Import/Export Wood Purchasing News - December 2023/January 2024

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Vol.50 No.3 Serving Forest Products Buyers Worldwide DECEMBER 2023 /JANUARY 2024
AHEC Addresses Global Issues During
NHLA Convention
PRSRT STD
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JEFFERSON CITY, MO
PERMIT NO. 303
Photos By Terry Miller and Paul Miller Jr.
Volker Reinecke, Agentur Reinecke GmbH, Hamburg, Germany; Shannon Forrest,
Robinson Lumber Company, Anderson, SC; and Mike Mallin, Midwest Hardwood
Company, Maple Grove, MN
Additional photos on page 10
The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) held a board of directors
meeting in conjunction with the recent 126th edition of the National Hardwood
Lumber Association Annual Convention & Expo Showcase, held in Louisville,
KY at the Omni Louisville Hotel.
Additionally, AHEC Executive Director Michael Snow delivered a General
Sessions keynote presentation at the NHLA Convention. Entitled "Enhancing
Global Market Access - EUDR, Certification and the Changing Policy Environment,"
he was joined by guest speakers, including AHEC global directors.
Headquartered in Sterling, VA, near Washington, DC, The American Hardwood
Export Council is the leading international trade association for the U.S. hardwood
industry, representing the committed U.S. hardwood exporters and the major
U.S. hardwood product trade associations. AHEC runs a worldwide program
to promote the full range of American hardwoods in over 50 export markets.
Learn more at www.ahec.org. n
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www.woodpurchasingnews.com
AHEC Pavilion Travels To VietnamWood
Brian Gibson, Cole Hardwood Inc., Logansport, IN; and Rob Kukowski, Kamps Hardwoods
Inc., Caledonia, MI
Additional photos on page 22
The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) Hardwood Pavilion recently
welcomed guests at the 2023 15th edition of the VietnamWood Woodworking Industry
Fair at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City.
The four-day event will be held again in 2025 and is organized by the Ministry
of Industry & Trade. The co-organizer is the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association
(HAWA).
VietnamWood featured a series of seminars and conferences with guest keynote
speakers from instrumental industry associations. This year's event had over
350 exhibitors registered from 28 countries and regions. The event showcased the
latest smart factory solutions for the wood industry.
Attendees saw a diverse range of products, including woodworking machinery,
raw materials, equipment and consumables, covering primary and secondary
Continued on page 23
AHEC Greater China, SE Asia Convention Returns
To Celebrate 26th Year
Photos Provided By AHEC
Levi Soodsma, Baillie Lumber, Hamburg, NY and a customer.
Additional photos on page 22
The JW Marriott Hotel in Chengdu, China was the site of the return of the
American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) Greater China and Southeast Asia
Convention. This marked the 26th anniversary of the event after a three-year
absence.
AHEC Executive Director Michael Snow welcomed attendees, stating, "While
it seems that we are always reacting to the next major disruption, it is vital that
Continued on page 23
AHEC SE ASIA - Continued from page 29
over 300 delegates were registered and at least 20 AHEC hardwood exporting
members.
To learn more, visit www.ahec.org. n
SEC - Continued from page 27
SEC held seminars about U.S. softwood species and grades during its May
2023 Mexico mission.
With its staff in Mexico, SEC holds seminars and webinars for Mexican producers,
leads inbound buyers’ missions, and exhibits at leading industry trade
shows. The association and its members also hold regular webinars for architecture
associations. Topics have included mass timber design and engineering, and
use of preservative treated wood products. As interest in Mexico has taken off,
the association and its members introduced new activities, including SEC’s first
U.S. supplier trade mission to Mexico.
SEC Mexico Mission Generates Almost $700,000 in Immediate Sales, $4.16
Million Projected for End of 2023
In May, a group of 13 U.S. softwood lumber suppliers and trade association
members participated in a week-long SEC trade mission to Monterrey and Tijuana.
The group met with wooden pallet and packaging producers and importer-distributors
and toured their facilities and distribution yards. Over 65 importers and
end-users also attended seminars where presenters spoke about U.S. softwood
lumber grades and trends affecting U.S. softwood lumber availability and competitiveness
in Mexico. Sales reported within one month of the mission totaled
$670,000 and U.S. participants project $4.16 million in sales by the end of 2023.
SEC is working on a follow up mission to Mexico in April 2024.
SEC members and U.S. suppliers also reported great success at the August
Tecnomueble show, Mexico’s largest furniture supply trade event. SEC organized
a day of visits with manufacturers and importers prior to the four day show,
which led to over $300,000 in reported sales by SEC participants.
National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA) Holds Second
Annual Mexico Pallet Conference
From webinars to conferences, educational activities consistently attract large
numbers of industry representatives from across Mexico. In September, the National
Wooden Pallet and Container Association, an SEC member, held its second
annual Mexico pallet conference in Guadalajara. The event drew a sell-out crowd
and nearly doubled attendance from the year prior. Pallet producers and traders
from 13 countries attended the event, including a delegation from the Softwood
Export Council who reported making a number of very solid business contacts.
The conference included speakers on topics including nearshoring and strategic
planning, Mexico’s economy and political situation, sustainability trends, and design
software to improve pallet manufacturing. Next year’s seminar will be held
in Queretaro, Mexico in September (dates TBD).
Opportunities to increase the use of U.S. softwoods and demand for higher
grades through continued education and promotion are excellent. SEC has seen
interest from Mexican producers in sustainability increase dramatically over the
past several years, and demand for higher grades of lumber for pallet production
has increased as specifiers have learned that higher grades result in better performance
and better yields.
The Softwood Export Council is a trade association whose membership includes
U.S. softwood lumber grading associations, wood products associations,
state trade agencies, and universities. Members work together to address international
codes and standards and to educate international buyers about the benefits
of using U.S. softwood lumber. More information is available at www.softwood.
org. n
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Vol. 38 No. 6 The Softwood Industry’s Only Newspaper...Now Reaching 36,187 firms (20,000 per issue) November/December 2023
BC Wood's GBM Celebrates 20 Years
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
DALLAS,TX
PERMIT 3886
Photos By Zach Miller
Rav Binning, Sunny Binning, Parm Binning, Jas Binning, Raj Singh, Gulraj Binning
and John Wu, Jazz Forest Products Ltd., Abbotsford, BC
Additional photos on page 12
BC Wood celebrated its 20th Annual Global Buyers Mission recently and
welcomed almost 700 delegates from all over the world to Whistler, BC Canada.
Given the economic challenges faced by many international markets, BC Wood
was extremely pleased with the efforts made by those buyers and suppliers that
supported and participated in the 2023 Global Buyers Mission.
CEO Brian Hawrysh and new Board Chairman John Gillis from Centurion
Lumber welcomed the Opening Ceremony special guest speaker, the Honorable
Premier David Eby. This is the first time the Premier of BC has officially
opened a GBM and his comments were well received.
This year, GBM registered international buyers from as far away as Austria,
China, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea,
Netherlands, Pakistan, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Again, many thanks were given to the Federal Trade Commissioner Service
and BC’s Trade & Investment Representatives from international markets that
greatly assisted with the buyer recruiting again this year. With their continued
dedication, there were many first-time Buyers to the GBM, opening opportunities
for Canadian manufacturers to develop new business.
BC Wood continued to host North American architects, designers, contrac-
Continued on page 40
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NELMA Celebrates 90th Anniversary
Photos By Terry Miller
Adam and Janie Duplisea, Nyle Dry Kilns, Brewer, ME; Aaron Schulte, Hancock Lumber
Company, Casco, ME; and Tiffany and Jeremy Howard, Nyle Dry Kilns
The 90th Anniversary of the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association
(NELMA) was celebrated at their annual meeting held recently at the Samoset
Resort in Rockport, ME. The 2.5 days of events and activities was attended by
128 members and industry guests of the Association. Hurricane Lee exited the
region earlier in the week leaving a picture-perfect day for the first event, the
NELMA Annual Golf Scramble.
Hosted by the Samoset Resorts’ own golf course that features seven oceanside
holes and additional 14 holes with spectacular views of the Atlantic, it was aptly
named as the “Pebble Beach of the East” in a Golf Digest 2023 article. This
LAT Celebrates 137th Convention And Expo
Photos By Zach Miller
Additional photos on page 18
Continued on page 40
Zach Zimmerman, RoyOMartin Lumber Co. Inc., Dallas, TX; Tony Rocha, RoyOMartin
Lumber Co. Inc., Houston, TX; and Jack Hensley, Cassity Jones Building Materials,
Terrell, TX
Additional photos on page 20
The Lumbermen's Association of Texas (LAT) recently hosted its 137th
Annual Convention & Expo. The event was held in Arlington, TX at Live! By
Loews.
The annual convention brings together the Texas lumber and building materials
industries, as well as attendees from other states, for fellowship, networking
Continued on page 41
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Species:
• Red and White Oak 4/4-8/4
• White Oak Rift & Quarter 4/4 and 5/4
• Poplar 4/4-16/4
• Ash 4/4-8/4
• Hickory 4/4-7/4
Services:
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• Surfacing
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(828) 428-5601
Lawrence Lumber Company Inc.
www.lawrencelumberinc.com
Joe Gori, Global Sales - E-mail: gmgori86@gmail.com • Steve Leonard, Green Lumber Sales - E-mail: sgleonard7@gmail.com
Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n December 2023/January 2024 Page 37