Report: U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition Updates on Suit Against Timber Products Inspection, Inc. & PFS Corporation

On June 9, 2020, the U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition provided a letter to update on their suit against Timber Products Inspection, Inc. (“TPI”) [HQ: Conyers, GA] and PFS Corporation (“PFS-TECO”) [HQ: Cottage Grove, WI].

In the letter it was noted that the lawsuit was “brought for the purpose of stopping the increasing volumes of Brazilian plywood stamped PS 1-09 flowing into the U.S. that is so off-grade that it poses a serious health and safety risk to the U.S. public.”

Furthermore, on a “quarterly basis in 2018 and 2019, off-grade Brazilian plywood accounted for between 6% and 10% per quarter of consumption of structural plywood in the U.S. All of this off-grade plywood bears the licensed grade stamps of either TPI or PFS-TECO. Two sets of tests – by the American Plywood Association in 2018 and by Clemson University in 2019 – showed massive failures of Brazilian PS 1-09 stamped plywood to meet the required levels of bending stiffness, plywood’s most important strength property.”

On June 5th, the coalition “filed a motion for preliminary injunction with federal Judge Roy Altman in Florida. The motion is supported by 24 declarations seeking a court order requiring TPI and PFS-TECO to revoke all of the PS 1-09 certifications each agency has issued to Brazilian plywood mills. TPI and PFS-TECO must now respond by June 19 and the motion will likely be heard sometime in late June or early July. If the motion is granted, Brazilian plywood companies will be immediately prohibited from producing any more structural plywood for the U.S. market.”

To read the entire letter, click here.