Serving Forest Products Buyers Worldwide Delegates From 30 ...importers and traders. U.S. delegates...

Vol. 36 No. 6

The Import/Export Wood Purchasing NewsP.O. Box 34908Memphis, TN 38184-0908

Address Service Requested

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAID

MEMPHIS, TENN.PERMIT 270

Serving Forest Products Buyers Worldwide June/July 2010

GGuuaannggzzhhoouu,, CChhiinnaa––The seventh Interzum Guangzhou was held here recently at theChina Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex with more than 760 exhibitors, including 12American companies and associations.The fair is considered to be Asia’s most comprehensive woodworking machinery and fur-

PPhhoottooss BByy WWaayynnee MMiilllleerr

PPhhoottooss BByy TToomm IInnmmaann

Delegates From 30 Countries Connect At IWPA World of Wood Convention

Additional photos on pages 10 & 12

Additional photos on page 12

Continued on page 13


Guy Goodwin, NHG Timber Ltd., London, England; Zahid Abbas, WoodBois International, Abidjan,Ivory Coast, Africa; Luis Olivera, Dixie Plywood & Lumber Co., Miami, Fla.; Doug Martin, Pollmeier Inc.,Portland, Ore.; and Norm Murray, U•C Coatings Corp. Buffalo, N.Y.

MMiiaammii BBeeaacchh,, FFlloorriiddaa––The International Wood Products Association’s (IWPA) recentconvention in Miami Beach, Fla., drew nearly 300 industry leaders from more than 30countries. Speakers provided detailed information on compliance with the Lacey Act and

Interzum Guangzhou 2010 Attracts Southeast Asia Buyers

new Customs Classification rulings. Attendees also heard detailed economic and marketprojections for homebuilding, flooring and architectural woodworking.Delegations from Ghana, Guyana and Malaysia made presentations on the extensive ini-

Mike Bartz, Robert Gillebaard, Bob Gillebaard and JoAnn Gillebaard Keller, Holland SouthwestInternational, Houston, Texas; and Don, Kenny and Robert McMaster, Argo Fine Imports, Metairie, La.

Eugene Walters, Rolling Ridge Woods Ltd., Parkersburg, W. Va.; and Lei Zhao, Yoder Lumber Co. Inc.,Guangzhou, China

Graziano Pasqualetto, Romea Legnami S.p.A., Venice, Italy; Romel Bezerra, Elof Hansson Inc.,Suwanee, Ga.; Cindy Bergin, Newman Lumber Co., Gulfport, Miss.; and Scott Roberts, RobertsPlywood Co., Deer Park, N.Y.

niture production trade shows and is held in eight halls and more than 80,000 squaremeters. Exhibitors included furniture suppliers, manufacturers and marketing companies.The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Pavilion from the U.S. included company

Frank Wang and Echo Liu, Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg, N.Y.; and Mabel Jiang, American Lumber Co.,Hamburg, N.Y.

Tom Lucas, USPLY Trading Co., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Sebastian Guarderas and Manuel Dirini, ENDESA-BOTROSA, Quito, Ecuador; and Mary Jane Lucas and Mike Raddick, USPLY Trading Co., Pompano Beach, Fla.

As with all AHECevents overseas, theenvironmental cre-dentials of Americanhardwoods will be aspecial focus along-side the facts of theresource as a long-term sustainablesupply of qualityhardwood materialrenowned for itsbeauty, performanceand acceptability inglobal markets. Forthe Chinese there will be the opportunity ofnetworking with delegates from the far cor-ners and for visitors the chance to see thedynamic growth of interior China.Registration materials and further informa-tion on the Convention can be found atAHEC’s Greater China web page atwww.ahec-china.org or you may contactour Reston, Va., office at 703-435-2900. The American Hardwood Export Council(AHEC) is the leading international tradeassociation for the U.S. hardwood industry,representing the committed exportersamong U.S. hardwood companies and allmajor U.S. hardwood product trade associ-ations. AHEC maintains offices in Japan,Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Korea andMexico, in addition to its Reston, Va.,headquarters, to serve the needs of theglobal community. For additional informa-tion on the Convention as well as addition-al overseas activities, please contactAHEC by phone at 703-435-2900, or byemail at [email protected].

•

This year’s 15th AHEC Greater China andSoutheast Asia Convention will be held atthe Shangri-La Hotel in Chengdu, Chinafrom June 16th-18th, 2008. The event, withthe theme “Sustainable AmericanHardwood: The Timeless Yet ModernChoice for Furniture and Interior Design”will attract furniture manufacturers, archi-tects, designers, wood processors andtraders from all over Asia as well as hard-wood exporters from the U.S. Chengduwas selected as a dynamic hub for designand manufacturing, as well as a major eco-nomic driver for Western China. The cityand outlying Sichuan Province are home toa thriving wood processing industry, andboast more than 3,000 furniture and woodflooring manufacturers—the vast majorityof whom produce for the domestic Chinesemarket. In addition, as home to China’sfamed pandas, Chengdu provides tremen-dous opportunities for American hard-woods in the city’s exploding tourism infra-structure and rapidly growing housing mar-kets. Keynote speakers from Europe, acrossAsia and the U.S. will form a program thatshould have something for everybody.Seminars on using wood for architects andinterior designers will be augmented withtechnical sessions on U.S. hardwood lum-ber grading and U.S. veneer specificationstargeting Chinese and Southeast Asianimporters and traders. U.S. delegates willnot only have the opportunity to networkwith the local delegates, but will also enjoya series of presentations on opportunitiesfor American hardwoods throughout theregion from representatives of the woodprocessing industries of Thailand,Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and China.

Import/Export Wood Purchasing News

Who’s Who in Import/Exports

Lacey Act Begins Amended PhaseAccording to WoodworkingNetwork.comthe initial enforcement of the amendedLacey Act recently took affect for basicinformation transparency requirementsincluding guitars, revolvers, hand tools,pool cues and certain types of furniture.Amended in 2008, the U.S. Lacey Actmakes it a federal crime to trade in illegalwood products. Many sectors, under aphased-in process, also have to declarethe scientific name and the country of har-vest for any plant constituents of theirimported products. This affects all woodproduct sectors including those importingsawn timber, flooring, and joinery.For example, now an importer of chairsmanufactured in Vietnam will declare thatthe wooden frame is made of Teak fromThailand. Collected by Unites StatesDepartment of Agriculture’s (USDA)Animal and Plant Health InspectionService (APHIS), this information will allowthe implementing agencies to targetenforcement actions and better under-stand how the U.S. market demand forwood products is affecting forests world-wide.“The declaration requirement of the LaceyAct is a critically important part of achiev-ing greater supply chain transparency andlegality, the over-arching goals set forth byLacey,” Alexander von Bismarck of theEnvironmental Investigation Agency said.“For the first time, companies are requiredby law to ask basic questions about theirsupply chains and understand exactlywhere their wood comes from.”Enforcement of the ban on trade in illegalwood has been in effect since the lawpassed on May 22, 2008. In November2009, the first public enforcement action

TT HH EE

WW AA SS HH II NN GG TT OO NNSS CC EE NN EE

JEAN-FRANCOIS AUDET TERRY ELLIS NICK SKUDLAREK

Continued on page 11 Continued on page 11 Continued on page 14Continued on page 14

occurred when the government raidedGibson Guitar facilities in Nashville, Tenn. The search of the Gibson plant took manyby surprise as the company’s top execu-tive, CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, has taken alead role for at least six years in urging themusic industry to use only sustainablewood products. A statement released byGibson said the company “fully cooperatedwith agents of the United States Fish andWildlife Serivce as it pertains to an issuewith harvested wood.” Von Bismarck noted that awareness levelsappear to be significantly higher amongsectors submitting declarations. The formfor declaration can be found on the APHISwebsite. The information can be printedand mailed by importers to APHIS or elec-tronically via an automated broker inter-face. An electronic interface is said tobecome publicly available in the future asthe U.S. government continues to refinethe implementation of the Lacey Act.

SStteevvee CCoouurrttnneeyy EElleecctteedd AAss CChhaaiirr

The American Forest Resource Council(AFRC) based in Washington, D.C.,recently reported that Steve Courtney ofSierra Pacific Industries (SPI) has beenelected chairman of the Timber PurchasersCommittee. The committee oversees vari-ous activities related to timber productionon Washington Department of NaturalResources (DNR) managed trust lands. According to the AFRC these lands returnbetween $150 million and $300 million peryear to several specific trusts and to DNR’sland management funds. AFRC also saidthat most trust revenues are produced viatimber harvest, which provides approxi-mately 600 million board feet annually.Courtney moved from Burney, Calif.,when SPI built their Mt. Vernon facility.Prior to joining SPI, Courtney worked forMalheur Lumber in John Day, Oregon.

Terry Ellis isowner/CEO ofT. J. Ellis Enter-prises Inc. ofLima, Ohio, a con-centration/distribu-tion yard andexporter of greenlumber, saw logs,veneer logs, kiln-dried lumber in allspecies. The company alsooffers sap-freeWalnut lumber FASand every speciesof veneer logs. T. J.Ellis Enterprises isa member ofthe NationalHardwood LumberAssociation, theWalnut Council,Forest HistorySociety, OhioF o r e s t r yA s s o c i a t i o n ,

S a l a m a n c aLumber Co.,based inSalamanca, NewYork, recentlyannounced thatNick Skudlarek isnow involved withthe domestic salesof Salamanca’s4/4 through 12/4Red and WhiteOak and 4/4through 16/4Cherry and Hardand Soft Maplehardwood lumber.Skudlarek beganin the Hardwoodindustry approxi-mately 23 yearsago. “I started atS a l a m a n c aLumber Co. rightafter high school,”he explained. “Inthe beginning I

STEVE GUNDERSON

For more information on AHEC and the export promotion programs, call (202)463-2720, fax (202)463-2787, or visit the website, www.ahec.org.

Steve Gundersonis on the salesteam at HermitageH a r d w o o dLumber Sales Inc.in Cookeville,Tennessee. Hisrespons ib i l i t i esinclude hardwoodlumber sales,expansion of exist-ing accounts anddevelopment ofnew accounts andproduct lines. Gunderson hasbeen in the lumberindustry for over 30years in Wisconsin.His experienceincludes over fiveyears in hisfamily’s sawmill inWittenberg, fiveyears working ina sawmill inBirnamwood and

BB yy MM ii cc hh aa ee ll SS nn oo wwEE xx ee cc uu tt ii vv ee DD ii rr ee cc tt oo rr

AA mm ee rr ii cc aa nn HH aa rr dd ww oo oo dd EE xx pp oo rr tt CC oo uu nn cc ii llRR ee ss tt oo nn ,, VV ii rr gg ii nn ii aa


AHEC’s 15th China And Southeast AsiaConvention Heads To Chengdu

Jean-Francois‘J.F.’ Audet is lum-ber buyer forP r i m e w o o dLumber Inc. inDrummondv i l le ,Quebec.P r i m e w o o d

Lumber is a whole-saler and exporter,with 95 percent ofits lumber dedicat-ed to the exportmarket.P r i m e w o o d

Lumber offersWhite Oak, RedOak, Black Walnut,Black Cherry, HardMaple, Soft Maple,White Ash, YellowPoplar, Aspen,Basswood, RedElm, Grey Elm,Hickory and YellowBirch on an inter-national basis. All

®

EU suppliers of timber from illegal sourcesmust pay fines that reflect the real environ-mental and economic damage done by ille-gal logging, said Environment CommitteeMEPs (Members of European Parliament)recently. The committee amended draft EUlegislation to stiffen penalties and ensurethat all in the supply chain play their part inensuring that timber sold in the EU comesfrom legal sources. The proposal is to beput to a plenary vote in July.Financial penalties, to be set by EUMember States, must reflect the degree ofenvironmental and economic damagecaused by illegally harvesting timber, saidthe committee, stressing that these penal-ties must be proportional to the value of thetimber products obtained and the environ-mental damage caused. MEPs called for a clear ban on placing (ormaking available) illegally harvested timberor timber products on the market.Operators placing timber on the market forthe first time should comply with a rigorous“due diligence” system, since they have aparticular responsibility for products enter-ing the EU market. To improve timbertraceability, MEPs ask that all suppliersprovide basic information to identify the

operator whohas suppliedthe timber andto whom it hasbeen supplied. “I am delight-ed that theEnvi ronmentCommittee hasagreed funda-

mental improvements to the draft regula-tion on illegally harvested timber. Strongsupport came from across the politicalspectrum on key issues including adoptionof an overriding prohibition on placing ormaking available illegally harvested timberon the EU market, extension of traceabilityrequirements throughout the supply chain,and setting of minimum standards forpenalties, including criminal sanctions,”said Caroline Lucas (Greens/EFA, UK),whose legislative report was approved with49 votes in favour, 6 against, 2 absten-tions.

– Reprinted from Fordaq Network

•

Tougher Measures AgainstIllegal Timber

OOrreeggoonn FFoorreesstt RReessttoorraattiioonn HHeeaarriinngg

The Senate Energy and NaturalResources Subcommittee on Public Landsand Forests convened a hearing on theOregon Eastside Forests Restoration, OldGrowth Protection and Jobs Act of 2009,which was introduced by SubcommitteeChairman Senator Ron Wyden.The result of discussions between mem-bers of the eastern Oregon forest productsindustry and the environmental community,the bill would mandate a significantincrease in mechanical treatments on east-ern Oregon’s national forests with a focuson generating saw logs over the next sev-eral years. After this interim period and the comple-

tion of a landscape restoration assessmentat least one landscape sized project of25,000 acres per forest per year will berequired.This legislation would also require compli-ance with several existing regulationsincluding no harvest of trees over 21” indiameter limit, which does not currentlyexist. The legislation also places restric-tions on the building of new roads andrequires that any temporary roads need tobe decommissioned within two years. Thelegislation would also waive administrativeappeals for projects proposed during theinterim period and create a shorter objec-tion process for large-scale projects.Oregon’s Senator, Ron Wyden, stated that

http://www.ahec-china.org

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ahec.org

FEATURES:IWPA World Of Wood Convention . . . .1

INTERZUM Guangzhou 2010 . . . . . . .1

KODA LTD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

NORDIC ENGINEERED WOOD . . . . .5

SHELTER FOREST INTERNATIONAL . .6

S.E. Asian Furniture Circuit 2010 . . . . . . .8

Not All Wood Products Created Equal . . .11

Southeastern U.S. Ports Respond . . . .11

DEPARTMENTS:Who's Who in Imports/Exports .............2

Washington Scene................................2

World Export Update ............................2

Tougher Measures Against Illegal Timber...2

What A Difference A Year Makes..........3

Business Trends Abroad.....................17

Stock Exchange .........................18 & 19

Business Trends Can., Hardwoods.............20

Business Trends U.S.A., Hardwoods.............21

Newswires ..........................................24

Correction ...........................................26

Obituary ..............................................26

Import/Export Calendar.......................26

Classified Opportunities......................27

Advertisers Index ................................27

U.S. & Canadian Softwood Forest Products

Export Suppliers.......................28, 29 & 30

Table of Contents

Send address changes to Import/Export Wood Purchasing

News, P.O. Box 34908, Memphis, TN 38184-0908.

Annual subscription rates - 6 bi-monthly issuesU.S. $75 - 1 year; $90 - 2 years; $100 - 3 years;CANADIAN & FOREIGN ORDERS MUST BE PAID BYCHECK DRAWN ON U.S. BANK, CREDIT CARD, OR BYWIRE TRANSFER Canada $90 (U.S. dollars) - 1 year; $105 -2 years; $130 - 3 years; Foreign (airmail) $140 - 1 year; $224- 2 years (U.S. dollars)

A Bi-Monthly newspaper servingthe International wood trade.

Published byInternational Wood Trade Publications, Inc.

1235 Sycamore View P. O. Box 34908Memphis, TN 38134

Tel. (901) 372-8280 FAX (901) 373-6180Web Site: http://www.woodpurchasingnews.com

E-Mail Addresses:Advertising: [email protected]

Editorial: [email protected]: [email protected]

Gary Miller - PresidentWayne Miller - Vice President/Executive Editor Paul Miller, Jr. - Vice President/EditorTerry Miller - Vice President/Associate EditorPaul Miller - Secretary/TreasurerSue Putnam - Editorial DirectorMichelle Keller - Associate EditorJohn M. Gray, Jr. - Production/Art DirectorWalter J. Lee - Production/Asst. Art DirectorRachael Stokes - Advertising ManagerLisa Carpenter - Circulation Manager

U.S. Correspondents: Chicago, Grand Rapids, Mich., HighPoint, N.C., Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., MemphisCanadian Correspondents: TorontoForeign Correspondents: Brazil, Philippines, Malaysia, Chile,Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand.The Import/Export Wood Purchasing News is the product ofa company and its affiliates that have been in the publishingbusiness for over 84 years.Other publications edited for specialized markets and distrib-uted worldwide include:Forest Products Export Directory • Hardwood PurchasingHandbook • National Hardwood Magazine • Dimension & WoodComponents Buyer’s Guide • Imported Wood Purchasing Guide• Green Book’s Hardwood Marketing Directory • Green Book’sSoftwood Marketing Directory • The Softwood Forest ProductsBuyer

The publisher reserves the right to accept orreject editorial content and Advertisementsat the staff’s discretion.

formaldehyde regulation, or Lacey,IWPA stays engaged to protect theinterest of importers. We supportlegal trade. We support qualityproducts. We support consumer safety.” New this year at the convention was the

launch of an awards program. Awardswere given in three EnvironmentalExcellence, Aesthetic Design andInnovation to commend the best in corpo-

rate social responsibil-ity and environmentalleadership. IWPA proudly recog-

nized several compa-nies and their work asrepresentative of theamazing work beingdone by IWPA mem-bers around the world.The winner forAesthetic Design

Excellence was Veneer Technologies fortheir veneer’s contribution to the magicalCobb Energy Performing Arts Center inAtlanta, Georgia. Durable Wood Productsand their Turada® Wallaba shingles “ClassA” fire rated roof system won for InnovativeExcellence. They developed a new appli-cation for a lesser-known species, provid-ing a roofing system that is environmental-ly friendly, sustainable, fire resistant, andan excellent untreated alternative for tradi-tional wood shingles and shakes. The

IWPA’s 2010 convention found the import-ing community declaring, “What a differ-ence a year makes.” Optimism is up.Orders are coming in. The industry’s eco-nomic outlook is on the upswing. Nearly300 participants and speakers pointed topositive signs, such as the decreasedinventory and increased sales. Education sessions, the “meat and pota-

toes” of IWPA’s convention program, cov-ered a variety of international and nationalbusiness issues. Industry expertsexplained their cautious optimism aboutthe economy, availability of credit andfinancing, improving housing starts andnew design opportunities for exotic wood.There were also dedicated sessionsaddressing the changing legal and regula-tory environment. The convention’s success speaks to a

larger issue than just the program itself.The coming together of industry importers,exporters and service providers is evi-dence of the power of professional tradeassociations. In the words of outgoingIWPA President Scott Beggs, “By workingtogether, joining forces in an association,we can accomplish more than by workingindependently. IWPA was created to workfor the ‘little-guy.’ Most of us can’t afford tohave a DC office focused on legislative andregulatory issues, yet we all know whathappens in DC does NOT stay in DC.Whether it is the pending national


Environmental Excellence Winner CikelAmerica was recognized for their commit-ment to corporate social responsibility. Inaddition to Cikel’s 1.2 million acres of pri-

June/July 2010

What A Difference A Year MakesBByy BBrreenntt JJ.. MMccCClleennddoonn,, CCAAEE

EExxeeccuuttiivvee VViiccee PPrreessiiddeennttIInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall WWoooodd PPrroodduuccttss AAssssoocciiaattiioonn

wwwwww..iiwwppaawwoooodd..oorrgg

FSC certification ensures responsible use

of forest resources. SW-COC-000734

© 1996 Forest Stewardship Concil A.C.

http://www.woodpurchasingnews.com




http://www.iwpawood.org

www.patriottimber.com

Handcrafted design figures greatly into Koda’songoing success. About 300 people are employedat the firm’s Malaysian plant.


KODA: A Leader In Dining Furniture

SS ii nn gg aa pp oo rr ee ––Founded in 1972 andbacked by a management team with acombined experience of close to a centuryKoda Ltd, located here, is a leadingOriginal Design Manufacturer (ODM) andpossibly the largest dining room furnitureexporter in Southeast Asia. Koda’s rangeof products is design intensive and aims atthe middle and upper end of internationalmarkets, demanding individuality, sophisti-cation and elegance. As a leading memberof Singapore’s Mosaic generic brand, thecompany is always at the forefront of furni-ture industry initiatives. In his recent National Day speech, LeeHsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore,applauded local furniture makers for con-verting from a sunset to a sunrise industry.Koda, the largest of all, has been a leaderin this success story. With manufacturingplants in Malaysia and Vietnam and pro-duction sub-contracted in China, Koda hasgrown from a small Singapore-based man-ufacturer to a multinational with 200 tradecustomers in more than 50 countriesaround the world. Koda, founded by theKoh family, has led the local furnitureindustry by participation in many initiatives,for example the initiation and developmentof the “Mosaic” brand for national recogni-tion, launched in 2008 by the SingaporeFurniture Industries Council (SFIC). The older Malaysian plant employs

Koda Ltd., located in Singapore, exhibited this furniture made ofAmerican Black Walnut at a recent trade show.

Ernie Koh is executive director of marketing at Koda. He oversees manymarkets for the firm.

Koda’s Malaysian plant purchases North American White Oak for use inmany of its furniture designs.

This is an example of Koda’s craftsmanship, which is evident in this cof-fee table comprised of North American White Oak.

At the recent International Furniture Fair Singapore, Koda exhibited thispiece of furniture of darkly stained North American Oak.

Koda staff assembles all tables by hand.

BByy MMiicchhaaeell BBuucckklleeyyPPhhoottooss bbyy TTuurrnnssttoonnee SSiinnggaappoorree


Koda styles often combine different species, suchas this combination featuring American White Oakand Black Walnut.

www.midwestwalnut.com

June/July 2010

The six-story Fondaction commercial structure, which features heavytimber frame construction designed and provided by Nordic Structures,is the first of its kind built in Canada.

Six Story Wooden High Rise Has Heads TurningBB yy JJeeaann--MMaarrcc DDuubbooiiss

Made of Black Spruce glue laminated beams, columns and decking, theunique construction technology featured in this project is paving theway for similar alternative building projects across North America.

The interior construction of the Fondaction building.

Montreal, Que.—The construction of the Fondaction officebuilding in the heart of Quebec City is generating more thanpassing local interest. The six story commercial structure fea-turing heavy timber frame construction designed and providedby Nordic Structures, is the first of its kind built in Canada.Made of Black Spruce glue laminated beams, columns anddecking, the unique construction technology featured in thisproject is paving the way for similar alternative building projectsacross North America.While wood frame construction has been limited by code to

four stories in the past, designing the building with heavy tim-bers assured local building officials that while structurally equalto steel and concrete construction that is the norm for commer-cial construction, heavy wood timber construction offers supe-rior fire resistance, acoustic properties and insulation values.An additional bonus for this LEED Gold project is the encapsu-lation of over 1 million pounds of carbon, locked into the wood


for the life of the structure.Enviro≡Lam, a unique small-block layup

process exclusive to Nordic EngineeredWood, is evident in all the glulam compo-nents comprising the structure. “TheBlack Spruce trees we harvest take 90years to achieve maturity, yet still onlyaverage 4-1/2” in diameter over their 70’length,” explained Albert Renaud, vicepresident of Nordic Engineered Wood. “Itis essential that we utilize all the tree,including the tips, if we are going to extractall the value that is locked in the fiber.Enviro≡Lam allows us to get 18 percentmore fiber yield than traditionally possible,making it one of the greenest buildingmaterials out there.” Nordic harvests on 2,000,000 acres of

land in northern Quebec, an area compa-rable to the state of Connecticut, withextreme attention to the environment. In

Enviro≡Lam, a unique small-block lay-up processexclusive to Nordic Engineered Wood, is evident inall the glulam components comprising the struc-ture.

A Nordic logging truck headed to a mill withapproximately 900 Black Spruce logs. Nordic hasconstructed numerous bridges for its own forestryoperations and recently completed its first woodenProvincial highway bridge project geared for publicuse.

Nordic’s Enviro≡Lam used here in the construction of a sports complex.This soccer stadium features 210-foot clearspan glulam arches.

www.hawkeyeforest.com

A high-end furniture manufacturer chooses TigerPLYfor drawer sides.

TigerPLY©’s newest mill and research and development facility that cameonline in September 2009.


SHELTER FOREST INTERNATIONAL: Offering Solutions With TigerPLY©

BByy WWaayynnee MMiilllleerr

PP oo rr tt ll aa nn dd ,, OO rr ee .. —— Shelter ForestInternational (SFI) manages production forsix hardwood plywood mills that producethe company’s newest product, theTigerPLY© brand of hardwood plywood. SFI’s president, Ryan Loe, said the engi-

neered plywood, TigerPLY, is manufac-tured primarily from Poplar veneers thatare grown on sustainable, and environ-mentally friendly plantations. “When welooked at global resources for building ourproducts we found a large sustainable sup-ply in Chinese Poplar plantations,” heexplained. “The cost is low, the forests sus-tainable and the trees can be harvested ona 10-year rotation. That makes it one of the


Ryan Loe, president; Glen Anderson, West Coast manager; WhitneyLaRuffa, Northeast manager; Rod Loe, production manager, Xuzhou,China; Monica Davidson, Northeast manager; Jock Vondeling, S4Sboards and Hardwood parts specialist; and Mike Stringfellow, Southeastmanager.

Matt McCoun and Ryan Loe inspecting a load of TigerPLY for shipment.

TigerPLY units prepared and ready for shipment. TigerPLY’s Machine Core Composer used for C9 and TigerLITE Cores. South Central Manager Matt McCoun inspecting final packaging of a loadof TigerPLY’s C9.

Units of TigerPLY, sub-packed and barcoded for retailmarkets.

One-year old Poplar trees at Shelter ForestInternational’s plantation nursery, scheduled for har-vest September 2019.

www.elofhansson.com

June/July 2010

QUALITY & SERVICE WORLDWIDE

We wrapped it in red to make a statement: The quality of

our Maine-grown white pine and our passion for doing

whatever it takes to meet your needs and specifications set

an unsurpassed standard. Make your own statement with

Eastern White Pine from Hancock Lumber.

Sales Contacts:Matt Duprey 207-627-6113Jack Bowen 207-627-6115www.hancocklumber.com

RED BAG SOLUTION

The Hancock Lumber

RED BAG SOLUTION

Three State-of-the-Art SawmillsOur manufacturing depth lets us caterto your product and delivery needs,right up to the time of shipment.

Personalized Planning For Your SuccessYour Hancock Lumber rep isready to custom-create a winning program for you.

Your Own On-line Inventory Management

Leverage the ability to see andmanage yourinventory 24/7with real-timeaccess.

Customized GradingLet our experts custom-select to meet your exact standards, your precise needs, yourspecific grade.

Tailored Packaging Options Pull-to-length, random-length, paper wrapped– we can fulfill any packaging request to helpyou create value for your customers.

Proven Track RecordEvery board is backed by our six-generationcommitment to our customers and a historyof technological innovation.

http://www.hancocklumber.com


The Southeast Asian Furniture Circuit 2010 – An AssessmentPPhhoottooss BByy TTuurrnnssttoonnee SSiinnggaappoorree

lem of a show held in three different loca-tions and at least one of them not too suit-able for an easy tour of inspection. Thenfollowed the two shows in the Philippines(Cebu and Manila) with VIFA in Vietnamand IFFINA in Jakarta overlapping at theend – phew!

Rough designs for a tough timeIf forced to sum up the trends in furniture,especially of the wooden kind, then “Dark,Rough and Combined with Metal” might beone concise description. Wood furnitureinternationally has gone much darker incolor and the light-colored fashion is all butover. This has seen significant reductionsfor species such as Hard Maple and clearfinished Rubberwood, for example. Oakremains a dominant species but oftenstained or limed or otherwise treated.Much more furniture is painted and “blackis the new black”. Then there is the ques-tion of surface, in table tops. Characterwood is not so much in evidence but sand-blasted, wire-brushed, gouged or other-wise deteriorated and distressed table sur-faces are everywhere. Manufacturers saythey are selling like hotcakes, confirmed bydistributors, and even by consumers whoclaim they are not concerned about the dif-ficulty of cleaning a pitted or rough tabletop after meals. Finally, there is anincreasing design tendency to put tableson metal legs, in some cases elegantly orin extreme cases resembling scaffoldingsuch as a collection by Singapore basedD-Bodhi Pte Ltd. with their award-winningmodels. Metal trim on all types of furnitureis on the increase to combine the warmthof wood against cold steel. This trend wasalso very evident with market leaders Kodain several of their collections. Veneeredplywood with exposed edges, which hasalways been around, is now increasinglypopular.

Teak and WalnutTeak remains an important species and inmany cases design in Teak is maturing toprovide continuing interest for interiors aswell as the usual vast array of garden and

See Buckley on page 16

At IFFS, furniture on exhibit showed strong trends towards dark stainedwoods.

This occasional table set in traditional/contemporary style is a design byKobeke and was an award-winner at IFFINA.

American White Oak and Black Walnutproved to be a common combination at theInternational Furniture Fair (IFFS), Singapore.

Deputy Minister Thanh Bien visits the Hoa Maiexhibit at AHEC-HAWA joint display at theVietnam International Furniture Fair.

The Southeast Asian furniture shows of 2010 shared a common denomina-tor: combining materials to achieve new designs.

Ambar Tjahyono, chairman of Apkindo-Indonesian Furniture IndustryAssociation, is interviewed by Michael Buckley for Import/Export WoodPurchasing News.

Lumber Sales - Paul DowPhone 001-330-893-3121Fax 001-330-893-3031

Quincy ChenTaipei Office

Email [email protected] 886-2-89145492

Lei ZhaoShanghai Office

Email [email protected] 86-13917158857

Log Sales - Eugene A.Walters, CFFax 001-304-464-4988

Phone [email protected]@yoderlumber.com

BByy MMiicchhaaeell BBuucckklleeyy CCoouurrtteessyy WWoorrlldd HHaarrddwwooooddss

2010 could never have been an exciting year for furniture shows, given currentmarket conditions, but as always there were one or two surprises in store foranyone traveling the full circuit. Scheduling dates, with their overlaps and prox-imity to the spring shows in China, makes visiting eight shows in all six of theASEAN countries virtually impossible. In the event, there were probably veryfew brave foreign buyers who ventured into Bangkok among the demonstra-tors, especially following travel advisories from governments to avoid Thailandin March. The most rewarding surprise for some was the progress that IFFINAin Jakarta has made with registrations of overseas buyers from 107 countriesreported to have doubled this year.The MIFF and EFE shows in Kuala Lumpur kicked off the circuit although buy-ers tended to go later in order to follow on closer to IFFS in Singapore. Thatshow put on its usual professional display of 434 mainly international exhibitorsfrom 30 countries; and related design events – attracting 17,300 trade visitors(up 10% on last year). Thais were strongly in evidence in Singapore along withthe regular huge group from China and extensive pavilions from Taiwan,Indonesia and Vietnam. No surprise that MIFF has still not resolved the prob-





June/July 2010

www.iaasonline.com

www.bidspotter.com


Additional photos on page 12

IWPA PHOTOS - Continued from page 1

David Palmer, Aljoma Lumber Inc., Medley, Fla.; Alan McIlvain, Alan McIlvainCo., Marcus Hook, Pa.; Don Thompson, Thompson Mahogany Co.,Philadelphia, Pa.; and Wayne Rogers, East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Donalds,S.C.

Jesper Bach, Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg, N.Y.; and Christian Mengel,VM International LLC, Greensboro, N.C.

Brad McMurchie, Tumac Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.; Rhoda Voth, SagaForest Carriers, Savannah, Ga.; and David Smith, American Pacific Inc.,Holly Springs, Miss.

Michael Wan, Suzhou Zhengxing International, Jiangsu, China; AlexanderBowen, Gallon Jug Agroindustry, Belize City, Belize; and Jorge Guiulfo andDiego Castillo, Industrial Maderera Zapote S.A., Iquitos, Peru

Ron Mesa, Maderera DGP, Fort Worth, Texas; Daniel Amprimo and PeterWestphalen, Maderera DGP, Iquitos, Peru; Alfonso Garrido-Lecca,International Specialties Inc., Lima, Peru; and Wayne Miller, Import/ExportWood Purchasing News, Memphis, Tenn.

Gib McIlvain, J. Gibson McIlvain Co., White Marsh, Md.; Norm Roberts,Roberts Plywood Co./Div. of Die Boards Inc., Deer Park, N.Y.; JoAnnGillebaard Keller, Holland Southwest International, Houston, Texas; andBrian Stordeur, Stordco International, New York, N.Y.

Tom Lucas, USPLY Trading Co., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Peter Wolff,Dantzler Inc., Miami Lakes, Fla.; and Mike Raddick, USPLY Trading Co.,Pompano Beach, Fla.

Brent McClendon and Annette Ferri, International Wood ProductsAssociation, Alexandria, Va.; and John Aufderhaar, Bedford FallsCommunication, Watertown, Wis.

Linda Davis-Wallen, C.F. Martin & Co., Nazareth, Pa.; Elizabeth Baldwin,Metropolitan Hardwood Flooring USA, Kent, Wash.; Paula Iague, IPAWood Flooring, Minas, Brazil; and Thuy Murray, U•C Coatings Corp.,Buffalo, N.Y.

Pat Bennett, American Pacific Plywood Inc., Solvang, Calif.; PaulGosnell, Patriot Timber Products International Inc., Greensboro, N.C.;and John Andl, TradeLeaf LLC, New York, N.Y.

Romel Bezerra, Elof Hansson Inc., Suwanee, Ga.; Warren Spitz, UCSForest Group, Mississauga, Ont.; and Peggy and Tom Herga, Inter-Continental Hardwoods Inc., Currie, N.C.

Noraihan Rahman and Tham Khow, Malaysian Timber Council, KualaLumpur, Malaysia; and Jason and Heather Miller, Global Wood SolutionsLLC, Petoskey, Mich.

S.H. Chang and S.H. Oh, STX Pan Ocean Co. Ltd., Rutherford, N.J.; andChris Connelly, Wood Brokerage International, Lake Oswego, Ore.

Brian Adams, PSI Inc., Eugene, Ore.; and Gregg Wilkinson, BridgewellResources LLC, Portland, Ore.

David Palmer, Aljoma Lumber Inc., Medley, Fla.; and Hugh Reitz, PRSGuitars Ltd., Stevensville, Md.

Chris and Julie Paras, The Penrod Co., Virginia Beach, Va.; John Hedin,Columbia Forest Products, Greensboro, N.C.; and Deann Gade andSiangLian Kong, The Penrod Co.

Fredericus Peijs, UPM-Kymmene Inc., Westmont, Ill.; and Louisette andAlain Poirier, Boa-Franc, St.-George, Que.

Sergei Kotov, SGK Nordic SIA, Riga, Latvia; Georgiy Krapivine,Woodbridge International Ltd., Moscow, Russia; and Jim Kaiser, SolBuilding Materials Corp., El Paso, Texas

made a historically-rapid comeback afterthe infamous Hurricane Katrina of 2005.Although they received damage by way ofsiltation of the Mississippi Gulf Outlet(MRGO) and the Inner Harbor NavigationCanal (IHNC), the port was in working

repair and thenumbers forshipping hard-woods in 2008and 2009 wereimpress ive lyhigh (morethan 100,000tons of logsand lumber in2008, morethan 71,000tons in 2009).At the Port ofNew Orleansthere is a planin place toensure contin-ued growthinto the next20 years andbeyond. Someaspects of thes o - c a l l e d

Capital Improvement Plan include creatingadditional terminal capacity and continuedreparations caused by the hurricanes of

June/July 2010

The U.S. engineered hardwood and hard-wood veneer industries have struggledwith today’s severe economic challengesin an atmosphere made more challengingby cheaper imports, sagging economicdemand in our domestic markets, compa-nies cutting jobs, reducing production, andsadly going out of business. In the last fewyears, several major U.S. hardwood ply-wood, engineered flooring, and veneerplants have shut their doors permanently.The permanent loss of good paying jobs,typically in rural communities, and fore-gone tax revenues to the local, state, andfederal treasuries have resulted. Theirmanufacturing equipment is often sold toChinese producers. Here are the shocking macroeconomicfacts from 2009: • The U.S. exported a measly $7,000 ofhardwood plywood to China and imported$389,000,000 of hardwood plywood fromChina. • The U.S. continued to export $64 millionof hardwood plywood; virtually all of it toCanada and the Caribbean. • Chinese hardwood plywood has a 55%market share of the U.S. market while over50% of the U.S. production capacity sitsidle. Five major U.S. producers are out ofbusiness in the last 3 years. • The U.S. exported $170 million of non-value-added hardwood logs to China andonly $12 million of hardwood veneer. Chinaslices more veneer from U.S. logs nowthan U.S. veneer producers do.• The U.S. imported over $5 billion of woodfurniture from China, up from the previousyear. The U.S. furniture industry exported$575 million to its global markets, down22% from 2008. Wood furniture is a majormarket segment particularly for veneer butalso hardwood plywood. • We have a relative even balance of tradeof these products with Canada and a $5billion trade deficit imbalance with China. Why? How can U.S. hardwood logs beshipped to China, processed there intoveneer, manufactured into hardwood ply-wood, engineered wood flooring, or woodfurniture, then be imported back into theU.S. at 30-40% price advantage to similarU.S. manufactured engineered hardwoodproducts?Certainly cheap labor and nebulous envi-ronmental and workplace safety standardsin China give producers there a huge costadvantage compared to their U.S. andCanadian competitors. The long debated

fixed rate rather thanfloating exchangerates between theYuan and the dollaris still stalled. Someeconomists estimatethe Yuan is underval-ued by as much as40 percent. Thenthere are theChinese governmentsubsidies and strate-gic VAT rebates.While it is true thatall wood productsare derived from the same raw materialbase -the forest; it is not true that all forestproducts are therefore created equally.Start with illegally-sourced logs whichsome economists estimate give a manu-facturing company using those logs animmediate 15-20% cost advantage.Notwithstanding that the Lacey Actrequires due diligence for wood productsimported into the U.S., traceability of logsto the forest that sourced them is still amajor issue. While chain-of-custody pro-grams including third party certificationprograms such as the Forest StewardshipCouncil and others are commonplace in

BByy CC..TT.. ““KKiipp”” HHoowwlleetttt JJrr..PPrreessiiddeenntt

HHaarrddwwoooodd PPllyywwoooodd aanndd VVeenneeeerr AAssssoocc..

WHO’S WHO - AudetContinued from page 2

of Primewood Lumber’s White Oak from itsPennsylvania yard is pre-dried. The com-pany also offers dimension. Primewood Lumber is FSC Certified

(QMI-COC-001019). The company is amember of the Montreal Hardwood Club,National Hardwood Lumber Associationand the Quebec Wood Export Bureau.Audet has worked in the import/export

industry 12 years. He worked as a lumbergrader in 1998. He also has worked in lum-ber sales. A graduate of Esle High School in Charny,

Quebec, he went on to graduate from theNHLA lumber grading school. Audet andhis wife of seven years, Valerie Lortie,have two daughters, Lorie and Aimy. In hisfree time, Audet likes to watch and playhockey and do woodworking.

•

WHO’S WHO - EllisContinued from page 2

Hardwood Plywood Veneer Associationand the American Hardwood ExportAssociation. The company has won theExcellence in Exporting award from theState of Ohio.Ellis has been with T. J. Ellis Enterprisessince 1983, working as owner/CEO theentire time. His first job in the industry wasin 1956 when he skidded logs. He also hasworked as a buyer for other export compa-nies. Ellis graduated from Highland HighSchool of Anderson, Ind. Ellis and his wifeof 30 years, Pamela Ellis, have three sons,two daughters and five granddaughters.

•

(Editor’s Note: This article was pre-pared immediately prior to the recentDeepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulfof Mexico.)While hardwood lumber exporters andtheir ancillary businesses have been strug-gling to keep moving forward and evenstaying afloat in the latest economic seriesof challenges,ports in thesoutheasternU.S. havebeen workingto offerimproved serv-ices ande x p a n d i n gtheir facilities.Import/ExportW o o dP u r c h a s i n gNews lookedinto whatsome of theports aredoing by wayof makingimprovementsand increasingefficiency, tocut costs andease exporters’ efforts in getting their prod-ucts overseas. Here’s what some portshad to tell us:New Orleans, Louisiana—The Port ofNew Orleans has been a bustling one, and Continued on page 13

The Port of Gulfport, Mississippi, embarked on a $570 million portrestoration program to re-develop into a stronger facility. The port’sEast Terminal, Shed 50, is now ideally suited for handling hardwoodexports.

Southeastern U.S. Ports Respond To Exporters’ NeedsBByy TT.. JJeennsseenn LLaacceeyy

Not All Wood Products Are Created Equal

Kip Howlett Jr.


www.colehardwood.com


IWPA PHOTOS - Continued from page 10

INTERZUM GUANGZHOU PHOTOS - Continued from page 1

Buniadi Makmur, APKINDO-Indonesian Wood Panel Association, Jakarta,Indonesia; Conor Jones and Ken Nelson, Richmond International ForestProducts, Glen Allen, Va.; and Kur Antono, International Wood Products Inc.,Apex, N.C.

Larry Beineke, PFS Corp., Cottage Grove, Wis.; Keister Evans, Tropical ForestFoundation, Alexandria, Va.; and Jessica Zheng and Scott Beggs, AmericanPacific Inc., Holly Springs, Miss.

Alex Gama, Lionex Brazil, Belem, Brazil; Joao Pereira, Cikel Brasil Verde,Belem, Brazil; Gerald Schappell, Cikel America LLC, Miami, Fla.; Sergio Korn,Cikel America LLC, Beverly Hills, Calif.; and Damiano Evertse, DPW van StolkHolding B.V., Rotterdam, Netherlands

Ben Donkor, Ghana Forestry Commision, London,England; Brian Stordeur, Stordco International, New York,N.Y.; and Nana Sarpong, SUSTEX CO. LTD., Ghana

Carlos Garcia, Fr. Meyer’s Sohn North America LLC,Newport Beach, Calif.; Thomas Johnson, Fr. Meyer’sSohn North America LLC, West Reading, Pa.; DanWackerman, John A. Steer Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; andDave Wozniak, Taraca Pacific Inc., Virginia Beach, Va.

Carlos Orta, Durable Wood Products USA Inc., MiamiLakes, Fla.; Alfredo Hernandez, Medley Hardwoods Inc.,Medley, Fla.; Luis Olivera, Dixie Plywood & Lumber Co.,Miami, Fla.; and Mike Mora, Medley Hardwoods Inc.

David Weed, Robert Weed Plywood Corp., Bristol, Ind.;and Benedicte and Christian Mengel, VM InternationalLLC, Greensboro, N.C.

Peter Cadrin and Lillian Lang, C.A. Spencer Inc., Laval, Quebec Gerry Vanveenendaal, Jessy Liu and Susan Li, Midwest Hardwood Corp.,Maple Grove, Minn., and Guangzhou, China

Robert Moss, Gutchess Lumber Co., Cortland, N.Y., andHelena Chan, Gutchess Lumber Co., Beijing, China

Johnathon Ling, Turman Lumber Co. Inc., Shanghai, China; Xaiowei Wang,Jim C. Hamer Co., Kenova, W. Va.; Tom Inman, AHMI, High Point, N.C.; and CJLee, Roy Anderson Lumber Co., Beijing, China

Alan and Annie McIlvain, Alan McIlvain Co., Marcus Hook,Pa.; and Maureen and Warren Spitz, UCS Forest Group,Mississauga, Ont.

Karl Brown, Weston Premium Woods, Brampton, Ont.;and Charlie Craig, AHC Craig Imports, Collierville, Tenn.

Danny Foster, Ihlo Sales & Import Co., Center, Texas; andVic Johnson and Dave Wozniak, Taraca Pacific Inc.,Virginia Beach, Va.

Martin Grome, DLH Nordisk Inc., Denmark; Gib McIlvain,J. Gibson McIlvain Co., White Marsh, Md.; and WillThomson, Timberwolf Tropical Hardwoods, Easton, Md.

Parker Boles, Hermitage Hardwoods, Cookville, Tenn.;Adam Mason, Hermitage Hardwoods, Shanghai, China;Lin Zhu and Yolanda Wang, AC Exchange Timber,Yorktown, Va.

Norm Murray, U•C Coatings Corp., Buffalo, N.Y.; andFionna Zhu and Walter Zhu, Internet Wood Glue,Guangzhou, China

Kate Li, Industrial Timber & Lumber Corp., Guangzhou,China; and Larry Mether, Midwest Walnut Co., CouncilBluffs, Iowa

Jimmy Clay, Parton Lumber Co. Inc., Rutherfordton, N.C.;Brian Goldbeck, American Consulate General toGuangzhou, China; and Jorge Sanchez, AgriculturalConsul, U.S. Agricultural Trade Office, Guangzhou, China

Webber Chen and Harry Liang, Anderson Tully Co.,Guangzhou, China

Jean Pang, American Lumber Co., Hamburg, N.Y.;Xaiowei Wang, Jim C. Hamer Co., Kenova, W.Va; TracyZheng and Kitty Chen, American Lumber Co., Hamburg,N.Y.

Mark Barford, National Hardwood Lumber Assoc.,Memphis, Tenn.; Elizabeth Baldwin, MetropolitanHardwood Flooring USA, Kent, Wash.; Tom Wilson,International Specialties Inc., Collierville, Tenn.; and JohnBarber, Trout River Lumber LLC, Crewe, Va.

June/July 2010

Carter also predicted that mortgage rateswill remain below 6 percent through 2011and that some Southern states will recoverfaster than others, including Alabama,Mississippi and Tennessee.He added that green building is “a big andgrowing aspect of home building today.”World of Wood 2011, IWPA’s 55th AnnualConvention, will be held April 13-15, 2011,at the Loews in New Orleans, Louisiana.Established in 1956, IWPA is the leadinginternational trade association for theNorth American imported wood productsindustry, representing 200 companies andtrade associations engaged in the import ofhardwoods and softwoods from sustain-ably managed forests. Association mem-bers consist of three key groups involvedin the import process: U.S. importers andconsuming industries, offshore manufac-turers and the service providers that facili-tate trade. Learn more about IWPA atwww.iwpawood.org

•

IWPA -Continued from page 1

Weyerhauser and the American HardwoodExport Council.Most reported decent traffic spaces fromrepresentatives of the furniture industrythroughout China, Indonesia, the MiddleEast and eastern Europe. A few orderswere written and dozens of new leadswere generated.“There were a large number of small com-panies represented from in and aroundChina,” said Tom Inman, AHMI president.“Many of these companies were looking forAmerican hardwoods in Walnut, Red andWhite Oak, and Poplar.”Guangzhou is well-known in China as wellas in the furniture production industry withthe Guangdong province as one of themost important markets in the world.The show attracted more than 50,000trade visitors and buyers from the DIY (Do-it-yourself) and BIY (Build-it-yourself); fur-niture manufacturing; furniture wholesaleand retail; interior design; institutions;wood and plastic processing; wood andplastic trading sectors.

•

tiatives these countries have undertaken toprovide importers assurances on the legal-ity of forest products from their countries.These delegations were joined by a num-ber of other delegations from around theworld that participated actively in network-ing and question and answer sessions.Scott Beggs, IWPA president said, “It wasa joy to see such great enthusiasm. Thelarge and strong overseas delegations, intotal representing more than 30 countries,led to strong business conversations andnew business relationships. This conven-tion served as a prime example for howIWPA is an excellent tool allowingimporters to expand their business while atthe same time staying in tune with chang-ing laws and regulations. I’m pleased somany people took advantage of it thisyear.”Beggs continued, “A top agenda item forour business meeting was announcing thewinners of our new Awards Program.These companies provided stunningexamples for how imported wood productsare supporting innovation throughout thesupply chain, advancing environmentalexcellence and expanding design possibil-ities. We have a fantastic story to share forhow an architect or designer’s specificationof imported wood products leads to sus-tainable forest management in our world’sgreat forests and supports job creation andgrowth here in the U.S.” Winners of the awards program: AestheticDesign Excellence: Veneer Technologies;Innovative Excellence: Durable WoodProducts; Environmental Excellence: CikelAmerica.Beggs as Immediate Past-President hand-ed the gavel to Chris Paras, Vice PresidentProcurement, Forest Products at ThePenrod Company, who is IWPA’s newlyelected President. Joining Paras onIWPA’s executive committee are VicePresident Alan McIlvain, Alan McIlvainCompany; Treasurer Warren Spitz, UCSGlobal; and two Board Representatives,David Weed, Robert Weed Plywood andChris Connelly, Wood BrokerageInternational.A multitude of topics were addressed invarious seminars during the IWPAConvention. These included: The LaceyAct; U.S. Customs Classification;International Trade Finance and CreditManagement; keynote sessions aboutleadership and time management; govern-ment affairs update and turning the corneron homebuilding.During speeches about the economy andthe housing industry, Scott Clemmons, ofWealth Management Group, noted that“once the inventories have been re-filled,unless buyers make purchases, it will notbe a sustainable recovery for this econo-my.”He added, “Housing starts are down 80percent in 2010 from 2002. One positive isthat we are adding new homes slower thanolder homes are being destroyed.“Personal savings is a very important partof our economic health and recovery.People are saving more now, which isgood in the long run.”Clemmons said that inflation is the long-term threat to investors.In regard to legislation and the Lacey Act,three panelists addressed IWPA atten-dees. They included Jeff Grimson,Elizabeth Baldwin and Ray Markley.Grimson recommended, “You should havea company policy in place for how youwould respond if government agentsshowed up at your door.”Regarding specific species and grades ofwood in demand currently, various speak-ers offered their input at the convention.Some sources said Ash, White Oak andWalnut are in big demand for color and tex-ure and American Walnut remains in hugedemand on the market. Sources agreedstyle is trending toward “light in feel andcolor and texture, and 4-inch plank and 7to 10-inch wide planks are in demand.”Sustainable wood also is highly popularon the market now, some speakers noted.Jim Estill spoke on Leadership and TimeManagement, who led attendees through aseminar on self-improvement toward suc-cessful business leadership. He urged, “Befrugal; nurture a network of peers; developa habit of lifelong learning and be a timemanagement fanatic.”David Carter, Florida Home BuildersAssociation, defined the economic recov-ery as slow, not robust. “We see 3-1/2 per-cent growth, not the usual 5 percent.We’ve seen over 8 million jobs were lost inthe last two years of recession. It may takefive or more years to reinstate these jobs.”

INTERZUM GUANGZHOU -Continued from page 1

representatives from AppalachianHardwood Manufacturers, Inc., GrafBrothers Lumber and Flooring, HermitageHardwood Lumber, Parton Lumber Co.,Turman Hardwoods, Jim C. Hamer Co.,and Roy Anderson Lumber Co. Other U.S.companies displaying at the fair wereAmerican Lumber, Baillie Lumber, MidwestWalnut, Midwest Hardwoods,

For more information contact sales staffDoug - Bill - Pam - Roy

(228) 832-1899 / fax: (228) 831-1149

1-800-647-9547www.newmanlumber.comGulfport, Mississippi USA NEWMAN

C 1996 FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCILSCS-COC-002027

O

Genuine Mahogany - Spanish Cedar - Sapele - CerejeiraFSC available upon request

U.S. PORTS -Continued from page 11

2005 (the latter is being funded in part bythe Federal Emergency ManagementAgency [FEMA]). Part of the terminal proj-ect includes demolishing existing wharvesto create new, higher-capacity wharves Continued on page 14

with direct, linear access to the containeryards. An ancillary project is the addition ofthree new container cranes; another is todevelop an intermodal rail facility to benear the dock operation.Gulfport, Mississippi– Currently rankedas the third busiest container port in theGulf of Mexico, Gulfport was also hit hardby the hurricane season of 2005. Portauthorities learned from that experience,and now have in place long-range plans fortheir recovery in the event of future storms.The plans include mixed-use developmentand shipping facilities.In July 2009, Don Allee, ExecutiveDirector and CEO of the Mississippi StatePort Authority (MSPA), along withMississippi Governor Haley Barbour offi-cially launched construction on Phase I ofits $300 million restoration plan with a“Ground-Making” ceremony at the port’swest pier. With a nod from FEMA, the portis raising its base ground elevation to 25feet above sea level. In a press release,Allee said, “This will help protect theport…from future storms. Our plan is alsoto maximize the potential of the port tomeet the market needs of the future.” In an email to Import/Export WoodPurchasing News, Don Allee commented:“Prior to the destruction caused by Katrina,the Port of Gulfport was quite involved inthe forest products business. As a result ofHurricane Katrina, nearly all of the 700,000square feet of on-port shed space weredestroyed. The lumber clients that hadbeen using the Port of Gulfport were forcedto find other ports in the U.S. Gulf of

http://www.iwpawood.org

http://www.newmanlumber.com


Mexico to handle their needs whileGulfport recovered. The Port of Gulfporthas since embarked on a $570 million portrestoration program to re-develop the portinto a bigger, better and stronger facility.The port’s East Terminal, Shed 50, is nowideally suited for handling either hardwoodimports or exports. The port is currently ina position to provide at least 150,000square feet of shed space that is conve-niently served by truck, rail, barge andocean-going vessel. The weekly linerservices of Dole, Chiquita and Crowleyoffer sailings from Gulfport to ports inCentral America capable of handling con-tainerized volumes of hardwood.” Port of Mobile, Alabama—Established in1928, The Port of Mobile is making greatstrides in both efficiency and security forbusinesses using their port. On April 21 ofthis year, Port Authority Director/CEOJames K. Lyons signed an historicMemorandum of Understanding (MOU)with Panama Canal AuthorityAdministrator/CEO Alberto Zubieta. ThisMOU has been enacted to jointly helpencourage activity between the two ports. Two other improvements to the Port ofMobile have been $300 million goingtoward a new dedicated container terminalwith an intermodal rail facility and distribu-tion complex. A turning basin at the mouthof the port, expected to be in operation byJuly 2010, will save time and money by

U.S. PORTS -Continued from page 13

eradicating the need for container ships togo to the north end of the port to turnaround and dock.Currently the 9th largest U.S. seaport interms of total volume, the Port of Mobileboasts container, general cargo, andheavy-lift terminals with immediate accessto two state interstate highway systems,five Class 1 railroads, four-day rail serviceto Mexico and just under 15,000 miles ofinland waterway connections. With thesealready in place, the new MOU will certain-ly make this port even more important toshippers. Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia–TheGeorgia Ports Authority’s (GPA) deepwaterports in Savannah and Brunswick arepoised to handle increased hardwood lum-ber products for import or export. The Portof Savannah has breakbulk facilities at itsOcean Terminal and containerized servic-es at its Garden City Terminal. Already thelargest and most efficient container termi-nal in the United States, Garden CityTerminal has yet to reach its full potential.Infrastructure improvements ensure theports are ready when increased cargo callson Georgia’s ports. The GPA’s on-terminal strategic develop-ment plan will expand capacity from 3.5million twenty-foot containers today, to 6.5million by 2020. The recent arrival of foursuper post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranesbrought the total to 23 post-Panamax classcranes on nearly 10,000 feet of continuousberthing at the Port of Savannah.“Our superior services, logistics and facili-ties have allowed the GPA to grow its mar-ket share and further establish Georgia’s

ports as a strategic gateway in the SouthAtlantic,” said GPA’s Executive DirectorCurtis J. Foltz. “When the economic cli-mate improves, we’ll be ready with addi-tional capacity and infrastructure in placeto handle it efficiently.”Through the end of March 2010, the GPArecorded four consecutive months of dou-ble-digit growth through its ports. “Theincreased cargo passing through our portsmay signal that consumers are beginningto purchase again,” said Foltz. “Our growthin both imports and exports indicates thatoverall recovery is taking hold.”The GPA’s Trade Development team hasexperienced increased new breakbulkcargo quotes in recent months, and as aresult projects an increase in these vol-umes for the second quarter of 2010. Thisincrease shows the trend seems to bestrengthening in the breakbulk market.The GPA also projects that it will experi-ence an upswing in both Savannah andBrunswick markets. Ocean Terminal at thePort of Savannah will see a biggerincrease than the other locations.Additionally, more general cargo such asiron and steel, forest products and baggedgoods have all shown signs of increasing. With many economic and social indicatorspointing to the beginning of an upswing inthe world of business, when it does hap-pen, the ports of the southeastern U.S. willbe more than ready.

•

19 years in wholesale lumber sales inWausau. Hermitage Hardwood serves as a whole-saler and processor of North Americanhardwoods. The company offers kiln-dry-ing, export prep, straight line ripping anddouble end trimming. The operation is alsoequipped with a Newman EPR24 doublesurfacer. Species available at Hermitage are: Redand White Oak, Walnut, Hard Maple,Poplar, Cherry, Ash and Basswood.Truckload and container shipments areoffered.The firm is a member of the NationalHardwood Lumber Association (NHLA).An NHLA Industry Statesmanship Awardrecipient, Gunderson is a past director ofthe Lake States Lumber Assoc. In hisleisure time, he enjoys music, teachingSunday school and being a youth groupleader and lead elder at his church. Hishobbies and interests include juke boxes,MG’s and shopping for antiques with hiswife, Laurie. Gunderson and his wife have three chil-dren: Mitchel, Stephanie and Marcus. “Wehave truly enjoyed the move fromWisconsin to Tennessee and are happy tocall it home,” Gunderson says.

•

WHO’S WHO - GundersonContinued from page 2

WHO’S WHO - SkudlarekContinued from page 2

was piling boards and operating forkliftsalong with the dry kilns.” In 1983, he attended the NationalHardwood Lumber Association’s InspectorTraining School and graduated with the72nd class. Skudlarek left Salamanca forthree years and was employed by theWebb Company located in Indiana.Coming back to Salamanca just threeyears later, he has been procuring hard-wood lumber for the past 16 years.Salamanca Lumber Company is a distri-bution/concentration yard. The company’sdrying capacity is approximately 1.1 millionboard feet with a 750,000-foot pre-dryer.Association memberships held by the firminclude: Penn-York Lumbermen’s Club,Indiana Hardwood Lumberman’sAssociation (IHLA), Ontario ForestIndustries Association (Home of CLA); andthe American Hardwood Export Council.In his spare time Skudlarek enjoys troutfishing and attending his two children’ssports games with his wife Carol.

•

“Hermitage Hardwood Lumber Sales, Inc. has advertised in theImport/Export Wood Purchasing News since 2002. I know the valueof keeping a presence in a market that is constantly changing andthat is why we advertise on a regular basis in “The WoodPurchasing News.” Your publications are targeting the markets weare serving worldwide. Therefore, I feel it is a small investment tomake to stay in front of those customers and potential customerswho have helped make Hermitage Hardwood Lumber Sales, Inc. agrowing concern in the hardwood concentration yard business.”

Parker Boles Owner/President Hermitage Hardwood Lumber Sales, Inc.

Hermitage Hardwood Lumber Sales, Inc. is a hardwood concentration yard with 875,000’ dry kiln capacity, Walnut steamer, 5 mil-lion feet of dry storage, 4.5 million feet of covered air drying capacity, operating a Newman EPR24 double surfacer, providing straightline ripping and custom width sorts. Marketing Appalachian Red Oak, White Oak, Ash, Cherry, Poplar, Black Walnut and White HardMaple. Hermitage carries six 1/2 horizontal Ads in four-color in the Import/Export Wood Purchasing News. They can be reachedat P.O. Box 698, Cookeville, TN 38503, Phone (931) 526-6832, Fax: (931) 526-4769 or Email: [email protected]

Parker Boles

Adam MoranSales

Hermitage Hardwood Lumber Sales, Inc.

Steve GundersonSales


Lawson MaurySales


One Success Story After Another...

-----------Lumber Sales, Inc.-----------

HermitageHardwoodH

CALL US TODAY 901-372-8280FAX US AT 901-373-6180 OR EMAIL US AT [email protected]

For Ad rates and marketing support services unavailable elsewhere.

HOWLETT -Continued from page 11

the U.S. and Canada, the same cannot besaid for other regions. The EnvironmentalInvestigation Agency highlights troublespots in Asia compared to the U.S. andCanada which are very low risk environ-ments for these illegal activities. We havetoo many lawyers and sheriffs. See:http://www.eia-international.orgThe other issue is the sustainable man-agement of the forest resource itself. Somesimple facts about the U.S. and Canadianhardwood forest: there are more treestoday than in 1950 and more net growththan harvesting and death from diseaseand insect infestation. This cannot be saidfor other forested regions.Another critically important differentiatingfactor is third party certification of productperformance. The U.S. and Canadianmanufacturers have national consensusstandards for hardwood plywood and engi-neered wood flooring that addressformaldehyde emissions and delaminatingwhich are two major concerns if you are aconsumer. With producers in NorthAmerica who certify to these standards,you manage your risks and satisfy yourcustomers’ needs with certified qualityproducts. There are countless reasons why domes-tic wood products should remain ourfavored wood products, and why importedwood has yet to earn a sustainable place inour industry.To learn more, go to www.hpva.org

•



http://www.eia-international.org

http://www.hpva.org

June/July 2010

he recognizes the plight of the easternOregon forests and the remaining loggingand sawmill infrastructure that dependupon them, including the need for moremechanical thinning and more saw logs.Wyden has also signaled his understand-ing that additional funding will be neededto accomplish these goals and has statedthat this will be his highest priority.

BBiioommaassss IInniittiiaattiivvee PPaasssseess LLeeggiissllaattuurree

Legislature recently passed theWashington State Department of NaturalResources’ (DNR) Forest Biomass SupplyAgreements Bill. This executive-requestlegislation from Commissioner of PublicLands Peter Goldmark has taken the nextstep towards creating a forest biomassindustry from state trust lands.With just on dissenting vote in the Houseof Representatives and unanimous sup-port in the Senate the Forest BiomassSupply Agreements Combined Bill 2481passed with just one dissenting vote in theHouse of Representatives and unanimoussupport in the Senate. The bill, if signed by the Governor, willallow DNR to enter into long-term agree-ments to supply biomass from overcrossedyoung forests and after-harvest slash tothe biomass energy economy. To date amajor obstacle to realizing the benefits ofthe biomass energy has been securing reli-able and predictably priced biomass feed-stock.Incurring no cost to the States GeneralFund, the bill actually has the potential togenerate revenues from state-managedforestland.“I appreciate the Legislature’s support forour Forest Biomass Initiative. It will notonly help achieve a greener economy andcreate rural jobs, but can earn some addedrevenue for schools and other state trusts,”Commissioner Peter Goldmark said. “I lookforward to support from Governor Gregoireon this effort.”

WASHINGTON SCENE -Continued from page 2

around 300 people of which about one-third of the production staff are local andabout two-thirds are immigrant workersand is heavy to manual work. However,Koda is known to be looking at a phase ofreinvestment shortly. Last fall, the compa-ny stated, “The Group has not let up on itscommitment to continually investing in rais-ing its design standards and new productdevelopment.”

KODA -Continued from page 4

Production in Malaysia concentrates onthe use of solid hardwoods – AmericanBlack Walnut and White Oak, with someinterest developing in other species suchas Maple and European Oak in thickersections for items such as solid table legs,as well as Rubberwood and Acacia. Thenewer Vietnam plant is where most of thesoft upholstery furnishing production isundertaken as well as solid wood furniture. Koda’s latest collections can be seen atthree major Southeast Asian furnitureshows each spring – InternationalFurniture Fair Singapore (IFFS), MalaysianInternational Furniture Fair (MIFF) andVietnam International Furniture Fair (VIFA)or simply stroll throughwww.kodaonline.com.Koda’s mission statement is straightfor-ward: “We must be the most effectivevalue-for-money manufacturer. We mustremain design-relevant. We must invest inResearch & Development. We mustensure that our products remain affordableand accessible. We must ensure we havethe right people with the right skills. Wemust deliver to our shareholders value andinvestment comfort.”The recent International Furniture FairSingapore (IFFS) and other 2010 shows inKuala Lumpur, Saigon and Guangzhouhave served to reaffirm Koda’s strong mar-ket position simply by virtue of its ever-changing range of quality furniture. Despiteemploying a team of in-house designers,the commissioning in the past of suchinternational designers as Italian Luigi“Gigi” Garbarino and American John Kellyis another approach. Koda’s product portfolio of over 300 mod-els caters to the mid-to-upper-end cus-tomer segments worldwide and is rarely farfrom the cutting edge of mass-productionfurniture design. The company’s engineersare also regularly involved in the finaldesign process. Production capacity inVietnam for example, with a staff of 2,000,can be upward of 300 containers a month. Koda has long been a disciple of Americanhardwoods with major furniture collectionsover the years in several U.S. species.Currently White Oak and Black Walnut fea-ture strongly in both living and bedroomfurniture. A new trend has been much morecombination of hardwood and steel in its“Linus,” “Dayton” and “Utah” ranges. Koda

UUSSDDAA AAnnnnoouunncceess FFoorreessttLLaannddssccaappee RReessttoorraattiioonn

CCoommmmiitttteeeeAgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recentlyannounced he is seeking nominations fromthe public for the new Collaborative ForestLandscape Restoration AdvisoryCommittee. According to the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA), thecommittee will inaugurate a new level ofcollaboration between the USDA ForestService and the American people in therestoration of forested landscapes.“About 60 million Americans depend onnational forests for clean, abundant water,and all Americans rely on healthy forestecosystems to mitigate the effects of cli-mate change,” said Vilsack. “This commit-tee will help us prioritize the work thatneeds to be done and empower citizensand the Forest Service to work togetherthrough the entire process of ecologicalrestoration work, from identifying needs onthe landscape to achieving ecologicalobjectives in ways that provide jobs andprotect local communities from wildfire.”The Omnibus Public Land ManagementAct of 2009 authorized the CollaborativeForest Landscape Restoration AdvisoryCommittee. The Act encourages collabora-tive, science-based ecosystem restorationof priority-forested landscapes. For more information on selection criteriaand the application process, please refer-ence the Federal Register Notice atwww.edocket.access.gpo.gov

•

has never been frightened to lead the packwith innovation and was one of the first inAsia to develop character grade contem-porary, as opposed to rustic, furniture withall the natural imperfections of wood as adesign feature. More recently Koda hasintroduced “Eco” furniture manufactured inbamboo. These have been important tosome of its many European buyers wherethe inclusion of a green furniture option isessential. Koda’s R&D in the past has alsofocused on recycled Pine and even rail tiesas well as coconut wood in an effort to tryout new ideas and concepts. HoweverKoda’s long term commitment to hardwoodis very clear when reviewing its collectionsfor as long as anyone can remember.James Koh Jyh Gang is Deputy Chairmanand Managing Director and spearheadsthe growth strategies for the Group’s oper-ations. With significant experience gar-nered through the initiation of variousindustry wide projects in Southeast Asiaand China, he has been able to success-fully formulate Koda’s business expansionstrategies, strengthen supply chain man-agement, broach new design concepts andmanage international marketing invest-ments. James served as the President ofSFIC for two terms. During his tenures heinitiated several industry wide projects,most notably the International FurnitureFair Singapore (IFFS) and the SingaporeFurniture Industry Park in Kunshan, China.He was also appointed the Chairman ofIFFS Pte Ltd and the InternationalFurniture Centre Steering Committee, withthe objectives of growing the IFFS as aworld class trade show and positioningSingapore as a premier furniture hub forthe global market. James also spearhead-ed the 3-year Local Enterprise AssociationDevelopment program, a multi-agency pro-gram that aims to enhance competitive-ness of various industries in Singapore. InJuly 2009, he was invited to be a memberof the Economic Strategies Committee, aninitiative by the Ministry of Finance todevelop strategies for Singapore to seizegrowth opportunities as a global city inorder to achieve sustained and inclusivegrowth. Ernie Koh, James’ brother is ExecutiveDirector of Marketing. He looks after manymarkets, of which several in Europe are


http://www.kodaonline.com

http://www.edocket.access.gpo.gov

www.hermitagehardwood.com


SHELTER -Continued from page 6

most sustainable resources in the indus-try.” Loe’s brother Rod, production manag-

NORDIC -Continued from page 5

KODA -Continued from page 15

extremely important to the company. Kodais usually at the important Guangzhoushow and in April this year Koda showed atthe Milan show under its well known ban-ner “Redefining Lifestyle.”Commenting recently on the Group’s per-formance, James Koh said, “With the oddsinherently stacked up against the globalhome furniture industry, viz-a-viz deterio-rating economic conditions and business-restrictive credit crunch, we couldn’t avoida net loss in the past unless we couldaccept the heightened credit risk exposurethat could easily let us clinch more deals.There were several large potential orderswe had to walk away from for obvious rea-sons; although these would have helpedgenerate some economies of scale,” heexplained. “The rise in the number of con-firmed orders from our major U.S. markethas picked up pace over the last two quar-ters but customers are still continuing theirrevised buying psychology when the down-turn started – confirming orders in muchsmaller batches and increasingly seekingshorter delivery turnaround time,” headded. The Group has had a good start in its newfinancial year reporting a strong 47.4 per-cent sequential rebound in revenue or 2.8percent higher than the revenue recordedfor the corresponding period endedSeptember 2008, before the U.S. financialcrisis imploded. James Koh was also very encouraged bythe IFFS in March for “the quality of theproducts on display and the visitor atten-dance from the outset.” At least in Asia sofar Koda is seeing the green shoots ofrecovery.

•

er of the firms Xuzhou, China office said,“Our goal is to identify any product that wecan source globally to bring value to ourcustomers.”Ryan said the development of the

TigerPLY product began at the request ofcustomers. “We started out at the requestof customers with whom we had donebusiness for many years,” he said. “Asimport plywood became a bigger factor intheir requirements, we decided that wecould bring some solutions and solve someproblems for our customers to keep costsminimal and achieve the quality level theywant at the same time.”“We spent several years developing the

product,” he continued. “It was just in thepast year that we’ve achieved the consis-tent quality at the production volume thatwe were seeking. We’ve accomplishedthat through partnerships with manufactur-ers around the globe.” Ryan noted that Rod has used his 30

years of experience in the plywood indus-try to help foster this effort. “We have uti-lized the knowledge of my brother Rod,who’s been good enough to give us histime and energy,” he said. Rod spendsabout half of his time in the company’s pro-duction office located in Xuzhou, China,continuing to manage the production andbuild quality control teams. “Our goal is tobuild a top-notch, high quality, first rateproduct,” Ryan said. “When you build abrand, you’re making an investment of allyour time and energy to say, we’re signingsomething that goes in the marketplace.By putting our brand on it, it’s our signaturethat we’ve put in all of our energy and all ofour efforts to be proud of what we made,we’re not just trading a commodity. As aresult our product is comparable with thehighest quality of any production aroundthe world.”Among the many products manufactured

by SFI under the TigerPLY brand, onerecent offering is TigerLITE©. “TigerLITEcomes with an 18 mm, 3/4-inch, 4x8 panelwhich is an ultra-light 46-pounds perpanel,” Ryan revealed. “These are primari-ly used in RV, aircraft and marine applica-tions. Due to the ultra lightweight, we getmore panels on a truck and therefore wecan offer our distributors higher quality withlower cost. It’s just one of the many itemswe’ve developed to bring some value tothe marketplace.“Our most recent product catalog features

our 2010 ‘Core Options’. Core Optionsoffers customers a set of core grades andthicknesses,” Ryan continued. “We’vedeveloped Core Options for 2010 to definehow we build a panel. We have a variety ofproducts. We manufacture lumber cores,we do some all-Birch panels, someEucalyptus panels, and combination cores.We have a product that we developedcalled C-9, which is a thick veneer.Actually, we’ve installed machine corecomposers to build a panel with the leastamount of overlap or voids on the core.“We’re coming out with a new panel,

which we call XTR. This hybrid combina-tion core has MDF cross bands for high-end finish work such as cabinetry and fur-niture. Those applications need an ultrasmooth face and we’ve established that byputting the MDF cross bands on our thick-er machine-composed cores. Developingthis set of cores has been the foundation ofour business.” TigerPLY is available in facespecies of White Birch, Natural Birch,Okume, Obeche, Red Oak, White Mapleand Pacific Red Alder. Optional facegrades are BB/CC, C-Plus, C, D, and E.Oregon State University’s Department of

Wood Science & Engineering tests theTigerPLY products. “We work with OregonState University and TECO, a third partytesting and certification organization head-quartered in Sun Prairie, Wisc.,” Ryansaid. While SFI has a primary focus on

TigerPLY, the firm manufactures manyother products. “Shelter ForestInternational is not just TigerPLY. We do alot of different things in addition toTigerPLY. A great deal of our focus is indomestic hardwoods,” Rod explained.“TigerPLY is one of our main thrustsbecause we have applied so much energyand effort, with the whole team involved init’s development,” Ryan added. “A lot ofblood, sweat and tears have gone intobringing high quality to the internationallevel, to building this brand.”In fact, Rod said they often ship mixed

containers spanning the range of SFI’spanel production. “We’ve got clients inChina that may need Alder or SouthernYellow Pine and we have the ability tomanage the logistics of all the products inany direction. We have a number of ware-houses with a broad spectrum of products,from which we can mix and match loads,

which just adds to the efficiency,” headded. SFI ships products through theChinese ports of Qingdao andLianyungang; and primarily to the ports ofPortland, Ore., Houston, Texas, andSavannah, Ga., in the United States.Canada is serviced through Vancouver,B.C.Ryan said, “There are a lot of facets that

contribute to our market strength, but thekey that ties everything together is state-of-the-art information management, coupledwith well-managed logistics and supplychain management. Supply chain manage-ment is absolutely essential, especially indeveloping markets. As our customers areworking on smaller inventories today, ourservice needs to increase. We do morewith less, which requires really good infor-mation.”This year, SFI developed service teams

made up of key employees. Ryanexplained, “We actually divided the U.S.into five territories and we’ve got accountmanagement and territory managers forthe entire country.” These key employeesinclude: West Coast Manager, GlenAnderson; Midwest Manager, MonicaDavidson; Northeast Manager, WhitneyLaRuffa; Southeast Manager, MikeStringfellow; and South Central Manager,Matt McCoun.“We’re heavily focused in the retail mar-

kets, the big boxes and on distribution part-nerships around the country. That’s one ofthe reasons we divided marketing intoregions, to ensure our customers get thequality and service they expect anddeserve,” Ryan said. “We meet with our managers to discuss

any problems that our customers mayhave,” he said. “We deal with highly tech-nical issues that change on a regularbasis, so it’s important to discuss issuesdaily. We’re making improvements andstrides every month. We were the firstcompany in the world to get a No AddedFormaldehyde (NAF) exemption from thestate of California for the production ofHardwood Plywood, and we’re one of thefirst to invest in small chamber air tests sothat we can test for formaldehyde emis-sions in our labs in China. We’ve really setsome benchmarks in quality, sustainabilityand environmental stewardship. It’s much,much more to us than selling materials. It’sabout sustainable environmentally friendlyproducts. We’re trying to make a differencewith what we do.”As for what the future holds, Ryan said,

“Our goal is to have steady growth. We’renot interested in uncontrollable growth; it’sreally important to maintain the culture thatwe’ve established, maintain the value, andmaintain control over the brand manage-ment. Certainly we have ample opportunityas we grow for good international traders,and good domestic traders to fit within ourteam. We have plenty of room to grow andwe enjoy the financial strength to supportand cultivate growth.”Shelter Forest International is part of The

Shelter Group. The Shelter Group is anumbrella company for Shelter ProductsInc., Portland, Ore., Gulf Coast Shelter,Daphne, Ala., and Shelter ForestInternational. For more information and toview Shelter Forest International’s currentcatalog visit www.shelterforest.com.

•

patio furniture. But for natural dark interiorsAmerican Black Walnut is still verystrongly in vogue. At every ASEAN showsolid and veneered Walnut are featured inchairs, sofas, beds, dining sets and desks,as well as being emulated by substituteplastic foil laminates. There is now a ten-dency for Walnut to display its light-coloredSapwood rather than disguise it by steam-ing. Walnut has enjoyed a long fashion runand shows no sign of diminishing yet,which of course may encourage imposters.At one show “Asian Walnut” furniture fromMyanmar was on show – actually aspecies of laurel and almost too heavy tolift. Apart from Kashmir, there is no Walnutnative to tropical Southeast Asia.

“Green” labelling generally absentOne common element throughout theshows was the general lack of environ-mental claims for furniture, although it hasto be said that there continues to be anever-growing emphasis on temperate andplantation species and very few offerings inany sensitive tropical species. That is not

BUCKLEY -Continued from page 8

to say the “green” issue was ignored, forseminars were held on the subject at sev-eral events including “Green Furniture”from Australian Jennifer Curtis at MIFF. AtIFFS in Hall 6 Singapore Mozaic – thenational generic brand –ambassadors pre-sented a collective showcase featuringspecially curated “environmentally friendly”products designed and produced by mem-ber companies. One well known supplier offurniture from north China, Singapore-based Haleywood, has recently re-brand-ed with a strong environmental bias in itspromotion.

The late showsVietnam holds VIFA at the end of the

show circuit and is the leading exporter inSoutheast Asia, definitely benefiting fromits new exhibition facility, which howeverrequires only a day - still being a relativelysmall show. It demonstrates well how littlenative wood is available in Vietnam, whichdepends on furniture export production onwood from USA, Europe and NewZealand. It also shows how dependentVietnam still is on overseas designers,although HAWA the furniture association ofHo Chi Minh City is promoting home-growndesign through its Hoa Mai competitionsponsored by the American HardwoodExport Council.

Hoa Mai – 2010Hoa Mai is the annual spring “ApricotBlossom” furniture design competitionorganized by the Handicraft and WoodIndustry Association of Ho Chi Minh City(HAWA) which culminates in a display ofwinners at the VIFA, giving youngVietnamese designers a chance to createnew furniture and to gain exposure in thetough commercial world through a free dis-play at the heart of the show. Hoa Mai 2010 received 281 entries from210 designers from all over Vietnam - anincrease of 34% over the previous entry -one third from young designers, alreadyemployed, and the rest from studentsacross the country. While the standard ofdesign is gradually improving, it has to besaid that Vietnam lacks design coursesdedicated to furniture which exist in suchcountries as Thailand and Singapore. In apre-judging seminar, it was suggested that“some technical points in the shortlisteddesigns should be sorted out at the manu-facturing stage”, but in reality studentsalways have problems in prototyping, oftendue to their lack of manufacturing facilitiesand experience – and this became quiteclear on submission of the final projects,where craft quality and material finish weresometimes lacking. Inevitably somedesigns were a little uncomfortable orimpractical and even unsafe. However thisis to be expected as part of the learningcurve that ultimately leads to successfuldesign. What is essential for youngdesigners is to nurture creativity andengender it with a mixture or reality andcommercial appeal. The winner of HoaMai was Nguyen Van Truong with a darkstained American Red Oak chair “DarkDiamond” that his employer, AACorporation, plans to put into commercialproduction. Finally IFFINA in Indonesia was the sur-prise of the circuit, having grown in sizeand stature under the overall control ofASMINDO the furniture association. 326exhibitors took space, up 30% for this thirdshow with a brand new Hall D. Accordingto Ambar Tjahyono, its Chairman,Indonesia is seeing a significant recoveryin furniture exports, from a drop of 40% inthe first half of last year. October toDecember shipments were high and inJanuary exports were 16% ahead of thesame period in 2009. Total exports in 2009were valued at US$2.35 billion. “Furnitureis important in Indonesia, with 4 millionpeople working directly in the industry anda further 6 million dependent on it in someway,” says Ambar. What is now clear isthe extent to which many Indonesian pro-ducers are turning towards contemporaryfurniture whilst retaining an element of tra-ditional Indonesian design and craft.Kobeks founded in Central Java in 2000,for example, combines a range of materi-als in glass and steel with Teak, Oak,Walnut and Maple in some very contem-porary and creative models for the resi-dential and hotel sectors.All in all these shows, held under theASEAN Furniture Industries Council ban-ner, came up with as good a display of for-ward-looking confidence that could havebeen expected in such a tough year – onein which the next challenge will be to makea profit as costs of labor, freight, moneyand materials are on the rise again.

•

addition to its ISO 14001 EnvironmentalReforestation certification, Nordic obtainedits forestry certification from the ForestStewardship Council (FSC) in February2009, the first privately held Eastern WhitePine (EWP) manufacturer to do so.Nordic harvests roughly 1 percent of thisboreal forest annually, ensuring a sustain-able source of wood for future generations.Nordic Engineered Wood manufactures

the components in Chibougamau, Que.,where it recently completed a $12 millionmill expansion featuring state of the artmilling and finishing equipment dedicatedto its glulam structures projects.

More Products in Development

In addition to redefining glulam technolo-gy with its Enviro≡Lam process, Nordic iscurrently developing X≡Lam, a cross-lami-nated timber panel, which offers additionalbenefits for commercial construction.While similar to the decking used in theFondaction building, X≡Lam will allow forgreater clearspan floor applications incommercial structures, as well as loadbearing walls where lateral resistance toshear is critical. Lighter and easier towork with than steel or concrete, CrossLaminated Timbers (CLT) enhance wood’ssuperior resistance to seismic conditions,making them an ideal building material forconstruction in earthquake prone areas.CLT’s are used extensively in Europe,where commercial wood construction inexcess of nine stories is now becomingcommonplace. Builders find the lighterweight and workability of CLTs reduce buildtimes and construction costs. JulieFrappier, P. Eng., the director of technicalservices for Nordic Engineered Wood, is amember of the Engineered WoodAssociation’s (APA) Standards Committeeon CLT, which held its first meeting onMarch 11, 2010. Frappier is working withthe APA to create the design standard forCLT’s. For more information visit

www.nordicewp.com or call 866-817-3418.

•

http://www.shelterforest.com

http://www.nordicewp.com

Serving Forest Products Buyers Worldwide Delegates From 30 ...importers and traders. U.S. delegates...

Documents

Transcript of Serving Forest Products Buyers Worldwide Delegates From 30 ...importers and traders. U.S. delegates...