A multiple criteria analysis of factors affecting markets of engineered wood products with respect to customer preferences: a case study of particleboard and MDF

Of considerable importance and a principal goal in business is the creation of customer satisfaction. Evalu- ation of end user preferences for producers of particleboard and medium density fiberboard （MDF） requires indices for the assessment of markets and modification of product quality. However, only sporadic research has been carried out in this field. Therefore, the goal of this survey was to identify indices with respect to the points of view of： 1） consumers in order to select particleboard and MDF, 2） suppliers in order to consider production strategies, improve product quality, improve competitive ability of domestic producers in the market and help industry to be more customer oriented. This survey consisted of two stages. In the first stage, factors affecting customer preferences in the selection of particleboard and MDF were determined using a Delphi method, with the help of experts and a group of principal users of these prod- ucts. Then these factors were categorized in three groups： qualitative, technical and technological and marketing factors. Furthermore, questionnaires were prepared and distributed among consumers and responses evaluated and weighted by using an analytic hierarchy process （AHP） using expert choice software. Our results show that at both stages, the consistency ratio was less than 0.1, indicating that all results and judgments were stable and acceptable. The results obtained from questionnaires about particleboard rank the priorities for factors in the selection by consumers as follows： nail and screw holding ability, homogeneity in structure, edge strength of panel, durability and bending strength. The most important factors for MDF were machinability of panels, homogeneity in structure, nail and screw holding ability, edge strength of panel, durability and bending strength.

Utilizing agro-industrial wastes panels in developing cost-efficient thermally insulating wall claddings for residential energy retrofitting in Egypt

Local agro-industrial wastes-based particleboards and fiberboards in Egypt are manufactured mainly from sugarcane-bagasse and flax shives.These panels are used in decorations and interior claddings.This paper aimed to broaden their market to be utilized in local low-cost and simple building envelope retrofitting packages in-stead of conventional packages that depend on imported expanded polystyrene and wet-rendered gypsum boards.Thermal conductivities of various existing sugarcane-bagasse and flax-shives-based panels were measured to be used in developing multilayered interior claddings with adequate thermal insulating performance to increase the thermal mass of a validated non-insulated case-study residential building as recommended by the Egyptian Code for Energy Efficiency of Residential Buildings.Models retrofitted using the developed cladding assemblies were simulated using Design Builder to determine their achieved annual energy savings and predict their profitability.Thermal conductivities of sugarcane-bagasse and flax-shives-based particleboards were lower than wood-based cladding panels,with the range of 0.05-0.1166 W/mK.Moreover,the thermal conductivities of sugarcane-bagasse fiberboard had the range of 0.0926-01,111 W/mK which is significantly lower than wood-based fiberboards.Simulation results showed that both models retrofitted,sugarcane bagasse-based and flax shives-based,achieved better energy savings,5.07%and 5.04%,than the conventionally retrofitted model,3.73%.Furthermore,the flax-shives-based model showed higher profitability,with positive income achieved in the 15th year,than a con-ventionally retrofitted model,achieved in the 20th year,and the sugarcane-bagasse-based model,achieved in the 19th year.Thus,it was recommended that although flax-shives-based wall claddings were usually 14-20%thicker than sugarcane-bagasse-based claddings,they provided similarly high annual energy savings with lower initial costs and higher profitability.