North American Construction Drives Plywood Market Growth

The global plywood market is expected to expand by the end of 2017, according to Research Nester. Plywood will see increased demand from the construction of houses and other activities. Moreover, the economical price of the plywood will further drive the market.

The North American region has been consistently dominating the market globally, in terms of the market demand for plywood. This has been primarily due to high plywood consumption by the construction sector. It will be followed by North America and Europe occupying the second position in the market. Asia Pacific is anticipated to showcase robust growth in the next few years. Moreover, plywood market in Asia Pacific will further increase due to the massive growth in construction sector.

Apart from this, the countries with rich forests and woods such as India, Brazil and South Asian countries have the potential to be the key suppliers of plywood in the near future. Further, the growing indigenous demand for plywood in India as a result of rising disposable income among the growing middle and affluent class and the growing infrastructure in recent times is expected to make India an important consumer of plywood in the near future.

The growing demand for the plywood is driven by rising construction activities (both for residential and commercial purposes) and growing preferences for well-designed floors, home ceilings and walls. Robust population growth coupled with rising disposable income as well as rising preferences for branded plywood has expanded the plywood market at a global level.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/north-american-construction-drives-plywood-market-growth

Construction, China Demand To Drive Global Plywood Growth To 2022

The global market for plywood is projected to reach 223.4 million cubic meters by 2022, driven by recovering construction activity in most countries worldwide; rise in high value, high rise constructions; growing preference for plywood in interior design especially of floors, ceilings, and walls; and a healthy furniture industry, according to Plywood – Global Strategic Business Report 2016.

Significance of plywood in the construction sector has increased substantially over the last decade due to the various benefits of plywood such as maintainability, strength-to-weight ratio and price.

A growing construction market particularly residential housing, spurt in renovation and remodeling projects and increased spending on bedroom and dining room furnishing represent major drivers of plywood consumption worldwide.

The growing demand for furniture is supported by improving economic growth, rising incomes, recovering home values and the ensuing greater willingness of homeowners to invest in furnishings and interior architecture. Demand is also expected to surge in the transportation end-use sector. In the packaging sector, on the other hand, growing popularity of alternative materials such as cardboard and plastic will challenge growth of plywood based packaging solutions, according to the report.

Production of plywood is migrating from North America, Europe and South Asia to China. Quality and cost continue to drive plywood supply mix worldwide. In 2015, Russian plywood made its mark in international trade, particularly in the EU market, driven by relatively lower prices of Russian birch plywood.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/construction-china-demand-drive-global-plywood-growth-2022

Engineered Lumber Industry Sees A Positive Boost

Like much of the industry, engineered wood producers are still navigating a fickle recovery in which builders are challenged by supply constraints, tight lending, and hard-to-come-by lots. Though the market is emerging from the recession, it’s still on the slow side.

“The demand is there for 1.5 million housing units. We’re not meeting that,” says Joe Elling, director of market research for APA–The Engineered Wood Association. Production is up on a year-ago basis, “but starts could be stronger if some of these supply-side constraints were not as binding,” Elling says. “I anticipate a modest improvement in the second half of the year, but it’s still going to be agonizingly slow going forward.”

For engineered lumber manufacturers and the dealers who sell their products, the slow recovery presents both challenges and opportunities. Along with the obvious—a slower return to at-peak sales—the ongoing labor shortages have created an even stronger need for product education. At the same time, those labor constraints provide even more motivation toward using engineered products that boost efficiencies and cut back on waste.

Overall, the industry has seen a positive boost in public opinion toward wood products, be they engineered or otherwise, as high-profile projects showcase their capabilities, beauty, and warmth.

“One of the biggest things in the forest products industry today that affects EWP the most is the general feeling in the world that wood is good,” says Mike McCollum, director of engineered wood business at Roseburg. “Wood is now the first choice in everybody’s eyes. Its sustainability, its efficiencies, its workability, its natural warmth, along with the fact that it is easy to design with and easy to build with…everyone has been awakened to this idea that wood is good. Then, when you take it to the next step, everything that engineered wood brings to the construction market is highlighted even more.”

From LBM Journal: https://www.lbmjournal.com/in-depth-engineered-lumber-2/