Panels & Furniture Asia May/June 2020

FROM THE EDITOR
PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA
HIU YAN | Editor
The trees are
still thriving
Depending on which country you live
in, you may still be staying home under
some form of limited outdoor movement
to flatten the curve, such as in Singapore
or Malaysia; or you may be seeing the
light in the tunnel as your country starts
seeing single-digit of new cases, your
government is easing lockdown and
businesses are getting ready to reopen,
such as in New Zealand and China.
For the past few months, the COVID-19
virus has taken the world by storm, morphing from an outbreak into a global
pandemic. The economies of many countries have also since been falling into
a dark abyss.
PABLO SINGAPORE
Publisher
Associate Publisher
Senior Editor
Editor
Business Development Manager
Graphic Designer
Circulation Manager
William Pang
williampang@pabloasia.com
Pamela Buckley
pamela@pabloasia.com
Pang Yanrong
yanrong@pabloasia.com
Szeto Hiu Yan
hiuyan@pabloasia.com
YanJun Pang
yanjun@pabloasia.com
Edwin De Souza
edwin@pabloasia.com
Shu Ai Ling
circulation@pabloasia.com
“Authorities around the world are between a ‘rock and a hard place’:
they need policies that both limit the spread of the coronavirus and allow
their economies to open for business. The two demands are inherently
incompatible, so neither one can be fulfilled,” writes Peter Fitch, founder
of Segamat Panel Boards (Malaysia) and chairman of the Malaysian MDF
Manufacturers Association (MMMA). Do read his insightful analysis of the
current uncertainties and possible outcomes. (Pg.64)
PABLO BEIJING
General Manager
PABLO SHANGHAI
Editor
Ellen Gao
pablobeijing@163.com
Sharon Wu
pabloshanghai@163.net
With manufacturing in China halted for weeks after the Lunar New Year’s
holiday, Judd Johnson, managing editor of Hardwood Market Report discusses
the impact of having at least one full manufacturing cycle lost during the
shutdown. “This directly caused supply shocks that impacted essentially
every aspect of human lives throughout the world, even if people were
generally unaware of the risks from shortages,” Johnson cautioned. (Pg.18 )
On a lighter note, I would like to share with readers some success stories in
the wood industry.
Be inspired by Global Timber, the Danish wood trading company that
constantly pushes boundaries through streamlining sales processes and
placing their priority on providing clear communication to customers. The
result? Business has been so good in 2019 that one of their challenges now is
to keep pace with growth. (Pg. 24)
In Thailand, Anthon saw the successful delivery and installation of its sanding
and sawing line for Green River Panels, which started operation of its third
production line in Trang – also its largest particleboard production line to
date. (Pg. 30)
As we clamber through each day, let’s take comfort in knowing that at least,
the trees are continuing to flourish and thrive.
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Panels & Furniture Asia
is the offi cial publication of
Malaysian MDF Manufacturers Association