If you are a manufacturer of wood components or dimension stock, membership in the Wood Component Manufacturers Association is now more important than ever. The WCMA is committed to becoming a progressive, nationally recognized association whose focus is meeting the needs of its members.

WCMA membership involves many things, but first and foremost, it provides access to a wide range of industry experts. Your colleagues are often your best source for in-depth insight and ideas. WCMA gives you the opportunity to connect with industry professionals across the United States and Canada, and members share openly, freely, and with great enthusiasm. In addition, the association offers the following to its members:

Networking Opportunities: The number one benefit of membership in the WCMA, according to our members, is the multitude of networking opportunities we offer throughout the year. We strive to offer our members the opportunity to network with other manufacturers across the nation in a non-competitive atmosphere through trade shows, on-line discussion forums, roundtable dinners, plant tours, and other social events. Many WCMA members also take advantage of the opportunities to do business with each other.

Tour participants can get a closeup look at the technology and techniques in place at a variety of plants.

Fall Conference & Plant Tour Event: Each year, the WCMA hosts a Fall Conference and Plant Tour Event. By touring dimension and component manufacturing facilities, members see the latest technology at work, witness working solutions to common problems, and exchange information with seasoned counterparts. Held in the fall each year, this event enables members to conduct their own field research as well as gather a host of money-making, money-saving ideas. (Read about the 2019 Plant Tour Event.)

European Plant Tour Event: The WCMA hosts European Plant Tour events to provide an opportunity for members to observe advanced woodworking and manufacturing facilities in Europe and observe leading-edge solutions to improve their quality and production methods. This is an excellent opportunity for attendees to discover “what’s next” in the global woodworking industry, where trends come from, and gain insights into making their business more successful.

One-Day Plant Tour Regional Event: The WCMA hosts One-Day Regional Plant Tour Events. These events focus on a specific region and is short enough to be out of the office only one-day, yet still see advanced manufacturing plants.

Get New Business: Sales inquiries from component buyers are received by the WCMA office on a regular basis. The WCMA’s Member Match™ Program is a system that provides prospective buyers with a list of all WCMA members who can produce the specific component products they need. The service is free of charge to component buyers and WCMA members and can be accessed on our website in the Source Guide area.

Trade Promotion: The WCMA participates in several promotional programs for the purpose of promoting the products of our industry and generating more business for our members. Our promotional activities include: Exhibiting at trade shows, like IWF, and highlighting the various products produced by WCMA member companies; participating in specialized woodworking industry events and seminars; and joining forces with other associations regarding important issues to our industry like the Real Hardwood Promotion Coalition (RHPC), and the Wood Industry Resource Collaborative (WIRC)

Members’ Website: The newly designed WCMA website, at WCMA.com features a simplified design, improved functionality and more content to keep members and visitors up-to-date on the latest news in the secondary wood manufacturing industry. The site is a resource where members can update their online profile, register for meetings, keep current on industry issues and initiatives, ‘chat’ with other members, and more! It is a comprehensive and easy to navigate site that serves as a one-stop site for all the information you need on the industry including the WCMA Labor Relations Bulletin, Legislative News, Virginia Tech Housing Reports, and other important Industry News and Events.

As a company in the wood components industry, one of the wisest investments you can make is membership in the WCMA. To take advantage of these many member benefits, please visit the website today and fill out the membership application. You can also contact the WCMA office with any questions:
Wood Component Manufacturers Association
P.O. Box 662
Lindstrom, MN 55045
Tel: 651-332-6332
Email: [email protected], Website: WCMA.com.

Author: Amy Snell, CAE, is the Executive Director of the Wood Component Manufacturers Association.