FROM THE EDITOR
Slowly but surely, the South East Asian wood and woodworking industry is recovering. Better signs ahead In this issue, we have lots of interviews in store for you readers. One of them is with the new director for SCM’s Wood Division, Pietro Gheller (p.26). For Gheller, his approach to business decisions is simple, though difficult
Vietnam’s export of wood and wood products recorded a 22.7% year-on-year rise in H1 2024 to US$7.4bn (p.16). Malaysia, too, saw an increase: From January to May 2024, wood and wood products exports reached RM13.112bn (US$2.97bn), which is around 18% higher compared to the same period last year. The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has also reported upticks in US hardwood exports to South East Asia and Greater China, with lumber exports to South East Asia increasing by around 24% year-on-year, amounting to nearly $63m (p.20). The road ahead is still plagued with challenges, however. Ahead of the implementation of the EU Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) and amid domestic challenges like increasing raw material prices and labour costs, many wood and woodworking businesses are still struggling to make ends meet, with some factories even closing down. Word on the street is that the market will fully recover to pre-pandemic times by next year, around Q2, but who knows if that will happen? For those optimistic, at least the current market conditions suggest better times ahead.
to pull off, especially in the short term: How to build long-term relationships with customers and build brand loyalty in a B2B environment? He weighs in his strategies. Another interview is with IMA Schelling, on what is a popular business segment for them in Europe and the US, though not as much in South East Asia: Their handling solutions for the wood panel industry (p.32). Armed with around 100 years of experience, IMA Schelling’s handling solutions have helped industrial-sized wood panel factories become more efficient, faster, and hands- free. How can they help Asia-Pacific? Other than interviews, we have interesting case studies for everybody, whether in the raw materials, furniture, or panels segment, to enjoy: IMAL PAL on their waste wood recycling capabilities (p.35); Schuler Consulting on how they helped furniture manufacturers of different segments increase productivity and efficiency (p.35); Peter Fitch from IOI Palm Wood on how, in James Yau • Assistant Edito r james@pabloasia.com Pang YanJun • Business Development Manager yanjun@pabloasia.com Goh Meng Yong • Graphic Designer mengyong@pabloasia.com Shu Ai Ling • Circulation Manager ailing@pabloasia.com
spite of palm wood’s sustainability credentials, they face issues in trade due to certification and compliance roadblocks (p.56); and many more.
Yap Shi Quan EDITOR
PABLO BEIJING Ellen Gao • General Manager pablobeijing@163.com PABLO SHANGHAI Daisy Wang • Editor pabloshanghai@163.net
PABLO SINGAPORE William Pang • Publisher williampang@pabloasia.com Yap Shi Quan • Editor shiquan@pabloasia.com Agatha Wong • Assistant Editor agatha@pabloasia.com
Pablo Publishing & Exhibition Pte Ltd (Head Office) 3 Ang Mo Kio Street 62, #01-23, Link@AMK, Singapore 569139 • Tel: +65 6266 5512 • Email: info@pabloasia.com Company Registration No: 200001473N • Singapore MICA (P) No: 043/12/2023 Pablo (Beijing) • Tel : +86 10 6509 7728 • Email : pablobeijing@163.com Pablo (Shanghai) • Tel : +86 21 5238 9737 / 36 • Email : pabloshanghai@163.net
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8 PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2024
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