Canadian Mill Services Association Acquires Quality Control Department of the BC Council of Forest Industries

On Wednesday, the Canadian Mill Services Association (CMSA) announced that it has completed a purchase agreement with the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) to acquire the COFI Quality Control (QC) operations and to merge them into CMSA. This has involved the transfer of the rights and trademarks to use the COFI grade stamps and the Interior Lumber Manufacturers’ (ILMA) grade stamps, as well as the transfer of the quality control employees from COFI to CMSA.

According to the announcement, as of December 31, COFI ceased to offer QC services and the former COFI customers who were using these services were encouraged to join CMSA as active members. With completion of the merger, CMSA will now provide all the necessary QC services including educational training and support to its active members. CMSA will continue to be members of the NLGA, CLSAB, and ALSC and will continue to represent its members with the Canadian Wood Council.

CMSA is a not-for-profit entity that is guided by a board of directors. The revised board will be a combination of both COFI and CMSA members. CMSA has worked closely with COFI through the years and looks forward to continuing to deliver the high-quality standards that wood product end users demand.

Background Info From CMSA

Reason for the Merger

With the increasing challenges in the BC forest industry that has resulted in mill closures, curtailments, and transfers of tenure—combined with diminishing available skilled inspectors and resources with which to manage the QC functions—it is becoming more difficult to provide high quality standards at a cost-effective rate. To ensure that CMSA members continue to receive the greatest value for services, it was determined by the boards of both COFI and CMSA that a merger of QC operations would create the most sustainable structure as changes in the industry continue to unfold.

Guiding Principles

The combined services provided by the CMSA will provide cost-effective third-party grade stamping inspection and plant health certification, along with supporting educational services.

CMSA was created in 1994 to provide the forest industry the services required to meet the demanding standards within Canada, the US, and other major trading areas for the forest products produced by the industry. CMSA’s focus has been and will continue to be led by its member’s requirements to offer certified quality forest products to North America and throughout the world.

COFI & ILMA Grading Stamps

As of January 1, the marketplace will not see any changes; all logos and trademarks of the COFI and ILMA grade stamps will continue to be in use for members who wish to have these stamps applied. CMSA will be the supplier of these services and will have the rights to use these stamps and will collect all dues and manage all employees engaged in supplying these services. CMSA will be the only representative for grading operations involving the utilization of COFI and ILMA stamps.