Summary: The authors investigated the typology and characteristics of recent technology innovation in particleboard and composite materials. Conducting a cluster analysis of data derived from a content analysis of the International Particleboard/Composite Materials Symposium Proceedings, they identified four major clusters of like-type technology innovations – manufacturing, high technology, materials processing, and new products. Equipment makers dominated innovation in all four clusters, and “improved product quality” was the predominant source of economic benefits.


Decade of Innovation in Particleboard and Composite Materials, A: a content analysis of Washington State University’s International Particleboard/Composite Materials Symposium Proceedings (PDF)