Roundwood/Sawnwood

• European demand for African lumber still well below last year’s level in April and early May
• EU suspends sanctions against Burma/Myanmar
• European shippers able to push through more price increases for softwood lumber in Japan
• Chilean timber industry is calling for better infrastructure
• North America: Positive start to year for softwood lumber producers
• Chile exports 47% more softwood lumber in Q1
• Poland: Softwood roundwood imports soared 63% in 2011
• Poland: Softwood sawlog prices stable at high level
• Polish sawmills keep cutting throttled back
• Another minor increase in log prices in Finland by May
• Finnish wood exports holding firm at a high level
• Skogsindustrierna confirms estimates of windblow
• Holzindustrie Schweiz quits fund for promoting wood sales
• Only minor damage caused by foehn storm in Switzerland
• Upswing in French hardwood sawmills’ business activity came to a halt in April
• Felling volume raised by 4.8% in Austria in 2011
• Improvement in availability of pulpwood in Austria recently
• Only very slow growth in softwood lumber prices

Wood products

• Industrial packaging companies still registering last year’s brisk pace of business in early 2012
• 2011 sees record turnover in wood-packaging industry
• German pellet production reaches record level
• Higher pellet-heating system installation figures in Austria
• Higher replacement costs for DIY panels virtually impossible to pass on so far

Wood-based panels

• Home Improvement Forum in Paris expects 500 participants
• Lead times for maritime pine plywood lengthen again amid strong demand
• Strong fluctuations in demand for Russian birch plywood in Central Europe
• North America: Structural panels production continues to improve
• Turkey: Four more plants to start up by middle of 2012
• Brazilian panels production steady at last year’s level
• Italian WBP makers still idling machines

Surfaces

• Decor paper manufacturers reacting to slower demand by undertaking more stoppages

Furniture

• Demand for furniture fittings up against last year

Events

• 2012 Trä & Teknik already 93% booked
• 37th Holzhandelstag: GD Holz plans to elect new chairman in Munich
• Building and energy fair expecting over 430 exhibitors
• Ironmongery fair 2012: Slight declines again

Companies

• Purchasing cooperations have decided to collaborate
• Praktiker postpones its annual general meeting
• Raw material costs impose a strain on result of Uzin Utz
• Alno has to secure its financing arrangements very soon
• Steelcase to construct an assembly plant in India
• Fill Maschinenbau invests €25m in Gurten headquarters
• Rougier invests some €12m in African production sites
• Setra extends sorting line at Skinnskatteberg site
• Södra again cuts softwood-lumber production
• Interprint installs EBC system in printing press
• Munksjö decor-printing sector to trade again as E2P
• Kastamonu renames subsidiaries in south-eastern Europe
• Unilin intends to expand activities in France further
• Hidden Peak acquires plastic profile producer Profine
• IBV granted approval for large sawmill in France
• Schweighofer boosts pellet and power-plant capacity

• People