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The economic crisis has been surmounted and there is a global upswing in the laminate flooring business. The year went so well that EPLF European Producers of Laminate Flooring, was able to record 2010 as the second best year in its history. Better results were only achieved in 2007, the year before the crisis.

In 2010, the 21 ordinary EPLF member companies – producers of laminate floors – sold more than 479 million m² of European produced laminate flooring (443 million m² in the previous year). This accounts for an increase of global market sales by 8.1% in 2010.

The Western European core markets of the European laminate flooring industry remained stable during the crisis. They were even able to record a slight increase: Sales rose from 285 million m² in 2009, to 299 million m² in 2010, which represents an increase of 4.9%.
In 2010, Germany experienced a slight deficit. However, it remains the largest European single market with 83 million m² (85 million m² in the previous year) and is at the helm of the Western European markets in terms of ranking. Turkey, which is included in EPLF statistics for Western Europe, now comes in second with 52 million m² (36 million m² in the previous year). On the one hand, this result can be attributed to the Turkish EPLF member companies, on the other hand, however, to the high economic growth in the country located on the Bosporus. With 40 million m² (39 million m² in the previous year), France was able to record a slight increase and is now claiming a good third place. With
29 million m² (33 million m² in the previous year), Great Britain drops to fourth place, while the Netherlands are maintaining a stable 5th place, with 21 million (21 million m² in the previous year).

Also rather positive, is the development in Eastern Europe. In 2010, the producers of laminate flooring were able to record sales of 104 million m² (97 Mio. m² in the previous year) in Eastern Europe, which represents an increase of 7.2 % in comparison to the previous year. This is a good result, especially considering that the decrease in the annual comparison of 2008/2009 represented 25%. With 28 million m² (29 million m² in the previous year), Poland recorded a slight drop. However, it remains at the helm of the Eastern European sales ranking. With 24 million m² (17million m² in the previous year), Russia is the second largest market in Eastern Europe and is increasing rapidly. Rumania comes in third and remains stable with 12 million m² (12 million m² in the previous year). The Ukraine and Hungary come in fourth and fifth.

North America and Asia are sales markets that are mainly served by regional suppliers – and also by EPLF member firms with local production sites. In 2010, sales in North America accounted for
41 million m², which represents an increase in comparison to the previous year (36 Mio. m²). The U.S. market accounts for the largest share, which, with 24 million m², offered a slightly higher potential for European producers in 2010 (20 million m² in the previous year). With 17 million m² (16 million m² in the previous year), the Canadian market continued to develop positively in 2010. In Asia, total sales of the European producers represented roughly 10 million m² and thus showed a slight increase. This result can be mainly attributed to markets such as Israel and Iran. However, the Chinese market is slightly increasing again as well- mainly due to exports from European producers in the premium segment.

With 16 million m² (11 million m² in the previous year), South America comes in at the lower end of the statistics. It is quite interesting that sales are mainly distributed between two countries: Chile and Mexico. In Africa, the South African market and Egypt can be pointed out as interesting markets. With three million m², their sales quantities are slightly higher than those of Australia and New Zealand combined.

The 35th edition of the fair is set to open its doors at Feria Valencia from 25th to 28th October 2011

Santiago Riera, president of the FIMMA fair and Marcial París, president of the Association of Spanish Manufacturers of Machinery, Tools, Equipment and Products for the Wood Processing Industries (AFEMMA) met this week at the association’s headquarters to renew the partnership agreement that had been signed by the two bodies looking ahead to the 2011 fair.

The cooperation between the organisers of the International Fair for Woodworking Machinery and Tools (FIMMA) and the top body representing the manufacturers of equipment, machinery and tools for the wood working industries goes back to the very first days of the fair. “This is an involvement that has been key to the fair’s development and to its consolidation as the leading event of its kind both in Spain and internationally,” explains Riera, who in 2011 has taken over as president of the fair for the first time.

As the representatives of the two institutions have stated, the FIMMA-AFEMMA alliance will for another year give a boost to the efforts to drive exports of the latest technological innovations developed by Spanish manufacturers of tools and machinery for working with wood and to make it a more attractive fair for exhibitors.

The FIMMA exhibition will be opening its doors from 25th to 28th October 2011 at Feria Valencia, at the same time as the International Wood and Furniture Industries Suppliers Fair (MADERALIA). These fairs are both international points of reference for the wood processing sector and ancillary industries and are both in their 35th year this year. Between them they will be showcasing the broadest possible range of machinery, tools, plant and facilities, chemical products, surface finishes and new materials, amongst many other products for the furniture, wood and construction industries.

AFEMMA was formed in Valencia in1976 with the aim of promoting Spanish-made equipment and products for the wood processing industry worldwide. Thanks to the Association’s support there is an ongoing presence of Spanish machines and products for working with wood at specialist exhibitions such as FIMMA all around the world. The companies that are members of the association currently account for 96% of the Spanish industry’s exports.

Website : www.feriavalencia.com/fimma

In continuation of our repeating success in four previous conference events in Bordeaux, FCBA is pleased to invite you to the 5th edition of the International Symposium on Wood Fibre Polymer Composites which will take place on September 26-27, 2011, in Biarritz, about 200 km to the south of Bordeaux in France.

The 2011 conference event will focus on opportunities for innovative wood based composites used in Building and Furniture
sectors contributing to the Green Growth.

Call for papers :
We are inviting oral presentations and poster presentations for this International Symposium.
Please send us your abstract before February 4th, 2011 at woodpolymer (AT) fcba.fr
Please find all information on the website www.fcba.fr/wpc2011

Source : FCBA

Alpi Group continues its pursuit of “excellence in forest management” by expanding the FSC chain of custody certification, already obtained for Italian poplar, to include ayous originating from Africa.

Ayous and poplar are the crucial raw materials Alpi Group uses to produce Alpilignum veneers, the decorative wood that has now become a world-wide symbol of the Group.

The trademark of the Forest Stewardship Council indicates that the wood used to make the product comes from forests which are well managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards and from other controlled sources.

Luciano Pradal, director of the Group’s companies operating in Africa, stated: “This important objective was achieved after first receiving OLB (Origine et Légalité des Bois) certification in 2009, which demonstrates not only that the wood was obtained legally, but also that important measures were taken to improve worker safety and health, to ensure that sites and plants meet regulations and to optimize management. In addition, - Pradal continued- we are proud of the fact that Alpi Group’s environmental commitment led to an invitation to join the PFBC (Partenariat pour les Forêts du Bassin du Congo), an international organization that brings together European, North American and Sub-Saharan African governments, environmental organizations, NGOs and research institutions involved with the environment and forest development in Africa. Moreover - Pradal concluded - we have just commenced a collaboration with the French agency ONF (Office National des Forêts) for the purpose of initiating an innovative scientific project that will involve cultivating ayous on 1000 hectares of land.”

Alpi Group’s commitment to the environment is now a solid guarantee for all designers, contractors and manufacturers of furniture, windows and doors who are interested in using the Group’s wood products. This guarantee provides the assurance of using completely legal and sustainable materials that respect the environment and are obtained by methods that meet all forestry regulations, as well as safety and social standards.

Yet, there is still more. Alpi woods offer complete peace of mind when used in projects (particularly in public procurement contracts) that increasingly stipulate the employment of materials that are FSC certified or meet the requirement of being legally obtained (for example, the U.S. Lacey Act or the FLEGT Project in Europe).

Environmental certifications provide official evidence that Alpi Group’s commitment to the environment is not a case of greenwashing, but rather a long-term and deep-rooted practice.

More informations about Alpi Group : www.alpi.it

The RACEWOOD event is unique in the African timber environment.

RACEWOOD 2010 in Douala is a forum where participants will have the opportunity to meet and discuss, and together with other leaders of the African timber industry and the European timber import and distribution business from 35 countries, find solutions to the challenges of the future

3 Workshops - Key themes of the RW10 Meeting in Douala will include:
- The private sector and sustainable management in the Congo Basin are advances sustainable?
- International and interregional markets, challenges in timber processing
- Copenhagen - which impact on the timber industry?

On Wednesday, 24 and Thursday, March 25th, the visits will be organized in the certified forest concessions and sawmill on 2 days.

For further information, do not hesitate to visit the website www.race-wood.org/news