National Hardwood Magazine - May 2021

NEWS DEVELOPMENTS
NEWS ABOUT NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL
HARDWOOD CONSUMERS INCLUDING MERGERS,
PLANT EXPANSIONS & ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES
WEST BROS FURNITURE INTRODUCES NEW
LINEUP WITH U.S. HARDWOODS
Available this month, West Bros Furniture, a case
goods manufacturer located in Hanover, ON, is introducing
a new lineup of writing desks. Walnut, White Oak and
12 MAY 2021 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE
Cherry are among the U.S. lumber species used in these
products.
West Bros’ design partner was Blake Tovin and together
they are releasing the new desks, mostly 52-inch designs.
In a statement, West Bros said these pieces aim
to complement the manner in which
people work from home.
All the desks’ drawer construction
is dovetail joinery in Maple, according
to a company spokesperson.
The new desk lineup includes:
Camber, made of solid Cherry;
Phase, manufactured with Black
Walnut and White Oak; Serra, made
of solid Walnut; Fulton, featuring
White Oak solids and veneers; and
The Fulton desk by West Bros Furniture
features solid White Oak.
Hayden, as well as Odeon, comprised
of solid White Oak.
West Bros has been producing
high quality, sustainable solid wood
in their Ontario plant for over two decades.
The company remains family
owned and operated.
Learn more at www.westbrosfur
niture.com.
CITT RELEASES STATEMENT
ON CHINA’S DECORATIVE
PLYWOOD IMPORTS
The Canadian International Trade
Tribunal (CITT) recently issued a determination
that decorative plywood
imports from China have not injured
and are not threatening to injure Canadian
producers of the product.
The Canadian Hardwood Plywood
and Veneer Association (CHPVA), located in St. Lazare,
QC, said in a statement that it was surprised and disappointed
by this decision.
In a parallel investigation the Canada Border Services
Agency (CBSA) determined that large volumes of Chinese
imports of decorative plywood
were being dumped and subsidized
at margins of up to 300 percent. The
CITT was responsible for determining
if the unfairly traded imports had
caused injury to the Canadian industry
or threatened to do so in the
future.
In recent years, several Canadian
companies producing decorative
plywood have gone out of business
in the face of competition from
dumped and subsidized Chinese
imports. The complaint was filed
to address the impact that unfairly
traded Chinese imports have had
on the Canadian market.
At the time of this writing, the
CHPVA found it difficult to understand
how the Tribunal reached the
conclusion it did in this case. Subsequently,
CHPVA and coalition member
companies filed an appeal of the
CITT decision in the Federal Court
of Appeal in Ottawa on March 19.
The CHPVA is the national association
representing the Canadian
Hardwood plywood and veneer industry
in all technical, regulatory,
quality assurance, and product acceptance.
Its members manufacture rotary,
sliced, and jointed Hardwood veneer,
as well as decorative panels
used in manufacturing furniture,
paneling, cabinetry, doors, shelving,
and other similar products.
Its associate members are businesses
engaged in production,
sales, and distribution of materials
and machines for the industry, or
that provide services such as brokerage,
research, consultation, and transportation to the
industry.
For additional information: Patrick Laurin, executice
vice president, at plaurin@chpva.ca.
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Please turn to page 54
MAY 2021 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 13