Timber Group Pushes For Wood Construction In England

by | Jul 28, 2017 | News

Following the general election held on June 8th, The Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) announced the reconstitution of the Timber Industries All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG); their first annual general meeting (AGM) was July 12th at the House of Commons.

The Timber Industries APPG will help promote timber as the most sustainable and renewable building material and develop initiatives and economic measures to grow the whole UK Timber Industry supply chain. The Confederation of Timber Industries will assist Parliamentarians in their work by acting as the group’s secretariat and providing relevant information and logistic support.

The timber sector is in the top 50% of manufacturing industries in the UK, attracting investment and supporting jobs across the manufacturing and construction sectors, and adding over £10 billion per year to the UK economy. Every constituency in the UK benefits from jobs provided by our sector, whether in construction, manufacturing or distribution.

“We are pleased to see such widespread, cross-party support for our Industry,” said Roy Wakeman OBE, Chairman of the CTI. “The timber sector represents a major engine for the growth and development of the UK economy and, with the help of the Timber Industries APPG, we can deliver this message straight to key decision makers in Westminster. The CTI will be on hand to provide assistance and information to any MPs interested in the Industry, along with arranging regular visits to timber operations all over the country.”

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/pricing-supply/renewed-all-party-parliamentary-group-timber-industries-meets-westminster?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news

AAHP Critical Of New Duties On Chinese Hardwood Plywood

by | Apr 19, 2017 | News

The American Alliance for Hardwood Plywood expressed disappointment in the April 18 announcement by the U.S. Department of Commerce about imposing preliminary countervailing duties of 9.89 percent on Chinese exporters of hardwood plywood.

Commerce separately applied a penalty margin of 111.09 percent to one Chinese company that did not fully cooperate with the investigation as well as companies that did not return the quantity and value questionnaire, possibly because they do not export plywood.

“The federal government has tied one arm behind the backs of the U.S. cabinetmakers and other manufacturing industries by denying them a level playing field in raw material sourcing with their offshore competitors,” said AAHP chairman Greg Simon in a statement.

“This case is presented as cracking down on Chinese trade ‘cheating’ and protecting American jobs but it will benefit nobody in the United States. The cabinet industry, flooring, recreational vehicle and furniture industries use the Chinese plywood for different purposes than the U.S. plywood. The petitioners’ dreams that they will enjoy sales increases are a fantasy, even with these high duties. The government should not be in the business of trying to pick winners and losers. In fact, in these trade cases, nobody wins.”

In 2012-13 DOC also announced combined antidumping and countervailing duties of nearly 150 percent, but ITC threw the case out after a full investigation.  That ruling was later affirmed by a federal judge of the U.S. Court of International Trade.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/aahp-critical-new-duties-chinese-hardwood-plywood?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news