S&T Country Report - Albania - WBC-INCO Net

Name of
initiative:
Wood Processing and Forestry Cluster (WP&F Cluster)
Contact person: Lukša Šoljan (Cluster Team Leader)
Email: lsoljan@usaidcca.ba
Website: http://www.usaidcca.ba/
The establishment of the Wood Processing and Forestry Cluster (WP&F Cluster) was
one of the 10 priority projects of Regional Economic Development Strategy is
undertaken in partnership with USAID Cluster Competitiveness Activity (USAID
CCA). Official presentation of the Project was conducted in January 2005 presenting
experiences of developed countries and countries in the region in relation to process
of competitiveness improvement through cluster establishment.
First meeting of Cluster group was held in February 2005, where the problems in
wood processing sector were defined. Problems were categorized, ranked and target
markets were defined for each category of wood processing sector. Action teams
were established in March 2005 and within each team major activities were defined
and ranked.
Current Cluster activities are supported and organized by USAID CCA:
• Development of agents and representatives network in EU;
• Support in marketing activities (catalogues, trade fairs, B2B);
• Promotional activities in attracting investments;
• Development of studies and analyses to contribute to sector and cluster
growth;
• Support to universities, Academy of Industrial design, Mechanical faculties,
Secondary vocational schools,
• Activities on establishment of Technological Excellence Center in BiH;
• Support to development of QMS in firms, forestry sector, partners;
• Activities to ensure adequate access to capital and to establish timber supply
system; and
• Activities in development of Forestry (certification, benchmarking,
communications, image improvement.
Industry/Sector (technology area): Wood and forest products
International activities: From the beginning of its activities, the WP&F Cluster has
been promoting inter-cluster cooperation especially with WP&F clusters from
Southeast Europe and other countries of Central Europe. Austria and Slovenia are
countries which long ago recognized the clustering benefits and are major
cooperating partners (Holzcluster Styria and Lesarski Grozd-Pivka).
page 18/BIH