works in tangent with i-joists and other engineered wood products to deliver a complete engineering solution.  Now builders can choose WS RIM Board.pdf as an alternative to OSB, LVL and LSL rim products.  Available in 1 1/2” width to 14” depths and in custom lengths.  We can also treat for fire resistance and guarantee our standard, industry leading turnaround time.

WS RIM Board--available NOW!

q Fire Treated Available

q Available in Formaldehyde Free Glue

q Inexpensive Alternative to Rival Products

q Light Weight

q Superlative Nail Retention

q    Won’t Swell

q Custom Sizes

q Industry-leading Turnaround Time
q Also Available in FSC.

CALL THE SALES OFFICE FOR A QUOTE!

Douglas Fir Rim Board, APA Approved!

January,  2012.  A first step into Europe...

Although we have been a leading exporter of structural glulams for the past two decades, our markets have been limited to Japan, China and Korea.  This past year we have added a few new markets to our customer base and are very excited about new opportunities in new regions.  Below, a photo of a soccer practice facility in the UK.  Our 30’ beams were made with FSC certified Douglas Fir and our new PurBond glue, leaving no visible glue lines.  We then turned them on a giant lathe forming these pencil-columns near the entrance.  A beautiful structure in the making.  So, as we begin 2012, in addition to India, Mexico and Jordan we are proud to have taken our first step into Europe.

February,  2012.  A Forest of Glulam...

Located approximately one hour outside of Tokyo is the Meiji University School of Agriculture.  This new facility will open this April and workers were finishing up this project when I visited last week.  Our Douglas Fir glulams, made in Eugene completely dominate this eco-friendly structure.  Walking the halls and various labratories, the columns rise and then branch off into slightly curved members, resembling a forest and canopy beyond.  The project comprised approximately 300 cubic meters of material and was shipped to Japan last summer.