Feature 03_04 PMS803.qxd

Improving manufacturing efficiency and increasing product worth requires the right combination of actions throughout the manufacturing process. Many innovations have been developed over the last several decades to achieve these goals. Innovations typically work their way backwards in the manufacturing process, with an increasing level of monitoring occurring at the end of a production line. There exists, however, an everincreasing array of tools available to forest products manufacturers that allow rapid assessment of material and product variables throughout the manufacturing process. A technology that shows great potential in all facets of material assessment is near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. The potential for NIR technologies has not gone unnoticed by the wood research community and there are scores of national and international laboratories developing appropriate applications. The rapid assessment of solid wood properties using NIR spectra is a fast-growing field that has broad implications in relation to wood quality and, ultimately, tree improvement. NIR as a means of online monitoring during the manufacturing process has also spurred many laboratories to examine potential applications for wood composites. It is probable that this type of monitoring will lead to increases in efficiency and profits.