The US pellet plants have produced a total of 1,727 million tonnes of pellets during the first quarter of 2017, 5.4% more than in the same period last year. Continue reading "Rising wood pellet production in the US"
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Japan’s Sumitomo acquires stake in Canadian wood pellet producer
Sumitomo Corporation has acquired 47.6% of the shares of the wood pellet manufacturer Pacific BioEnergy Corporation and made its entry into the wood pellet manufacturing business in Canada. Continue reading "Japan’s Sumitomo acquires stake in Canadian wood pellet producer"
US lumber prices on the rise through the end of July
Framing lumber prices went through strong increases in most species for a second consecutive week starting July 21st, in spite of concerns about supplies. Continue reading "US lumber prices on the rise through the end of July"
No duties for Brazilian sawnwood exports to the US market
On 30 June the United States government announced details of its annual review of the General System of Preferences which included the renewal of duty free imports of HTS 4409.10.05 (Coniferous wood continuously shaped along any of its ends, whether or not also continuously shape along any of its edges or faces).
This was seen as a victory by the Brazilian Association of Mechanically-Processed Timber Industry (ABIMCI) which had been lobbying hard for the renewal.
This means Brazilian exports of this product to the US market will continue without import tax which could have become 3.2% if the renewal was not approved.
This decision guarantees the continuity of the duty-free treatment for the product for 5 years. If, after 5 years, US imports from Brazil exceed 150% of the competitiveness limit in US dollar or 75% of the total volume imported by the US, this benefit will be automatically revoked.
ABIMCI had considerable support in its efforts to secure this decision by the US. The Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, the Presidency of the Republic and ApexBrazil, the Federation of Industries of the State of Paraná (FIEP), the Brazil and the United States Business Council (CEBEU) and National Confederation of Industry (CNI) all contributed to this success.
Acetylated wood strives to gain European market foothold
The latest financial report of Accsys Technologies plc suggests that acetylated wood, often cited as a competitor to tropical wood in high exposure applications, is making slow headway in the European market.
The Dutch-based modified wood producer recorded an 18% sales volume increase in the year ended March 31, 2017, but also a loss before tax of €4.4m (2016: €0.5m loss)
The 18% sales growth of Accoya acetylated wood saw volumes increase to 39,790 m3 in the year, with a 31% rise in the second half of the period. Sales by Medite of Tricoya panels increased by 32% to 5,806 m3 last year. Given the level of ambition for the accoya and tricoya products, these volumes are still quite restricted. Accsys claims that the potential market for Accoya and Tricoya exceeds 2.6 million m3 annually – a very large figure which implies the company has ambitions to capture a large share of the existing European market for timber in external applications and to expand into other regions.
Accsys observes that "Accoya captures the market share in those applications which require rot, insect and water resistance, i.e. primarily outdoor products. The Group is focused on the higher-value end of these applications, where the dual qualities of durability and dimensional stability offered by Accoya are most highly valued.”
Target applications for Accoya include windows, doors, decking and cladding and for Tricoya include facades and cladding, soffits and eaves, exterior joinery, wet interiors, door skins, flooring, signage and marine uses.
Spain’s furniture industry grew by 5.9% in 2016
With a turnover of 4.227 million euros, furniture production in Spain has recorded a 5.9% increase in 2016, as compared to the previous year's production. Continue reading "Spain’s furniture industry grew by 5.9% in 2016"
Masisa plans to sell industrial assets in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico
Masisa will focus its commercial activity on its forestry and higher added value businesses in the Andean Region, Central America, the United States, Canada and other export markets. Continue reading "Masisa plans to sell industrial assets in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico"
Trends in China’s domestic demand for wooden flooring
The demand for wooden flooring in China has increased in recent years to become a significant market for producers.
However, the development of the domestic market for wooden flooring has been hampered by a persistent shortage of timber raw material for manufacturing and this has led to sharp price increases in the domestic market.
Analysts in China have assessed the likely future trends in China’s domestic flooring market.
Development, research and innovation
Many enterprises have begun to manufacture wooden flooring utilising new materials and are promoting their products as environmentally-friendly, comfortability and suitable for recycling.
Popularity of formaldehyde free flooring
Formaldehyde free flooring is becoming increasingly demanded and the importance of this will grow.
Promotion of bamboo flooring
As a renewable resource, timber and bamboo grow fast and can be manufactured into first rate flooring. Currently bamboo flooring is not very popular because of a lack of consumer awareness and weak promotion efforts.
Quality
Chinese consumers have expressed concerns over cracking and mould growth, problems that arise if the flooring is inadequately dried and processed. This is a technical issue that can be overcome and efforts are needed on promotion.
Siempelkamp will supply MDF/HDF plant to Sonae Arauco in Portugal
To expand production capacities at its Portugese Mangualde location, Sonae Arauco decided to order a MDF/HDF plant from Siempelkamp. Continue reading "Siempelkamp will supply MDF/HDF plant to Sonae Arauco in Portugal"
Italian woodworking machinery orders increased by 16.4% in Q1/2017
The Q1/2017 consolidated the positive season for furniture industry and woodworking machinery and plants. In the first three months of this year, orders increased by 16.4%, compared to the same period of 2016.
Such figure is higher than the growth rate of the previous quarter, October to December 2016, which had stopped at 13.6%, as Italian association of woodworking machinery manufacturers Acimall reported.
Back to January-March 2017, Italian woodworking machinery market have to stress the rally of demand by international companies, whose demand for Italian technology increased by 22.2%. Italian companies went back to a reflective mood, with orders down by 3.6%, which nevertheless needs some interpretation.
According to Acimall’s quality survey, 56% of the interviewed companies indicate a positive production trend (it was 23% in the previous quarter), 33% stable and 11% decreasing. Employment is stable according to 56% of the sample, increasing according to 33% (compared to just 6% in the previous quarterly survey), decreasing according to 11% (18% three months ago). Available stocks are stationary according to 50% of interviewees, increasing for 39% and decreasing according to the remaining 11%.
Egger has acquired a Masisa plant in Argentina; enters non-European markets
Metsä Wood to invest in partnerships in industrial wood element construction
Through its partner network in Europe, Metsä Wood is increasing the amount of Kerto® LVL-based element construction.
Metsä Wood has been making long-term efforts to find permanent partners for industrial wood construction. The aim is to develop an ecosystem based on Metsä Wood’s Kerto LVL (laminated veneer lumber) products.
“We are aiming to build a wood-based ecosystem in Europe – a network of specialists, each of whom focuses on their core business,” says Juha Kasslin, Vice President, Central Europe and Sales Development at Metsä Wood.
“Metsä Wood’s core business will be industrial-scale LVL manufacturing, and our partner network will carry out a lot of product development based on our products. This arrangement will benefit the growth of the entire ecosystem. Cooperation is an important step in expanding the wood construction sector – including urban construction, where the greatest potential is,” Kasslin adds.
Metsä Wood has long-term supply and cooperation agreements with LVL element builders. The Finnish operators Lapwall and Sisco are good examples of such companies. Metsä Wood supplies fixed-length Kerto LVL products from which its partners manufacture roof, floor and wall elements, as well as complete modules.
Germany: The price of wood pellets at low summer levels
Canada-US softwood lumber agreement might be reached next month
A framework for a next 10-year softwood lumber agreement between Canada and the US might be reached in the coming weeks. Continue reading "Canada-US softwood lumber agreement might be reached next month"
Plywood manufacturers in India set to shut down production due to GST
All plywood units in Yamunanagar and Jagadhri were set to go on indefinite strike starting 14th of July on account of imposition of goods and service tax (GST) on the wood industry. Continue reading "Plywood manufacturers in India set to shut down production due to GST"
New Zealand’s log exports fall for two consecutive quarters
New Zealand’s log exports have fallen for two consecutive quarters and were at 3.8 million m3 in the 1Q/17, down 12% from the two-year high in the 3Q/16. China continues to be the major destination for the radiata pine logs, accounting for 70% of the shipments during the first three months of 2017, followed by South Korea (16%), India (9%) and Japan (4%).
No country in the world exports a higher percentage of its harvested conifer timber in unprocessed form than New Zealand. Although the share has declined over the past three years, the log export volume accounted for 52% of the total harvest in 2016. There has long been a debate about how the country could expand domestic processing of forest products and increase exports of lumber and other further processed forest products. The good news is that lumber production has gone up by about ten percent over the past three years. The “less good” news is that there has not yet been any major progress in the expansion of lumber sales to the international arena. Quite to the contrary, New Zealand lumber export volumes were 15% lower in 2016 than in 2013.
The exported logs from New Zealand value was just over 1.6 billion US dollars in 2016, which was almost three times as much as the price for softwood lumber. The total export value for lumber fluctuated within a fairly narrow range over the past seven years, ranging between 570 million US dollars and 660 million dollars, reports the WRQ. The biggest shift in market export sales in the past few years (by value) has been that the US has overtaken Australia as the number one destination for pine lumber produced in New Zealand. In terms of value, New Zealand is the second largest overseas lumber supplier to the US, behind Chile, but ahead of lumber exporters from Europe.
Shipments from New Zealand have gone up 37% over just the past four years and during the first five months of 2017, the upward trends continued with another 16% increase from the same period in 2016. With lumber demand expected to continue to improve in the US market, there continue to be opportunities for overseas lumber producers to expand their sales to North America in the coming years.
The EU timber license might help Indonesian small-scale furniture exporters access global markets
Once that Indonesia started issuing FLEGT (Forest, Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) licenses in November 2016, timber exports may enter the European Union market without the need for importers to conduct further due diligence checks. Continue reading "The EU timber license might help Indonesian small-scale furniture exporters access global markets"
US lumber prices hiked due to BC wildfires
Wildfires in the British Columbia Interior fueled heavy trading in framing lumber markets in the United States. Continue reading "US lumber prices hiked due to BC wildfires"
Canada- No. 1 sawnwood exporter in the world in 2016
Global sales from sawnwood exports by country amounted to US$34.6 billion in 2016. Continue reading "Canada- No. 1 sawnwood exporter in the world in 2016"
Ghana’s Q1/2017 wood products exports down by 21%
Wood products exports from Ghana in the first quarter of 2017 summed 72,533 cu.m, as compared to 92,314 cu.m for the same period in 2016, which represents a 21% decline. Continue reading "Ghana’s Q1/2017 wood products exports down by 21%"
