Panels & Furniture Asia March/April 2020

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Contents 

March / April 2020 • Issue 2 • Panels & Furniture Asia 

6 | EDITOR’S NOTE 

8 | NEWS 

MARKET REPORT 

18 | Phase 1 of the China-U.S. trade agreement 

20 | A brief review of the global woodworking machinery industry 

IN PERSON 

22 | The next step for Japan's wood product exports 

PANELS MANUFACTURING 

28 | Tightening the grip on Formaldehyde Emissions 

FLOORING 

32 | Parklex’s Hy Tek, High-scoring Flooring 

MATERIALS 

36 | Douglas Fir arrives at Lorient Station 

38 | Gabon: The land full of opportunities 

16 

22

32 

47 

STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS 

Kajstaden, the Tall Timber Building | 43 

DESIGN 

A touch of wood in Changi Jewel | 47 

Toca Madera finalists exhibit at Madrid Design Festival 2020 | 49 

SHOW PREVIEW 

Xylexpo promises to be a rewarding show for all | 54 

Fifth time’s the charm | 57 

Hanoi Wood: An important first step forward | 59 

COLUMNISTS 

Wood Clinic: Dealing with chair joints loosening/ How to produce 

ellipse-shaped cutting template and related sawing issues | 60 

MMMA Newsletter: China, what next? | 64 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS | 66 

ADVERTISER’S LIST | 67 

38

FROM THE EDITOR 

PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA 

Standing 

strong in 

time of 

coronavirus 

PABLO SINGAPORE 

Publisher 

Associate Publisher 

Senior Editor 

Editor 

William Pang 

williampang@pabloasia.com 

Pamela Buckley 

pamela@pabloasia.com 

Pang Yanrong 

yanrong@pabloasia.com 

Szeto Hiu Yan 

hiuyan@pabloasia.com 

HIU YAN | Editor 

Since January this year, the 

COVID-19 coronavirus has spread 

rapidly across the globe. The only 

certainty right now seems to be that 

the virus will continue to be around for 

some time. 

As of early March, the virus is spreading across Europe and the U.S. The 

silver lining is that, it now appears to be under control in China. Factories 

and companies are slowly resuming operation as infected cases dwindled. 

In the report on the global woodworking machinery industry, Dario 

Corbetta, Director of Acimall, shared trade statistics as well as his views on 

the performance of the global woodworking machinery market in 2018 - 

2019 at the Xylexpo international press conference held in mid-February, 

when China was at its peak of the outbreak. Despite the epidemic, he 

remains optimistic that the Chinese market will see some recovery in the 

second half of 2020. (pg.20) 

Business Development Manager 

Graphic Designer 

Circulation Manager 

PABLO BEIJING 

General Manager 

PABLO SHANGHAI 

Editor 

YanJun Pang 

yanjun@pabloasia.com 

Edwin De Souza 

edwin@pabloasia.com 

Shu Ai Ling 

circulation@pabloasia.com 

Ellen Gao 

pablobeijing@163.com 

Sharon Wu 

pabloshanghai@163.net 

The trade dispute between China and the U.S. is also deescalating, as 

tariffs on most U.S. hardwoods products were lifted. Now that the pathway 

is finally open again for a more normal, consistent market climate for U.S. 

and Chinese hardwood trading partners, Judd Johnson, managing editor 

of Hardwood Market Report suggested that there are still some challenges 

that may hold back businesses (Pg. 18). 

On a lighter note, Michael Buckley, a renowned figure in the hardwood 

industry worldwide, was picked to be the 2019 recipient of “The Guy in 

the Glass” by Hardwood Market Report. It is a well-deserved recognition 

applauded by many in the industry. (pg. 16) 

While we will continue to face further uncertainties in the next few months, 

I believe both businesses and individuals alike are doing our best to protect 

each other and exercise personal responsibilities – take precaution where 

we can and wash our hands diligently, as our governments fight their 

hardest against the epidemic. 

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Singapore MICA (P) No: 079/05/2019 

REGIONAL OFFICES (CHINA) 

PABLO BEIJING 

Tel : +86 10 6509 7728 

Email: pablobeijing@163.com 

PABLO SHANGHAI 

Tel : +86 21 5238 9737 / 36 

Email: pabloshanghai@163.net 

All rights reserved. Views of writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher. No part of this publication 

may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the Publisher and copyright 

owner. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy of the information in this publication, the Publisher accepts no 

liability for damages caused by misinterpretation of information, expressed or implied, within the pages of the magazine. 

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advertisements, and in this respect, the Advertiser shall indemnify the Publisher against all claims or suits for libel, 

violation of right of privacy and copyright infringements. Panels & Furniture Asia is a controlled-circulation magazine with 

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Panels & Furniture Asia 

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8 | NEWS 

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia 

VIETNAM’S WOOD AND WOOD PRODUCT EXPORTS 

ACHIEVED 19.5 PER CENT GROWTH IN 2019 

ACCORDING to Vietnam’s customs, the 

total value of wood* and wood product 

exports in 2019 from 2392 enterprises 

(Vietnamese-owned and FDI enterprises) 

amounted to US$10.65 billion, or 

19.5 per cent higher when compared to 

2018, reported ITTO. 

Of the total, wood product exports 

accounted for US$7.783 billion 

(+ 23.5 per cent compared to 2018) and 

contributed a 74 per cent share of the total 

value of wood and wood product exports. 

With the current trend, wood and wood 

product exports are expected to grow at 

between 17 – 20 per cent in 2020. 

WOOD AND WOOD PRODUCT 

EXPORTS BY FDI ENTERPRISES 

In 2019, the value of wood and wood 

products exported by 612 FDI enterprises 

amounted to US$4.71 billion, or 

42 per cent of total value of wood and 

wood product exports from Vietnam (+ 

20 per cent compared to 2018). Wood 

product exports by FDI enterprises were 

reported at US$4.34 billion or over 90 per 

cent of the total value of wood and wood 

product exports by FDI enterprises. 

EXPORT DESTINATIONS 

In 2019, the U.S. continued as the top 

market for Vietnam’s wood and wood 

product exports at US$5.33 billion, a 

share of around 50 per cent of all wood 

and wood product exports and which 

had grown by 37 per cent in 2019, 

compared to 2018. Japan was the second 

largest market accounting for 12 per cent 

of 2019 exports, followed by China 

(11 per cent) and South Korea 

(7 per cent). In contrast to the growth 

in the markets mentioned above, there 

were declines in exports to South Korea, 

Australia and Malaysia. 

WOOD AND WOOD PRODUCT 

IMPORTS 

Wood and wood product imports by 

Vietnamese-owned and FDI enterprises 

in 2019 were valued at US$2.54 billion 

(+ 10 per cent compared to 2018). 

In 2019, the value of wood and wood 

products imported by FDI enterprises was 

reported at US$775 million, equivalent 

to 31 per cent of total wood and wood 

product imports and 16 per cent up 

on 2018). In 2019, China continued 

as the leading wood and wood product 

supplier to Vietnam with shipments worthed 

US$656 million (equivalent to 26 per cent 

of all wood and wood product imports 

into Vietnam in 2019), followed by the 

U.S. at 13 per cent. P 

(*Wood defined as HS4401 – 4418. Wood 

Products defined as HS9401 – 9421). 

CHINA’S NEW FOREIGN INVESTMENT LAW TAKES EFFECT 

CHINA’S updated Foreign Investment 

Law took effect on 1 Janauary 2020. This 

is a comprehensive and fundamental set 

of legal standards for foreign investment 

activities with unified provisions for 

the entry, promotion, protection and 

management of foreign investment. 

The new law has replaced the Law of 

the People's Republic of China on Sino- 

Foreign Equity Joint Ventures, the Law of 

the People's Republic of China on Wholly 

Foreign-owned Enterprises and the Law 

of the People's Republic of China on Sino- 

Foreign Contractual Joint Ventures passed 

between 1979 and 1990. The changes 

were made as the previous laws could 

not address the emerging challenges in 

foreign investment, including intellectual 

property rights. 

The new law provides foreign investors 

with more rights and more convenient 

registration procedures. Most Chinese 

cities have rolled out favourable policies 

to attract foreign investment such as 

offering low cost or even free space for 

manufacturing, low taxes for the first 

year, and/or incentives to attract foreign 

technology transfer. 

Analysts expect foreign investment in 

wood product manufacturing and trade 

will increase as a result of these changes 

to the law. P 

VIETNAMESE WOOD FIRMS URGED TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE 

MATERIALS SUPPLIERS IN THE FACE OF CORONAVIRUS 

LOCAL wood processing enterprises 

need to widen supply chains with a focus 

on seeking suppliers from domestic and 

overseas markets to ease disruptions from 

China due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) 

outbreak, experts said. 

According to Vietnam News, Do Xuan 

Lap, chairman of the Vietnam Timber 

and Forest Product Association (VTFPA) 

said that this year may be a bumpy one 

for the wood processing industry as the 

fast-spreading virus outbreak have been 

impacting trade between Vietnam and 

China, as well as Vietnam’s exports to 

other countries. 

The wood product industry is affected 

since certain materials are supplied from 

China. Lap said in terms of cost prices of 

producing wood products, wood materials 

account for only 35 per cent, while other 

costs come from auxiliary materials such as 

paint products, which are usually made in 

China even if the brands are from the U.S.

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia NEWS | 9 

To Xuan Phuc, an expert from Forest Trends, 

also agreed. “China is an important source of 

auxiliary materials for Vietnam’s wood industry 

with items such as straps, accessories, sliders, 

hinges, paints and chemicals. Businesses also 

need to find alternative sources of supplies, 

especially when the materials imported from 

the previous period are only enough for two to 

three months of production,” Phúc said. 

worth of wood planks last year. 

EXPANDING EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES 

Vu Hai Bang, chairman of Woodsland Joint 

Stock Company, said the epidemic will have 

a major impact on wood companies in the 

early stages but with the dynamic and quick 

solutions, they will overcome difficulties. 

He also called for enterprises to search for 

domestic suppliers. 

“There are opportunities to expand exports 

for the timber industry, mainly to the U.S. 

market, but the risks of trade and investment 

fraud in the timber industry still go hand 

in hand with these opportunities,” Bang 

said. P 

Lap urged local enterprises to seek out 

alternative raw material suppliers in Vietnam 

and other countries as soon as possible. 

MORE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN 

ENTERPRISES NEEDED 

“Domestic enterprises also need to connect 

with each other so that their products can join 

the supply chains of export products. When 

they collaborate to produce products that 

meet the importers’ demand, they can quickly 

join the global supply chain,” he told a seminar 

on prospects for Vietnam’s timber industry in 

2020 in Hanoi. 

However, Lap stated that as of now, the links 

in the value chain of the timber industry – 

whether vertically or horizontally – are very 

limited. The newly-formed links are small in 

scale and mainly limited to links between the 

forestry plantation households and some wood 

processing companies such as Scancia Pacific, 

Woodsland and Nam Dịnh Forest Products Joint 

Stock Company. 

Foreign direct investment (FDI) still plays an 

important role in exports with half of Vietnam’s 

wood export value coming from this sector. 

The links between the FDI sector and domestic 

companies are almost non-existent, Lap said. 

SLOWDOWN IN CHINESE DEMAND OF 

WOOD MATERIALS 

The coronavirus has also slowed down China’s 

demand for wood materials. Phuc said COVID-19 

has driven down demand from Chinese paper 

and pulp companies. At the same time, halts of 

some ports in China and stringent inspection 

of loading goods activities by ships have also 

hampered Vietnam’s exports to this country. 

Wood chips are Vietnam’s main export products 

to China with a turnover of more than US$972 

million in 2019, or 79.2 per cent of total 

export turnover of wood and timber products. 

Meanwhile, Vietnam imported $400 million

10 | NEWS 


EUROPE BEATS CANADA TO BE CHINA’S SECOND 

LARGEST SOFTWOOD LUMBER SUPPLIER 

WOODSTAT, a market analyst 

company, reports that China imported 

approximately 1.88 million m³ of 

softwood lumber in December 2019 (-5 

per cent compared to 2018), according 

to figures from the Chinese Customs. 

China's import totalled 27.1 million m³ 

during 2019 (+11 per cent compared 

to 2018). Since China began importing 

softwood lumber in smaller volumes 

10 years ago, Russia and Canada have 

completely dominated as suppliers. 

Limited volumes have been imported 

from the U.S., Europe, Chile and New 

Zealand. 

China imported approximately 3.39 

million m³ of softwood lumber from 

Russia during 4Q 2019 (-9 per cent 

compared to 4Q 2018), 1.14 million 

m³ from main European countries (+90 

per cent) and 761,000 m³ from Canada 

(-33 per cent). 

The rapid increase in import from Europe 

is directly reflected in the increase in 

Europe's market share. The market share 

for Europe reached in 4Q 2019 a new 

record high at 20 per cent, doubled from 

10 per cent in 4Q 2018. The Russian 

market share in the Chinese market sees 

a slight drop, reaching 58 per cent in 

4Q 2019 (4Q 2018: 63 per cent). The 

market share for Canada decreased 

during the same period from 19 per cent to 

13 per cent. P 

INDIAN STATE OF GUJARAT TO BUILD MORE 

PARTICLEBOARD PLANTS IN 2020 

DUE to a perceived increase in availability 

of raw wood materials from local 

sawmills, the Indian state of Gujarat is 

expected to build more particleboard 

plants this year. Gujarat is a pioneer in 

particleboard manufacturing and holds 

major market share in the country, 

reported Ply Reporter. 

There are currently more than two 

dozen lines producing particleboard at 

a production capacity of more than 

3500 m 3 per day in the region. Most of 

the plants have machinery that produces 

4 feet sized boards, with several 

producing six feet boards. 

There is news of two upcoming 

particleboard plants in Morbi and Rajkot, 

which will begin production in the next 

few months. 

However, raw materials may yet be 

sufficient to bolster the increasing 

number of sawmills, as thought to be. 

Gandhidham, India’s biggest saw mill 

cluster, has around 3000 sawmills 

producing sawn timber waste and is an 

important source of raw materials for 

local particleboard manufacturers. Most 

of these sawmills process pinewood 

where sizing and kerf waste are sold to 

the manufacturers. Additionally, sawmills 

in the Saurashtra region have begun to 

receive a stable quantity of local Neelgiri 

wood. However, the increase in supply 

of raw material may not be able to 

catch up with the surging demand from 

particleboard manufacturers. 

Particleboard manufacturers are also 

facing more challenges with the fastgrowing 

supply of particleboards which 

may not be absorbed as quickly by 

the local market, resulting in falling 

particleboard prices in the past two 

years. 

Mr. Kanti Patel, Director of Realtouch 

Particle Board said that the units located 

in Morbi and Saurasthtra area are 

procuring adequate quantity of local 

timber but it is not consistent throughout 

the year. “We can hardly find sufficient 

timber for running plants on 100 per cent 

capacity with present installed capacity 

mainly because of raw material issues. It 

is anticipated that, if local wood supply 

improves, a few more plants may spring 

up in this area although there is already 

a price war among existing ones. The 

prices of finished particleboards have 

bottomed in the last two years and if more 

plants open, prices would begin to go into 

minus,” he added. 

As surveyed by Ply Reporter, the 

Gujarat-based particleboard plants are 

utilising, on average, 60 percent of their 

capacity lately. These plants mainly 

depend on Gujarat, Maharashtra, North 

India, Central and Eastern markets 

that sell through retail counters. With 

around 25 plants in this region alone, 

it can be considered as a large hub for 

particleboard manufacturing in India. P


TIMBETER CLOSES $1 MILLION SEED ROUND TO FUEL 

EXPANSION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA 

ESTONIAN COMPANY TIMBETER, whose 

solutions help the forestry sector 

adopt digital technology to optimise 

transparency and efficiency in forestry 

management, has raised $1 million in 

its seed round. The seed round was led 

by TMT Investments, a venture investing 

company listed on the London Stock 

Exchange. 

The Tallinn-based company developed a 

smartphone application that measures 

timber quickly and accurately, which is 

now a full-fledged logistics and reporting 

platform. This helps companies to 

speed up forestry operations, increase 

employee safety and save resources. 

Timbeter makes processes more 

transparent, enables better control 

and data-driven planning of logistics 

and production, thus contributing to 

sustainable forest management. 

Timbeter has also built the world’s 

largest database of photometric 

measurements of roundwood, allowing 

for live online tracking of timber assets 

down to individual shipments and piles 

throughout the forestry value chain. 

Anna-Greta Tsahkna, CEO of Timbeter, 

explained that the new financing round 

will help Timbeter expand its sales 

activities in the target markets, and 

also to develop the bridge between 

companies and governmental 

organisations, by reducing the sectors 

administrative burden in insurance, tax 

and regulatory reporting. “By facilitating 

smooth digital data exchange between 

the government and companies, it is 

easier to ensure sustainable forest 

management and fight illegal logging,” 

the CEO of Timbeter said. 

Timbeter is a global industrial timber 

measurement, logistics and reporting 

platform. P

12 | NEWS 


DIEFFENBACHER INVESTS IN INTERNET START-UP APPBYYOU 

DIEFFENBACHER has purchased a 

financial stake in APPbyYOU GmbH, 

the company that developed the 

MyMessenger ticket and messaging app, a 

key component of the MyDIEFFENBACHER 

digital service platform. DIEFFENBACHER 

introduced the MyMessenger app at last 

year’s Ligna in Hannover. 

In mid-2018, DIEFFENBACHER met 

APPbyYOU while searching for a partner 

to develop an innovative ticket system. 

DIEFFENBACHER wanted a single tool 

that combined the core functions of a 

ticket system with complete supporting 

communications. APPbyYOU won over 

DIEFFENBACHER with its innovative 

approach, flexible and agile team and app 

building blocks. 

The result of the cooperation is 

DIEFFENBACHER’s MyMessenger, the 

perfect combination of ticket system and 

messaging application for smartphones, 

tablets and desktops. Service cases can 

be quickly processed and documented, 

with users communicating with each other 

in the same app. Pictures, videos and 

documents can be exchanged to facilitate 

documentation and understanding. 

Another advantage: Users write in their 

native language; the app takes care of 

the translation. 

The proof of concept for MyMessenger 

was completed at the beginning of 2019. 

A DIEFFENBACHER customer tested 

the new app and contributed to its 

development. Customer feedback to the 

app’s introduction at the Ligna in May was 

consistently positive. “By the end of the 

year, MyMessenger was already in daily 

use by eight customers in wood-based 

panel and composites plants, and interest 

is still growing," said Peter Martin, who 

leads DIEFFENBACHER Customer Service 

globally. 

APPbyYOU specialises in intelligent 

digitalisation solutions for medium-sized 

businesses. Thomas Teufel and Willi 

Pasternak founded the company in May 

2012 in Balgheim, Baden-Württemberg, 

Germany. The mission of the company, 

which now has 12 employees, is to 

provide companies with a customisable 

messenger they can run in their own 

cloud. With the acquisition of shares, 

DIEFFENBACHER deepens its partnership 

with APPbyYOU. The two companies are 

currently developing additional smart 

solutions for the digital factory. P 

DIEFFENBACHER OPENS SPARE PARTS WAREHOUSE IN BANGKOK 

DIEFFENBACHER has strengthened its 

ability to serve customers in Thailand 

with the opening of a new spare 

parts warehouse near Suvarnabhumi 

International Airport in Bangkok. The 

warehouse will help satisfy increased 

demand resulting from five new 

DIEFFENBACHER plants commissioned in 

Thailand since March 2017. An additional 

plant is scheduled to start up this year. 

The new warehouse is supervised by 

DIEFFENBACHER personnel at the 

company’s site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

At the Bangkok warehouse, two Thaispeaking 

service technicians support 

clear communication 

with customers and 

fast response times. 

Another advantage 

of the new location: 

Framework agreements 

for customer-specific 

storage and other 

services are now 

possible. Furthermore, 

parts can be invoiced in 

Baht, the Thai currency. 

With the new spare 

parts warehouse, 

DIEFFENBACHER also offers express 

delivery service in Thailand. To minimise 

customer downtime, a selection of 

failure-critical and common spare parts 

is always available. If ordered before 

10 a.m., these “express” parts are 

shipped the same day. This provides 

Thai customers with the best possible 

support. 

Additional services at the new site in 

Bangkok include individual spare parts 

packages, issuing of all necessary export 

and import documents, and inventory 

management services such as on-site 

inspection of spare parts inventory, 

status and outflow checks and advice 

on optimal stocking. Plant inspections 

and process optimisation complete the 

service offer. P


JIANGSU BAOLONG SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLS FIRST 

OSB DEBARKING LINE IN THAILAND 

JIANGSU BAOLONG has installed a 

debarking and material preparation 

line for OSB production for Thailandbased 

VANACHAI Group. Installation 

and testing were completed in January 

this year. 

VANACHAI Group is one of Asia’s 

leading producers of particleboard and 

medium-density fibreboard. It is now 

building Thailand’s first continuous OSB 

production line, with Jiangsu Baolong 

involved in the custom-design and 

production of the debarking line. The 

star feature of this line is the Roller 

Debarker machine that is 21-metre long 

with a diameter of four metres as well as 

the automated feeder installed between 

debarker and the flaker machine. P 

CHINA TO REMOVE TARIFFS ON U.S. HARDWOODS 

BASED on reports from the Agricultural 

Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing 

as well as the Chinese Ministry of Finance, 

the Chinese government is removing 

U.S. hardwood lumber import tariffs 

starting on 28 February 2020 for one 

year, NHLA announced in its newsletter 

to its member. 

A product list that was released by 

China’s State Council Tariff Commission 

confirmed that several U.S. hardwood 

product HS codes are on this list, such 

as oak lumber and logs, cherry and ash 

lumber, and “other” hardwood lumber 

and logs 

Chinese companies will be able to “apply 

for refunds of collected duties within six 

months from Feb 21.” P

14 | NEWS 


DOUBLEHELIX, BLUENUMBER AND SOURCEMAP LAUNCH 

TIMBER TRACEABILITY PLATFORM 

COMBINING traceability, verification, 

and visualisation, the timber traceability 

platform being introduced by DoubleHelix 

in partnership with Sourcemap and 

Bluenumber makes critical supply 

chain information available to different 

stakeholders: 

• Compliance and procurement officers 

can organise huge volumes of supply 

chain data and due diligence evidence. 

• Company leaders can quickly understand 

supply chain risk. 

• ESG investors or regulatory authorities 

can evaluate sustainability metrics. 

• Consumers can explore where their wood 

products come from. 

DoubleHelix, Bluenumber and Sourcemap 

have a common objective to help leaders in 

the industry be confident in the products 

they bring to market. This is achieved 

through better visibility, understanding, 

and control of their supply chain practices. 

The new Timber Traceability Platform 

enables a full suite of services including 

traceability, verification, and presentation 

in a stunning database visualisation. 

DoubleHelix provides supply chain 

discovery, risk assessment, mitigation, 

and verification services to buyers of 

wood products. On-the-ground experts 

check supply chain practices, supported 

by a suite of scientific tools such as DNA 

and isotope testing to independently 

verify data. Bluenumber brings technical 

expertise to digitise, analyse and ensure 

confidentiality of supply chain data 

through blockchain, machine learning, and 

other emerging technologies. Sourcemap 

provides the platform to present, visualise 

and communicate complex supply chain 

data in a simple, accessible and attractive 

format. 

Darren Thomas, Chief Executive Officer 

of DoubleHelix shares, “This partnership 

helps our customers to not only manage 

and analyse huge amounts of supply chain 

data but also respond to growing calls 

from consumers, investors and regulators 

to demonstrate better knowledge and 

control of their global supply chains. It 

provides our customers with access to the 

latest technologies, safe in the knowledge 

that they are tailored to the needs of the 

industry. We hope that, as more and more 

people start to appreciate where their 

wood products come from, we kick-start a 

virtuous cycle that drives up the demand 

for responsibly sourced wood products, 

and increases the value of the forests that 

produce them.” P


WOOD TECHNOLOGY CO. (WOTECH) ORDERS MDF PLANT THAT USES 

RICE STRAW AS RAW MATERIAL FROM SIEMPELKAMP 

IN December 2019, Wood Technology 

Co. (WOTECH) from Egypt achieved a 

“green” milestone with Siempelkamp. 

Representatives from both companies 

signed the contract for a MDF plant with 

an annual production capacity of 205,000 

m³ that will process rice straw as the raw 

material. 

With this plant, WOTECH seeks to achieve 

environmental protection and resource 

efficiency with the value-added use 

of rice straw that would otherwise be 

burnt as a waste product. The concept 

is also attractive for countries such 

as Egypt, which do not have sufficient 

wood resources for industrial use. 

WOTECH is the second customer after 

CalAg, LLC, California, to work with 

Siempelkamp on a MDF plant that uses 

rice straw. 

In the area of production - e.g. spreading 

machines, forming and press line - the 

production process is comparable to 

that of MDF production. The straw 

preparation, however, requires specific 

adjustments which Siempelkamp 

has developed and reached market 

maturity. "Among other things, the 

preparation, handling and processing 

of the rice straw were newly developed 

in the production process," explained 

Jochen Dauter, Sales Director 

Siempelkamp. 

Contract signing in December 2019 in Cairo. Chem. Azza 

Aabd Alaty Serry, Chairman of WOTECH (centre), Jürgen 

Philipps, Managing Director of Siempelkamp Maschinen- und 

Anlagenbau GmbH (left) and Jochen Dauter, Sales Director 

Siempelkampa 

The contract value of the new project marks the thirdlargest 

single order ever placed with Siempelkamp. 

WOTECH, which was founded by companies from 

the Egyptian oil and gas industry, is also part of the 

country's Ministry of Petroleum and had received 

positive feedback from the country. P

16 | NEWS 


MICHAEL BUCKLEY SELECTED AS “THE GUY IN THE 

GLASS” FOR 2019 BY HARDWOOD MARKET REPORT 

MICHAEL BUCKLEY, a well-respected 

and accomplished figure in the global 

woodworking industry, has been selected 

to be The Guy in the Glass for 2019 in 

recognition of his achievements and 

contributions to the American hardwood 

industry. Buckley, who is from the UK, is 

the first non-North American to receive 

this title. 

Launched by Hardwood Market Report 

(HMR)’s owner Abe Lemsky in 1960, 

The Guy in the Glass is the equivalent 

of a “Who’s Who” of people in the 

hardwood industry distinguished by 

their personal character, commitment 

and achievements. According to HMR, 

its office hallway is lined with framed 

pictures of the honourees. Buckley is the 

60 th recipient. 

On selecting Buckley, Judd Johnson, 

managing editor of HMR said, “Michael 

deserves gratitude from anyone who 

derives their livelihood from U.S. 

hardwoods. We all are beneficiaries of his 

efforts that helped build U.S. hardwood 

export markets from a small percent of 

total grade lumber markets (16 per cent 

in 1999) to more than half of all grade 

lumber markets (2017).” 

Buckley is a renowned expert on 

the uses and market applications of 

hardwood species and products. Working 

internationally, he is an authority in 

the areas of hardwood market analysis 

and promotion, sustained yield forest 

management of hardwood industries 

in Europe, Asia and the USA, as well as 

tropical forest products. 

Michael Buckley, the first non-American recipient of “The Guy in the Glass” 

A GREAT LOVE FOR HARDWOOD 

AND THE HARDWOOD INDUSTRY 

His long list of accomplishments includes 

being the former European Director 

of the American Hardwood Export 

Council (AHEC) for 12 years. He has 

taken on major projects on behalf of 

national governments as his international 

consultancy assignments, as well as 

being accredited as an adviser to the 

Timber Committee of the UN/ECE in 

Geneva and was a member of the UN/ECE 

Team of Specialists on Forest Products 

Markets and Marketing for many years. 

In recent years, Buckley took a keen 

interest in designing with timber, working 

with leading furniture designers and 

many architects. In 2003, on behalf 

of sponsors, he launched the annual 

Wood Awards, now the leading UK 

award scheme for wood in architecture 

and furniture. He was Chairman of the 

Judging Panel of the Wood Awards 

and was also involved with several 

national furniture design schemes around 

the world, particularly in Southeast 

Asia. He worked on the International 

Furniture Design Advisory Committee 

of the Singapore Furniture Industries 

Council (SFIC) and was an advisor to its 

Environmental Committee. 

On receiving this title, Buckley expressed 

his appreciation and his continuing 

intention to promote wood as the only 

sustainable and low carbon impact 

material available to man. “We have 

come a long way in understanding the 

importance of wood from natural forests 

and plantations,” he says “but there is 

still the job of passing this understanding 

to professionals and consumers. I have 

played a small role in this over the 

last 52 years, while enjoying meeting 

the hundreds of people that I have 

cooperated with internationally who work 

in wood.” P


Trust America’s Hardwoods Company. 

KEEP PIONEERING 

northwesthardwoods.com 

Trust the on-grade quality of Northwest Hardwoods, America’s largest and only 

coast-to-coast hardwood lumber producer. Our inspection and grading ensures that 

our lumber quality and appearance are both exceptional and consistent. That’s why 

our customers rank us above other brands – we always live up to our responsibility.

18 | MARKET REPORT 


PHASE 1 

OF THE CHINA-U.S. 

TRADE AGREEMENT 

By: Judd Johnson Managing Editor, Hardwood Market Report 

A Necessary First Step but More Work Lies Ahead for Hardwoods 

There are those who blame the 

trade war for all of the problems 

facing U.S. hardwood lumber 

business with China. Whether or not 

they actually believe the trade war is the 

only problem is another issue. If so, they 

are compelled to believe Phase 1 of the 

China-U.S. trade agreement will resolve 

the situation. 

After all, the reduced sales prices for 

U.S. hardwood lumber have more than 

compensated for the tariff amounts, 

so the monetary concerns about tariffs 

should not be a factor to Chinese buyers. 

And now that the two governments have 

formally agreed to move forward with 

this new accord, the pathway is open 

for a more normal, consistent market 

climate for U.S. and Chinese hardwood 

trading partners. Looking at market 

circumstances from this perspective, 

there is nothing holding business back. 

Except there is. 

There is no argument that Phase 1 of a 

China-U.S. trade agreement is paramount 

for market stability. Among highlights of 

the agreement, the U.S. will relax some 

of the tariffs on imported Chinese goods, 

and China will increase purchases of 

U.S. goods and services within the 

next two years by US$200B over 2017 

levels. 

U.S. hardwoods are included in the 

list of goods negotiated by Beijing and 

Washington. The trouble is, Phase 1 

did not remove Chinese tariffs that 

are suppressing sales prices of U.S. 

hardwoods entering China. There 

continues to be financial stress on U.S. 

suppliers. 

Apart from the tariffs and trade 

agreement, there are other challenges 

that must be worked through before U.S. 

hardwood business in China begins to 

rebound and strengthen. Most important 

is the economy. Just as in every other 

market, China’s economic vibrancy is 

necessary to stimulate consumer activity. 

Second to the economy is competition. 

U.S. hardwood companies compete 

among themselves for sales into China 

and elsewhere in the world, just as they 

compete against hardwood sources 

located in other countries. This is the kind 

of competition every company in every 

type of business should expect. 

Fashion is another form of competition 

among high-valued appearance woods. 

Painted surfaces are currently popular 

with consumers for many interior

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia MARKET REPORT | 19 

fittings and furnishings traditionally 

manufactured with hardwoods. This is 

why the cabinet industry has increased 

use of American Tulipwood in place of 

Red Oak and Hard Maple, for example. 

It is also why American Tulipwood, 

Red Oak, Hard Maple, and all other 

species from all other sources are 

at risk of losing market share 

to engineered wood products, 

such as plywood and MDF. 

Once painted, the appearance 

characteristics of hardwood 

species are not important to 

the overall appearance of the 

manufactured product. 

goods to customers by chasing after the 

lowest possible price. It has abandoned 

the concept of selling value. 

Importantly, this is not just a China 

wood products market problem or a 

U.S. wood products market problem. 

Your challenge as a hardwood producer, 

distributor, or manufacturer of hardwood 

goods is that value is exactly what you 

have to sell. Consumers need to know 

the environmental, economic, and social 

benefits of U.S. hardwoods outperform 

those from every other material. They 

need to be reminded that value endures, 

while the memory of an inferior product 

lasts far longer than the memory of its 

low price. P 

Then there is competition 

from non-wood materials. 

Some of these materials used 

in manufacturing consumer 

products have displaced wood. 

Many are painted or colored and 

have no resemblance to wood 

whatsoever. 

Yet, there is strong consumer 

interest in products that look like 

wood but are made from other 

types of materials. Ceramic and 

porcelain tile has taken market 

share from wood, especially 

in the floor covering segment. 

Luxury vinyl tile (LVT, which is 

manufactured from poly vinyl 

chloride, or PVC) has elevated 

competition against wood to an 

even higher level. The LVT product 

group touts its “waterproof” 

attributes with the look of wood 

to consumers, but it sells the 

construction trade on its cheap 

prices. 

Alternative materials put the 

marketplace for solid wood at 

risk – regardless if it is U.S. 

hardwoods or wood from other 

sources. The world is selling

20 | MARKET REPORT 


A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE GLOBAL 

WOODWORKING MACHINERY INDUSTRY 

In the past two years, the global woodworking machinery industry has been slowing down gradually since 

hitting a peak several years ago. Though China’s economy has been softening, with the sudden onslaught 

of the corona virus serving as a double whammy, its influence on the global industry is still formidable. 

Dario Corbetta, Director of Acimall, 

shared trade figures as well as his 

views on the performance of the 

global woodworking machinery market 

in 2019 at the Xylexpo international 

press conference held on 18 th February 

in Milan, Italy. 

In 2018, Germany continues to be the 

top producer of woodworking machinery 

in Europe, or 49.2 per cent of total 

production value in Europe. Italy came 

in second at 37.0 per cent. Both are the 

current leaders in Europe (Table 1). 

CHINA’S INFLUENCE ON THE 

GLOBAL MARKET 

Corbetta also highlighted the 

performance of the Chinese market in 

2018 and the first 10 months of 2019. 

“The topic that is currently impacting 

global economy comes from China, 

and all business activities, including 

manufacturer behind Germany and Italy,” 

said Corbetta. 

Even as China’s economy softened and 

its import of woodworking machinery 

saw quite a drastic decline in the first 

10 months of 2019, Corbetta remarked 

that China’s market growth is still “not 

Table 1: Woodworking technology - European production in 2018 

ITALY’S PERFORMANCE IN THE 

WOODWORKING MACHINERY 

INDUSTRY 

Looking specifically at the wood 

technology industry, Corbetta stressed 

that the core businesses of Italian 

industry are the secondary processing 

of panels and finishing technology. 

“Our skills in transforming resources 

we do not own is the best expression of 

the ingenuity of Italian entrepreneurs, 

together with taste and surface quality: 

it’s not mere chance that we are the 

country of beauty, quality, style and 

design, envied by the entire world for our 

leadership in these domains.” 

Source: Eumabois 

Woodworking machinery exports in 2018 - Top 6 manufacturers (million 

euro) 

The latest figures available for Italy are 

preliminary balance figures for 2019, 

with the Italian woodworking machinery 

industry achieving a production value of 

2.5 billion euro, 6 per cent less than the 

previous year. Export value decreased 

by 3 per cent to achieve a total value of 

1.56 billion euro. 

Also, import value decreased by 13 per 

cent (225 million euro) and the domestic 

market trend is slowing down (690 million 

euro, 13 per cent less than in 2018). 

Source: intracen.org 

exhibitions, are looking with strong 

concern to what is happening in the Far 

East and its potential consequences. 

China plays a leading role in woodworking 

machinery, it’s the world’s third-largest 

so bad” on absolute terms. There is hope 

that China’s production will see a good 

enough bounce back in the third quarter 

of 2020.

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia ENVIRONMENT REPORT | 21 

Woodworking machinery: Chinese export 2018 - top 10 markets 

Woodworking machinery: Chinese import 2018 - top 

manufacturers 


Woodworking machinery: Chinese import 2019 (Jan to Oct) - 

top manufacturers 


As of early March, the coronavirus situation in China has 

improved significantly, with the outbreak coming under control; 

factories and companies are also ready to resume production 

progressively. P 

Source: intracen.org

22 | IN PERSON 

The next step 


for Japan's 

Wood Product 

Export s 

After decades of dependency on its local 

market, Japan’s wood products industry 

is facing a culmination of challenges 

that sees wood products manufacturers 

venturing into the overseas markets. 

By Szeto Hiu Yan 

River side project in Tokyo uses 

S-tech wood for outdoor decking 

THE NEED TO EXPORT 

The Japan Wood-Products Export 

Association was only formed in 2004 

against a backdrop where Japan’s mature 

forests have reached harvesting age but 

timber self-sufficiency rate has fallen 

to 18 per cent due to the availability of 

cheaper imported wood. “On the other 

hand, the beneficial role of forests and 

wood in mitigating global warming has 

come to the forefront worldwide. Efforts 

to use Japanese forests in circulation 

was kickstarted once again, partly with 

the intention of contributing to exports. 

That was how the Japan Wood-Products 

Export Association came about, in 

cooperation with the industry and the 

wood community,” said Inoue Mikihiro, 

Secretary General of Japan Wood- 

Products Export Association. 

The association currently has 

89 wood companies and wood industry 

associations as members, as well as 150 

members from the local governments. 

JAPAN’S WOOD PRODUCT 

EXPORTS IN RECENT YEARS 

Japan’s most highly demanded wood 

product export remains to be logs. 

Faced with a shrinking population and 

contracting domestic demand, its wood 

products industry has turned to the 

overseas market to sustain growth. 

“ While our main exported wood products 

are still logs, we do have many processed 

wood products that are of high quality 

and durability. By exhibiting at trade 

shows, we hope to introduce them to the 

overseas market,” shared Mikihiro. 

In recent years, the main destination for 

Japan’s wood product exports is China, 

where they enjoy a high demand. Other 

export markets include South Korea, 

the Philippines and Taiwan. In 2018, 

the association investigated the export 

potential of Japanese timber products 

to Singapore and found that there is 

potential, but they have to first promote 

Japan’s wood products as few Japanese 

wood product brands are known here. 

This was why the association brought 

along members to promote their products 

at the BEX Asia exhibition last year. 

In Japan, the forestry and timber 

industries are recognised as growth 

industries. The government is already 

working on strengthening the supply 

chain management from logging, 

processing to distribution to end-users. 

CHALLENGES 

While Japan’s forestry and wood products 

industries are seeking to expand, they 

have to first cross several hurdles. 

One challenge is the lack of infrastructure 

to support the forestry industry that is 

seeking to expand. “Our forests grow at 

8 million cubic metres per year, almost 

equal to our demand for wood. However, 

only 30 million m 3 is being utilised. There 

are still limits in reaching the ideal state

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia IN PERSON | 23 

in forest activities due to insufficient 

maintenance of forest roads and the 

lack of forest management resulting in 

forests not being harvested because it 

is not profitable to do so,” said Mikihiro. 

“Cheap wood products from Canada, the 

U.S. and other countries are plentiful 

and available, some areas in Japan find 

it more advantageous to import instead,” 

he added. 

There is also the problem of forest 

ownership. Many forestlands were 

purchased by some Japanese a long 

time ago and passed down to their next 

generations. However, there is no proper 

documentation of the exact locations of 

the lands by both the government and 

the landowners, so nobody knows which 

piece of land belongs to who. This adds 

to the difficulty of managing Japan’s 

forestlands, said Mikihiro. 

Furthermore, the lack of marketing 

of Japanese wood products overseas 

may be the main reason why the many 

innovative Japanese wood products 

are yet ot be known by the overseas 

audience. 

“Japan has been developing wood 

processing technology for a long time and 

we would like to introduce products that 

are durable, antiseptic and anti-termites, 

such as Thermo-wood and S-tech wood. 

I would also like to introduce Japanese 

toys made of Japanese cypress, said to 

be good for health.” 

With the support of the Japanese 

government, the timber self-sufficiency 

rate has returned to 36 per cent, from 18 

per cent in 2002. It now aims to reach 50 

per cent by 2025. In the domestic market, 

the plywood industry is also seeing tree 

species conversion from tropical wood 

like Lauan or Meranti to using domestic 

conifers such as Japanese Cedar. 

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE 

“In addition to promoting domestic use, 

we would like to actively respond to 

overseas demand. For this reason, we 

will distribute information on Japanese 

wood overseas by providing information 

such as export potential surveys, plant 

quarantine related to wood trade, legality 

certification of the wood, exhibiting 

Japanese wood products at exhibitions as 

well as organising seminars to increase 

exports of Japanese timber products, ” 

concluded Mikihiro. 

S-tech's wood panels used in Toyomi Elementary School in Tokyo. Emachu Mokuzai Co., Ltd, producer of S-tech wood, is one of the wood product 

company that Japan Wood-Products Export Association hopes to introduce to the international market through participating in exhibitions



CASE STUDY: NITROGEN HEAT TREATED S-WOOD FROM JAPAN 

When it comes to thermally modified wood, there are several preferred heat treatment transfer 

media such as nitrogen, oil, steam and vacuum as they do not use chemicals in the process. 

S-Tech wood from Japan, manufactured by Emachu Mokuzai Co., Ltd., is probably one of only 

two companies in Japan to produce nitrogen heat treated wood. The two companies partner 

up with each other to share resources and own five plants in Aichi between them. Emachu’s 

annual production capacity is an estimated 2000 cubic metres. 

To execute the S-Tech treatment, wood is 

placed in a pressure-resistant container 

which is filled with nitrogen. The container 

is then heated above 200°C for several 

hours under controlled pressure. 

The treatment decomposes perishable 

components of wood with nitrogen at 

high heat, stabilising the shape of 

the material and reduces its weight, 

drastically improving its durability 

compared to conventional wood. It 

boasts a durability record exceeding 20 

years, even when used in promenades 

with heavy foot-traffic. 

PROPERTIES OF S-TECH 

TREATED WOOD 

Sterilised wood that is anti-termite 

During the drying process, nutrients and 

moisture of wood is reduced to a level as 

low as three to seven per cent, making it 

unattractive to fungi and termites, thus 

imbuing S-Tech wood with anti-termite 

property. No harmful substance is used, 

ensuring the safety of the material. 

Excellent water resistance and stability 

In the process of reducing moisture 

content from the wood material, the 

cellular structure of the wood becomes 

porous. This increases the material’s 

insulation effect and lowers radiation 

heat transfer, making S-Tech wood a 

suitable material for exterior applications 

such as decking, louvers, fences and 

outer walls. 

Modification of the material’s 

hermicellulose structure keeps 

moisture such as dew condensation at 

bay, resulting in less shrinkage and 

warps. The material also has high 

dimensional stability as well as heat 

retention performance on heated 

floors. 

Miura Corporation Head Office in Tokyo

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia IN PERSON | 25



Photo 1: Exterior of Kashiyama-Daikanyama in Tokyo, a 

commercial complex for a clothing company 

Photo 2 & 3: Minato Park Shibaura, the biggest public complex 

facility in Tokyo, uses S-Tech wood for its louvers and walls 

3 

1 

2 

High permeability of oil paints 

Additionally, S-Tech treated wood has 

a permeability of oil paints of about 

1.5 to two times that of ordinary dried 

wood, applied wood-protective paints 

can be sustained for a long time. 

No resins or stains 

The S-Tech treatment removes resins, 

ensuring that there will be no resins residue 

on the wood after construction, nor will 

brown water leach out after rain soak. 

While the colour of S-Tech treated wood 

will gradually change over time due 

to exposure to sunlight and water, the 

colour change is generally acceptable 

to the Japanese. 

the treatment can be used for any kind 

of wood. 

interested parties to test the wood in 

Singapore’s climate. 

“Japanese people see the gradual colour 

change in wood as a natural part of life, 

they see beauty in it and can appreciate 

such colour tones,” said Shinji Maeno, 

general manager of Emachu’s Eco-Life 

Department. 

S-Tech treatment can be used for any 

wood 

At Emachu, the S-Tech treatment is used 

on Japanese cedar, Japanese cypress 

and white ash from North America, but 

S-Tech wood is mostly sold and used in 

domestic projects but S-Tech wood has 

successfully been used in two recent 

projects in Taiwan, said Maeno. By 

introducing S-Tech wood to Singapore 

and regional visitors at BEX Asia, Maeno 

is hoping to venture into the Southeast 

Asian market. 

As for S-Tech wood’s performance in 

humid weather, Maeno is still uncertain 

but he has already roped in the help of 

“There were a few visitors who took 

samples back to test and see what the 

weather here will do to S-Tech wood, so 

we still can’t say for sure. My objective of 

participating in this show as an exhibitor 

is to give S-Tech wood some exposure as 

well as to see how people respond to it,” 

said Maeno. P 

All images are credited to Emach Mokuzai.

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia IN PERSON | 27 

BIFA WOOD 

VIETNAM 2020 

www.bifawoodvietnam.com 

27-30 October 2020 

Venue: 

Binh Duong Convention & 

Exhibition Centre (open ground) 

Duong Hung Vuong, Phu Hoa ward, 

Thu Dau Mot city, Binh Duong province, 

Vietnam 

Google Map 

QR code 

Exhibition Site 

WOOD & 

WOODWORKING 

MACHINERY 

EXHIBITION 

Enquiries For International Exhibitors 

Pablo Publishing Pte Ltd 

3 Ang Mo Kio Street 62 #01-23 Link@AMK 

Singapore 569139 

Tel: (65) 6266 5512 

Email: williampang@pabloasia.com 

info@pabloasia.com 

Enquiries For Vietnamese Exhibitors: 

BIFA JSC.CO Floor 11, Becamex Tower, 230 Binh Duong 

Boulevard, Phu Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong, 

Viet Nam. 

Tel : (84) 965 064 993 

Email: phuong.dl@bifajsc.com 

WeChat 

Jointly organised by 

BINH DUONG FURNITURE ASSOCIATION (BIFA) 

PANELS & FURNITURE Group 

BINH DUONG FURNITURE ASSOCIATION

28 | PANELS MANUFACTURING 


TIGHTENING THE GRIP ON 

FORMALDEHYDE EMISSIONS 


With Malaysia preparing to introduce regulations on formaldehyde emission in woodbased 

boards, the measurement and control of this chemical may be of growing interest 

for manufacturers in this region. 

In Malaysia, the government 

has recommended last year for 

formaldehyde emission to be set at 

a limit of ≤ 1.5 mg/L (F**/E1 class) on 

imported and locally produced woodbased 

panels products. 

Even in Southeast Asian countries 

where formaldehyde emission levels 

are not regulated, formaldehyde 

emission standard is something that 

manufacturers are familiar with as many 

export-oriented producers have to 

adhere to the standards set by importing 

countries. 

In Vietnam, for example, its main woodbased 

panel furniture and composite 

materials markets are the U.S. (40 

per cent), the EU (20 per cent), India, 

South Korea and Japan in 2018. Of 

these countries, the U.S., EU and Japan 

have different formaldehyde emission 

standards to be met, and these standards 

are continuously revised over time. 

THE EFFECTS OF FORMALDEHYDE 

EMISSIONS 

As the wood products industry grows 

rapidly in Southeast Asia, the use of 

formaldehyde-based resins continues to 

be extensive in the production of woodbased 

panels such as particleboard, 

medium-density fibreboards, plywood 

and oriented strand board. 

According to a paper released in 2018 

by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation 

and Development (OECD) 

that studied the economic valuation in 

formaldehyde regulation, Asia accounts 

for almost half (48 per cent) of global 

formaldehyde production, followed by 

Europe (23 per cent) and North America 

(17 per cent) in 2013. Asia is also 

the largest consumer (47 per cent) of 

The GA300 Lab Formaldehyde Tester

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia PANELS MANUFACTURING | 29

30 | PANELS MANUFACTURING 


The test chambers 

formaldehyde. This could mean that 

Asian consumers may be at a higher risk 

of being exposed to formaldehyde than in 

countries where formaldehyde emissions 

levels are regulated, such as in the 

U.S., EU, Japan and China. 

Formaldehyde exposure can be harmful to 

human health; not only is it a carcinogen 

but it can impact on female fertility, and 

cause respiratory conditions as well as 

a range of less severe, acute conditions 

such as skin and eye irritations. 

As consumers are also becoming 

more health-conscious, there may be 

increasing demand for wood products 

that are better for health. The need 

for wood-based panel manufacturers 

to better meet formaldehyde emission 

standards may eventually be as inevitable 

as is necessary. 

ACCURATELY MEASURING 

FORMALDEHYDE LEVELS 

IMAL PAL produces the most widely used 

unit for such measurements, specifically 

the GA300, which utilises a rapid and 

accurate method using gas for testing 

formaldehyde level and is accepted by 

CARB from North America. 

The perforator method, known as the 

traditional method, will soon be phased 

out as it requires a highly toxic and very 

expensive chemical component for the 

test. The gas analysis method complies 

with the 717 standard requirements 

and water is used in place of chemical 

components. 

TESTING PROCESS USING THE 

GA300 

The GA300 apparatus for the gas analysis 

test permits a rapid calculation of the 

amount of formaldehyde released by 

wood-based panels. Testing is conducted 

to meet EN ISO 12460-3 standard 

requirements. 

The sample, which has been suitably 

prepared for testing, is placed inside 

an airtight chamber at a controlled 

temperature, pressure and air flow. The 

formaldehyde released by the sample is 

collected in the controlled flow of hot 

air that travels through the chamber. 

The air containing the formaldehyde is 

passed through wash bottles at outfeed 

where the formaldehyde recombines with 

the water. The amount of formaldehyde 

contained in the water is measured using 

the photometric method. The result is 

given in milligrams of formaldehyde per 

square metre of board surface in one 

hour (mg/m 2 h). 

SHORTENING TESTING TIME 

The GA300 gas analyser rapidly provides 

details on the amount of formaldehyde 

released by the boards produced 

to enable timely corrections to the 

production parameters. A full test using 

only one chamber takes approximately 

four hours. For faster results, using a twochamber 

lab tester will yield results in half 

the time, while a four-chamber tester will 

produce results every hour. 

OTHER ADVANTAGES 

• Possibility of controlling two or even 

four test chambers with one device 

• Each chamber is able to control 

temperature and air flow regulation 

independently 

• Test data may be printed and recorded 

after the analysis 

• The gas collection times and temperature 

regulation may be configured should 

any changes be introduced to standard, 

or for experimenting purposes 

• Besides processing the data for each 

analysis, the central processor is able 

to supply the calibration value of the 

spectrophotometer 

• Can be tested on particleboard, oriented 

strand board and medium-density 

fibreboard. P 

All images are credited to IMAL PAL.

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia PANELS MANUFACTURING | 31

32 | FLOORING 


Parklex’s Hy Tek, 

High-scoring Flooring 


From Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain; 

Alliance 1892 - Cognac Museum and Cellar in Russia; Cocoon 

Community Centre in China to Teega Residences in Johor 

Bahru, Malaysia, the usage of Parklex’s interior and exterior 

cladding and flooring panels can be found in many projects 

worldwide. 

Hailed from Spain, Parklex has been providing interior and 

exterior cladding solutions for more than 40 years. With 

EWINS, a Singapore-based company, being its regional 

distributor, Parklex has been present in Asia for a decade. 

WIA speaks to EWINS’ Executive Director, Mark Yong, to 

better understand Parklex’s performance in Asia as well as 

the upcoming flooring trends. 

When it comes to flooring, Parklex’s two ranges of flooring products 

— Hy Tek natural timber-surfaced floors for interiors and Block Tek 

outdoor decking are well-known for their refined appearances, and 

ultra-low maintenance due to their hard-wearing durability and the ease of 

installation. 

Parklex’s Hy Tek flooring has been in use at Frank Gehry’s 

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao since its opening in 1997

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia FLOORING | 33 

HY TEK 

The Hy Tek range is a zero-maintenance 

engineered wood flooring for interiors 

that is designed to withstand high foot 

traffic areas in residential or commercial 

spaces. It is available in more than 

30 different wood species and two types 

of surface finish. 

The natural wood surface of the Hy Tek 

floors is also scratch and stain resistant 

due to the use of proprietary resin-based 

technology, as well as the Bakelite layer 

underneath the natural wood veneer 

ensure protection to the floor. 

Parklex could supply Hy Tek with two 

different anti-slip levels according to 

performance requirements, together 

with the high anti-damp properties of 

the product, allowing Hy Tek floors to be 

installed in areas where there is frequent 

contact with water. 

WET INTERNAL AND DRY 

INTERNAL, AND ACOUSTIC — 

WALL AND CEILING FINISHES 

FOR INTERIORS 

Parklex’s Wet Internal, Dry Internal and 

Acoustic range of finishes are available in 

the same colour selections, but treated 

according to their application. Architects 

and designers are now able to keep the 

same colours and finishes throughout 

the interior. 

Hy Tek floor in Country Oak Bamboo Woodskin Matt 188/290/107 mm bevelled 

Wet Internal is a natural wood cladding 

that is highly resistant to moisture due to 

a layer of moisture-resistant overlay on 

the natural timber sheets on both sides. 

It is suitable for bathrooms, gyms, saunas, 

swimming pools and porches. 

Due to its hardness, Dry Internal is 

the ideal natural wood cladding for 

interior walls and ceilings in high traffic 

areas. Dry Internal reports the best 

possible results for organic materials in 

accordance with European regulation 

EN 13.501 for reaction to fire. 

Acoustic is an acoustic panel solution. It 

can be applied to interior walls and ceilings 

that require a specific level of sound 

absorption, such as conference rooms, 

auditoriums, classrooms and theatres. 

The main halls of the Guggenheim Museum 

in Bilbao have been fitted with Hy Tek since 

its opening in 1997. 

BLOCK TEK 

Block Tek is a high-density composite 

floor for exteriors. It is strong, hardwearing 

and highly resistant to 

atmospheric changes in moisture and 

temperature. 

Block Tek is also slip resistant and has a 

rating of Class 3, which is the highest slip 

resistance rating according to the UNE- 

ENV 12633 standard. 

Block Tek flooring was recently installed 

at the Manila Polo Club in Manila, 

the Philippines, and is also used in 

One Altitude in Singapore. 

PARKLEX IN ASIA 

Asia has been one of Parklex’s fastest 

growing regions, with China, the Philippines 

and Singapore doing particularly well, 

said Yong. Given the strong performance, 

EWINS is now starting to market 

Parklex in Japan. 

“Parklex’s natural timber façade panels 

are currently the most popular product 

amongst its range, but Block Tek and 

Hy Tek are fast gaining importance,” Yong 

shared.

34 | FLOORING 


Hy Tek / Wood: Country Oak Woodskin 

A REVIEW OF 2019 FLOOR 

TRENDS 

Yong observed three main flooring trends 

in Asia last year: 

Natural surface materials are now 

preferred 

“Natural surface materials are now 

preferred over synthetic and repetitive 

materials for both residential and 

commercial projects, wherever possible. 

With advances in material science, 

some natural materials that were not 

recommended for application in high 

humidity or high UV-exposure areas can 

now be used.” 

panels, the natural beauty of the wood’s 

grains and tones can truly be appreciated.” 

YONG PREDICTS UPCOMING 

FLOORING TRENDS IN 2020: 

Lighter wood continues to be the 

favoured choice 

“We see that lighter wood tones are 

gaining in popularity and this will continue. 

Darker woods were favoured in the past 

but we are starting to see a shift towards 

lighter toned woods, such as maple, ash, 

and oaks.” 

Herringbone OUT, Clean lines IN 

“The herringbone layout pattern seemed 

to be trending two or three years back, but 

this trend seems to be abating as quickly 

as it came, perhaps because cleaner lines 

are favoured now.” 

ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING 

VS SOLID WOOD FLOORING 

While engineered wood flooring are 

sometimes seen as inferior to solid 

hardwood flooring in terms of the look 

and feel, Yong emphasised that Parklex’s 

flooring panels are premium engineered 

flooring with surfaces made of natural 

timber. It also offers advantages that 

hardwood flooring cannot offer. 

“The ‘engineering’ allows the floor to be 

used in difficult indoor conditions with a 

high risk of wear and tear, but without any 

compromise on the natural appearance 

of timber. This means that throughout 

the lifespan of a well-engineered wood 

flooring product, there can be little to no 

maintenance required. 

This is especially important for commercial 

or hospitality projects where down-time 

for replacement or repairs can prove to 

be very costly. All of Parklex’s products 

are engineered to be of zero to extremely 

low maintenance,” explained Yong. | WIA 

All images are credited to Parklex. 

Lighter wood for indoor flooring 

“We are starting to see a shift in preferences 

for use of lighter woods for indoor flooring 

for residential projects; to bring interiors 

a lighter, airier, and more spacious feel, 

without compromising on warmth." 

Wider flooring panels 

“Architects and interior designers are 

frequently hampered by the limited widths 

of flooring materials available on the 

market. Many floor panels do not go beyond 

widths of 150 or 200mm. They are excited 

when wider flooring panels are available, 

and they are also able to mix flooring strip 

widths in the same project. With wider 

It is even possible to combine boards of different widths

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia FLOORING | 35

36 | MATERIALS 


ALL ABOARD LORIENT 

TRAIN STATION 

After two years of construction, 

the face of the new Lorient Train 

Station, or also known as Gare de 

Lorient, in Brittany, France, was 

revealed. Opened in May last year, 

the station’s airy, open form draws 

inspiration from the hull of a boat. 

DOUGLAS FIR ARRIVES AT 

LORIENT STATION 

At 115 metres long, Lorient Train Station is 

a showcase for Douglas fir glue-laminated 

timber. Designed by AREP, the multi-sector 

subsidiary of SNCF Gares et Connexions, 

the project is located strategically in the 

heart of Lorient. 

The old station, built in 1960, had its 

back to its surroundings, but the newly 

design train station has a welcoming 

structure to Brittany's third largest city. 

After a passageway was installed over 

the tracks in September 2016, a decision 

was made to create a new “passenger 

space”, protected by an immense wooden 

hall — a long, rounded shape inspired by 

a boat hull, which is a nod to the area's 

maritime history. 

EXTRAORDINARY GLULAM 

STRUCTURES 

The idea for the station's structure was an 

original one: huge arches made of Douglas 

fir glue-laminated timber. Three rounds 

of gluing and lamination were needed to 

build these unique elements so as to reach 

their above-average thickness (more than 

60cm). The posts and cross-pieces were 

then joined together, giving an impression 

Three rounds of gluing and lamination were needed to build these unique elements in order 

to reach their above-average thickness (more than 60cm) 

of waves when seen together in a row. The 

arches continued on the exterior, losing a 

post on a side to showcase a boomerangshaped, 

cantilevering 20 metres out to 

provide shelter for the entrance area, and 

to create a large and welcoming space. 

The 57 metres long and seven metres wide 

passageway that crosses the tracks was 

built with a lattice beam system, with struts 

and posts also made of Douglas fir gluelaminated 

timber and diagonals, metal ties. 

The passageway is also made of double 

Vierendeel trusses built using the same 

material. It leads directly to the station's 

main hall, creating an urban connection 

between the city centre and the Kerentrech 

neighbourhood to the north. 

700M 3 OF DOUGLAS FIR USED 

Douglas fir was chosen as the predominant 

material for its environmental qualities, durability, 

and the warm atmosphere that it creates. The 

material produces an elegant and delicate frame, 

which exhibits an impressive yet welcoming 

and reassuring public space that expresses 

hospitality, exchange, and intermodality. 

This project was also an opportunity to create 

a new neighbourhood on the west side of the 

entrance area, which may house up to 100,000m 2 

of new construction: 32,000m 2 of offices, 

28,000m 2 of shops, and 42,000m 2 of housing. P 

All photos are credited to Didier Boy de la Tour 

and France Douglas, AREP.

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia MATERIALS | 37



The entrance of the Gabon Special Economic Zone 

GABON: THE 

LAND FULL OF 

OPPORTUNITIES 

Gabon is a picturesque country with rich natural resources in West Central Africa. A privileged 

geographical location on the edge of the Congo Basin and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the 

west, it shares the Northern Boundary with Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea as well as the Eastern 

and Southern boundary with Republic of Congo. 

On August 17, 1960 Gabon declared 

itself an independent nation 

following centuries of foreign 

intrusion and colonial conflicts. Since 

independence from French rule, Gabon 

has developed a relatively stable political 

and social environment. Fast-forward to 

the present day, and Gabon is emerging 

as something of a regional flagbearer for 

foreign investment. With the continent 

increasingly opening up to international 

enterprise, the Central African nation is 

proving itself as an enticing place to do 

business. This is backed up by figures 

of inward FDI, which show that foreign 

direct investment in 2017 neared $1.5 

billion, up significantly from the $1.24 

billion seen in 2016 and $990 million a 

year earlier. 

With astonishing resources: Oil, 

Manganese (second largest producer 

in the world for high grade), tropical 

forest with more than 400 identified 

species and some major infrastructures, 

Gabon is the new face of the progressive 

and prosperous Africa. With a strategic 

location at the heart of Africa, Gabon 

offers an ideal gateway for entry to a 

regional market of 250 million consumers. 

This is why several multinationals and 

visionary SMEs have been attracted by its 

great assets and have decided to establish 

their business here. 

GABON FOREST … HOME OF 

OKOUMÉ 

Boasting the second highest forestry 

potential in Africa, Gabon's forests cover 

22.8 million hectares, i.e. 88 per cent of 

the country’s land surface. The tropical 

forest offers enormous possibilities 

with a logging potential of 18 million 

hectares with more than 400 species 

including Okoumé, Okan, Padouk, Tali, 

Kevazingo. Until 2010 i.e. before ban on 

export of raw logs, Gabon was the largest 

exporter of raw wood in the region, and 

its sales represent 20 per cent of Africa’s 

raw wood exports. Gabon’s reserves 

of harvestable timber includes 

130 million m 3 of Okoumé, 25-35 million 

m 3 of Ozigo, 20-30 million m 3 of Ilomba, 

15-25 million m 3 of Azobé and 10-20 

million m 3 of Padouk. Other woods are 

Dibetou (Tigerwood or African Walnut), 

Movingui, Kevazingo and Zingana 

(Zebrano or Zebrawood).

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia MATERIALS | 39 

Over the past ten years, Gabon has gone 

through a profound process of reform 

affecting the forest and environment. 

A new forest law has come into force 

that emphasises Sustainable Forest 

Management (SFM) as the overall 

approach in the forestry. Forestry is, and 

will remain, one of the pillars of Gabon's 

economic and social development. The 

private sector has become a major driver 

of industrial forest development and the 

export of forest products. Gabon has 

a low deforestation rate, forests rich 

in valuable timber species and among 

the best prospects for a healthy and 

sustainable forest industry. The timber 

industry is already the largest private 

sector employer, employing 28 per cent 

of the working population, and represents 

an extremely significant growth potential. 

OKOUMÉ … THE PINK GOLD FROM 

GABON 

Commercial forest harvesting in Gabon 

began as early as 1892, but only in 1913 

was Okoumé, Gabon’s most valuable 

wood, introduced to the international 

market. Gabon supplies 90 per cent of the 

world’s Okoumé, known worldwide for the 

production of plywood. 

Aucoumea klaineana (Angouma, Gaboon, 

Gabonese 

Republic is aiming to 

turn Gabon into a world 

leader in certified 

tropical timber 

production through 

an industrial strategy 

aimed at sustainably 

managing timber 

stocks and by promoting 

secondary and tertiary 

processing. 

or Okoumé) is a tree in the family 

Burseraceae, found in equatorial West 

Africa in Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, 

and Rio Muni. 

Okoumé is a medium-sized hardwood 

tree growing to 30-40 m tall with a trunk 

diameter in the range of 1 to 2.5 m. Its 

attractive appearance means that it is 

often used decoratively as the top surface 

veneer in panelling and furniture or, in 

solid form in luxury items such as boxes 

for cigars or other high value items (e.g. 

audio equipment). 

PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL 

PROPERTIES 

Widely recognised as one of the world’s 

best materials for rotary cut veneers, 

Okoumé timber is easy to work with 

and is as suitable for the manufacturing 

of furniture as for interior joinery. 

Moreover, it is a species of a very even 

colour, good bonding performances 

and good compatibility with finished 

products. 

ADVANTAGES OF OKOUMÉ 

• Uniform and single species 

• Uniform colour and density 

• Easy workability – no coarse grains 

• Durable and resistant to dry wood borers 

so does not require any preservative 

treatment against dry wood borer 

attack. 

• Suitable for staining and polishing 

without much variations across the grain 

and so better finish. 

• Reliable and sustainable production with 

assured availability in quality and 

quantity. 

• Sawn timber without much timber 

Okoumé sawn wood



The Gabon Special Economic Zone is one of the largest industrial park in Sub-Saharan Africa 

defects and therefore less wastage in 

end usage. 

GABON SPECIAL ECONOMIC 

ZONE (GSEZ): THE BIGGEST 

WOODWORKING HUB IN AFRICA 

In the last decade, African countries 

have promoted the idea of processing of 

natural resources within their countries 

so as to generate employment and 

give boost to their economy. With the 

same ideology, Gabonese Republic 

also banned exports of raw timber 

in 2010. Subsequently, Gabonese 

Republic has embarked on a journey 

to provide amenable ecosystem and 

infrastructure to facilitate the secondary 

and tertiary processing of timber and 

other natural resources within Gabon. 

Witnessing a favourable investment 

climate, Olam International Limited in 

partnership with the Gabonese Republic 

decided to develop the Special Economic 

Zone in 2010. The Special Economic Zone 

spreads over 1126 ha at Nkok (20 km from 

the capital city of Libreville) and is the 

outcome of a shared vision of Gabonese 

Republic and Olam to effectively master 

the transition toward industrialisation of 

Gabon. It is one of the largest industrial 

park in Sub-Saharan Africa aimed at 

promoting sustainable production and 

processing timber and various other 

resources in the country. 

INCENTIVES TO INVESTORS 

Investors in GSEZ enjoys following fiscal 

incentives on their industrial investments: 

• No Income tax for first 10 years and a 

preferential rate of 10 per cent over the 

next 5 years 

• No Customs Duty on the import of 

equipment and machinery for the 

industry 

• No VAT 

• No Property Tax 

• 100 per cent foreign ownership 

permitted 

• 100 per cent exemption from capital 

gains tax 

• Other relaxations and waivers: 

¤ 50 per cent on Electricity/Power Tariff 

¤ Relaxed Labour laws & flexibility in 

employing expatriates 

A worker at a wood veneer factory in Gabon 

In 2018, Gabon 

became the biggest 

producer of tropical 

veneer in Africa and the 

2nd largest exporter of 

tropical veneer, mainly 

because of veneer 

plants established in 

Gabon SEZ.

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia MATERIALS | 41



¤ Reduced Export Duty for products 

manufactured in SEZ 

¤ 100 per cent repatriation of profits 

¤ Up to 25 per cent DTA sales permitted 

without any tax implications 

SINGLE WINDOW CLEARANCE - A 

DIFFERENTIATOR 

GSEZ facilitates to obtain all necessary 

regulatory and statutory clearances 

required for setting up an industry in the 

SEZ from various government departments 

by way of Single Window Clearance 

Facility; simplifying the process in granting 

speedy approvals to all units. To ensure 

that the investors do not have to run 

from one office to another, all concerned 

22 departments / agencies from which 

approvals are required, are housed in a 

special building within the SEZ. 

GABON SEZ, AS OF TODAY 

SEZ at Nkok currently has 166 customers 

and the expected foreign direct investment 

is more than USD$ 1.7 billion. The 

investors who have invested so far are 

from 17 nationalities; out of which, more 

than 70 are from Asian countries like 

China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and 

UAE. The industries making SEZ their 

base are mainly industries into wood 

transformation (sawmill, veneer and 

plywood), ferro-alloys, construction 

materials, pharmaceutical, food 

processing, telecom equipment, waste 

and metal recycling and warehousing 

etc. To date, 72 companies are already under 

production and another 33 companies 

are in different stages of construction. 

Africa is openingup 

to investments 

and Gabon, one of 

the most politically 

and economically 

stable country in the 

continent, has clearly 

taken the lead in 

attracting investors 

by doling out number 

of fiscal and non-fiscal 

incentives. 

Since year 2016, many veneer 

manufacturing companies established 

their veneer plants in Gabon SEZ and in 

2018, Gabon became the biggest tropical 

veneer producer in Africa and the second 

largest exporter of tropical veneer in the 

world. With a jump of more than 75 per 

cent y-o-y growth, around 292,000 cubic 

metres of veneer was exported from 

Gabon SEZ itself in 2019. Gabon SEZ is 

already a veneer manufacturing hub and 

now plywood manufacturing has also 

started picking up in Gabon SEZ. 

The past year also saw a lot of traction 

for plywood production. Three plywood 

plants with a cumulative production 

capacity of 100,000 cubic metres came 

into production in 2019 and construction 

of another five plywood plants started in 

2019. The plywood export from Gabon 

SEZ itself is expected to cross 150,000 

cubic metres in 2020. 

Gabon Special Economic Zone has 

emerged as the West Central Africa’s 

manufacturing hub and entrepreneurs 

from across the globe are welcome to 

benefit from the business opportunities 

unlocked by Gabon SEZ. P 

For business, investment and trade 

enquiries, please get in touch with team 

of GSEZ at gsez@olamnet.com or at 

+24102001086. 

All images are credited to Gabon Special 

Economic Zone SA. 

Gabon supplies 

90 per cent of the 

world’s Okoumé, 

known in Europe 

and America for the 

production of veneer 

and plywood. Its 

demand is also picking 

up in Asia 

The Single Window Clearance Facility

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS | 43 

Kajstaden, 

the tall 

timber building 

The Tall Timber Building residence 

has become Sweden's tallest solid 

wooden building in the new district 

of Kajstaden at Lake Mälaren in 

Västerås. All parts of the building 

consist of cross-laminated wood, 

which includes the walls, joists 

and balconies as well as the lift and 

stairwell shafts. 

The Kajstaden project 

(Image credit: Nikolaj Jakobsen)

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS | 45 

unnecessary materials in the walls. The 

low weight of the material means fewer 

deliveries to the construction site and a 

more efficient, safer and quieter working 

environment during construction. 

It took an average of three days per floor 

for three craftsmen to raise the frame. 

Mechanical joints with screws have been 

used, which means that the building can 

be taken apart so that the materials can be 

recycled. The total carbon dioxide saving 

is estimated to be 550 tonnes of CO 2 when 

using solid wood instead of concrete. 

RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD 

NEAR THE WATER 

Kajstaden is a central residential 

neighbourhood near the water in the 

Öster Mälarstrand area of Västerås. The 

new neighbourhood is designed as a city 

block and is a natural extension of the 

Västerås city centre. 


44 | STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS 


(Image credit: Nikolaj Jakobsen) 

Kajstaden - Tall Timber Building is an 

important landmark for sustainable 

construction and a reference 

project that shows that conversion 

to climate conscious architecture is 

possible. Through spearheading research 

projects and several active wood projects, 

C.F. Møller Architects has focused on 

innovation as well as developing and 

implementing multi-storey buildings with 

solid wood frames. 

In Kajstaden, the architects prioritised 

industrial timber techniques for the 

building material to influence and take 

responsibility for the impact of the 

construction industry on the environment 

and climate change. A crucial advantage 

of wood, unlike other building materials, 

is that the production chain for the 

material produces a limited amount of 

carbon dioxide emissions. Instead, it is 

part of a closed cycle, where carbon is 

retained in the frame of the building. 

. 

THE BUILDING PROCESS 

The Kajstaden - Tall Timber Building is 

nine floors high with an elevated ground 

floor and a top floor with a double height 

ceiling. The high precision technology 

involved in CNC-milled solid timber with 

glulam elements results in air-tight and 

energy-efficient houses without other 


46 | STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS 


(Image credit: C.F. Moller Architects) 

The neighbourhood has a generous view 

of Lake Mälaren and is located directly 

adjacent to the square and the quayside 

promenade. The concept includes an 

electric boat sharing scheme and a 

special chilled room in the lobby for food 

deliveries from MatHem. 

The housing being constructed is 

comprised of 99 flats with the first stage 

estimated to be completed by the spring 

of 2018. In its entirety, the local plan for 

Öster Mälarstrand contains about 700 

flats with marinas for recreational boats, 

which will be connected and integrated 

with new residential developments. 

The apartment building was inaugurated, 

and tenants moved in during February 

2019. P 

Construction Principle CLT 

1) CLT PANELS 

2) INSULATION 

3) GYPSYM BOARDS 

4) WATER PROOFING 

(Image credit: C.F. Moller Architects) 

5) SEDUM 

6) WOOD PANELS 

7) FLOORING 

Client: Slättö Förvaltning 

Size: 7,500 m² 

Address: Västerås, Sweden 

Year: 2016-2019 

Architect: C.F. Møller Architects 

Landscape: C.F. Møller Architects 

Contractor: Martinsons and Consto 

Engineer: Bjerking 

(Image credit: C.F. Moller Architects)

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia DESIGN | 47 

A touch of 

wood in 

Changi Jewel 

The stylish and functional wooden seats designed by Nathan Yong 

How Singapore’s godfather of furniture design married function and form at Changi’s Jewel 

Around the world, if you ask anyone who knows design to 

name a Singaporean furniture designer, Nathan Yong will 

be first to mind. The multi-award winning creator, whose 

designs have been exhibited around the world and adopted 

by legendary brands including Ligne Roset, not only runs the 

Industrial Design Course at Lasalle College of the Arts but is 

also co-founder of new creative space Grafunkt in Singapore’s 

Funan mall. Therefore, it seems only right that he was invited to 

design the public seating for Singapore’s landmark experiential 

retail destination – Jewel at Changi. 

Since it opened in 2019, the complex designed by Moshe Safdie 

has drawn global attention as a destination in itself for travellers 

passing through Changi airport as much as for the enjoyment 

of Singaporeans looking for a day of entertainment. Premium 

retail and dining combines with an extraordinary indoor garden, 

the highlight of which is a 40-metre high rain vortex. This indoor 

waterfall is a cascade of harvested rainwater that streams 

spectacularly from the glass-domed roof down seven floors. Its 

surrounding is a forest valley of lush trees and palms and above 

this, two walkways. The effect is a fascinating juxtaposition of the 

mental escape provided by nature with the buzz and dynamism 

of a high-end mall. 

Changi Jewel, designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie 

(Image credit: Szeto Hiu Yan)

48 | DESIGN 


INSPIRATIONS FOR DESIGN 

When asked to design for this space, 

Nathan Yong’s take was to provide a 

cool and calm balance to this energetic 

environment. His aim was to create a 

space where visitors could sit, absorb 

and reflect. Drawing on his favourite Flow 

bench, the seating he has designed is 

stripped of superfluous details. Narrow 

strips of American white oak form soft 

curves that are soothing to the eye and 

the shaped white oak seats look invitingly 

comfortable. 

This is where Yong shows his real skill as 

an industrial designer and artist. Seating 

in one of Singapore’s busiest public 

spaces needs to be durable to withstand 

the high amount of usage. American 

white oak is widely used for its strength 

and stability and these timber strips are 

1cm apart and supported by a metal 

frame. Furthermore, the fabulous glass 

dome roof in Jewel created a need for 

an alternative air-conditioning solution. 

Yong’s benches conceal underground 

aircon units. The seating structure can 

be quickly and easily dismantled to allow 

service access and cleaning. LED lights 

illuminate the seating at night when 

visitors are treated to a lightshow in the 

canopy. 

The design, like its creator, is a cool and 

understated exterior hiding an innovative 

and highly intelligent core. 

(All images are credited to AHEC unless 

otherwise stated.)


Toca Madera 

finalists exhibit at 

Madrid Design Festival 2020 

THE EIGHT FINAL PIECES 

OF THE TOCA MADERA 

COMPETITION, ORGANISED BY 

AHEC AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 

ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION 

(AIDI) FOR YOUNG DESIGNERS IN 

SPAIN, ARE NOW ON DISPLAY AT 

THE FERNÁN GÓMEZ CULTURAL 

CENTRE OF THE VILLA (PLAZA DE 

COLÓN, 4) UNTIL 29 TH FEBRUARY, 

AS PART OF MADRID DESIGN 

FESTIVAL 2020. THE DESIGNERS 

WERE CHALLENGED TO CREATE 

“INFINITE OBJECTS”, OBJECTS TO 

STAND THE TEST OF TIME, IN ONE 

SINGLE MATERIAL – AMERICAN 

RED OAK. 

and 29 th February, the eight final pieces 

from the competition are exhibited at 

the Fernán Gómez Cultural Centre of the 

Villa. A committee of renowned national 

and international designers, including 

Izaskun Chinchilla and Sebastian Cox, 

were to choose the three winners at the 

final gala on 15 th February. 

10 young Spanish designers participated 

in the competition and were tasked to 

create long-lasting objects in American 

red oak. "We are creating objects that last 

longer, use less energy, barely generate 

waste and with a carbon footprint that is 

beneficial to the environment," explains 

Carlos Kasner, head of AHEC in Spain. 

Participants include Andrés Mariño, 

Fernando Hernández, Irena 

Ventsislavova, Jaume Molina, María 

Risueño, María Soriano and Sergio 

Rodríguez and the mORR_design 

collective (Celia Martínez, Daniel Romero 

and María Ruíz de Elvira). The importer 

and distributor AE Maderas donated 

the American red oak needed for the 

manufacturing of the eight final designs. 

During December and January, the 

designers had the opportunity to watch 

and partake in the manufacturing of 

their pieces at the La Navarra workshop 

(Torrejón de Ardoz). 

In a global context of awareness about 

climate change, the Toca Madera contest 

in sustainable design is one of the great 

milestones of the third edition of Madrid 

Design Festival. Between 29 th January 

“Tired of today’s throw-away culture, we 

are re-designing products for eternity,” 

says Cecilia Zavala, Coordinator of AIDI. 

The infinite objects aim to inspire and 

claim the value of sustainable design as 

a "social transformer".

50 | DESIGN 


THE ‘TABURETE BARLOVENTO’ 

STOOL, 

by Andrés Mariño 

Object: Stool 

The infinite objects combine durability with sustainability, 

ergonomics and efficiency - they adapt, change and last. The 

‘Taburete Barlovento’ stool (Andrés Mariño) uses a bending 

technique traditionally used for building ships, in order to obtain 

a more efficient, aerodynamic shape – strong, but light. The stool 

also uses the grain of the wood in a way that minimises waste. 

‘Bailarinas’ by Sergio Rodríguez 

Object: Console table 

The console table ‘Bailarinas’ (Sergio Rodríguez) incorporates 

spinning tops that are meant to remind us of things we tend 

to forget, like our keys or wallet. ‘Dew’ (María Soriano), is an 

atomized structure that adapts to any space and any domestic 

use: bedside table, dressing table, coat rack… 

‘DEW’ 

by María Soriano


‘ROJO FUROSHIKI’ 

by María Risueño 

Object: Handbag 

According to geometric laws, the cube is the 

only way that allows for infinite growth. This 

is explored with the handbag ‘Rojo Furoshiki’ 

(María Risueño) made from a structure of 

intertwined wooden cubes, joined by ropes. 

‘CRADLE TO CRADLE’ 

by mORR_design 

Object: Cradle, chairs 

‘Cradle to Cradle’ (mORR_design) transforms the cradle into 

two chairs that its occupants can use when they grow up. 

‘COOPLAY’ 

by Irena Ventsislavova 

Object: Children’s free play table 

Conceived as a tool for educators and parents, the children's 

table of free play ‘Cooplay’ (Irena Ventsislavova) breaks the 

economic and spatial barriers of urban playgrounds. Through 

imagination, children can explore six figurative worlds.

52 | DESIGN 


‘SAN’ 

by Fernando Hernández 

Object: A box with scales and 

a mortar 

‘San’ (Fernando Hernández), a box with scales and a mortar, 

is an object meant for the preservation of manual coffee 

making, inspired by Ethiopian architecture. 

‘REINTERPRETAR LO INFINITO’ 

by Jaume Molina 

Object: Chair 

‘Reinterpretar lo infinito’ (Jaume Molina) enhances the 

functionality of the chair that we all remember from our 

childhood. 

The first phase of the competition shortlisted 40 designers under 

35 at the beginning of 2019. Before developing their projects, 

they all got to partake in a training session of the application 

of American hardwood species in sustainable design in July. 

After a first selection of 12 candidates in September, each was 

assigned a well-known designer to supervise their project and 

stimulate their level of development and quality. National and 

international designers such as Izaskun Chinchilla, Antonio 

Serrano and Sebastian Cox took part in the project. After a 

second selection, eight finalists were chosen, whose designs 

are on display at the Fernán Gómez Cultural Center of the Villa 

until 29 th February. 

(All images are credited to AHEC.)


MICA (P) No: 079/05/2019 • ISSN: 0219-5704 • KDN: PPS 1453/11/2012(022879) • www.panelsfurnitureasia.com • MARCH/APRIL 2020 

ImalPal ad_FC_PFA MarchApril 2020.indd 1 

17/3/20 2:13 PM

54 | SHOW PREVIEW 


Xylexpo 2020 

promises 

to be a 

rewarding 

show for all 

The international press conference 

was held on the 31 st floor of the 

Pirelli skyscraper designed by 

the world-famous architect and 

designer Giò Ponti

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia SHOW PREVIEW | 55 

On February 18, Milan hosted the 

traditional international press 

conference introducing next 

Xylexpo, the biennial international 

exhibition of woodworking technology 

and furniture industry supplies to be 

held from 26 to 29 May 2020 at the 

FieraMilano-Rho expo centre. 

The location was the Enzo Jannacci 

Auditorium, on the 31 st floor of the 

Pirelli skyscraper designed by the worldfamous 

architect and designer Giò Ponti, 

to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his 

death on September 16, 1979 and the 60 th 

anniversary of the tower inauguration. 

The agenda opened with an interesting 

roundtable discussion involving Paolo 

Borgio of Fiera Milano, Massimo 

Goldoni, president of Comitato Fiere 

Industria at Confindustria, and Luigi De 

Vito, vice president of Eumabois, the 

European federation of Acimall’s “peer” 

associations. 

The three speakers offered different 

points of view on the exhibition and had 

an open and meaningful conversation 

about the role of an exhibition in an 

increasingly digital economic and social 

context. The outcome was a strong 

endorsement to the value of high-quality 

exhibitions which offer the opportunity 

– in a world that offers more and more 

digital opportunities – to meet, look into 

each other's eyes and shake hands. 

Lorenzo Primultini, president of Acimall 

and Xylexpo, was the next to speak. 

He gave an analysis of the factors of 

uncertainty that are characterising 

this period – Brexit, Corona Virus and 

increasing international conflicts – 

and possible short and medium term 

effects. 

WHAT TO EXPECT FOR XYLEXPO 

2020? 

Primultini stated that “…Xylexpo 

is organised by Acimall, a no-profit 

industrial association whose mission is 

to support the industry, create business 

opportunities for Italian companies and 

for organizations from all over the world, 

coming here to face the challenge of the 

demanding but rewarding Italian market”. 

He added: “What do we expect? A 

successful edition, for sure, that will 

reflect the market situation as usual. The 

2018 edition closed with 37 thousand 

visits by 17,781 industry operators, 

2.1 percent more than in 2016. Among 

them, 5,032 international visitors, 

28.3 percent of total attendance. This 

year we expect to achieve the following 

figures: until January 30, 2020, 330 

companies have registered at Xylexpo, 

with a 30 percent share of international 

companies, covering a total net surface 

of 29,000 m 3 . This year, Xylexpo will 

occupy three halls, so as to ensure 

regular visitor flows to all exhibitors, as 

far as possible. More generally, I can 

anticipate that we will keep the same 

layout of recent editions, placing one 

or more big players in each hall: Biesse 

Group and Ima Schelling Group in 

hall 1, Scm Group and Weinig Group in 

hall 2, Homag Group, Felder Group, Cefla 

and Giardina Finishing Group in hall 3, 

just to mention a few.” 

Primultini then confirmed access 

conditions for visitors (a ticket will cost 

15 euro, but free access will be granted 

to operators who pre-register on www. 

xylexpo.com), and reminded that the 

exhibition in May will host the fourth 

edition of “Xylexpo Awards”, this year 

with three categories: “Wood and Panel 

Processing” (including tools), “Finishing 

and Coating” (equipment and materials) 

and for the first time “IoT and industrial 

process management”. 

Dario Corbetta speaking to the press. Massimo Goldoni (from left) and Luigi De Vito had earlier debated the role of an exhibition in an increasingly 

digital economic and social context



He also thanked all participants and 

sponsors (Aimsad, Bacci, Biesse, Big on 

Dry, Dalso, Fimal, Giardina Group, Greda, 

Homag, Incomac, Leuco, Metal World, 

Salvamac, Scm Group, Vitap and Weinig). 

THREE CONFERENCES BY CATAS 

Andrea Giavon, director of Catas, the 

most important European laboratory for 

wood-furniture testing and certification. 

shared that Xylexpo has a strong 

partnership with Catas to organise 

important meetings and initiatives on the 

critical topic of education and training. 

Giavon shared that “… spreading 

knowledge has always been a mission 

pursued by Catas with great attention 

and commitment, and such activity will 

be further strengthened in 2020 through 

the collaboration with Xylexpo.” 

Giavon introduced three conferences that 

will be the core of this agenda: 

• On Wednesday, May 27, the Xylexpo 

Arena will host the second edition of 

the technical seminar “Next Wood - 

Designing future surfaces together” – 

organised by Catas, Poliefun-Politecnico 

di Milano, Anver and Acimall – dedicated 

to the “response of coating and plant 

manufacturers to the increasingly tough 

challenge of coating materials”. 

• On Thursday, May 28, Xylexpo will 

sponsor the event “Adhesives in the 

furniture industry and current product 

and process developments”, created 

by Catas and Federchimica. Topics 

will include the application of veneer 

in compliance with new German 

formaldehyde regulations, the use of 

hotmelt glues for the application of 

glossy coatings, the use of polyurethane 

glues with low free isocyanate content, 

and new water-resistant vinyl glues. 

• On Friday, May 29, the discussion 

will focus on VOCs, volatile organic 

compounds, a source of indoor pollution, 

starting from the stricter and stricter 

regulations on formaldehyde emissions 

that, unfortunately, are not shared 

and coordinated on a global scale, 

forcing producers and processors to very 

complicated management practices. 

GLOBAL ECONOMY’S IMPACT ON 

XYLEXPO 2020 

The next on stage was Dario Corbetta, 

Acimall director, who added some 

remarks about the decision to set up the 

2020 edition in three halls, “…a decision 

driven by the economic uncertainty that 

has been characterising the final months 

of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. Many 

actors and players showed a pessimistic 

vision that has not been confirmed by 

facts, so that the largest majority of 

exhibitors has actually maintained the 

same area as in past editions. But still, we 

had to work to squeeze all requests into 

more constrained space, covering only 

three halls, and even narrowing down the 

aisles to the limits prescribed by safety 

regulations”. 

POSSIBLE IMPACT OF 

CORONAVIRUS 

Corbetta then dealt with an awaited topic, 

namely the potential impact of “Chinese 

epidemics” on global economy. "China 

plays a leading role in woodworking 

machinery – Corbetta said – it's the 

world’s third-largest manufacturer 

behind Germany and Italy. As to trade 

relations, Italy and Europe are more 

focused on domestic and continental 

business, plus the fact that the first 

destination market is the United States. 

Don’t forget that Xylexpo is basically a 

Euro-centric exhibition (70 percent of 

international visitors come from Europe), 

so we don’t expect significant effects 

from the “Corona Virus”; also because 

the exhibition is planned in three months 

from now and, if the situation has not 

been solved or the general alarm has not 

vanished until then, we will have much 

more serious things to worry about…" 

The Acimall and exhibition director’s 

speech closed with an analysis of visitor 

flows in the past two editions (+2.1 

percent in 2018), a trend that is expected 

to be confirmed this year, in a global 

economic scenario marked by serious 

political instability. For a more detailed 

report, please see page 20. P 

All images are credited to Xylexpo.


(Postponed: In view of 

the coronavirus situation, 

Sylvawood has been 

rescheduled to 

29 th Jun to 1 st July 2021) 

Fifth time’s 

the charm 

Sylva Wood returns, with 

its fifth edition bringing 

industry peers together in 

sourcing for wood materials. 

To be held in Shanghai, the fifth edition of Sylva Wood seeks to once again bring 

the global timber network together, to trade and secure new avenues of growth 

in one of the world’s most exciting markets for wood. 

Visitors ranging from furniture and flooring manufacturers, to agents and wood traders 

will be present at the trade show. They will have the opportunity to meet with leading 

wood associations and professional 

buyers from various sectors including 

flooring, furniture, doors and windows, 

and interior furnishing. 

Exhibitor profiles range from hardwoods, 

softwoods, engineered wood, wood 

products, veneers, and other wood 

components. 

These exhibitors will also reap the 

benefits of connecting with designers 

and architects present at the expo, which 

will give them the chance to understand 

the development of engineered wood 

structures in Asia, and learn how best to 

penetrate the wood market in China. 

Sylva Wood will run from 29 th June to 

1 st July, and the three-day expo is expected 

to host a full programme of keynote 

speakers, who will facilitate targeted 

discussions revolving around market 

movements and how innovation can be 

harnessed for an increasingly competitive 

and challenging landscape. 

The previous edition of the show hosted 

discussions such as “The relationship 

between supply and demand in the 

Chinese timber market” and “Industry 

Sylva Wood 2020 will run from 29 th June to 1 st July



1 

4.0 in the customised furniture industry”. 

It also included a FUN Hardwood Lifestyle 

Design Competition, where designers 

were encouraged to send in their design 

prototypes. 

Past exhibitors have had nothing but 

glowing praise to speak of the show. 

For example, Xu Fang, director of the 

American Softwoods China Office, said, 

“I am glad to see that quality and scale 

wise, the show is growing. Every year, we 

have more and more quality audiences. 

While there are quite a few shows in China 

related to wood, most of the shows are 

furniture and machinery focused, with a 

portion for wood materials – whereas this 

show is raw materials and wood focused, 

as well as finished material focused.” 

Agreeing with him was Noah Li, director 

(China) of the Quebec Wood Export 

Bureau. “Compared to other woodrelated 

shows in China,” he said, “Sylva 

Wood places more emphasis on wood 

materials. There are a lot of mixed 

2 

1) The three-day expo is expected to host a full programme of keynote speakers, who will 

facilitate targeted discussions revolving around market movements and how 

innovation can be harnessed for an increasingly competitive and challenging landscape 

2) The Russian Pavilion was the largest at Sylva Wood 2018 

visitors, and what I like about this show 

is that the visitors all come with the same 

intention – to buy wood materials.” 

Sylva Wood is organised by China 

Timber and Wood Products Distribution 

Association, Shanghai Timber Trade 

Associaiton and Shanghai Pablo 

Exhibition, and endorsed by the following 

wood associations: French Timber, the 

American Hardwood Export Council, 

American Softwoods, the Softwood 

Export Council, Canada Wood, the Thai 

Timber Association, the Malaysian Timber 

Council, and the National Hardwood 

Lumber Association. P


n 

o 

i 

W 

o 

a 

o 

H 

d 

AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP FORWARD 

Held in Hanoi, Vietnam, the inaugural edition of Hanoi Wood is expected to act as a 

site of convergence for industry players, experts, buyers and visitors. Held from 20 th to 22 nd January 

2021 , Hanoi Wood 2021 is jointly organised by BIFA, VIFORES, and the Panels & Furniture Group of 

wood magazines – all respected pillars of the timber and woodworking sector. 

The decision to hold a wood 

exhibition in Hanoi comes at an 

opportune time, with the local 

wood industry welcoming more local 

small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) 

and foreign direct investments (FDIs) 

that have built their new facilities in 

Hanoi. 

These factories are manufacturing 

more export-oriented wood products 

and specialising in one type of wood 

products such as plywood, mediumdensity 

fibreboards and block boards. 

On top of this, Hanoi is known as the fifthlargest 

wood product exporting province 

in Vietnam, following Binh Duong, Dong 

Nai, Ho Chi Minh city and Binh Dinh. In 

2018, wood exports from Hanoi were 

valued at US$400 million. 

Vietnam’s domestic market should not 

be overlooked, either: in 2019, the 

Vietnamese population was expected to 

spend US$2 billion on locally-produced 

wood products, the equivalent of one-fifth 

of Vietnam’s wood products export. 

The Vietnamese government is also 

heavily invested in encouraging overseas 

companies to expand and set up new 

factories in Northern Vietnam, offering 

incentives such as tax exemptions and 

lower land rental charges to woo local 

and overseas woodworking companies 

alike. 

In an example of this, Swedish furniture 

giant IKEA announced early last year 

plans to invest US$450 million in building 

a retail centre network and warehouse in 

Hanoi. 

VIETNAM IN THE WOOD 

INDUSTRY 

Vietnam also presents itself as a trove of 

raw materials, with three million hectares 

of acacia plantations and one million 

hectares of rubber wood plantations 

– mostly located in Central and North 

Vietnam. 

Compared to South Vietnam, manpower 

is more easily available in the North, with 

well-developed infrastructure such as 

roads and transportation. 

Vietnam also has the advantage of a 

young population, with 70 per cent of 

its population of 97 million people under 

35 years old, and 13 per cent belonging 

to a middle class that is expected to 

increase to 26 per cent by 2026. 

Hanoi Wood 2020 will mark the coming 

together of the industry’s movers and 

shakers, from top exhibitors to buyers. 

Visitors will have the chance to network 

with industry peers and experts ranging 

across the various sectors of the wood 

and woodworking industry. In doing so, 

they will gain insight on how best to 

penetrate the Vietnamese wood market. 

Participants will also be able to bear 

witness to the latest in industry 

innovations, and gain valuable insight 

from technology experts and key 

decision-makers. 

Hanoi Wood 2020 will be held from 

20 th to 22 nd January 2021 at the 

International Centre of Exhibition (I.C.E.) 

in Hanoi, Vietnam. P

60 | WOOD CLINIC 


Dear Mr. Shen, 

I am a reader of Panels & Furniture Asia. Thank you for your reference comments in the last issue 

that solved my problem in manufacturing arced chairbacks. 

My small carpenter’s shop is currently making cupboards and kitchen cabinets. However, the 

joints of our dining chair products loosened after a period of use. Moreover, we plan to produce 

round coffee tables in the near future and would like to consult you on the method for drawing 

ellipse patterns; furthermore, our workers often run into faults that break the band saw during 

the cutting of elliptical or curved workpieces and hope that you could give us guidance on how to 

prevent this from happening during the cutting of elliptical or curved parts. 

Mr Shim (Shen Yuxin) 

Yours sincerely, 

Mr. Huang 

Dealing with chair joints loosening/ 

How to produce ellipse-shaped cutting 

template and related sawing issues 

(I) Potential causes and suggestions to solve the problems of 

the loosened joints in dining chairs: 

1. Wood moisture content: The moisture content of wood dining 

chair is generally in the range of 16 to 18 per cent. When dining 

chairs are used in air-conditioned restaurants where the relative 

humidity is 9 to 10 per cent, they would lose the moisture in the 

wood until it reaches 9 to 10 per cent. During this period, the wood 

joints of the dining chairs would shrink and become loosened. It 

is advised that the moisture content of incoming timber should 

be checked and maintained at 9 to 10 per cent and the ambient 

temperature of warehouses for timber or semi-finished products 

should be kept constant within 45°C to 50°C and the speed 

of circulating air should be maintained in the range of 0.5 to 

1 metre per second (m/s). 

2. Unstable quality of wood dowel pins: Wood dowel pins of 

unstable quality would impair the durability of dining chairs. When 

producing wood dowel pins in-house, it is recommended that the 

moisture content of timber should be controlled in the range of 9 

to 10 per cent; the timber should be of regular texture and free 

of fluff and have a density ≥0.6. The wood dowel pins should 

have no skip-in-planing and their diameter tolerance should be 

controlled at below 0.1mm. Moreover, the wood dowel pins should 

be properly chamfered at both ends. 

3. Unstable quality of wood dowel pin holes: The assembly 

joints of dining chairs would be less fitting and less durable if the 

wood dowel pin holes suffer from excessive diameter tolerance 

and/or inaccurate angle. The diameter tolerance of wood dowel 

pin holes should be controlled at less than 0.1mm and the 

diameter, angle, and depth of wood dowel pin holes should be 

checked from time to time with simple fixtures. 

4. Imprecision of angle blocks: Imprecise angle of angle blocks 

could give rise to a gap between angle blocks and staves. In 

such cases, the joints would fail to achieve the desired joining 

strength even if the screws on angle blocks have been tightened. 

It is advised that during the manufacturing of angle blocks, trial 

assembling should be carried out in order to confirm that the 

angle blocks and the staves fit properly. 

5. Non-standardised adhesive application: Insufficient and/or 

uneven application of adhesive in wood dowel pin holes would 

lead to non-conforming adhesion. It is advised that workers 

are trained and asked to check that the adhesive has been 

applied correctly in the wood dowel pin holes. Dual-component 

epoxy can provide better adhesion when used during 

assembly. 

6. Non-standardised assembly: Prolonged assembly would give 

rise to dried-up adhesive film and subsequent poor adhesion. 

It is advised that workers should receive training on relevant 

operations so that the assembly can be finished before the 

adhesive dries up during the assembling process.

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia WOOD CLINIC | 61 

(II) Ellipse is a regular curve pattern that has a major axis and 

a minor axis. Below is a reference method for drawing ellipse 

patterns: 

7. A simple method for drawing ellipse patterns 

• Draw a line segment AB as the major axis and a line segment 

CD as the minor axis (approximately 2/3 x AB), the line 

segment AB and line segment CD intersect perpendicularly 

at their midpoints (as shown in Figure 1). 

• Adjust the compass such that the distance between its legs 

is half of the length of the major axis (AB/2). 

• With point C as the centre, draw a circular arc that intersects 

with AB at points X and Y. 

• Insert a pin at points X, Y and C respectively, and wind a string 

around the three points to form a triangle (as shown in Figure 1). 

• Pull out the pin at point C and replace it with the tip of a 

pencil. 

• Pull the pencil outwards with sufficient force so that the 

string remains taut and move the pencil in clockwise (or 

counterclockwise) direction to draw an ellipse (as shown in 

Figure 2). 

8. A method for drawing ellipse patterns with a simple selfmade 

template 

• Cut a 25mm thick plywood into a square of 200mm x 200mm, 

cut two 25mm wide dovetail grooves 15mm deep along the 

(vertical and horizontal) median lines of the square, make 

sure the dovetail grooves are free of fluffs (as shown in Figure 3). 

• Make two trapezoid wood pegs (25mm wide × 15mm thick 

× 75mm long) out of hardwood and polish them with abrasive 

paper until they are smooth, make sure these wood pegs can 

move smoothly after being fitted into the dovetail grooves. 

• Make a drawing rod (20mm thick × 35mm wide × 900 mm 

long) out of hard wood. 

• Drill screw holes in the central part of the two trapezoid wood 

pegs, fit the two trapezoid wood pegs to positions near one 

end of the drawing rod, drill screw holes (B, C) on the drawing 

rod (as shown in Figure 3). Mount the drawing rod to the two 

trapezoid wood pegs and push the drawing rod, make sure the 

two trapezoid wood pegs can move upward/downward 

smoothly inside the dovetail grooves. 

• Drill a pencil hole (A) in the other end of the drawing rod and 

a screw hole for securing a pencil in the hole, mount the 

pencil and secure it with a screw. 

• When the pencil is securely mounted, apply double-faced 

adhesive tapes on the back of the template for securing the 

template in place, move the drawing rod to draw an ellipse. 

• The distance between hole A (hole for pencil) and hole B 

(screw hole) determines the major axis of the ellipse. 

• The distance between hole A (hole for pencil) and hole C 

(screw hole) determines the minor axis of the ellipse. 

• Make another template, the length of the drawing rod and 

the distance between AB and AC are to be estimated based 

on desired ellipse’s major axis and minor axis. 

• When the pencil on the drawing rod is replaced with a glass 

cutter, the template can be used to cut a piece of glass into 

elliptical shape (as shown in Figure 3). 

• The pencil on the drawing rod can also be replaced with a 

cutter for cutting materials into elliptical shape directly. 

(III) Potential causes and recommended solutions for frequent 

faults and blade fracture of the band saw when cutting circular 

or curved shaped pieces: 

9. Unstable quality of saw blade 

• Saw blade with unstable welding quality: Saw blades are 

susceptible to fracture when their welded part is not polished 

to flush, or there is a gap between the weld joints, or their 

welding seam is not straight. It is advised that the substitute 

saw blade should be examined for the quality of its welded 

part prior to use. 

• Improperly set saw line of the saw blade: When the saw teeth 

of a saw blade are not symmetrically aligned(at a lateral 

distance of 0.3 mm across adjacent teeth) or the saw teeth 

are worn out on one side, the saw blade may be fractured 

as a result of frictional heating arising from the oblique saw 

line and prolonged operation of the saw blade under lateral 

pressure. It is advised that newly mounted saw blade should 

be used for a trial straight cutting in order to make sure the 

saw line is not oblique towards one side. 

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the simple method for drawing ellipse 

Figure 2. Schematic diagram of the method for drawing ellipse 

patterns with a simple self-made template

62 | WOOD CLINIC 


Figure 3. Schematic 

diagram of the method 

for drawing ellipse 

patterns with a simple 

self-made template 

10. Damaged wheel tyre: The 6mm thick wheel tyre surrounding 

the rim of the saw wheel may be worn out after prolonged 

service and the rugged rim surface of the wheel may damage 

the saw blade. In such cases, the wheel tyre has to be replaced. 

11. When mounting the saw blade, various important parts have 

to be checked and adjusted (as shown in Figure 4) to make 

sure none of the following had happened: 

• The use of non-standardised saw blade: Band saws for 

woodworking should use saw blades of 1/8" to 1.5". Narrow 

saw blades with fine saw teeth are suitable for cutting curves 

of sharp turns, wide saw blades are suitable for cutting thick 

panels or shapes with major arc. The most common saw blade 

for cutting arcs in carpenter’s shop is 1/2" - 3/4" wide and 

has 6 teeth per inch. 

• Improper position setting of upper/lower guide pin: The saw 

blade is susceptible to fracture as a result of frictional heating 

when the upper and lower guide pins of the saw blade are not 

properly aligned. In such cases, the band saw has to be 

stopped for a correction. 

• Non-standardised setting of the gap between upper/lower 

guide pin and saw blade: When there is no gap between upper/ 

lower guide pin and saw blade, the saw blade is susceptible to 

fracture as a result of the frictional heating between the saw 

blade and the guide pin. The setting should be such that the 

gap between the upper/lower guide pin and the saw blade 

has the same height as the thickness of a piece of paper 

(0.1mm-0.15mm). 

• Improper setting of upper saw wheel: When the upper saw 

wheel tilts too much, the saw blade is susceptible to fracture 

as a result of the frictional heating between the saw blade and 

the top ball bearing thrust wheel. The upper saw wheel should 

be checked and adjusted as appropriate so that the gap 

between the saw blade at rest and the top ball bearing thrust 

wheel is 0.4mm. 

Improper setting of saw blade tension: When mounting the 

saw blade, if the setting of saw blade tension is inadequate, 

then oblique saw line or jamming of saw blade may occur 

during the cutting of wood. If the saw blade tension is set too 

tight, the saw blade is susceptible to fracture. It is advised that 

Figure 4. Schematic 

diagram of the parts 

to be checked and 

adjusted during the daily 

replacement of saw blade 

for band saw 

the operator pushes the saw blade after the saw blade tension 

is set to make sure the saw blade can still be moved between 

3mm to 6mm. 

12. Non-standardised operation by employee: 

• If during the cutting of a curve that has a sharp turn, the 

feeding speed is too fast and/or the pressure on the band 

saw is too high and/or the saw blade is too wide, the saw 

blade may be susceptible to damage or fracture. It is advised 

that the cutting should be done in segments using narrower 

saw blade or under the assistance of relief cuts and the 

operator should slow down the feeding speed in order to 

prevent saw blade damage or fracture. 

• Saw teeth is not sharp enough: The saw blade is susceptible 

to fracture when worn out or blunt saw teeth are used for 

cutting with excessive force. It is advised that the saw blade 

should be checked regularly for ensured sharpness of the saw 

teeth. When saw blade & saw teeth are stained with adhesive 

or resin, they should be cleaned with suitable oil. 

 

I hope the above suggestions and explanation will be helpful in 

solving your problems. P

March / April 2020, Issue 2 | Panels & Furniture Asia WOOD CLINIC | 63

NEWSLETTER 

MARCH/APRIL 2020 

THE MALAYSIAN MDF MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (MMMA) 

China, What 

next? 

By Peter Fitch MMMA Newsletter for PF Asia Mar/Apr 2020 

At the time of writing this 

article, China has been 

gripped by the Corona Virus 

Disease outbreak and the 

rest of the world, especially 

Asia, is closely monitoring 

the outbreak in anticipation of the 

situation being brought under control. 

This article was meant to follow on from 

my earlier theme on the general rise of 

commodity prices and the continued rise 

of China as an economic powerhouse and 

becoming a net consumer of goods. The 

hope was that Chinese imports would 

increase at a far greater rate than exports. 

The reality is that this narrative may 

need to be put on hold, hopefully only 

temporarily. Following the (COVID-19) 

outbreak, China has needed to increase 

bank liquidity to prop up the economy 

and could well allow its currency to 

weaken to boost the economy. 

In the short term, the outbreak will 

hurt domestic consumption, reduce 

demand, disrupt supply chains and 

weaken commodity prices. It could 

also trigger inflationary price increases 

in consumer goods. 

The Chinese economy will certainly slow 

drastically in the first quarter of this year. 

The Lunar New Year holidays were extended 

so factories and shops are resuming 

operations on average two to four weeks 

later than normal. Even after commercial 

operations resume, they are likely to be 

on a reduced scale. Many companies are 

encouraging their staff to work from home, 

for instance. It will take time for people to 

overcome their fear and return to normal 

working, spending and travel routines. 

Tourism, transport and retail sector 

activities have slowed dramatically all 

over urban China. For example, daily 

passenger traffic on China’s railways has 

plunged by more than 70% during the 

Lunar New Year compared with last year. 

With so much uncertainty, companies 

are cutting back on employment, with 

small and medium enterprises placing 

workers on unpaid leave, despite 

government instructions not to do so. 

China’s footprint in the global economy 

has expanded massively since the 2003 

SARS epidemic. Its share of world GDP 

today is around 16%, compared with 

only 4% in 2003, while it consumes 

more than 10% of total global exports. 

When China sneezes, the rest of the world 

will be shaken up a lot more than it was 

before. 

Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand 

will be hurt. We will soon see export orders 

reported in purchasing manager surveys 

for this month registering sharp declines. 

The Chinese economy will bear the brunt 

of the shock but most of the damage 

will be limited to the first quarter of the 

year, assuming that China’s policymakers 

manage the economic consequences well 

and the virus does not mutate. The rest of 

Asia will bear some pain as a result, but 

the hit to growth will be manageable and 

the region should regain a healthy growth 

trajectory by the second half of 2020. 

64

NEWSLETTER 

THE MALAYSIAN MDF MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (MMMA) 

MARCH/APRIL 2020 

We may see that the United States uses this situation to 

further disrupt the supply chains from China. As a result, more 

companies may seek to relocate production outside of China 

because of fears, mistaken or otherwise, that China has a higher 

risk of epidemiological crises (on top of trade and geopolitical 

tensions with the U.S.). 

I conclude that China will suffer a short-term decline in growth, 

but at the end of the day, this will not reverse the long-term 

economic progress of China. We pray that fatalities caused by 

the Coronavirus remain minimal and hope to be able to present 

a much more positive picture about China and Asia in the next 

article. 

About the Author 

Peter Fitch is the founder of Segamat 

Panel Boards (Malaysia) and is 

currently chairman of the Malaysian 

MDF Manufacturers Association 

(MMMA) and executive committee 

member of the Malaysian Panel 

Manufacturers Association (MPMA). 

Prior to working in Malaysia he worked 

for Plantation Timber Products (China) 

and Takeuchi MDF (Malaysia). Peter 

has been based in Asia for more than 

25 years and in the wood panel 

business for more than 20 years.

March 

66 | 

/ April 2020, Issue 1 

ENVIRONMENT 

| Panels & Furniture Asia 

January / February 2020, Issue 1 | Panels & Furniture Asia 

Events Calendar 

MARCH 

16 MAR TO 

18 MAR 

(Postponed) 

Dubai Wood Show 2020 

Dubai, UAE 

APRIL 

01 APR TO 

03 APR 

64 th WORLD OF WOOD 

ANNUAL CONVENTION 

GEORGIA, USA 

28 APR TO 

MAY 03 

ARCHITECT EXPO 2020 

Bangkok, Thailand 

MAY 

17 MAY TO 

20 MAY 

QINGDAO INTERNATIONAL 

FURNITURE FAIR 

Qingdao, China 

26 MAY TO 

29 MAY 

Xylexpo 2020 

Milan, Italy 

25 MAY TO 

27 MAY 

GABON WOOD SHOW 2020 

Gabon, Central Africa 

JUNE/JULY 

16 JUL TO 

21 JUL 

(Postponed) 

SALONE DEL MOBILE. MILANO 

Milan, Italy 

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 

31 AUG TO 

02 SEP 

Domotex Asia China Floor 2020 

Shanghai, China 

8 SEP TO 

12 SEP 

FMC CHINA 2020 


07 SEP TO 

10 SEP 

CIFF Shanghai 2020 


23 SEP TO 

26 SEP 

IFMAC & WOODMAC 2020 

Jakarta, Indonesia 

OCTOBER 

27 OCT TO 

30 OCT 

BIFA WOOD VIETNAM 2020 

Binh Duong, Vietnam 

JANUARY 2021 

20 JAN TO 

22 JAN 

HANOI WOOD 2021 

Hanoi, Vietnam

ADVERTISERS’ 

INDEX 

March / April 2020 • Issue 2 • PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA 

COMPANY 

PAGE 

Acimall (Xylexpo 2020) 14 

American Hardwood Export Council 

OBC 

Baillie Lumber 11 

Bei jing SUN-NOA Technology Development Co., Ltd 35 

BIFA Wood Vietnam 2020 27 

Cabinet Vision South East Asia 13 

Dieffenbacher GmbH 3 

Dubai Woodshow 2020 29 

Electronic Wood Systems GmbH 15 

Gabon Special Economic Zone GSEZ 31 

Gau Jing Machinery Co., Ltd 45 

Hanoi Wood 2020 7 

Hoon Hsiang Industrial Co., Ltd 65 

IFMAC 2020 37 

IMAL SRL 

FC & IFC 

IMEAS spa 21 

Jiangsu Baolong Electromechanical Mfg Co., Ltd 1 

Kuang Yung Machinery Co., Ltd 19 

Lesnaya Industriya Journal 41 

Northwest Hardwoods 17 

Panels & Furniture Asia 53 

Shanghai Wood-based Panel Machinery Co., Ltd 25 

Sichuan Hero Woodwork New Technology Co., Ltd 68 

Srling Internaonal Co., Ltd 9 

SylvaWood 2020 2 

Technik Associates, Inc. 

IBC 

Tong Fong Cuers Co., Ltd 67 

Wood In Architecture 63 

Heavy Duty Helical Planer Cutter 

Heads with Changeable Knives 

Knife: 

14 x 14 x 2 x 30º 

14 x 14 x 2 x 37º 

Heavy Duty Helical Planer Cutter 


Knife: 

30 x 12 x 1.5 x 35º 

Helical Planer Cutter Heads 

with Changeable Knives 

Knife: 

15 x 15 x 2.5 x 30º 

15 x 15 x 2.5 x 37º 

Adjustable Planer Cutter Heads 

with HSS or TCT Knives 

Safety Corrugate Cutter Heads 

with HSS Knives 

Spindle Shaper Planer Cutter 


Knife: 

30 x 12 x 1.5 x 35º 

50 x 12 x 1.5 x 35º 

60 x 12 x 1.5 x 35º 

Changeable Knives 

-TCT 

Single/Double Surface Planers Helical Planer 

Cutter Heads with Changeable Knives 

Knife: 14 x 14 x 2.0 x 30º 

15 x 15 x 2.5 x 30º 

15 x 15 x 2.5 x 37º 

30 x 12 x 1.5 x 35º 

30 x 12 x 2.5 x 35º 

14.6 x 14.6 x 2.5 x 30º 

Scan to download eBook 

PFA March/April 2020

Panels & Furniture Asia March/April 2020

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