Panels & Furniture Asia July/August 2022

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CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA (ISSUE 4) 

July / August 2022 

06 

Editor’s Note 

08 

News 

Market Report 

16 

COVID-19, Russia’s war on Ukraine, and inflation slow 

business, but recovery continues for US hardwoods 

18 

Four trends strengthening outlook of wooden 

furniture market over 2022-2027 

Environmental Report 

20 

Making timber trade in Lower Mekong forests more 

sustainable 

In Person 

22 

Binh Duong: A prospering manufacturing centre for 

wood products 

Product Highlight 

24 

Addressing quality and processing problems for 

coated wooden doors and windows 

26 

Kitchen & Bath design feature: Improving work 

efficiency and design quality 

Panel Manufacturing 

28 

Partnership and innovation between Kastamonu 

Entegre and Argos Systems for future solutions 

30 

Wintersteiger delivers repair system for large panels 

32 

Non-contact release agent application on multidaylight 

presses 

Furniture Manufacturing 

34 

“An advanced economy with a strong tradition”: 

Biesse Group expands to Japan 

36 

woodStore 8: Smart storage software for higher 

transparency 

38 

Mass production solution for furniture carcass 

Materials 

40 

American red oak in the new Umm Al Quwain Free 

Trade Zone Authority Headquarters 

Recycling 

42 

Artificial neural networks changing wood recycling 

Structural Elements 

46 

Tokyo University of the Arts International Exchange 

Centre 

42 

Columnists 

50 

Challenges in meeting global GHG emission 

reduction standards 

Show Preview 

52 

BIFA Wood Vietnam 2022 

64 

Malaysian Wood Expo 2022 

74 

Calendar of Events 

75 

List of Advertisers 

36 

22 

4 Panels & Furniture Asia | July / August 2022

W O O D & W O O D W O R K I N G 

20-22 JANUARY 2021 

HANOIWOOD 2023 

河内木工机械展 

NEW DATE: 

9-11 FEBRUARY 2023 

Venue: 

International Centre of 

Exhibition (I.C.E.), Hanoi 

91 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem 

District, Hanoi , Vietnam 

QR Code to exhibition 

location on Google Map 

JOINTLY ORGANISED BY 

M A C H I N E R Y 

BINH DUONG FURNITURE ASSOCIATION 

PANELS & FURNITURE GROUP 

VIETNAM TIMBER AND 

FOREST PRODUCT ASSOCIATION 

T R A D E F A I R 

Pablo Shanghai 

Contact: Rain Ma 

Mobile: (86) 182 1755 3837 

Email: 2229204646@qq.com 

PLEASE CONTACT: 

Pablo Publishing & Exhibition Pte Ltd 

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

Singapore 569139 

Tel: (65) 6266 5512 Mobile: (65) 9621 4283 

Email: williampang@pabloasia.com

FROM THE EDITOR 

Opportunities abound 

Opportunities for partnerships, long-term 

collaborations and initiatives, and expansion 

are plenty as we are adjusting to the reopening 

borders and pandemic. It would be remiss 

for companies to not seize them when they 

come — after all, who knows when the next 

crisis will hit? And true enough, the wood and 

woodworking industry across the world is 

growing exponentially, taking this new normal 

in their stride. 

We see woodworking machinery 

manufacturers like Biesse expanding into 

Asia. Daniele Campetella, managing director 

of Biesse Group Asia and Biesse China, tells 

us why Biesse Group is expanding to Japan, 

with plans to establish their premises as 

early as Q4 2022 (p.34). Other woodworking 

companies like Argos Solutions is partnering 

with Kastamonu Entegre to support the latter 

in providing inspection systems for melaminefaced 

chipboard production (p.28). 

With the rising need and importance for remote 

working and automation, digital solutions are 

also in hot demand now. Coohom, a softwareas-a-service 

company that develops design 

software systems, recently launched its Kitchen 

& Bath feature, a 3D design visualisation 

platform to help designers and manufacturers 

present their ideas (p.26). The latest 

woodStore 8 by HOMAG aims to make the 

flow of information and materials in storage 

management more transparent, and therefore 

more efficient (p.36). 

Initiatives to tackle deforestation are also 

underway. With forests in the Lower Mekong 

region facing threats from overlogging and 

land conversion, the Forest Stewardship 

Council (FSC) teams up with the United Nations 

(UN) to make timber trade more sustainable in 

the region (p.20). 

Last but not least, in this issue, we are 

excited to feature a pool of products, from 

computerised numerical control (CNC) centres 

and computer-aided design (CAD) / computeraided 

manufacturing (CAM) software to 

hotmelt adhesives, that various companies will 

be featuring in BIFA Wood Vietnam (p.52). But 

the preview is only a glimpse — to have a full 

taste of what the exhibitors have to offer, we 

welcome everyone to join us at Binh Duong, 

Vietnam, this coming August. 

YAP SHI QUAN | Assistant Editor 

PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA 

PABLO SINGAPORE 

Publisher 

William Pang • williampang@pabloasia.com 

Senior Editor 

Josephine Tan • josephine@pabloasia.com 

Assistant Editor 

Yap Shi Quan • shiquan@pabloasia.com 

Business Development Manager 

Pang YanJun • yanjun@pabloasia.com 

Graphic Designer 

Goh Meng Yong • mengyong@pabloasia.com 

Circulation Manager 

Shu Ai Ling • circulation@pabloasia.com 

PABLO BEIJING 

General Manager 

Ellen Gao • pablobeijing@163.com 

PABLO SHANGHAI 

Editor 

Kresly Shen • pabloshanghai@163.net 

HEAD OFFICE 

PABLO PUBLISHING & EXHIBITION PTE LTD 

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


Tel : +65 6266 5512 

Email: info@pabloasia.com 

www.panelsfurnitureasia.com 

Company Registration No: 200001473N 

Singapore MICA (P) No: 105/12/2021 

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 

let's connect! 

@panelsfurnitureasia 

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NEWS 

WEINIG LAUNCHES LARGEST 

INVESTMENT PROGRAMME 

IN COMPANY’S 117-YEAR 

HISTORY 

The supervisory board of Weinig group has 

approved an investment programme that will 

reposition the group and its headquarters in 

Tauberbischofsheim, Baden-Württemberg, 

Germany. In total, more than €120 million will 

be invested over the next five years. 

For the site in Voitsberg, Austria, where the 

production premises of Weinig’s subsidiary 

Holz-Her is located, €15m has already been 

approved in advance and will be invested in 

assembly, production and logistics. The newly 

adopted programme focuses on the solid 

wood division of the mechanical engineering 

company. Around €70m will be invested in the 

infrastructure of the Tauberbischofsheim site 

alone, which has been around for 117 years. 

Weinig has set up a new site concept that will 

sustainably modernise production, optimise 

delivery capability for customers and improve 

the working environment for its employees. 

This will include a new logistics centre, a new 

manufacturing concept and new production 

facilities, as well as new exhibition and 

customer training rooms. 

The supervisory and management boards 

emphasised how the upcoming investments 

will position the company for the future. 

Thomas Bach, chairman of Weinig’s 

supervisory board, pointed out that it is 

part of the Weinig DNA to see crises as 

opportunities, and the COVID-19 pandemic 

has provided room for conceptual work: 

“We looked for, identified and seized an 

opportunity in the crisis. As a result, we 

can confidently say today: Weinig is fit for a 

successful future.” 

Gregor Baumbusch, CEO of Weinig, explained 

that the wood processing industry is a growth 

sector that is getting an additional boost 

through sustainability and climate protection. 

The demand for machines and solutions that 

serve this market is correspondingly high 

and will continue to rise. A further €40m 

will therefore be invested in expanding the 

product portfolio. 

Baumbusch stated: “Today, we already 

have the broadest product portfolio of 

any supplier in the solid wood industry 

worldwide. Especially in the rapidly growing 

segment of timber construction, we will 

be able to offer our customers even better 

solutions from a single source, namely 

Weinig, in the future.” 

Georg Hanrath, CTO of Weinig, added that 

the future belongs to the triad of sustainable 

production, sustainable machines and the 

sustainable products manufactured on them. 

The workforce of Weinig is reportedly behind 

the planned measures and is looking forward 

to the improvements the investment will 

bring. P 

“NEW ECOLOGY”: INTERZUM’S NEW THEME FOR THE 2023 EDITION 

Interzum will therefore offer its exhibitors and 

visitors the platform and community to discuss 

these themes and develop solutions together. 

Interzum has unveiled its 2023 exhibition theme 

– New Ecology – which reflects the growing 

awareness of climate change, and how the 

furniture and interior design industries need 

to address the issues of climate protection and 

sustainable action. 

interzum @home 2021. 

Interzum 2023 will 

adopt a digital approach 

as well, alongside the 

physical format (Image: 

interzum) 

With sustainability as a growing factor, 

themes like conserving resources, smart 

materials, renewable energies, re- and 

upcycling are already tracing a development 

in brand companies seeing their future home 

less as an assortment than as an attitude. 

Even then, the focus will still be on global 

business under changed basic conditions. 

Participating companies include Hettich, 

Häfele, Blum and Vauth-Sagel through 

Schattdecor, Impress, Egger, Finsa, Kastamonu, 

Leggett & Platt / Global Systems Group and 

Atlanta Attachment to Dürkopp Adler, among 

others. 

With 190,000m 2 of exhibition space, visitors 

will be privy to surfaces, fittings, light and 

wood materials, as well as components for the 

production of upholstered furniture. interzum 

will also take place in a digital format alongside 

the physical medium, using interzum @home 

and the 365-day platform interzum.com. P 


NEWS 

MEKONG WOOD 

ORDERS SIEMPELKAMP 

MDF PLANT THAT 

PROCESSES ACACIA 

Siempelkamp has announced that Mekong Wood MDF Joint Stock 

Company, a Vietnamese wood-based panel manufacturer, has placed 

an order for a complete medium-density fibreboard (MDF) plant with 

Siempelkamp. 

The plant will be fed by local raw materials acacia and eucalyptus. At the 

heart of the new factory will be a forming and press line with the ContiRoll 

in the 8-feet x 47.1m format with the NEO press infeed. 

This infeed geometry is designed to process acacia; the extended, flexible 

infeed heating plate facilitates deaeration of the mat and prevents 

blowouts and steel belt damage, even at high production speeds. 

Plant availability, capacity and operational reliability can be increased 

with this plant design. Siempelkamp’s plants have been able to process 

acacia before, despite the material’s challenging machining properties. 

The plant will be designed for an annual production capacity of over 

400,000m³, which will be supplied mainly to the furniture industry. The 

thickness range for these boards is focused on 15-17mm, with a possible 

spectrum of 3.5-32mm. 

“This order is a complement to our commitment to introduce press 

concepts for processing the most demanding raw materials successfully to 

the market,” said Marc Müller, head of commercial sales at Siempelkamp. 

“We are pleased to accompany Mekong Wood’s entry into board 

production, and to follow up our good reputation with another excellent 

performance.” P 

Mekong Wood partners with Siempelkamp for a new MDF plant (Image: Siempelkamp) 

Panels & Furniture Asia | July / August 2022 9

NEWS 

HOMAG SETS UP APAC HOTLINE 

FOR REGIONAL SERVICING 

CIFF 2021 

To better respond to their Asia-Pacific 

customers’ production needs and issues, 

HOMAG has set up the new APAC Hotline 

to provide shorter response time by their 

specialists in the same time zone. 

Previously, HOMAG has a hotline based in 

Germany for global service. However, this 

meant that Asia-Pacific customers had to 

establish an online connection to Germany in 

a different time zone for remote diagnostics. 

The challenge of different time zone was thus 

addressed with the establishment of the APAC 

Hotline. 

“APAC Hotline is an organisation consisting of 

qualified and competent engineer specialists 

with many experiences in their respective fields 

who are ready to help customers in Asia-Pacific 

quickly when they have any problem with their 

machines or software via online connection,” 

explained Ilham Perdana, project manager of 

APAC Hotline. 

APAC Hotline consists of engineer specialists 

from HOMAG Asia based in Singapore, HOMAG 

Australia and HOMAG India, and hence the 

operational hours of APAC Hotline stay within 

this region. The hotline will receive all questions 

surrounding the topics of mechanics, control, 

electricity, process engineering on the machine, 

and any software issues. 

Customers can contact their HOMAG local 

representatives first by using email, telephone 

or various digital solution applications. After 

establishing contact, the HOMAG specialist, 

whether from the local team or the APAC 

Hotline, will take the customer’s request to 

work out a solution. The assistance will then be 

performed remotely. P 

CIFF GUANGZHOU 

POSTPONED TO 

JULY 2022 

The organisers of the China International 

Furniture Fair (CIFF) Guangzhou have announced 

that the 49th edition of the furniture trade fair is 

postponed to July 2022. 

The first phase is postponed to 17-20 Jul 2022, 

consisting of furniture items related to home 

furniture, home décor, and outdoor leisure. The 

second phase is postponed to 26-29 Jul 2022, 

consisting of items related to office, commercial 

and hotel furniture, while concurrently hosting 

CIFM/interzum guangzhou. 

Despite the postponement, the organisers are 

confident that the 49th CIFF will be safe and 

orderly for the furnishing industry, and it will 

make the most of its advantage in mobilising 

venue, exhibition and service resources. 

With the theme “Design Trend, Global Trade, Full 

Supply Chain”, CIFF Guangzhou will adhere to the 

promotion of exhibition supply-side reform by 

exploring new opportunities and breaking new 

ground. P 

PEFC APPOINTS 

NEW SECRETARY 

GENERAL AND CEO 

Michael Berger has moved up to the role of 

secretary general and CEO of the Programme 

for the Endorsement of Forest Certification 

(PEFC). He has been with PEFC since 2011 

and has over 20 years of experience in 

environmental and quality management, 

sustainable supply chain development and 

management systems. 

technical knowledge, we are confident he will 

guide PEFC in the next phase of its evolution.” 

With his background in economics and PhD 

in forestry, Berger worked as a management 

consultant in different sectors, before serving 

as a technical expert for accreditation bodies 

and at a sustainability consultancy in Germany. 

He was also a lecturer in corporate social 

responsibility at the school for Forestry and 

Sustainable Resource Management at the 

Technical University Munich in Weihenstephan, 

Germany. 

“We will strengthen our capacity and collaboration 

with members and partners to better demonstrate 

the positive impact that credible certification has 

on forests, people, and local economies. As an 

innovative service provider, we will collectively 

deliver meaningful impact on our journey towards 

a low carbon economy.” P 

“Michael will be an engaged, responsive, and 

dedicated leader for the PEFC alliance,” said 

Eduardo Rojas Briales, chair of PEFC. “With his 

team-oriented, people-centric management 

style, his focus on collaboration and 

innovation, and his remarkable expertise and 

“Demands on forests have never been so high. 

The need for timber is increasing, but forests 

are also critical climate change mitigation 

champions and biodiversity hosts. We need 

to meet and exceed society’s changing 

expectations of forests,” Berger commented. 

Michael Berger, secretary general and CEO of PEFC 


NEWS 

HENKEL SINGAPORE OPENS 

UPGRADED ADHESIVES APPLICATION 

ENGINEERING LABORATORY 

Henkel Singapore has opened an upgraded 

adhesives application engineering laboratory 

housed within its Haw Par Technocentre office 

in Singapore, to serve as an innovation and 

full-service technical hub for customers from the 

general manufacturing and maintenance sectors 

in Singapore and the South East Asian region. 

trainings and webinars. For example, using 

the laboratory’s holographic smart glasses, 

customers can connect with Henkel specialists 

across the globe for live discussions, therefore 

speeding up customer support. P 

Henkel Singapore has upgraded its adhesives 

application engineering laboratory for customers 

from the general manufacturing and maintenance 

sectors in Singapore and the South East Asian 

region (Image: Henkel) 

“We have a strong market presence in South 

East Asia, where our Loctite brand is trusted 

by original equipment manufacturers and 

the maintenance, repair and overhaul 

markets across a wide spectrum of industries. 

Singapore’s location at the heart of the region 

enables us to be closer to our customers,” said 

Mark Nagel, head of general manufacturing 

and maintenance for South East Asia, Henkel 

Adhesive Technologies. 

Nagel elaborated: “At our adhesives application 

engineering laboratory in Singapore, we aim to 

create lasting partnerships with our customers. 

This underpins our holistic, total solutions 

approach from product development and 

design to the manufacturing stage. Our focus 

is helping customers shorten their R&D time, 

materialise their design ideas and speed up their 

time to market as well as improve the reliability 

and sustainability of their operations. 

• 2~3 moveable saw blades 

(will be launched in August 2022!) 

• Laser scan feeding system equipped, 

cutting 5~6 boards per minute 


Binh Duong, Vietnam 

8 to 11 August 2022 

Booth No.: B2081 

“In doing so, we also tap on our local, regional 

and global expertise and network to maximise 

the impact of our solutions for our customers.” 

Henkel adhesive specialists work to solve design 

challenges, develop new applications and deliver 

solutions that enable customers to operate more 

efficiently, enhance product performance, reduce 

downtime and improve safety. 

This includes an Industry 4.0-enabled Loctite 

Integrated Dispenser that can be operated 

remotely, with the ability to assess solutions 

efficacy on simulated customer processes. 

According to Henkel, one advantage of 

the laboratory is its ability to connect 

with customers virtually on equipment 

demonstrations, testing, troubleshooting, 


NEWS 

UPTICK IN US HARDWOOD EXPORTS 

TO INDIA IN Q1 2022 

The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) 

has released the latest figures for US hardwood 

exports to India, reporting that the lumber 

exports continued their upward trajectory in Q1 

2022, with the total shipped to the market rising 

by 20% in volume to 2,262m 3 and by 36% in value 

to US$1.58 million, as compared to Q1 2021. 

The statistics, which were compiled from the 

latest data released by the US Department of 

Agriculture (USDA), were announced on the 

sidelines during IndiaWood 2022. 

According to AHEC, shipments to India during 

Q1 were dominated by red oak, white oak and 

hickory. The increase in exports in Q1 follows a 

new record for exports of US hardwood lumber 

to India in 2021. The total volume shipped, 

11,109m 3 , was almost triple the previous record 

set in 2019, indicating far more than just a post- 

COVID recovery. 

The biggest increases in value and volume 

were seen in hickory, which experienced 99% 

and 53% growth respectively, white oak with 

160% and 121%, and red oak with 51% and 

86%. AHEC’s participation in IndiaWood 2022 

was a testament to its belief in the Indian 

market, which is going through a period of 

modernisation. 

“American hardwoods are gaining acceptance 

in India. The process is slow but sure and many 

manufacturers are only using US hardwoods 

for the first time now, having been very used 

to working with teak, sheesham, mango and 

acacia, among other species,” said Roderick 

Wiles, regional director of AHEC. 

“That being said, India is one of a few 

significant global markets that remain largely 

untapped for American hardwoods. It offers 

a substantial market opportunity, and it is 

expected that we will see US hardwood exports 

to India rise significantly in the coming years, as 

they gain wider acceptance.” 

AHEC’s participation in IndiaWood 2022 was 

aimed at promoting American hardwoods 

across the country’s growing number of 

constructions, interior design and furniture 

projects and reinforcing its market presence in 

India. 

During the five-day show, AHEC hosted a 

pavilion, which served to highlight the variety of 

Roderick Wiles, regional director of AHEC speaking at 

Wood in Architecture + Design at IndiaWood 2022 

American hardwood species while also throwing 

a spotlight on the benefits of processes 

undertaken to treat American hardwoods. 

“There is absolutely no doubt that India is now 

waking up to American hardwoods and many 

factors are contributing to the rise in demand. 

The country’s wood furniture industry is thriving 

and expanding, with production increasing for 

both export and the domestic market,” said 

Wiles. 

“Demand for wood furniture, joinery, doors, 

windows, flooring, cladding and other products 

is also increasing both in India itself and around 

the world, allowing the industry to expand 

rapidly and leverage skilled labour and lowercost 

manufacturing. At the same time, the 

availability of locally sourced hardwoods is in 

terminal decline, which bodes well for the future 

of American hardwoods in India.” P 

BIESSE STRENGTHENS PRESENCE IN BRAZIL 

Biesse’s new 

headquarters in 

Curitiba, Brazil 

(Image: Biesse) 

Biesse has planned to open a 

new headquarters in Curitiba, 

Parana, Brazil, expanding the 

company’s footprint into the region’s 

woodworking sector. The new facility 

will link Biesse closer to its customers 

while allowing the company to 

evaluate opportunities for growth in 

other countries of South America. 

Biesse already has a presence in the 

Brazilian market for its solutions in 

glass and stone processing since 

1987. It has also provided solutions 

for the furniture industry with a 

network of agents and dealers from its 

headquarters in São Paulo, which will 

later be integrated with the Curitiba 

hub. 

The new Curitiba site will have a 

showroom of more than 1,300m 2 , 

where customers will be able to join 

the Biesse experience and watch 

demonstrations of the machinery 

designed for processing wood, glass, 

stone and advanced materials. They will 

have access to a team of specialists to 

support them in their decisions, a newly 

bolstered assistance service, and training 

areas. 

To meet, listen and become even closer 

to its customers, Biesse will be taking 

part in the upcoming Glass South 

America trade fair from 29 Jun-2 Jul 

2022, and in the ForMobile trade fair 

from 5-8 Jul 2022. 

Biesse is also focused on other 

international expansion strategies, 

including the opening of new offices in 

Israel and Japan. To read more on the 

Japan expansion, flip to page 34. P 


NEWS 

MALAYSIA AND VIETNAM TO 

STRENGTHEN ECONOMIC 

COOPERATION IN TIMBER TRADE 

Vietnam and Malaysian timber industries have 

signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) 

to develop the timber trade in both countries. 

It aims to strengthen economic cooperation 

and create opportunities for Vietnamese and 

Malaysian timber manufacturers to promote 

their exports and imports. 

The signatories of the MoC include the Timber 

Exporters’ Association of Malaysia (TEAM), 

the Malaysian Furniture Council (MFC), the 

Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association 

(VIFORES), the Binh Duong Furniture 

Association (BIFA), the Handicraft and Wood 

Industry Association of Dong Nai (DOWA) and 

the Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh 

City (HAWA). 

Muhtar Suhaili, CEO of Malaysian Timber 

Council (MTC), also commented that Malaysia 

ai161597024816_EN_PFA_IMEAS_202105.pdf 1 17/03/21 09:37 

will commit to further developing the timber 

industry sustainably. 

Malaysia can benefit from Vietnam’s higher 

FDI in furniture manufacturing and access 

to the EU market through Vietnam’s free 

trade agreements, commented Muhtar. The 

availability of skilled and local manpower will be 

advantageous for Vietnam, and the border with 

China will provide easier access for furniture 

parts and wooden panels. 

Chua Song Fong, president of TEAM, remarked 

that Vietnam’s timber industry has been 

growing strongly over the past decade and 

TEAM would like to capitalise on this to explore 

business opportunities in the country. 

Khoo Yeow Chong, president of MFC, likewise 

wants to increase its market share in Vietnam, 

and the MoC can deepen investment flows for 

Malaysia, citing supplying furniture parts to 

Vietnam as a good possibility. 

According to Vietnam Plus, Malaysia’s export 

of timber products to Vietnam in 2021 reached 

US$38.44 million, while Malaysia spent 

$148.25m on importing wooden products from 

Vietnam. P 

Source: Vietnam Plus 

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for sanding of wood-based panels such as MDF and ParticleBoard. EvoL 

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Flexibility, Superior Quality, and Full Automation. 

C 

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NEWS 

G7 ENCOURAGES SUSTAINABLE TROPICAL 

FORESTRY THROUGH ITTO 

The International Tropical Timber Organisation 

(ITTO) has announced that the G7 Climate, 

Energy and Environment Ministers have agreed 

to accelerate the transition to sustainable 

supply chains that decouple trade and 

agricultural production from deforestation and 

forest degradation and promote sustainably 

produced wood and wood products, including 

through ITTO. 

ITTO reports that this is according to a joint 

communiqué released by the G7 in Berlin. The 

G7, or Group of Seven, is an intergovernmental 

political forum consisting of Canada, France, 

Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US. 

In the communiqué, the ministers expressed 

“deep concern regarding the triple global 

crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and 

pollution, recognising that these challenges 

are inextricably interlinked and mutually 

reinforcing and that they are driven largely by 

human activity and by unsustainable patterns 

of consumption and production”. 

Among other things, the ministers are 

committed to supporting a transition to supply 

chains that are environmentally sustainable, 

net-zero-aligned and climate-resilient, to 

reduce pollution, decouple agricultural 

production from forest loss and land 

degradation, and use resources sustainably, 

reduce product environmental impact, and 

foster a circular economy. 

One way the ministers will do this is by 

promoting sustainable forest management 

and sustainably produced wood and wood 

products, such as through ITTO. 

They will work with producer countries 

and other consumer countries, indigenous 

people, the private sector, non-governmental 

organisations, academia, international 

organisations and local communities “to 

explore opportunities to increase the 

coherence of approaches”. 

The ministers also reaffirmed their 

commitment to work with other developedcountry 

parties to urgently implement the 

Climate Finance Delivery Plan: Meeting the 

US$100 Billion Goal, and they called on all 

countries to scale up efforts to mobilise 

finance from all sources to support climate 

action. 

TEKNOS AWARDED ECOVADIS GOLD MEDAL 

FOR SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE 

A community forest enterprise in Oaxaca, Mexico. 

Sustainable timber supply chains have a role to play 

in addressing the triple crisis articulated by the G7 

ministers (Image: T. Yanuariadi/ITTO) 

Sheam Satkuru, executive director of ITTO, 

welcomed the communiqué and expressed 

hope that it will encourage the delivery of 

more finance for sustainable forestry in 

the tropics: “Sustainable tropical forestry 

is central to addressing the triple crisis 

articulated by the G7 ministers. Forests 

are home to a large proportion of global 

biodiversity, they capture and store carbon, 

and produce wood and other forest products, 

which are vital non-polluting materials that 

will help power a more circular economy. 

Significant financial assistance is needed to 

accelerate these efforts. 

“ITTO has a proven track record over more than 

30 years in implementing sustainable forestry 

projects across the tropics, in partnership 

with implementing agencies. We are ready to 

fully support these laudable aims through the 

Climate Finance Delivery Plan, where actions 

will speak far louder than words.” P 

is right. At the same time, this recognition will 

also inspire us to aim even higher. 

Teknos has been granted the EcoVadis gold 

medal for its sustainability performance in 

2021, making the company within the top 

5% of 90,000 companies that are rated by 

EcoVadis across the globe. 

EcoVadis is a provider of business 

sustainability ratings. Companies are 

assessed in four categories: environment, 

labour and human rights, ethics, and 

sustainable procurement. Teknos performed 

in the environmental part with a score of 

80/100 and reached a good level also in 

labour and human rights and sustainable 

procurement. 

Sustainability is a cornerstone of Teknos’s 

strategy, and the company aims to be the 

most sustainable coatings solutions provider 

in the industry. In the past few years, Teknos 

has invested in developing its sustainability 

practices. The EcoVadis gold medal confirms 

this commitment. 

Paula Salastie, CEO and owner of Teknos 

Group, said: “We are pleased that our 

persistent work in developing our 

operations and products to be more 

sustainable has been recognised with the 

EcoVadis gold medal. To be included in the 

top 5% of all companies is a great milestone 

for us and proves our strong commitment to 

sustainability for our external and internal 

stakeholders. 

“Being able to improve from bronze to gold 

level within just a few years is a significant 

step forward and shows us that our direction 

“For us being sustainable is more than 

emissions. It is also about creating a great place 

to work and long-term relationships with all our 

stakeholders. This is measured by the pride of 

being part of the Teknos family.” 

Teknos reports that in its sustainability 

programme, it will continue to focus on 

mitigating climate impact, ensuring the safety 

and well-being of its personnel and other 

stakeholders, and finding sustainable solutions 

to tackle raw material scarcity not only in 

procurement but also with lifecycle thinking. 

Participation in EcoVadis also allows for 

transparency to the whole value chain as it 

enables Teknos customers to monitor Teknos’s 

sustainability performance and manage 

sustainability risks. P 


MARKET REPORT 

COVID-19, Russia’s 

war on Ukraine, and 

inflation slow business, 

but recovery continues 

for US hardwoods 

By Judd Johnson, managing 

editor, Hardwood Market 

Report Publications 

COVID-19 and its mutations are still present and 

dangerous, but health risks to humans are not 

as severe globally as at the beginning and early 

stages of the epidemic-turned-pandemic. By 

and large, those threats have been downgraded, 

and that is an encouraging development of the 

COVID-19 crisis. 

On the other hand, businesses in all industries 

are struggling to attain consistency. Recovery 

has been uneven, at best. Labour is a problem 

— in part due to COVID-19 but also for other 

various reasons. Transportation is certainly 

a primary factor contributing to business 

disruptions. Interruptions in ocean vessel, rail, 

and truck shipments delay order fulfilment of 

materials and goods. Equally troubling is when 

delayed shipments deliver simultaneously 

and in mass with on-time shipments. Such 

circumstances overwhelm the handling 

capacities of ports, docks, and yards, rendering 

them inefficient and even ineffective. 

The irony of supply shortages is that the lack of 

one thing can push back purchases and cause 

supply surpluses of other things. One example 

for US hardwoods is that supply shortages of 

hardware can cause a cabinet manufacturer 

to suspend purchases of lumber and other 

necessary components. The lumber supplier is 

then left with extra material that is “sold” but 

cannot be shipped. 

manufacturers cannot assemble wooden pallets 

and containers. Therefore, manufacturers do not 

need wood parts or lumber required to make 

the parts at that specific point. Again, lumber 

supply backs up to the seller at a time in the 

marketplace when supplies are limited. 

There is no question that supply shortages 

have been prevalent these past two years. The 

strains have fuelled upward price pressure. 

The marketplace has demonstrated that higher 

prices can be absorbed for a period of time but 

not endlessly. Historically, the sharper the price 

increases, the faster the price surge reaches its 

end. 

Figure 1 

24,000,000 

22,000,000 

20,000,000 

18,000,000 

16,000,000 

14,000,000 

12,000,000 

10,000,000 

8,000,000 

6,000,000 

4,000,000 

But limits on price increases are not only 

about what the market can bear. Higher prices 

incentivise increases in sawmill production. 

As that occurs, supplies begin to build, and 

they continue to expand until something in the 

marketplace or economy brings that process to 

an end. 

That is the structure of inventory recovery for 

US hardwoods. The problem is the variability 

in demand and delays in transportation have 

postponed both new order placements and 

fulfilment of existing orders. As a result, it 

is not uncommon for US hardwood lumber 

sales operations to be over-committed on 

Quarterly Eastern US Hardwood Sawmill Production 

(Annualized - Cubic Meters) 

©2022 HMR 

Average quarterly production 

from 2012 through Q1 2020 is 

17.9 million cubic meters. 

Average quarterly production 

from Q2 2020 through Q1 2022 

is 14.5 million cubic meters. 

Hardwood Market Report (HMR) has received 

similar reports of US pallet manufacturers 

running short on nails at various times 

over these past months. Without nails, 

2,000,000 

0 

2008-1 

3 

2009-1 

3 

2010-1 

3 

2011-1 

3 

2012-1 

3 

2013-1 

3 

2014-1 

3 

2015-1 

3 

2016-1 

3 

2017-1 

3 

2018-1 

3 

2019-1 

3 

2020-1 

3 

2021-1 

3 

2022-1 


MARKET REPORT 

certain species, thicknesses, or grade 

combinations, while at the same time 

being over-supplied on other specific 

items. 

It is also noteworthy that these 

circumstances exist when US hardwood 

sawmill production is still well below 

average since the end of the Great 

Recession (Fig. 1), and the potential for 

future demand growth is tremendous. 

This is where other forces have come 

into play and slowed business. The 

economy is the single greatest influence 

on demand for consumer goods. Inflation 

in the US is running at a 40-year high 

and has substantially reduced spending 

power. Inflation also weighs on consumer 

— and business — sentiment. Sentiment 

indices can be barometers of future 

spending trends. In the US, consumer 

spending accounts for over two-thirds of 

the economy. 

China’s zero-tolerance policy for 

mitigating the spread of COVID-19 forced 

shutdowns of some of the world’s most 

populated cities and busiest ocean ports. 

Russia’s war on Ukraine has complicated 

matters all the more by causing global 

supply realignment for oil, and it has 

closed Ukrainian shipping channels vital 

for moving food and other agricultural 

products into world markets. 

Figure 2 

60% 

40% 

20% 

0% 

-20% 

-40% 

-60% 

-80% 

1999 

2000 

2001 

US Single Family Housing Starts 

Percentage Variance From Static Demand 

Surplus 

2021 single family housing 

starts ended 6.4% below 

static demand. 

Single family housing 

starts through Q1 2022 are 

2.4% below static demand. 

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

Sources: US Census Bureau and HMR, Graph: HMR 

Sources: US Census Bureau and HMR 

Figure 3 

Thousand Units 

2,000 

1,800 

1,600 

1,400 

1,200 

1,000 

800 

600 

400 

200 

0 

1959 

1961 

1963 

1965 

1967 

1969 

1971 

1973 

1975 

Sources: US Census Bureau, Source: US Graph: Census HMR Bureau 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014 

2015 

Annual static demand for 

new single family 

housing in the US is 

based at 1.2 million units. 

Deficit 

2016 

2017 

US Single-Family Housing 

Permits, Starts, and Completions 

Starts Completions Permits 

1977 

1979 

1981 

1983 

1985 

1987 

1989 

1991 

1993 

1995 

1997 

1999 

2001 

2003 

2005 

2007 

2018 

2009 

2019 

2020 

Graph: HMR 

2011 

2013 

Graph: HMR 

2015 

2021 

2017 

2019 

*2022 

2021 

If not for these challenges that 

businesses of every type face, this point 

in human history should be one of 

the most vibrant of times. Developing 

economies have been gaining strength 

and providing better living opportunities 

for their people. Until recently, mature 

economies have posted growth. In 

the case of the US, there have been 

positive economic effects from two large, 

young generations. The outlook is even 

brighter as these groups gain in age and 

affluence. 

So, while the business climate currently 

is not experiencing the high level 

of energy that it should, underlying 

demand is still very strong for 

housing, furnishings, fixtures, building 

components, and building materials. 

Fig. 2 shows there is a housing supply 

deficit in the US lingering from the Great 

Recession. 

Increases in US residential construction 

in recent years have been a very slow 

start to fulfilling the demand for the 

millennial generation (Fig. 3). Not far 

behind is Generation Z, which is second 

in population size in US history only to 

the s. Even more housing, fixtures, and 

furnishings will be needed in the not-sodistant 

future. 

Yes, obstacles within and outside 

of the hardwood marketplace are 

disrupting commerce. But these 

obstacles and others that are sure to 

come will eventually be surmounted. 

As that happens, businesses will regain 

momentum for companies that produce 

hardwood goods, and US hardwoods will 

be a key component of those companies’ 

future success. P 

Hardwood Market Report (HMR) 

is the leading source of pricing 

and market information for North 

American hardwoods. It has 

provided reliable, expert analysis 

of pricing and market trends to 

hardwood companies throughout 

the world since 1922. Sample copies 

and subscription services for HMR 

and all other HMR publications are 

available online at www.hmr.com. 


MARKET REPORT 

Four trends strengthening 

outlook of wooden 

furniture market over 

2022-2027 

By Priya Deshmukh, 

content writer, Global Market Insights 

Image: Chastity Cortijo/Unsplash 

The wooden furniture market is 

set to grow from its current market 

value of more than US$370 billion 

to over $550bn, as reported in 

the latest study by Global Market 

Insights. 

The proliferating demand for luxury 

furniture, in conjunction with the 

increasing consumer expenditure 

and rapid urbanisation, has created 

an enormous demand for wooden 

furniture in recent years. In addition, 

the changing consumer lifestyles 

and rising disposable incomes 

are further driving the adoption 

of wooden furnishings. The rising 

demand for customisation of home 

interiors to enhance aesthetics 

is favouring the expansion of the 

wooden furniture market. 

Apart from these factors, the 

introduction of innovative wooden 

furniture trends has also enhanced 

the industry landscape further. 

For instance, in 2020, heritage 

office furniture manufacturer 

Bisley introduced its latest flexible 

furniture collection, which has been 

developed to meet the requirements 

of the 2020 workplace that have 

been created during the pandemic. 

STRATEGIC INITIATIVES BY KEY 

INDUSTRY PLAYERS 

The key manufacturers active in 

the wooden furniture industry 

are focusing on forming strategic 

alliances to develop innovative 

solutions and gain a competitive 

edge in the market. To illustrate, 


MARKET REPORT 

Image: GMInsights 

in 2021, furniture manufacturers 

Herman Miller and Knoll entered a 

$1.8bn partnership. This strategic move 

is aimed at forming a single design 

entity and running the retail as well as 

e-commerce business together. 

MOUNTING ADOPTION IN 

RESIDENTIAL SECTOR 

The availability of limited storage 

space in average-sized homes across 

various countries coupled with 

the rising popularity of modular 

furniture is providing lucrative growth 

prospects for the industry. This has 

urged industry players to expand 

their portfolio of modular furniture. 

For instance, in 2021, Chromcraft 

introduced McKenzie & Co, a new 

division providing modular and fully 

upholstered furniture. In addition, 

the increased sales of fitted furniture, 

especially in the bedroom segment, 

is positively influencing the industry 

statistics. Reportedly, the residential 

segment in the wooden furniture 

market is anticipated to register a 

notable CAGR of over 5% through 

2027. 

versatile and informal dining is favouring 

the business growth. Besides, the 

increasing adoption of other accessories 

such as whiskey, wine, and vodka racks 

along with the dining furniture is further 

propelling the market value. 

BURGEONING FURNITURE DEMAND IN 

NORTH AMERICA 

The rising demand for furniture such 

as kitchen furniture cabinets, dining 

tables, storage, upholstered and nonupholstered 

components is strongly 

driving the industry growth in North 

America. The consumers are largely 

focusing on enhancing the interior 

design and aesthetics which is 

further impelling the demand for 

wooden furniture with different 

colours and textures. The market 

expansion is further impelled by 

the rising product adoption in the 

non-residential spaces including 

hospitals, schools, colleges, 

hotels, and commercial offices. 

Considering the increasing consumer 

expenditure, the North American 

wooden furniture market is expected 

to register a robust CAGR of around 

5.5% through 2027. 

The rising demand for luxurious 

wooden furniture driven by the 

growing need to enhance aesthetics 

and increasing disposable incomes is 

opening ample growth opportunities 

for the market. In addition, the 

emerging wooden furniture trends 

with the rising demand for natural 

textures and styles are further 

supporting the market expansion. P 

HEIGHTENED DEMAND FOR DINING 

ROOM FURNITURE 

Dining room furniture plays a crucial 

role in the furniture segment owing 

to its essential characteristics and 

the significance of food in different 

cultures. The growing consumer 

demand for counter-height tables, 

small case pieces, and dining tables 

as a part of fulfilling their need for 

Image: Nathan Oakley/Unsplash 


ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 

Making timber trade in 

Lower Mekong forests 

more sustainable 

By Yap Shi Quan 

What does it mean to be a responsible supplier 

or buyer? Arguably that means complying with 

legal requirements, delivering the promised 

quality and ensuring transparent terms and 

conditions between stakeholders. But in 

this era where the threat of climate change 

looms, being responsible now includes being 

environmentally conscious — stakeholders 

in the forestry industry now need to consider 

how timber should be harvested, logged and 

delivered sustainably. 

However, forests continue to be exploited for 

profiteering, with overlogging and conversion 

of forest land into other uses plaguing forests 

globally. Growing concerns about the plight 

of forests spark initiatives on how to better 

manage and conserve them, and one of them is 

a collaboration between the Forest Stewardship 

Council (FSC) and the United Nations (UN). 

Named the FSC x UN-REDD Initiative, it is aimed 

at halting degradation and deforestation in the 

Lower Mekong region. 

THE STATE OF LOWER MEKONG FORESTS 

According to Ma Lichao, executive director 

of FSC China, forests in the Lower Mekong 

region face threats from overlogging and land 

conversion into agricultural use. Thi Que Anh 

Vu, country manager of FSC Vietnam, echoed 

similar sentiments, adding that natural forests 

in Vietnam have been converted to plantations 

and other uses, including but not limited to 

rubber plantations. 

Studies and reports have confirmed that the 

conversion of forests into other land use, as well 

as overlogging, are unhealthy for the forests’ 

lifecycles. This is particularly the case for forests 

in the Lower Mekong region, where rubber 

plantations are in hot demand. According 

to the BBC, converting natural forests into 

plantations is said to weaken the soil, water and 

biodiversity 1 , thus leading to forest degradation 

and deforestation. 

The current condition of the forests is in part 

due to the trade activities around the region. 

For instance, Cambodia and Myanmar export 

tropical timber to China, and China imports 

sawn timber from rubber plantations in the 

Lower Mekong region. 

“The Lower Mekong region has been important 

in supplying tropical timber to China,” 

Ma explained to Panels & Furniture Asia. 

“Furthermore, many of the land conversions are 

not really about forestry products. For example, 

forests are converted into oil palms and for 

other agricultural purposes, such as fruits 

and rubber — mostly for these commercial 

commodities.” 

Actions have been taken to preserve the forests 

and halt the degradation. Vu remarked that 

in Vietnam, the government has banned the 

harvesting and domestic logging of natural 

forests until 2050, although non-timber forest 

products can still be harvested. This ban started 

as far back as 2012, extending to even FSCcertified 

areas in 2016. Furthermore, companies 

that are FSC-certified are not allowed to convert 

natural forests into plantations after 1994, 

whether they are for rubber or acacia species. 

The same companies are also required to 

conserve at least 10% of the certified forests in 

their natural condition. 

THE FSC X UN-REDD LOWER MEKONG 

INITIATIVE 

Even then, overlogging and forest conversion 

are still rampant in the Lower Mekong region. 

For FSC, its key working principle is conserving 

the natural value of the forests. But it is 

undeniable that market forces are causing 

Lower Mekong forests to be in an unsustainable 

condition. Rather than circumventing the 


ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 

market, FSC decided to tackle it straight on by 

encouraging and educating stakeholders in the 

supply chain to follow certification values with 

the FSC x UN-REDD Lower Mekong Initiative. 

In essence, the initiative supports sustainable 

forestry in the Lower Mekong region through 

improved governance, covering regional 

countries like Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, 

Thailand, and Myanmar, with China as a 

partner. Currently, it offers its members two 

avenues to make their trade more sustainable: 

First, with the Sustainable Tropical Timber 

Trade Network, FSC will connect certified 

suppliers from the Lower Mekong region with 

interested buyers. This seeks to increase the 

demand for certified timber products through 

networking and increased reach. Ma explained 

that the FSC is not only engaging with Chinese 

brands but also buyers from as far as North 

America and the EU to see if they are interested 

in the trade network. 

Second, the Sustainable Tropical Timber 

Information Hub is a database about the FSC 

certification and legal requirements for the 

importing and exporting of tropical timber 

and products. The hub also functions as an 

extension of the trade network, where FSC will 

publish information about interested suppliers 

and buyers in it to develop the value chain. 

Furthermore, forest managers who put in 

additional effort to manage according to FSC 

standards will also be published in the hub, 

thus rewarding and promoting stakeholders 

who practise sustainable forestry. 

Ma elaborated: “The focus of the FSC x UN- 

REDD project goes beyond education. We 

believe that the trade and market play a very 

important role in the state of the forestry use 

of land. So, what FSC wants to do is really to 

facilitate and encourage trading in certified 

materials and products, to bring additional 

benefits to people who are on the ground 

managing these forests, so they can be more 

willing to take a more responsible approach 

and apply FSC standards.” 

(VPA) between EU countries and Vietnam 

on EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance 

and Trade (FLEGT) — timber companies are 

encouraged to be more sustainable in their 

operations, since the VPA/FLEGT advocates 

for UN Sustainable Development Goals in 

sustainable consumption, production patterns, 

and forest management. As such, companies 

with FSC certification and adhere to VPA/FLEGT 

sustainability requirements would be able 

to enjoy higher timber demand in the trade 

network with EU countries. 

“Companies can provide evidence based 

on the FSC system to tell buyers how they 

have sourced timber material correctly and 

responsibly, thus ensuring responsible trading. 

At the same time, FSC also has network 

opportunities. This is what we can do to ensure 

the stakeholders, from the forest to the buyer, 

are in a responsible supply chain,” added Vu. 

“A REAL CONTRIBUTOR TO THE 

CONSERVATION OF FORESTS” 

According to Jayco Fung, head of market 

development of FSC APAC, with the launch of 

the trade network and information hub planned 

for November 2022, FSC is now focused on 

actively engaging with the demand and supply 

sides, aiming to bridge both of them: “2022 

is all about active engagement, including 

meetings with both public and private sectors, 

trade expos, hosting webinars and workshops, 

among others.” 

Vu reiterated: “We are just starting and we 

will boost the platform in the next five years, 

linking the actors in the supply chain and 

educating them in the network. We can also 

provide some e-books on the VPA/FLEGT, its 

processes and how to link everything to the 

programme. This is what I hope the initiative 

will develop into — more education, more 

linkages in the network, and more information 

provided by the FSC.” 

After the launch, FSC will be building on 

the network by deepening partnerships 

with industry players through different 

collaborations. To sustain the momentum, 

FSC will also advance its search capabilities by 

expanding the scope to natural rubber, since 

Asia supplies 87% of natural rubber globally, 

and they see value in incorporating it into the 

trade network and information hub. 

It is too early to tell whether the initiative 

will bear fruit. Even so, Ma believes in 

its importance, especially since North 

American and European countries have “high 

environmental and social requirements for the 

tropical timber forest products”. 

He concluded: “We are hoping that the FSC 

certification can be a strong tool for the market, 

for European companies to regain preference 

in tropical timber products, to join hands with 

forest managers in Lower Mekong region and 

bring more value to the forest so that they do 

not have to convert forests into other purposes. 

And I am hoping that the market can gain more 

preference in FSC certification so that timbers 

from unknown sources can be phased out, 

and we can become a real contributor to the 

conservation of forests.” P 

References 

1. BBC. Demand for rubber ‘threatens forests’. 

 

Vu also explained that Vietnamese companies 

recognise FSC as a “high standard” to support 

“responsible tracking in forest products”. 

Furthermore, with the VPA/FLEGT in place 

— the Voluntary Partnership Agreement 

Forests are converted into agricultural use or rubber plantations 


IN PERSON 

Binh Duong: A prospering 

manufacturing centre for 

wood products By Yap Shi Quan 

The committee of Binh Duong Furniture Association 

Vietnam is becoming one of the world’s 

biggest exporters of wood and wood 

products. Especially in recent years with 

wooden furniture enjoying a popularity 

boom for home furnishing, the country, as 

a manufacturing hub of wood products, has 

experienced this boom with an uptick in 

exports. 

“Vietnam’s wood and wood product 

manufacturing industry has had a 

breakthrough growth in export turnover [in 

recent years], and has grown at double digits 

for many consecutive years,” said Nguyen 

Liem, who has been recently elected as the 

chairman of Binh Duong Furniture Association 

(BIFA). “In 2000, the turnover reached US$219 

million, and by 2021, it reached $14.8 billion, 

60 times more than in 2000.” 

Contributing to this success is the Vietnamese 

province Binh Duong, whose manufacturing 

output accounts for nearly 50% of the 

total export turnover of the country, with 

wooden furniture in the top 10 key exports 

of the province, according to Nguyen. “I think 

industrial production has prospered,” he 

commented. 

As the representative voice for the wood 

processing industry in Binh Duong, BIFA has 

worked closely with the Binh Duong provincial 

government to implement programmes 

to support businesses in trade promotion, 

industrial innovation, technology, human 

resource training, and creating a foundation for 

the local industry’s development. And helming 

BIFA is Nguyen, who has 30 years of experience 

in the wood processing industry with his 

company, the Lam Viet Joint Stock Company. 

“My own Lam Viet Joint Stock Company has 

been operating for 20 years with the business 

philosophy of ‘always be responsible for 

what you do’,” said Nguyen. “I apply it to 

face all challenges from outside and inside 

the business, and now Lam Viet Joint Stock 

Company has become a reliable and honest 

long-term partner for large furniture importers 

and retailers.” 

THE ROLE OF BIFA 

For the local industry to develop sustainably 

and effectively, Nguyen, alongside 26 

members of the association’s executive 

committee, developed strategies that will 

create a link between the wood industry 

business community with government 

agencies to address administrative 

procedures, answer and support industry 

policies, promote the construction of 

wood industry zones and clusters, build 

protection and supply chains to increase 

competitiveness and advise businesses to 

reinvent machinery and equipment in stages 

to improve productivity. 

BIFA also operates the Lean Manufacturing 

Club and the Human Resources Club, which 

accompany businesses in developing highquality 

human resources, thus strengthening 

the connection between the association’s 

members. This year, the association will 

establish the Digital Transformation Club to 

catch up with global smart and advanced 

governance trends. 


IN PERSON 

To improve the local industry’s position 

internationally, Nguyen explained that BIFA has 

been implementing activities to help businesses 

understand and properly apply quality 

standards from the international market. For 

instance, timber enterprises must 

comply with the terms signed in the 

VPA/FLEGT agreement, particularly the Decree 

102/2020/ND-CP, and the Agreements on Control 

of Illegal Logging and Trade law with the US, to 

meet international trade requirements. 

Furthermore, BIFA has actively connected 

with trade offices and international business 

associations of other countries such as the US, 

Germany, Taiwan, Chile and India during the 

pandemic to ensure trade opportunities for their 

members. It also leveraged digital opportunities, 

organising the Vietnam Furniture Fair Online 

in 2021, or the VIFFO online market. Topping it 

off, BIFA will be co-organising a woodworking 

machinery exhibition, BIFA Wood Vietnam, 

which will be held from 8-11 Aug 2022 and open 

to local and international visitors. 

GOING FORWARD 

As of 2020, Vietnam ranks second globally in 

wood and wood products exports, and in a 

recent declaration by Vietnam’s Deputy Prime 

“Vietnam’s wood 

and wood product 

manufacturing industry 

has had a breakthrough 

growth in export 

turnover [in recent 

years], and has grown at 

double digits for many 

consecutive years.” 

Nguyen Liem 

Chairman of Binh Duong Furniture 

Association (BIFA) 

Minister Le Van Thanh, the country aims to 

reach $20bn and $25bn by 2025 and 2030 

respectively. 

Nguyen believes that local enterprises will 

have to work hard and try a lot to make 

great strides to reach the goal. This is in 

consideration of the current difficulties 

and fluctuations in the world economy, 

with nobody able to predict how the 

market will fluctuate in the future: “The 

wood industry is facing great challenges 

such as signs of trade fraud, counterfeiting 

of origin, high shipping costs, and broken 

supply chain of raw materials and 

auxiliary equipment.” 

Even so, Nguyen remains hopeful. With 

the support of the government and 

businesses’ efforts, the province and 

country can reach the wood export sales 

set by the government. Working towards 

sustainability, efficiency and modernity 

with the provincial government to meet 

the 2025 and 2030 vision, BIFA will also 

establish a specialised industrial cluster, 

a wood processing industrial park, and a 

supporting industrial cluster that serves the 

wood processing industry. 

In 2000, Vietnam’s export turnover for wood and wood products reached US$219 million, 

and by 2021 it reached $14.8 billion 

He concluded: “To face these difficulties, 

BIFA will actively coordinate with 

state management agencies to review 

enterprises showing signs of not being 

transparent. Step by step, we will also form 

specialised wood industry zones or clusters 

to solve supply chain disruptions.” P 


PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT 

Addressing quality 

and processing problems 

for coated wooden 

doors and windows 

Qvesarum, a design manufacturer of windows, 

doors, orangeries, bathroom fittings, interior 

and exterior furniture, and other carpentry of 

interior building details and furnishings, aims 

to improve their product quality as well as to 

use healthier and environmentally friendly 

waterborne coatings. Coating approximately 

100 windows, 50 doors, four orangeries, and 

20-30 bathroom or furniture items per month 

with their former solvent-borne coating system, 

they experienced moisture ingress into the 

wood, especially at the end-grain, resulting in 

cracks and flaking in the paint, poor adhesion, 

as well as the inconsistency of colours. 

Headquartered in Löberöd, Skåne, Sweden, 

Qvesarum produces its products in Indonesia 

and exports them to the Scandinavian region. 

The company believes in craftsmanship and 

professionalism; all products are constructed 

with sustainability in mind, and the company 

only uses materials that are healthy for both 

houses and people. At the request of their 

Swedish office, the Teknos South East Asia 

team contacted Qvesarum Asia in Jepara, 

Centra Java, Indonesia to offer its solutions and 

services to help Qvesarum overcome product 

quality and performance issues. 

STRONGER, BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 

With Qvesarum keen on moving away from 

solvent-borne systems, the Teknos waterborne 

portfolio of exterior industrial coatings was the 

optimal fit. Teknos has now been supplying 

exterior products to Qvesarum since 2020, 

ranging from AQUAPRIMER 2907 wood 

preservative, ANTISTAIN AQUA 2901 primer and 

tannin blocker, AQUATOP 2600 as the topcoat 

and TEKNOSEAL 4000 end-grain sealer. 

Yanuar Yogaswara Maryono, exterior coating 

expert and business development manager 

for Indonesia, Teknos, explained the 

recommended system: “The customer coats 

pine, teak and mahogany destined for the 

cool, wet climate of northern Europe, so our 

solution had to include a preservative to protect 

against wood discolouring fungi and meet 

European wood durability standard EN599-1. 

This is followed by a primer that prevents tannin 

bleed and finished with a topcoat that is easy 

to process and weather-resistant, that provides 

reliable protection against ultraviolet (UV) 

radiation, tinted in the RAL or NCS colour shade 

according to their customer’s demand. Gloss 

grades from 15-60 are also possible.” 

Teknos also offers ready tinted colours made 

from its production site and supplies the colours 

ready-to-use to Qvesarum Indonesia for direct 

application, without the hassle of mixing and 

matching the colours themselves. The colour 

pigment used in Teknos exterior products is also 

designed for exterior use, thus allowing the final 

product to perform with good weather resistance 

and light fastness. 



“Qvesarum and Teknos share 

similar values where sustainability is 

integrated into our strategy, business 

model and our everyday work. I am 

glad that our Teknos waterborne 

solutions and products can help 

Qvesarum in achieving their values 

to customers of offering long-term 

quality for a more sustainable world, 

together we make the world last 

longer,” said Wanda Smith, managing 

director of Teknos Malaysia. 

1 

In general, compared to other 

waterborne exterior products on 

the market, Teknos products’ drying 

process and time are reportedly 

suitable for South East Asia’s weather 

conditions and tropical climate. Also, 

the surface drying is faster, allowing 

sanding to take place before applying 

the next layer, thus achieving a 

faster processing time. Each of 

these layers takes 2-4 hours to dry 

depending on conditions, according 

to Teknos, leading to improved lead 

times at Qvesarum Indonesia. After 

brushing or spraying the first layer, 

the remaining coats are sprayed, 

resulting in a smooth and even finish. 

Furthermore, with Teknos offices 

in both Scandinavia and South 

East Asia, the product is available 

locally, so any small touch-ups to 

transit damage can be rectified in 

Scandinavia with the same product 

that matches the original paintwork 

applied in Asia. 

2 

“Not only has productivity improved 

but the finish is now highly durable. 

Switching to waterborne coating 

solutions is a better choice for the 

health and safety of our employees 

and customers. It has reduced our 

impact on the environment which 

along with our other initiatives, such 

as, only working with FSC assured 

wood, make us a more sustainable 

business. With Teknos’s expertise, 

we are developing our portfolio of 

waterborne coated products including 

wooden gates and interior wood 

for bathrooms too,” concluded Emil 

Linderberg, CEO of Qvesarum. P 

3 

Legend 

1 Qvesarum faces 

moisture ingress 

into the wood with 

their past solventborne 

coating 

system 

2 Teknos’s products 

are reportedly 

usable for 

various climates, 

including northern 

Europe’s cool and 

wet climate, and 

South East Asia’s 

tropical climate 

3 Teknos offers 

ready tinted 

colours 



Kitchen & Bath 

design feature: 

Improving work 

efficiency and 

design quality 

Coohom, a developer and provider of digital 

design tools for designers, retailers and 

manufacturers, has launched the Kitchen & 

Bath feature, a 3D design tool that simplifies 

operations in complex designs for interior 

designers. It features thousands of parametric 

models of cabinets, appliances, accessories, 

materials and styles, and more, and even has a 

smart artificial intelligence (AI) decorator at the 

user’s service for floor planning. 

“Due to the pandemic, people started realising 

how important 3D visualisation could be 

in affecting consumer awareness. During 

lockdowns, people can only shop online, 

which accelerates the e-commerce growth, 

and kitchens and bathrooms have more 

complicated designs than living rooms and 

bedrooms,” commented Cook Liao, commercial 

vice-president of Coohom. 

“Coohom is well aware of that, and hence we 

developed this powerful tool to help designers 

and manufacturers present their best ideas 

and products with a lower cost and higher 



Kitchen & Bath can generate a full 

720 virtual walkthrough by piecing 

photo-realistic panoramas together 

efficiency. Providing all-in-one and end-toend 

solutions has always been Coohom’s top 

goal, and with our Kitchen & Bath feature, 

users will get to experience the best possible 

3D interior design process. We will realise 

their imaginations.” 

Similar to the other 3D design tools by 

Coohom, the Kitchen & Bath is easy to apply 

and cloud-based, which means users can 

start designing as long as the Internet is 

available, with a rendering speed of up to 

16K resolution. 

The augmented reality (AR)-like experience 

will piece the photo-realistic panoramas 

together to generate a full 720 virtual 

walkthrough. The Kitchen & Bath tool also 

auto-generates construction drawing from 

3D designs to 2D drawings with reportedly 

no barriers at all, and these designs can be 

edited online and exported to various file 

formats, such as .dwg, .jpg, and .pdf. 

Additionally, Kitchen & Bath has an Industry 

4.0 interface, and can directly send design 

data to computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) 

platforms. Similar to the other Coohom 

tools, it supports various CAM programmes, 

such as the HomagIX or WoodCAD|CAM, 

TopSolid, Cabinet Vision, and more. Lastly, 

it increases efficiency by minimising manual 

disassembly, back-and-forth communication, 

and offline data exchanges. P 


PANEL MANUFACTURING 

Partnership and innovation 

between Kastamonu Entegre 

and Argos Systems for 

future solutions 

Argos Solutions, a manufacturer and developer 

of surface grading and panel repair systems, 

plays a role in supporting Kastamonu Entegre’s 

site at Gebze, Turkey, in its quality inspection. 

Kastamonu Entegre is committed to increasing 

its quality level and decreasing costs by 

implementing efficient quality systems in every 

stage of production. 

“Kastamonu Entegre is a company that has 

established itself as a major player in their 

local as well as global markets. Their focus 

on automatic grading systems is an example 

of how the Turkish industry has developed 

and adjusted to international standards over 

the years,” said Rune Gotfredsen, area sales 

manager for Argos Solutions. 

HIGH EXPECTATIONS DEMAND INNOVATIVE 

SOLUTIONS 

Kastamonu Entegre used automatic grading 

systems for their flooring lines before they 

decided to install an Argos system for the 

production of melamine faced chipboard (MFC). 

“For us, the installation of the Argos systems 

has been a game changer,” said Emre Akkus, 

production manager at Kastamonu Entegre, 

Gebze, who has seen how the production 

processes and quality demands have changed 

over the years. 

It has been essential for Kastamonu to grade 

and control every board, ensuring that they 

deliver the quality their customers demand and 

expect. The combination of high production 

speed, large boards and minimal errors is not an 

easy task for the human operator, and the use 

of digital inspection systems is now the solution 

for an effective and smooth-running production 

process. 

“Ten years ago there were no embossed-inregister 

(EIR) surfaces,” said Akkus, referring 

to EIR as a method used by manufacturers to 

create the appearance of wood grain similar to 

real hardwood. “With EIR, whether they are small 

batches and larger colour varieties in the panels, 

it is impossible for the human eye to detect all 

defects. In addition to this, production quantities 

increase while cycle time decreases. With high 

production capacity, undetected defects have a 

major impact. All these factors, combined with 

customers’ expectations for flawless quality, 

make automatic grading systems a trusted and 

integrated part of our production lines. Now we 

know that all the panels we sell and our export 

have the desired quality.” 

“NO LONGER RELY ON THE HUMAN EYE” 

The Argos Automatic Grading System (AGS) is a 

computerised device with integrated cameras 

and lights. According to Argos, it captures 

images at “lightning speeds” and analyses the 

board’s surface quality live in the production 

line. 



The AGS solution can control board sizes from 

small components to large master panels and 

works at production speeds of up to 150m/min. 

It generates up to 35-megapixel images to find 

small defects on a large surface. A recipe set-up 

allows the quality control (QC) management to 

tailor the sensitivity of the system and specify 

any number of quality standards based on 

product, applications, market, or customer. 

The system inspects every panel before it either 

leaves for the customer or moves up in the 

value-adding chain and enables the producer 

to maximise the quality without sacrificing 

customer satisfaction. 

Argos’s MFC grading systems also handle 

demanding surroundings in the production 

facility. In addition to precise grading of the 

panels, the system’s software provides statistical 

data, error reports and relevant information 

to the entire production line. The collected 

data enables further enhancements for the 

production process. When additional systems 

are being installed on other sites, the different 

production facilities will be able to exchange 

information and experiences. 

“There are many advantages with the Argos 

system. We know that we get the quality we 

request. It is no longer possible to rely 100% 

on the human eye for MFC grading. With an 

automatic grading system, we can adjust the 

requirements based on the input we get from 

our customers. We are not able to calibrate our 

operators in the same way,” said Akkus. 

A SOLID RELATIONSHIP 

Argos felt they had the expertise, knowledge, 

and experience to provide Kastamonu Entegre 

with the ideal grading system, knowing that 

the Turkish company was looking to optimise 

their production, and they reached out to offer 

cooperation. This resulted in the installation of 

an automatic grading system for their melamine 

faced medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and 

particleboards in Gebze. 

“Our first project together with Kastamonu 

Entegre in Gebze was a success,” said 

Gotfredsen. “Kastamonu Entegre has been both 

professional, proactive, and very supportive 

when it comes to cooperating and finding the 

best solutions for the factory and the operators. 

MFC grading is a demanding task for the human 

eye. It is difficult to detect faults on large boards 

and that is one of the reasons why we need to 

provide solutions that the operators and the 

company can trust.” 

For Argos, it is the opportunity to develop, 

innovate and grow together with their 

customers and partners that makes a solid 

foundation for success. Previous collaborations 

with companies such as Egger, Uniboard and 

Pfleiderer have resulted in innovations and 

improvements that have benefitted their quality 

inspection. 

“Our cooperation with Argos has been very 

good,” said Akkus. “A customer-supplier 

relationship such as ours will not work well 

without close cooperation, and I believe that we 

will continue to develop the system to be better 

together. When we suggest improvements, 

Argos is always positive to support and discuss 

our feedback. Their experiences from quality 

grading at some of the world’s largest panel 

producers have been very valuable for our 

production and focus on quality inspection.” 

INCREASED FLEXIBILITY, RELIABLE RESULTS 

Currently, Kastamonu Entegre has one Argos 

system in operation, but they have placed 

orders for several additional systems. The two 

companies have also started a cooperation that 

will be a breakthrough for a new segment in the 

Argos grading portfolio. 

“Both operators and management have 

learned that the Argos systems are helping and 

improving our products. The system does not 

replace our employees, it enables us to use our 

resources better. It also enables us to define 

the acceptable quality level from management 

and not leave this responsibility to different 

operators, securing a consistent and reliable 

grading that is not dependent on human 

variables,” said Akkus. 

Gotfredsen concluded: “This cooperation is 

beneficial for both of us, and we strongly believe 

that this will provide Kastamonu Entegre with 

increased flexibility, higher performance, and 

a better user experience for the operators. The 

system we are developing together has so far 

delivered above and beyond expectations. We 

are confident that this new addition can beat 

any competitor in the field.” P 

1 2 

Legend 

1 The AGS can capture images at reportedly “lightning speeds” and analyse the board’s surface quality live in the production line 

2 The AGS Solutions can control board sizes from small components to large master panels 



Wintersteiger delivers 

repair system for 

large panels 

Wibeba-Holz, an Austrian 

hardwood specialist, has deployed 

Wintersteiger’s TRC Panel 2000 to 

handle furniture panel repairs fully 

automatically on both sides and with 

large panel dimensions. The new 

TRC system can lift weights of up to 

150kg, making panel handling easier 

while freeing up personnel resources 

for other tasks. The system repairs 

60,000m 2 per year, primarily oak. 

The TRC Panel 2000 was developed 

for Wibeba-Holz with a little detour. 

Wolfgang Sunk, CEO of Wibeba-Holz, 

explained: “When looking for a way to 

automate our repair processes, I came 

across Wintersteiger. Originally, the 

scanner could not scan panel widths 

of 1,300mm, so at first, we pursued a 

semi-automatic solution. Throughout 

our cooperation, Wintersteiger 

was able to develop a solution for 

these panel dimensions. The new 

system is perfectly tailored to our 

requirements.” 

Despite the panel size — with lengths 

up to 3m and widths up to 1.25m 

— the TRC Panel 2000 is a compact 

system. It features a turning unit and 

repairs the panels on both sides: After 

scanning and repairing the front, the 

vacuum gripper turns the panel 180° 

to process the back. 

REPAIRS WITH TWO INJECTION 

HEADS 

With the TRC Panel 2000, the repair 

process starts with the panel being 

scanned. The scanner scans the entire 

panel in one sweep. As soon as it is 

finished, it sends the data to the two 

injection heads and the defects are 

repaired in a high-pressure injection 

process. Only the volume calculated 

by the scanner is filled into the crack or 

knothole; the surrounding grains of the 

wood are not processed. Once the front 

of the panel is completed, the turning 

unit turns the panel 180° and the back 

undergoes the same process. 

To a limited extent, the TRC Panel 2000 

can also repair fully penetrating defects 

such as knotholes. The repairs can 

be made in various material colours. 

It is possible to carry out remote 

maintenance of the TRC system via the 

Internet. 

QUICKLY AND PRECISELY 

Wintersteiger developed the “Faulty 

Spot Eye” defect scanner, especially 

for wood surface repairs. In contrast to 

conventional scanners, the dimensions 

are calculated based on height 

differences in a laser triangulation 

process. This involves the use of 

algorithms and filters developed by the 

company. 

This specialty makes the scanner unique 

because the evaluation is not based on 

database comparisons with samples: 

All defects are calculated for each panel 

from scratch, with the “Faulty Spot Eye” 

working quickly and precisely for optimal 

The TRC Panel 2000 



results. It detects defects from a size of 

0.5mm, such as knothole diameter and 

cracks width, and the scanner works 

at a speed of approximately 680mm/s. 

Additionally, the scanner can be used 

for quality checks, with a final scan 

performed after the repair process. 

The interplay between scanner 

technology, high-pressure injection, 

and temperature regulation of the 

filling material for optimal flow 

behaviour ensures optimal panel 

repairs. Applicable for furniture panels, 

solid wood boards, and multilayer 

boards, the system can also take care 

of the transport and handling of panels 

weighing up to 135kg, with a stacked 

weight of up to 2,000kg. 

1 

HIGHER QUALITY, LESS FILLING 

MATERIAL 

When asked what the main benefits of 

the new system were, Sunk answered: 

“The accuracy of the scanner, which is 

the defect detection, and the quality 

of the repairs are both excellent. The 

system works around the clock with 

unwavering precision, which means the 

quality always remains constant. The 

TRC system works fully automatically, 

and we were able to reshuffle our 

work processes. We used to have 2-3 

employees assigned to filling.” 

Besides saving personnel resources, 

filling material savings are another 

bonus. Sunk estimates that at least 

“50% too much filling material was 

applied” previously with regards to 

material wastage. With the TRC system, 

the defect scanner precisely measures 

the affected area and calculates the 

amount of filling material. This exact 

volume is then injected into the defect 

at high pressure and high precision. 

The high standard of quality is one of the 

constants in the success of Wibeba-Holz, 

alongside availability and the ability 

to deliver. “Customers must be able to 

rely on a company long term, and we 

prove that every day,” concluded Sunk 

about his view on the future of the wood 

processing industry. P 

2 

3 

Legend 

1 (From left) Andreas 

Gruber, software 

developer at 

VAP-Wintersteiger, 

and Wolfgang Sunk, 

CEO of Wibeba- 

Holz, with the TRC 

Panel 2000 

2 Defects from a size 

of 0.5mm, such as 

knothole diameter 

and crack width, 

can be filled in a 

material-saving way 

3 The scanner scans 

the entire panel in 

one sweep 



Non-contact release 

agent application on 

multi-daylight presses 

For a cleaner working environment and increased board quality, 

water and release agents are applied before the press, resulting in 

various advantages for panelboard production. 

The use of release agents in powder form 

is maintenance-intensive and often leads 

to dust. The application of water and 

release agent offers an alternative which 

can increase the quality of production 

and speed it up. 

Water or water combined with the 

release agent will be applied in a precise 

and repeatably even manner across the 

mat. The water transports the heat from 

the press more quickly, deeply and 

evenly through the mat and reduces the 

press time. Additionally, the agent will 

ensure a smooth and fast release from 

the forming and the press belt. Even 

if there is minor damage to the belts 

there will be no sticking, as claimed 

by Weko. The application of fluid will 

adapt to the machine’s speed, and only 

the desired amount will be applied to 

the mat. 

With water, the fibres will be smoother 

and more flexible, and it will be easier 

to press the fibres homogeneously. 

This results in a higher board density 

on the top and bottom, and therefore 

a higher bending strength with a 

release agent. 



Weko reported that the results of 

their research with German research 

facility Buesgen Institute showed 

that all variants in which the fibre 

mat was moistened before pressing 

have higher bending strengths than 

the unmoistened references. A high 

surface density should therefore 

result in high bending strength. 

The fluid will be first applied 

onto the forming belt before the 

forming station and will transfer 

the moisture to the mat core. The 

second unit with a high regulation 

device is usually located behind the 

pre-press and applied onto the mat 

surface with the height regulation 

device. 

Spray disks, or rotors, are arranged 

side by side in the rotor carrier. 

They are supplied with the desired 

amount of fluid, and multi-daylight 

presses will not pose a problem for 

the system. The rapid rotation of 

the rotors will produce a uniform 

flow of microscopically small 

droplets. The individual spray fans 

are side by side, thus providing 

uniform application. 

The Weko-FlowTec fluid supply 

unit has an integrated band filter 

which replaces itself when it 

is clogged and is ideal for 24/7 

production with low maintenance 

effort. Other benefits of the 

system include: an increase 

in press speed, higher surface 

density, improved surface density, 

minimal sanding required, longer 

sanding tool lifetime, smoother 

surface for easy lacquering, and 

is independent of existing water 

pressure. 

The system can be used on a 

range of products for thick, thin, 

small and large wood-based 

boards. Depending on the type of 

board, used material, thickness 

and other parameters, Weko’s 

fluid supply unit can reduce press 

time up to 30% and more, thus 

increasing productivity and board 

quality. P 

The Weko-FlowTec 

fluid supply unit 

uses a water-based 

release agent 

MASS-SCAN X 

Traversing Area Weight 

Gauge 

High system availability 

(robust + low-maintenance system design) 

GERMAN TECHNOLOGY 

High measuring resolution + 

long life time of the X-ray tubes 

thanks „MultiEnergy“ Technology 

No re-calibration required! 

WIDE RANGE OF MEASURING SYSTEMS 

FOR ENGINEERED WOOD PRODUCTION 

www.electronic-wood-systems.com 


FURNITURE MANUFACTURING 

“An advanced economy 

with a strong tradition”: 

Biesse Group expands to Japan 

Biesse Group will be establishing a new premise in Osaka, 

Japan to strengthen its presence across the country. 

Daniele Campetella, managing director of Biesse Group Asia 

and Biesse China, tells us more about it. By Yap Shi Quan 

Can you share with us the details for the 

launch of Biesse Japan? 

Daniele Campetella: Biesse Group entered the 

Japanese market approximately 25 years ago. 

Last year, we established Biesse Japan K. K. to 

strengthen our presence in the Japanese market. 

It is an incorporated company with a shared 

capital of 5 million yen, wholly owned by Biesse 

Group Asia. 

We are in the middle of securing a premise 

in Osaka, Japan, as the permanent office 

and showroom. The official launch of 

Biesse Japan K. K. is expected to be between 

Q4 2022 and Q1 2023, once the office and 

showroom in Osaka are ready. There is already 

a fully operating sales and service team that 

operates across Japan. With the expansion of 

Biesse Group’s business and network into Japan, 

the team will continue to grow to accommodate 

the market needs. 

What are Biesse’s expectations for the launch? 

Campetella: Japan is a very important market 

to Biesse Group. It is a country with huge 

potential that combines an advanced economy 

with a strong tradition, not just in wood 

processing but in the transformation of other 

materials as well. 

In this framework, Biesse Group, with over 

50 years of global experience in developing 

and manufacturing solutions to the service of 

an array of industries, can support processes 

transformation, provide technology, and 

help to increase efficiency, high standards of 

productivity and ultimately competitiveness. 

Why did Biesse decide to expand into the 

Japanese woodworking market? 

Campetella: For a company that achieves 80% 

of its consolidated turnover abroad, it is natural 

for Biesse Group to constantly look around 

for new market expansion opportunities and 

to strengthen its position. What makes Japan 

interesting to Biesse Group lies on the general 

evolution and transformation of an important 

industry, such as woodworking. We also see 

an ongoing shift of mindset and receptiveness 

towards new ways of working. 

Since Biesse Group stepped into the Japanese 

market through valuable partnerships with 

various local organisations, the company can 

no longer deny the significance of this market, 

with the aweing demand for technologies 

from the industries. Although the export 

trend is not substantial according to the data, 

wood product manufacturers have slowly 

started to venture overseas to seek export 

opportunities. In this respect, Biesse Group can 

support the manufacturers in enhancing their 

competitiveness in the global market, which 

ensures consistent quality, high productivity 

and efficiency through advanced technology 

and intelligent machines. 

In line with the objective mentioned earlier, a 

subsidiary was officially founded in Japan in 

March 2021 as a response to the industry and 

market needs. 

“By strengthening our presence in Japan, we aim to have an 

even better and unbiased insight into the local market, to 

look at it from a new perspective and to understand better 

the challenges our partners and customers are facing.” 

Daniele Campetella 

Managing Director 

Biesse Group Asia and Biesse China 



Legend 

1 Biesse Group’s 25th 

anniversary with 

Tomoe International 

2 Biesse participated in 

Mokkiten Japan 2021 

1 

2 

What can Biesse offer to the local industry, 

and what do you foresee the Japanese 

woodworking industry can take away 

from this expansion? 

Campetella: Biesse Group is determined 

to help companies and manufacturers 

increase business growth and boost business 

operations by improving manufacturing 

efficiency and product quality, in order to 

enhance their competitiveness in both local 

and international markets. 

Being in the market for over two decades 

allows us to learn the Japanese way of 

thinking about the whole ecosystem. 

We saw Japan as a market with a lot 

of potentials, where we could propose 

improvements to the manufacturing 

process. Hence, living in the market closely 

will help establish a positive dialogue with 

all stakeholders, better adapt to the local 

needs and tailor our offer, as we want to 

focus on having the flexibility to meet 

customer needs and offer better support to 

our partners in Japan. 

By strengthening our presence in Japan, 

we also aim to have an even better and 

unbiased insight into the local market, 

to look at it from a new perspective and 

to understand better the challenges our 

partners and customers are facing. With 

years of experience in foreign markets, 

Biesse Group can offer our Japanese 

customers and distributors end-to-end 

solutions and services, based on each 

company’s needs. 

Can you describe Biesse’s current 

performance in Asia compared to the 

Western region, and what other plans 

does the group have for the region? 

Campetella: Generally speaking, the 

company passed through the storm quite 

well while facing multifaceted challenges 

caused by the pandemic in the past two 

years. Despite being scattered around the 

region, the business was well managed in a 

safe and healthy environment according to 

local regulations in different countries. This 

is all thanks to the team here in Asia, and 

2022 is the glimpse of light at the end of the 

tunnel. 

Compared to the Western countries, the 

recovery in Asia is slower. On the other 

side of the world, the post-pandemic 

came earlier and this has given Western 

economies the advantage to pick up sooner 

and faster. The support from governments 

has also played a strong role in the 

economic recovery. 

Needless to say, the economy in Asia 

is catching up soon, as is our industry. 

With the regulations loosened in most 

countries, I am confident that the market 

will eventually return to normal. As we can 

see now, the momentum is gaining pace. 

To ensure we have our skin in the game, 

we are ever ready to seize all possible 

opportunities. Biesse Group will further 

strengthen its presence in Asia and continue 

to expand the local teams around the 

region. 

Can you elaborate on how Biesse Group’s 

partnerships with the local players has 

helped the company to grow in Japan? What 

are your hopes for these partnerships? 

Campetella: Biesse Group in Japan always 

has knit collaborations with the local business 

community of the industry. In the past 20-over 

years, we have worked with various companies 

who have directly and indirectly contributed to 

our success in Japan today, and we have indeed 

developed a solid sales network with many 

partners across the country. 

Tomoe International is a strong partner of 

Biesse Group. We have just marked the 25th 

anniversary with Tomoe, and I am happy to 

say that the partnership continues to grow 

stronger. The establishment of Biesse Japan is 

the result of this long-standing partnership and 

the good work done together over the years. 

Shinx is another company whom Biesse has 

built a good relationship with over the years. 

The collaboration brought both companies 

interesting experiences and positive results in 

sales, market expansion, brand reputation and 

brand experience. Besides Tomoe and Shinx, the 

list of partners whom we truly value goes on. 

We will continue to grow our partnership 

network as part of our business development 

plan. My ambition is to keep strengthening 

Biesse Group’s business network across the 

country. Our goal for Japan is clear, and I am 

counting on these partnerships and our team 

towards greater success in the coming years. 

Having our facilities in Japan will add value to 

both Biesse Group and its business partners. P 



woodStore 8: Smart 

storage software for 

higher transparency 

If the suction cross rail is the 

heart of a HOMAG storage system, 

then woodStore is the brain. The 

intelligence and efficiency of a storage 

software is demonstrated by how 

transparent the flow of information 

and materials it achieves within a 

company. In this regard, woodStore 8 

by HOMAG sets new standards. 

The latest intelligent storage 

management system from HOMAG 

links the ordering process with order 

processing more closely than before, 

automatically detects and analyses in 

and outgoing movements, manages 

materials through to panel off-cuts, 

and controls the flow of material under 

ongoing self-evaluation. 

Such optimal transparency is key 

to effective process optimisation. 

According to HOMAG, woodStore 8 

ensures that users have and can use 

this key feature more effectively than 

before. In contrast to its predecessor, 

it also boasts several features that 

improve storage management and 

material management. woodStore 

8 is easier to use than its preceding 

versions and makes more logical use 

than mobile solutions and networked 

operations. 

This includes, for example, the 

option to link two adjacent but 

physically separated storage systems 

and to connect a greater number of 

processing machines to each system. 

Furthermore, with woodStore 8, 

users can now use the storage 

return position up to 100% as a 

restacking position. This increases 

the capacity with random storage 

management, especially if the 

storage system is equipped with a 

few stack positions. 

The software links order 

management with job processing, 

management of materials down to 

panel waste, analyses movements, 

controls material flow and optimises 

material movements. The new 

version has adopted many of the 

selling points from previous versions 

while incorporating several new 

features. 



For example, if the material composition 

of a job changes, the software moves 

the stored material around: Stacks that 

are required are automatically stored 

near the machine for quick removal, 

thus optimising the storage process. 

woodStore Analyzer also shows possible 

efficiency improvements in the storage 

facility, carrying out analysis per month, 

week, day or hour. It is a system for 

automatic evaluation of the analyses 

recommending courses of action. In 

this way, the analyser determines which 

board materials have to be disposed 

of or relocated based on the frequency 

of use. This is an example of how 

intelligent existing process data from a 

system can be used in a meaningful way. 

1 

Legend 

1 woodStore 8 is the 

brain of the storage 

system 

2 Smart connected 

system: complete 

integration of 

optimisation, saw 

and storage into 

one cutting-tosize 

system with 

standard interfaces 

that match 

3 Integrated decor 

selection: Decor 

images for a 

realistic display 

of the panels 

available in the 

storage 

One feature that has been developed by 

HOMAG for woodStore 8 is the ability to 

operate over Wi-Fi using a smartphone 

or tablet. Production duration, 

material equipment, job overviews or 

information about missing boards can 

then be accessed. This allows users 

to estimate when additional panels 

need to be transported from the block 

storage to the storage return position. 

The operator can then start the storage 

return process directly from the forklift. 

Using predefined barcodes, the operator 

scans materials, enters the number of 

plates to be stored and starts the storage 

process — conveniently and quickly 

using a mobile terminal. 

2 

The storage return position can now 

be used as a restacking position, 

which is useful for companies with 

smaller horizontal storage systems. 

Capacity also increases compared to 

random storage management. Smaller 

convenience functions have also been 

integrated. For example, the “cover 

function” for light-sensitive plates no 

longer needs to be started manually. 

Instead, it can be started automatically 

on a timed basis. 

AT A GLANCE 

With woodStore 8, HOMAG has 

increased the number of processing 

machines and storage return positions. 

Users can group their machines with a 

3 

separate production list for each, thus 

increasing efficiency. With the extended 

linking of multiple storage systems, 

users can have an automatic master 

data and production list comparison, 

cross-system manual offcut storage and 

prior removal from storage. 

Moreover, HOMAG reported that 100% 

of users’ storage return positions can 

be used as a restack position, and old 

plate stocks can be disposed quickly 

and easily. Users can manage their 

warehouse on the move with woodStore 

8, thus simplifying operation with a 

better overview and integration of 

the camera to support functionally. It 

automatically controls the covering 

of plates made from light-sensitive 

material. P 



Mass production solution 

for furniture carcass 

KD cabinet double-width processing with maximum output 

Although customised furniture is prevalent 

today, finished furniture still arguably 

occupies an important place in the furniture 

market in many countries. Unlike the batchsize-one 

production mode of customised 

furniture, the size of one batch for finished 

furniture is large, and the processing 

method is relatively fixed, which has higher 

requirements on the production efficiency and 

processing quality. Moreover, it is necessary 

to minimise manual intervention, reduce 

the waiting time of boards transference 

and maximise efficiency to enhance the 

competitiveness of enterprises. 

During processing, sizing is generally done 

by a panel dividing saw, edgebanding by 

double-sided edgebanding machine, and 

drilling by a multi-row type drilling machine. 

Yet the edgebanding and drilling are the main 

bottlenecks for efficiency. Nanxing Machinery 

has launched a solution taking into account 

the quality, efficiency and stability of the 

mass production mode of finished furniture, 

which doubles the production capacity by 

edgebanding and drilling the double-width 

panel and splitting it into two at the back-end. 

PROCESS OVERVIEW 

The panel only needs to be edge-sealed on 

three sides since the end of the carcass panel 

against the wall need not be edge-sealed. 

Therefore, two groups of robots are used 

for feeding, corresponding to two tables 

for workpiece feeding, two infeed standby 

tables, two for base plate stacking, and two 

to wait for the base plate to roll out. After 

the robot feeds the boards on the conveyor 

roller in the long direction, it enters the NB825 

edgebander through the splitting device 

for the narrow plate to complete the edge 

sealing of the two longer sides. Then it turns 

90° to the NB826 double-ended edgebander 

to complete the edge sealing of the two 

shorter sides. The drilling is completed by 

the throughfeed multi-row type drilling 

workstation NDC742A×2. Then boards turn 

90° to be split into two parts along the long 

direction. Through plate combing and speed 

control, the boards would be out-fed by two 

sets of robots, corresponding to two sets 

of unloading table and two sets of standby 

table to complete the entire process. 

The maximum capacity of each robot is 

about 10 work cycles per minute. The 

maximum speed of the NB825 double-sided 

edgebander is 50m/min, and the NB826 

double-sided edgebander is 32m/min. 

After drilling the four-sided, edge-sealed 

double-width plate, the plate is split into 

two parts by the halving machine to become 

two pieces, thus doubling the efficiency. 

Moreover, the whole line is controlled by 

the supervisor, which saves the adjustment 

time as much as possible during batch 

switch. The calculation of the production 

capacity of each machine shows that the 

design production capacity is about 36-50 

workpieces per minute. 

ROBOT FEEDING AND BLANKING 

Two sets of robots are used for feeding 

and blanking. In this line, the maximum 

production capacity of each robot is about 

10 working cycles per minute, totalling 20 

cycles per minute. When the plate width is 

narrow, the robot can grab two plate pieces 

side by side at a time, and the plate-dividing 

device on the conveying table can assemble 

the plates into a row. To minimise the 

waiting time, each robot is equipped with 

one workpiece feeding station and one for 

the waiting of workpiece feeding. When the 

plates in the current feeding station are used 

up, the robot can grab the plates in another 

waiting position at once. 

In addition, the line is also equipped with 

one set of the base plate stacking table, and 

one base plate outfeed table to roll out, 

which enables the plate to roll out timely and 

make up for the next, thus achieving minimal 

waiting time and seamless switching. The 

robot in the blanking part is the same. The 

plate-combing device can assemble a single 

row of narrow workpieces side by side, 

and the robot can grab two plates at a time 

for blanking. Compared to the traditional 

gantry-type feeding and blanking machine, 

the robot is more intelligent, flexible and 

easy to control, and has a lower error rate. 

HIGH-SPEED DOUBLE-SIDED 

EDGEBANDING 

For edgebanding, the line is equipped with 

double-ended edgebanders NB825 and 

NB826. The long side is first squared and 

sealed by NB825 and grooved for the boards’ 

first and second sides, then being squared 

and sealed by NB826 for the third and fourth 

sides. The maximum speed of the NB825 

double-ended edgebander is 50m/min, and 

the NB826 double-sided edgebander with 

servo corner rounding is 32m/min. The steel 

upper-pressure beam and the heavy-duty 

rack with an integrated welding process 

ensure the stability and strength of the 

equipment under continuous and intensive 

production conditions. For squaring, the 



hogging unit cooperates with the heat-treated 

steel track and chain with stop cams, which 

supports the particle plate and honeycomb 

plate. 

To ensure speed, neither of the two machines 

is equipped with the end-cutting unit. Only 

2-3mm tape overhang are left on the front- and 

rear-ends of the panel, and the NB876 servo 

controls the corner rounding and trims off the 

sidebands hanging from the front- and rearends. 

The Beckhoff controller used in the servo 

corner rounding makes the response speed 

faster and the tracking more accurate, ensuring 

both the speed and quality of the result. In 

addition, each processing mechanism adopts 

servo adjustment and is commanded by the 

supervisor, which reduces the waiting time for 

machine adjustment during the replacement of 

workpiece batches. 

DRILLING PART 

The drilling workstation is connected by two 

sets of NDC742A, which have four drill rows 

at the top, seven drill rows at the bottom, and 

two horizontal rows. Drilling depth, drilling row 

movement and rear positioning are all servo 

controlled to ensure speed and precision. There 

are two processing modes for the two machines 

connected: one is the synchronous processing 

mode by the two machines — that is, the two 

machines can process two pieces of the same 

workpiece simultaneously — and the other is 

the two machines cooperating to process one 

workpiece. 

can increase the plate conveying speed to 110- 

120m/min, which matches the speed of the CNC 

drilling machine, and it can control the rhythm 

of the plate entry when the two machines are 

processing two workpieces simultaneously. 

The rear of the front-end variable speed table 

is equipped with a pressure roller mechanism 

to ensure the plate can enter the CNC drill row 

smoothly. The variable speed table at the backend 

reduces the speed of the plate and better 

matches the rear discharge table. This design 

not only ensures a smooth transition but also 

fully releases the production capacity of the 

CNC drilling machine, which is better matched 

with the production capacity of the edgebander 

at the front end. 

The average speed is 20-30 parts per minute 

depending on different drilling patterns, with a 

maximum speed reaching 30 parts per minute. 

Double holes are drilled along this drilling 

workstation on the double-width plate, and 

production capacity is doubled after splitting 

the board into two on the halving device. 

1 

BISECTION SAW 

The efficiency of the line is doubled by 

making the bisection saw split the edgesealed 

and drilled plate into two, so that 

the four-sided sealed plate is cut into the 

required two pieces, with the three sides 

sealed. 

Nanxing Machinery offers a mass 

production solution by double-width 

processing and splitting into two boards. 

The supervision is PC-based with the 

machine and the sensing device on the 

automatic equipment provides real-time 

monitoring and feedback on the plate, 

thus enabling the line to be connected, 

regulated and commanded through the 

master control to improve the adjustment 

speed during batch replacement. It doubles 

output while ensuring quality and stability, 

providing finished furniture manufacturers 

with cost-effective solutions for the mass 

production of the furniture carcass, and 

enhancing their competitive advantage. P 

A variable speed table is also added at the 

front and rear. The front variable speed table 

Legend 

1 The NB826 servo corner rounding 

2 The NB825 

2 


MATERIALS 

American red oak in the new 

Umm Al Quwain Free Trade 

Zone Authority Headquarters 

NIU blends materiality with spatial programming to deliver 

a stimulating but visually appealing interior. 

the suspended floor-to-ceiling oak 

elements add drama and elegance to 

the area, but they also serve to create 

partitions and divide the space while 

maintaining an open-plan concept. 

In addition, the louvred oak provides 

visual privacy and sound absorption. 

The centrepiece is a 

3.5m-high element 

suggesting an 

ancient tree 

NIU, a multi-disciplinary boutique 

design studio based in Dubai, has 

unveiled the interiors of the new Umm 

Al Quwain Free Trade Zone Authority 

Headquarters. The studio was tasked 

with designing a space that has a fresh, 

simple, and friendly environment with 

as many natural elements as possible 

to welcome stakeholders into the three 

main floors of the office. 

The design phase started in September 

2020 and ended in May 2021, in the 

middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Because of this, the design had to 

include specific details for the safety of 

guests and employees. The challenge 

was to create a stimulating but visually 

appealing interior around the already 

existing structural columns that could 

allow visitors to maintain their social 

distancing and comply with flow 

guidelines, within the limited space. 

The architects considered natureinspired 

elements, and so they decided 

to use timber slats. Taking advice from 

the American Hardwood Export Council 

(AHEC), American red oak was used to 

create louvres to conceal the structural 

columns, but also to provide discreet 

lighting and suggest separate areas 

while maintaining open sightlines. The 

centrepiece is a 3.5m-high element 

suggesting an ancient tree. 

According to the architects, the existing 

floor plan was shaped like a segment 

of a ring, which further increased 

the design challenge. Not only do 

A customised seating area was also 

constructed at the base of the tree 

trunk and spread about in pebbleshaped 

pouffes. In addition, solid and 

veneered oak louvres were used to add 

interest and dimension to the glass 

façades of the closed meeting rooms. 

The area is flooded with daylight due 

to the floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall 

windows on the two sides. At the 

main entrance, the double height 

8m-high ceiling of the main reception 

and information desk makes a bold 

statement in white Corian. 

“In our projects we pay a lot of attention 

to the issue of sustainability, for this 

reason, we like to consider this material 

for its qualitative aspects both from an 

aesthetic and technical point of view,” 

said Giorgio Palermo, founder of NIU. 

“A natural material capable of creating 

a visual and tactile relationship with 

the users of the space in which it is 

used. From the design point of view, 

in this specific project, it was used 

to create elements of organic shape 

to emphasise the very origin of the 

material in nature.” 

Commenting on the decision to use 

American red oak, the architects said: 

“The particular natural colour and 


MATERIALS 

veins of this species were selected and 

incorporated into the project since 

the concept design and it remained 

a characterising element of the 

project, giving it a plus value highly 

appreciated by the customer and 

above all by the users of the space.” 

According to AHEC, American red oak 

has a distinctive grain, and the wood 

is not always red. Generally, the 

sapwood of red oak is light brown, 

and the heartwood is often pinkish 

to reddish brown. American red oaks 

have good overall strength properties 

relative to weight, and thus its main 

uses are for furniture, flooring, 

doors, and certain construction 

applications. 

1 

To manage traffic flow and also 

comply with COVID-19 guidelines, the 

white Carrera marble floor links the 

main entrance to the rear door and 

elevators. Adding some contrast, a 

few of the structural columns were 

rendered in ceramic. In addition, NIU 

specified a sustainable carpet made 

from recycled plastic bottles, which 

adds soundproofing and underfoot 

comfort to the seating areas. 

The earthy ambience stretches to 

the mezzanine and first-floor levels 

where windows flood the interior 

with daylight. In the 50 square metre 

conference or multi-function room, 

there are a few chairs that replicate the 

slat motif, and as part of the natural 

ambience, numerous plants are found. 

Finally, the walls are painted in shades 

of sky-blue and green, giving the space 

a natural and calming ambience. 

“For this project, the amount of red 

oak that was used equals two full 40- 

foot containers, which is around 2,300 

cubic feet. This means that 69.5 metric 

tonnes of CO2 were kept out of the 

atmosphere as part of carbon capture 

feature, and with a replacement rate 

in the US hardwood forest, through 

natural regeneration, of just 68 

seconds,” concluded Roderick Wiles, 

regional director at AHEC. P 

2 

3 

Legend 

1 Solid and 

veneered oak 

louvres were 

used to add 

interest and 

dimension to the 

glass façades 

of the closed 

meeting rooms 

2 Chairs in multifunction 

rooms 

that replicate the 

slat motif 

3 American red 

oaks have good 

overall strength 

properties 

relative to weight 

and can be used 

for construction 

purposes 


RECYCLING 

Artificial neural networks 

changing wood recycling 

With over 15 years of experience 

in wood-based solutions and 

production, Jose Matas joined 

Tomra Recycling as segment 

manager in 2021 to advance 

the material recycling and 

circularity of waste wood for 

the panelboard industry. His 

international experience with some 

of the world’s largest wood-based 

producers offers insights into 

the challenges and future of the 

industry. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is arguably 

making headline news everywhere, 

but what is behind this instrument, 

and what implications does it have for 

the wood-based panel industry and 

recyclers? Specialists in the AI field and 

players in the recycling industry are 

convinced that machine intelligence 

can help solve some of the panelboard 

industry’s biggest challenges. While AI is 

quite the buzzword today, it is nothing 

new. It has existed since the 1940s, but 

only with the emergence of personal 

computers and greater computing 

power has it taken on a completely 

different meaning. While we might 

not know it, we interact with AI daily: 

whether searching on Google, using 

navigation systems to find the fastest 

route to our destination, deploying 

robots to carry out mundane tasks, and 

more. 


RECYCLING 

SORTING SYSTEMS: AI’S GATEWAY 

INTO RECYCLING 

Thanks to AI, automated sorting systems 

are no stranger to the recycling industry. 

Optical sorters employed in recycling 

circuits have employed AI algorithms 

to sort materials for over 30 years and 

are now experiencing another wave of 

technological advancement with the 

use of deep learning. We are living in a 

moment of technological revolution, 

where AI-driven solutions become 

increasingly powerful and the tool to 

improve recycling performance. As for 

waste wood recycling, plant operators 

often face the challenge of scale. They 

need to recover as much recyclable 

waste wood as possible and create the 

purest material fractions to scale and 

meet the market’s demand. With deep 

learning technology, it is now even 

possible to detect and separate wood 

category types, such as processed 

wood and non-processed wood. 

DEEP LEARNING 

AI can be defined as any technique 

that enables computers to mimic 

human intelligence, using logic, 

if-then rules, decision trees, and 

machine learning. Deep learning is a 

subfield of machine learning that can 

process large volumes of complex 

data, which is beneficial for sorting 

applications of heterogenous waste 

streams. Unlike machine learning, 

deep learning does not require active 

feature engineering and can extract 

additional characteristics from the 

picture, if trained with sufficient data. 

Considered a promising approach, it 

unites numerous concepts, delivering 

future-forward solutions for diverse 

sorting tasks: 

One of AI’s concepts is image 

classification, which allows a sorting 

machine to categorise what it sees 

in a picture, such as medium-density 

DEEP DIVE INTO DEEP LEARNING 

Deep learning technology works 

based on artificial neural networks 

that consist of artificial neurons. 

Grouped in multiple layers of different 

functions, artificial neural networks 

learn how to identify and classify 

objects. Deep learning can extract 

a hierarchy of features from raw 

input data and group it into different 

categories of data. 

To make use of deep learning in 

sensor-based sorting, our engineers 

train the network by exposing it to 

thousands of annotated images. 

Once a trained network receives 

information about an object scanned 

by the sensors, it uses the features 

extracted from the annotated images 

and connects them to the material, 

predicting what the scanned object 

can be. 

Recent breakthroughs in object 

detection are enabled by 

convolutional neural networks, a 

particular type of artificial neural 

network made of varying cascades of 

convolutional and pooling layers. 

The first layer type, also called the 

convolutional layer, extracts distinctive 

features from a scanned object. These 

features can be edges, textures or any 

other abstract object properties. 

The second layer type, or the pooling 

layer, condenses the image information, 

enabling subsequent convolutional 

layers to look at the bigger picture and 

detect additional features, like the 

shape of a whole object. 

After all relevant object features 

have been extracted by the first- and 

second-layer types, the last part of 

the neural network, which is the 

“fully connected layers”, assigns or 

classifies the object into a wood 

type. 

All layers can be combined and 

repeated as required to carry out the 

respective classification task and 

reach the desired result. 

Sebastian 

Solbach, team 

leader, application 

development deep 

learning at Tomra 

Recycling 


RECYCLING 

Deep learning can 

extract a hierarchy 

of features from 

raw input data and 

group it into different 

categories of data 

fibreboard (MDF). Since the object’s 

position delivers crucial information 

for the classification and sorting 

decision, methods such as traditional 

image processing are applied to 

crop out objects before image 

classification. 

Another concept is object detection. 

Knowing that the picture contains a 

wood chip is not sufficient for a factbased 

and precise sorting decision. The 

machine also needs to know where the 

material is located on the conveyor belt. 

Object detection pinpoints the wood 

chip’s position on the belt. 

Semantic segmentation is another 

method that carries out pixel-level 

classification and delivers more 

detailed information on the object’s 

position. Since the wood chips are fed 

on the conveyor belt in bulk, they can 

easily overlap and negatively impact the 

classification and sorting decision. 

There is another approach called 

instance segmentation that demarcates 

targeted materials for high precision 

sorting. As a result, two overlapping 

objects of the same material class can 

be detected as individual instances. 

A TOOL FOR PARTICLEBOARD 

MANUFACTURERS 

As noted in our previous articles, 

recycling waste wood is a business 

opportunity and means to mitigate 

the environmental impact of using 

primary resources. Once waste 

wood is collected, it undergoes 

a purification process to remove 

unwanted materials, such as stones, 

metals, or inert materials using 

x-ray sorting technology. The clean 

woodchips can then be further sorted 

by material type according to the 

operator’s requirements. 

Today, operators have a choice of 

various sorting methods ranging in 

size, efficiency and initial costs. The 

most effective, scalable and flexible 

solution combines technologies to 

generate the purest wood fractions. 

Unlike conventional sorting methods, 

the combination of the near-infrared 

(NIR) and deep learning technologies 

enables ideal performances in sorting 

accuracy and purity levels. With 

sensors and artificial neural networks, 

the sorting system is trained to 

distinguish different material types, 

such as processed wood and nonprocessed 

wood. Since only the 

purest non-processed wood fractions 

are suitable for the production of 

particleboards made of recycled 

content, separating wood by type 

is a step in modern particleboard 

manufacturing and wood recycling 

plants. 

GREATER FLEXIBILITY 

The performance of deep learning 

technologies is based on artificial neural 

networks. Trained with thousands 

of object images that can usually be 

found in the waste stream, artificial 

neural networks hold a pool of object 

information they draw on when 

detecting and separating materials. 

Based on the annotated data, the 

system recognises patterns and 

properties of individual wood chips and 

connects this information with data 

scanned by sensors. Wood chips are 

then categorised by material type and 

separated according to the customerdefined 

sorting task. 

Deep learning-based systems offer more 

flexibility to the operator, allowing them 

to choose the types of materials they 

like to target in the sorting process. 

For example, MDF and plywood can 

be recovered from processed wood. 

Operators can take advantage of the 

sorting flexibility to recover more types 

of recyclable materials and create new 

revenue streams. 

In conclusion, combining advanced 

NIR systems and deep learning gives 

particleboard manufacturers and 

wood recyclers a competitive edge in 

optimising their operation and reducing 

the costs of limited and expensive 

primary materials. P 


Photo Credit: LEITZ Toolings 

International 

Wood & Woodworking 

Machinery Expo 

20-22 

NOV 

2022 

MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL TRADE 

AND EXHIBITION CENTRE (MITEC) 

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA 

Ministry of Plantation Industries 

and Commodities (MPIC) 

Endorsed by: 

Malaysian Timber Industry 

Board (MTIB) 

Malaysian Wood Industries 

Association (MWIA) 

Malaysian Panel-Products 

Manufacturers’ Association 

(MPMA) 

Malaysian Wood Moulding 

& Joinery Council (MWMJC) 

Malaysian Furniture 

Council (MFC) 

The Timber Exporters’ 

Association of Malaysia 

(TEAM) 

Association of Malaysian 

Bumiputra Timber & Furniture 

Entrepreneurs (PEKA) 

For enquiry, contact us at: 


+65 6266 5512 

williampang@pabloasia.com 

American Hardwood 

Export Council 

FrenchTimber 

Thai Timber Association 

Softwood Export Council 

Malaysian Timber Council 

+603 9281 1999 

info@malaysianwoodexpo.com.my 

Malaysian Timber 

Certification Council 

(MTCC) 

China Timber & Wood Products 

Distribution Association 

International Wood 

Product Association 

Guangdong Timber 

Industry Association 

Hong Kong Kowloon 

Timber Merchant 

Association 

Malaysian Woodworking 

Machinery Association (MWMA) 

Thai Hevea Wood 

Association 

The Federation of 

Thai Industries

STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS 

1 

Tokyo University of 

the Arts International 

Exchange Centre 



Location: 

Tokyo, Japan 

Floor area: 

1494m 2 

NLT/Steel hybrid 

portion area: 

346m 2 

Developer: 

Tokyo University of the Arts 

Architects: 

Maeda Construction 

Efforts are spearheaded by Canada 

Wood Japan to integrate naillaminated 

timber (NLT) technology 

into the International Exchange 

Centre building at the Tokyo 

University of the Arts, in an NLT 

demonstration project in Japan 

where timber panels are utilised on 

the third, fourth and fifth levels. 

2 

Located in the heart of the Ueno 

Campus of Tokyo University of the 

Arts, the project is made possible 

with the joint effort by the Council 

of Forestry Industries, Japan 

2×4 Home Builders Association 

in obtaining Japan’s Ministry of 

Land, Infrastructure, Transport and 

Tourism (MLIT) quasi-fireproof NLT 

floor assembly approvals in 2020. 

Supported by funding from the 

Alberta government, the project is 

meant to showcase the potential 

of NLT use in improving building 

sustainability, cost-effectiveness 

and overall design compatibility 

in hybrid steel and wood frame 

structures. 

3 

Legend 

1 The in-progress International Exchange 

Centre building at the Tokyo University of 

the Arts 

2 NLT panels were prefabricated in a nearby 

factory and flat-packed to the construction 

site 

3 An NLT panel manufactured from planks of 

dimensional SPF lumber 

4 Planks are placed on their sides and nailed 

to each other to form NLT panels 

4 



where they were erected in six weeks, 

according to Canada Wood. 

Once completed, a case study video 

report will be prepared to share with the 

broader construction industry which will 

cover topics such as the construction 

advantages of NLT, the effectiveness 

of sound and fire performance, and 

recommendations on installations. 

Japan’s building industry will benefit from 

lessons learned and key findings that can 

help drive wider NLT adoption in Japan’s 

fast-growing mass timber industry. 

Ongoing construction 

of the exchange 

centre. NLT panels 

are used for the third, 

fourth and fifth levels 

NLT is manufactured from planks of 

dimensional lumber, in most cases 

spruce-pine-fir (SPF), that are placed 

on their sides and nailed to each other 

to form panels. One of the key appeals 

of NLT for the Japanese construction 

market is its economic viability. NLT can 

be an attractive alternative to crosslaminated 

timber (CLT) with its ease of 

fabrication and installation that yield 

cost savings in materials and on-site 

labour. 

The fabrication process also does not 

require a dedicated manufacturing 

facility. In this project, the panels were 

prefabricated in a nearby factory and 

flat-packed to the construction site, 

The Canada Wood team has been 

working with Maeda Construction 

since 2019 to realise what is reportedly 

the first large-scale application of NLT 

construction in Japan. The project is 

scheduled to complete in October 

2022. P 

This article was first published on Canada 

Wood’s website and is reproduced here with 

permission. 


SUSTAINABILITY 

Challenges in meeting 

global GHG emission 

reduction standards 

threatens species and ecosystems. For climate 

change mitigation, Malaysia aims to reduce 

GHG intensity emissions by 45% by 2030, 

compared to the emission levels in 2005. The 

most important goal of climate protection is to 

reduce energy consumption through increased 

energy efficiency while at the same time 

reducing non-renewable shares in the energy 

mix. The development of strategies to avoid 

negative environmental impacts affects all and 

therefore must also include the forestry sector. 

Inspiring the next “material revolution” by 

creating sustainable and high-performance 

materials from oil palm waste, Peter Fitch 

together with IOI have set up IOI Palm 

Wood to commercialise this untapped 

potential. 

Wood is a renewable product, but to enable 

the supply of wood, non-renewable materials 

are also necessary, which can have negative 

environmental impacts. The provision of wood 

is climate-friendly, and its use enables the 

substitution of fossil fuels or materials with 

higher negative effects on climate change such 

as plastics, aluminium, steel, or concrete. 

The concept of sustainability in the forestry 

sector should consider three dimensions of the 

whole forest wood supply chain: economic, 

environmental, and social. Avoiding negative 

environmental impacts in the manufacturing 

process of products and the provision of 

services is becoming increasingly important. 

In terms of the magnitude of the environmental 

impacts on forestry, assessments often focus 

on certain aspects, such as biodiversity, water, 

soil and air. In the last few decades, there has 

been a prevailing discussion about climate 

change and the increasingly critical attitude 

of consumers in terms of sustainability and 

mitigating climate change. 

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) 

emissions tend to lead to an increasing 

annual average surface temperature, which 

In general, increased usage of wood as a 

renewable raw material is seen as part of the 

solution to mitigate climate change. However, 

it should be considered that non-renewable 

resources are used for the harvesting and 

supplying of wood to the industry and 

consumers, which does not allow the 

designation of wood as a 100% CO2-neutral 

product. Although studies have shown that the 

non-renewable share is low compared to the 

carbon storage of wood, holistic analyses of 

the total forest supply chain are important to 

demonstrate and reduce the non-renewable 

resources and thereby the environmental 

impacts for the supply of wood and the 

provision of wood products. 

For analysing the environmental impacts of 

products or services, the lifecycle assessment 

(LCA) method is a useful and well-known 

approach. Following the EN ISO standard 

14040 definition, an LCA is the “compilation 

and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and 

the potential environmental impacts of 

a product system throughout its lifecycle 

system”, assuming that the LCA is able to 

identify most of the environmental impacts. 

The impact on climate change is one of a 

manifold set of possible categories. Although 

LCA has its origin in industrial production 

systems, they are now also widely used in 

the forestry sector (Fig. 1). 


SUSTAINABILITY 

Based Targets initiative (SBTi). 

Under this scheme, forests, land and 

agriculture have been identified as 

contributing nearly 25% of global 

annual GHG emissions. Moreover, 

forestry production is expected to 

double by 2050 to meet the demands 

of the world’s growing population. 

Fig. 1: Elements that 

contribute to GHG 

emissions 

The number of LCA studies for wood 

supply has increased in recent years. 

However, many of the LCAs dealt with 

the supply of fuel wood, and the number 

of studies covering the production of 

sawlogs, pulpwood, sawn timber and 

furniture is still small. 

The provision of raw material wood can 

be described as climate-friendly. Wood 

can replace fossil fuels or, in the case 

of material use, materials with a higher 

negative impact on climate change. 

However, these positive effects apply 

only if sustainable forest management 

is carried out and the carbon stocks in 

biomass, organic layers, and mineral 

soils do not decrease significantly 

over a longer period of time. 

The United Nations and other 

environmental non-governmental 

organisations (NGOs) are drafting 

standards and protocols for the 

measurement and definition 

of carbon and GHG reduction 

benchmarks. One such system which 

is gaining prominence is the Science 

Under these new standards it is 

proposed that there should be zero 

tolerance for deforestation, which has 

been defined as the loss of natural 

forests as a result of: conversion to 

agriculture or other non-forest land 

use; conversion to a tree plantation; 

or severe and sustained degradation. 

Changes to natural ecosystems that 

meet this definition are considered to 

be conversion, regardless of whether 

it is legal or not. 

If these standards and protocols 

are adopted universally it will be 

extremely difficult to increase 

the volume of sustainable timber 

material coming from recognised 

and established sources. This is 

where the opportunity to develop 

new and sustainable sources of 

quality raw materials arises, like 

palm wood (Fig. 2). P 

Fig. 2: Palm wood 

can be an alternative 

material for wood 

products 


SHOW PREVIEW 


After a two-year hiatus, BIFA Wood 

Vietnam 2022, jointly organised by 

the Binh Duong Furniture Association 

(BIFA) and Panels & Furniture Group 

of wood magazines, is back to gather 

entrepreneurs, specialists and thought 

leaders together in Binh Duong, 

Vietnam, to explore the latest trends 

and machineries in the wood and 

woodworking industry. 

to the exhibition,” said Nyugen 

Liem, chairman of BIFA. “Similar 

to international wood industry 

exhibitions, this will certainly be a huge 

opportunity and a strong lever for the 

growth of the industry. 

“In the future, with the support from 

the Binh Duong provincial government, 

and the strong development of wood 

businesses today, BIFA Wood Vietnam 

2022 promises to be a specialised 

exhibtion when expanding its scale.” 

According to Nguyen, Vietnam’s 

exports of wood and wood products 

in 2021 reached US$14.21 billion, a 

17.6% increase compared to 2020, in 

Held at the WTC Binh Duong New City 

Expo from 8-11 Aug 2022, BIFA Wood 

Vietnam 2022 is an internal miniature 

market that aims to promote trade 

links between domestic and foreign 

enterprises. With visitors coming from 

as far as Italy, Germany, and Denmark 

and from neighbouring countries like 

South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China, 

as well as participating exhibitors 

supplying wood materials from the US, 

Canada, Europe, Australia and New 

Zealand, the exhibition is international 

and diverse in its visitor, exhibitor and 

product base. 

“Here, participating and visiting 

businesses will receive the true 

values they desire when coming 


SHOW PREVIEW 

which Binh Duong, with more than 1,200 

enterprises operating in the wood industry, 

is the leading locality. 

Binh Duong’s value reached $6.12bn, 

accounting for 43% of the total export 

turnover of the country’s wood and wood 

products. As such, to suggest Binh Duong 

as “Vietnam’s furniture capital” is not 

far-fetched, and it is also why the province 

is the prime location to hold a wood and 

woodworking trade exhibition. 

“Here, participating and visiting 

businesses will receive the true values 

they desire when coming to the exhibition, 

similar to international wood industry 

exhibitions, this will certainly be a huge 

opportunity and a strong lever for the 

growth of the industry.” 

Nyugen Liem 

Chairman of BIFA 

BIFA Wood Vietnam 2022 will be a place of 

trade, connecting suppliers with potential 

customers, diversifying import and export 

markets and businesses looking for new 

markets. This takes into account the impacts 

of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the 

supply chain and face-to-face interactions 

are disrupted, which led to the wood 

industry making efforts to promote sales 

on e-commerce platforms to minimise the 

negative impacts to export activities. 

Nguyen added: “Meanwhile, many 

international buyers have also tended 

to trade in the Vietnamese market. The 

industry’s phenomenal growth has made 

Vietnam a formidable competitor, surpassing 

China as the world’s manufacturing power.” 

After the success of BIFA Wood 2018, in the 

context of adapting to the pandemic, BIFA 

Wood Vietnam 2022 is expected to return 

stronger and more professional. It aims 

to create trading opportunities between 

businesses, exchange information and 

the latest trends in the market, and create 

business cooperation to further deepen the 

chain of vertical links in the industry — from 

suppliers of raw materials and accessories 

to providing machinery and technology 

as well as manufacturers and trades 

providing opportunities for cooperation and 

sustainable development. 

During the four-day exhibition, the BIFA 

Wood 2022 will also host seminars on 

automation technology in the wood industry 

and the source of wood materials from the 

US and Europe. The event will house a total 

of 1,000 booths and is expected to attract 

more than 5,000 visitors. 

“This is a great trading session for visitors and 

exhibitors alike, with opportunities to unlock 

the business possibilities in Vietnam and the 

South East Asian region,” concluded Nguyen. 

A GLIMPSE OF EXHIBITING PRODUCTS 

Exhibiting companies include Nanxing 

Machinery, a manufacturer of computerised 

numerical control (CNC) equipment and 

edgebanders sold across the world; Cabinet 

Vision South East Asia, whose computer-aided 

design (CAD) / computer-aided manufacturing 

(CAM) software solutions are widely deployed 

in the woodworking industry; Jowat, a 

developer and supplier of adhesives used 

across various industries; and more. 

Read on to find out what some of the 

exhibiting companies will be featuring for BIFA 

Wood Vietnam 2022. 


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VIETNAM 2022 

CNC CENTRES, EDGEBANDERS AND 

TABLE SAWS: NANXING MACHINERY 

BOOTH NUMBER: B2098 

which provides bevel milling with diamond 

forming milling cutters. Glue is applied on the 

board’s edge for smaller glue lines. 

Nanxing Machinery is presenting an array of 

machinery, from computerised numerical 

control (CNC) machining centres to 

edgebanders, as briefly described: 

The NPC330 is a panel dividing saw with a 

3.3m working width that fits most cutting 

requirements. The optimising software 

enhances the reliability of the machine. 

The NCG2812LED presents a multi-functional 

CNC nesting machine with automatic loading 

and unloading. It features a 9kW automatic 

tool changer (ATC) main spindle and one 

drilling block, plus a 12-slot ATC to meet 

complicated processing. 

The NCG2813E is a CNC machining centre 

with an entry-level nesting and top processing 

solution by four main spindles. 

The MJ1132F sliding table saw features a 3.2m 

cutting width, sliding table, and a body of longer 

service life. 

The NB7CG+PUR is an edgebanding machine 

with v-belt presser. With a maximum speed of 

up to 26m/min, it presents a fast switch between 

polyurethane reactive (PUR) and ethyl vinyl 

acetate (EVA) glue. 

An edgebanding machine for inclined edge, the 

NB5X is a solution for handleless cabinet doors, 

The NB5J is a compact function edgebander. 

The MF50S is a manual edgebanding machine 

with high flexibility for the edgebanding of free 

shape parts. 

With the NCB612D, six-sided drilling, top and 

bottom side grooving and routing can be done 

in one cycle. It also works together with the 

CNC to deliver high flexibility for batch-sizeone 

production. 

The NCB2806D side drilling machine pairs 

up with the CNC nesting machine to finish 

side drilling of cabinet cam fittings holes 

automatically by scanning the top-hole 

position. 

MJ1132F 

NCG2813E 

NB5J 

NPC330 

MF50S 


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CAD/CAM SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS: 

CABINET VISION SOUTH EAST ASIA 


ALPHACAM 

ALPHACAM is a computer-aided design 

(CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing 

(CAM) software for woodworking, metal 

and stone cutting, that aims to enhance 

productivity, reliability and flexibility. The 

CAM solution for manufacturers delivers 

efficient toolpaths and machine-ready 

G-code. The modules on the ALPHACAM 

include routing, milling, turning with twoto 

five-axis machining. 

All ALPHACAM modules are built using one 

core foundation which includes geometry 

creation commands. Import options for .dxf, 

.dwg, .iges and other solid model formats 

ensure compatibility with other CAD 

systems. All modules have user-defined tool 

and material libraries controlling machining 

parameters such as tool direction, 

automatic lead in and lead out, corner cut 

options such as straight, roll round or loop, 

G41/42 tool compensation, and automatic 

calculation of speeds and feeds. 

The Automation Manager allows 2D and 

3D CAD files along with solid models from 

third-party suppliers to be batch processed 

— from file preparation right through to 

applying toolpaths, with numerical control 

(NC) code being generated automatically. 

In addition, the file creates a full report 

structure, along with part labels and bar 

coding. 

CABINET VISION 

CABINET VISION simplifies workflow for 

furniture, woodworking, or case good 

manufacturers of all sizes by using a 

single, fully-modular software package 

that covers design to manufacturing. With 

CABINET VISION, only necessary features 

are purchased. This allows the user to 

accommodate their software usage in 

line with their business, making CABINET 

VISION scalable and cost-effective. 

Enhanced usability simplifies and 

eases visualising and performing for 

a range of tasks, while responding to 

changing design requirements for both 

customised pieces and basic elements. 

Furthermore, CABINET VISION can 

convert designs into the information a 

user needs on the factory floor to manage 

the manufacturing process. With the 

parametric function, users can capitalise 

on previous designs by resizing elements 

without reprogramming. The result is a 

reproduction of designs and the reduction 

of both time-consuming processes 

and human error. CABINET VISION also 

Rendered design with Vortek Spaces 

support sales with features that include the 

production of reports that help customers 

understand and visualise the scope of 

services as well as the end product. 

VORTEK SPACES 

Lastly, Vortek Spaces is a sales tool for 

design and professional presentations. 

With an interactive and immersive 

visualisation platform, customers can 

change the material on the floor, bench 

top, cabinet doors and take a walk through 

their design. Users can also use it as a 

marketing tool by uploading the design 

walkthrough to YouTube and sharing it 

on social media. Design professionals 

can use their CAD software to design their 

works, and use Vortek Spaces to present — 

through the form of live 3D walkthroughs, 

images, videos, 360 videos, virtual reality 

(VR) and more. 


DUST CONTROL EQUIPMENT: LIGNAR ENGINEERING 

Lignar Engineering provides dust control equipment and other 

pollution control solutions and equipment for the woodworking, fibrecement, 

mineral wool, and pulp and paper industries, with a focus in 

South East Asia, South Asia, and China. It also develops and provides 

products to help its customers achieve their ESG and sustainability 

goals by reducing energy consumption, increasing performance, and 

providing employees with a safe and clean working environment. 

Lignar’s dust control systems are energy efficient and electric-saving, 

and allow for reportedly 24/7 continuous production capabilities. They 

also allow for minimal downtime, and their modularity allows for easy 

expansion of capacity. They are durable with low maintenance cost 

and effort, and are equipped with fire and spark detection systems for 

safety assurances. 

Dust control systems by Lignar 


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EDGEBANDER AND 

DOUBLE-ENDED TENONER: 

E-CHAIN MACHINERY 


With an array of working units to choose from, covering 

cutting, profile moulding, chamfering, sanding, drilling 

applications, and experience in material transfer 

automation for turnkey automatic lines, E-Chain 

Machinery is featuring the fully automatic double-ended 

tenoner, model ECT-88NC, which serves to reduce 

operator calibration time when switching from one job to 

the next. 

Fully automatic double-ended tenoner, ECT-88NC 

The tenoner features an AC positioning of top-pressure 

hold-downs and a movable side of the machine for 

the automatic setting of working width and working 

thickness; a numerical control (NC) servo positioning of all 

working units, including the horizontal and vertical axes, 

and of the infeed reference fence for the horizontal axis; 

and the HSK 63F tool interface, which has direct-driven 

high-frequency motors for the quick-lock or -release 

tooling changeover. It also features a user-friendly humanmachine 

interface (HMI) which allows for tooling offsets, 

and can be upgraded to feature recipe storage or to 

upload working parameters of up to 100 sets of tooling. 

Edgebander, 

ECE-500J 

E-Chain Machinery is also exhibiting its automatic and 

multi-functional edgebanding machine, model ECE-500J. 

Its design is optimal for the production of cabinet door and 

drawer. 

Leadermac, a Taiwan-based designer and 

manufacturer of woodworking machinery, is 

displaying its surface pre-working machine 

for the edge gluing of wood-based panels, the 

LMC723C(2M). 


SURFACE PRE-WORKING MACHINE FOR EDGE GLUING: 

LEADERMAC MACHINERY 

The LMC723C(2M) achieves high productivity and 

efficiency with a continuous output. According to 

Leadermac, with a working height of 15-75mm, 

the machine uses a milling spindle to produce the 

high-friction surface, thus ensuring a longer lifetime 

and better quality of the edge-glue production. The 

top spindle defines the thickness and width first, 

before milling the surface with the trimming saw 

blade spindle installed within the machine. After the 

panels have been edge-glued, they can be used for 

producing edge-glued furniture, including tables, 

chairs, walls and counters, among others. 

LMC723C(2M), the surface pre-working 

machine for edge-glue manufacturing 

Leadermac is also showcasing a four-sided moulder, 

a four-sided moulder with infeed system, and G320B, 

an automatic cutter grinder. 

Trimming saw blade to mill the wood-panel 

surface 

The G320B 


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RIP SAW SYSTEMS: KUANG YUNG MACHINERY 


Every company faces manpower 

issues, regardless of the industry. In 

the wood processing scene, not only 

do companies need enough workers 

to handle timber sawing, the workers 

must also be trained to handle 

procedures in case of equipment 

faultiness. 

MRS-340M2 + SKEW SMART 

SCANNING MOVABLE SAW 

This is where automation and smart, 

intelligent sawing equipment comes 

in with Kuang Yung’s MRS-340M2 + 

SKEW smart scanning movable saw. 

Compared to traditional single rip 

saws, the MRS-340M2 + SKEW delivers 

2-3 times higher productivity, and is 

able to handle around 180-250 boards 

in an hour. This results in a 7-10% 

increase in yield. 

The MRS-340M2 + SKEW is also able 

to join the wood panels directly 

after ripping. With minimal risks 

of the hazard of board kickback, 

operators can use the saw from a safe 

position. Furthermore, production 

can be optimised with a computer 

programme within the saw. The 

programme generates production 

report, production control and cost 

analysis, thus providing optimal 

value out of less inventory material 

preparation in smart production. 

MRS-450M3 + QUICK RIP 

The MRS-450M3 + Quick Rip is a heavyduty 

type with a wider cutting width 

of maximum 450mm. By applying 

three moveable saw blades, different 

widths of products can be completed in 

one cut. At twice the productivity and 

weight of the MRS-340M2 + SKEW and 

with the same software and auto-skew 

system, it delivers high efficiency and 

cutting optimisation. 

CFS-100 

An economical, compact and 

easy-to-use option, the 

CFS-100 is a 

semi-optimising, 

automatic cut-off 

saw designed for 

anterior stage 

wood preparation 

of fingerjointed 

lumber 

production. 

It offers a productivity load of 2-4 

times a traditional manual machine, 

according to Kuang Yung. 

CFS-200AB 

As Kuang Yung’s “most cost-effective” 

cut-off saw, the CFS-200AB features a 

control software with five cutting modes 

for fixed lengths, sequential, mark, 

waste minimisation, and prioritisation 

of optimum value. The cutting of A- 

and B-grade material is included, and 

remaining material may be reused. 

CFS-100 

MRS-340M2 + SKEW 

MRS-450M3 + Quick Rip 


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SPECIALIST IN TIMBER DRYING , WOOD TREATMENT, 

MOISTURE MEASUREMENT & HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS 

Conventional Dryer, Vacuum Dryer, Heat Pump Dryer & Dehumidifier 

CONVENTIONAL TIMBER DRYER VACUUM TIMBER DRYERS SPLIT TYPE HEAT PUMP DRYER DUO-MODE DEHUMIDIFIER WOOD FIRED BOILER 

ThermaWood - Making Wood More Durable, Stable and Beautiful 

HEAT TREATED PLANT IN VIETNAM HEAT TREATED ASH DECKING 

UNTREATED HT TO 200oC 

HT BAMBOO 

HEAT TREATED ACACIA 

Timber Drying Controls & Accessories , Remote Cloud Timber Drying Control 

CLOUD 

DRY 

TX-2000N DRYER CONTROLLER CLOUD TIMBER DRYING CONTROL ALUMINUM MC BOX TEFLON MC CABLES SS304 MC PINS BANANA PLUG 

Complete Range of High Quality Timber Dryer Components & Spare Parts 

EXTRUDED BI-METAL FINNED TUBE SUPER CLASS H MOTOR REVERSIBLE KD FAN VENT MOTOR MOTORISED VALVES SPRAY VALVE STEAM TRAP 

World Famous Wood Moisture Meters and In-Line Moisture Measurement 

WAGNER 

ORION 910 

MERLIN PINLESS 

MOISTURE METER 

NIGOS MULTI DEPTH 

PINLESS METER 

DELMHORST 

J2000 

GANN HT85 HAMMER 

ELECTRODE 

FINNA PC 2500 IN-LINE MOISTURE 

MEASUREMENT SYSTEM 

SEE YOU AT BIFA WOOD VIETNAM, 8 -11 Aug.2022 , BOOTH No. B2009 

For sales inquiries, please email us - sales@tritherm.com, or visit www.tritherm.com , Tel : +65-68534270 


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DOUBLE-ENDED TENONER 

AND SANDER: TECHNIK ASSOCIATES 

Technik Associates’ DET-2000-H8MS doubleended 

tenoning and sanding series is equipped 

with edge moulding and profile sanding 

functions. There are two moulding units for 

edge profiling, belt profile sanding units with 

vibration for various profiles, and a roller-type 

sanding unit with automatic compensation for 

sanding edges. 

The DET-2000-H8MS combines moulding 

and sanding functions with two sides on one 

machine, instead of the traditional way of 

working where the workpiece needs to be 

profiled in one machine first before being 

sanded in another. The combination of 

moulding and sanding in one machine improves 

working efficiency, thus reducing manpower 

and processing time. 

Technik explains that the panel travels on a 

linear guideway to be parallel at x-axis, and 

the feed-chain track system, enhanced with 

a precision track linkage and mounted with 

dust-proof and free lubricated needle bearings, 

ensures the panel is parallel at y-axis. 

With various trends on click furniture and 

Välinge profiling necessitating different 

processing requirements, customisation is 


arguably the future trend for woodworking. 

According to Technik, the company is able 

to integrate clients’ standalone machines 

in their current factory into an automatic 

production line. Additionally, it is able to 

standardise processes, follow the single-minute 

exchange of die (SMED) principle to shorten 

the time needed for R&D, electrical design, and 

manufacturing, and modularise each spare 

part and component to ensure all machines 

are consistent with high quality. The purpose 

and functions of Technik’s machines are able 

to extend further accordingly to different 

demands. 

The machine is suited for processing panels 

used for wooden doors and kitchen doors. 

CLOUD-BASED TIMBER DRYING SYSTEM: TRITHERM 

Cloud Kiln is a data-driven networked and 

automated timber drying control technology. 

Developed by Waygo and Tritherm, it allows 

for centralised kiln controlling and monitoring, 

drying data archiving and visualisation, remote 

monitoring, data statistics, and reporting via a 

cloud service and Telegram. 

The cloud-based Sacada Dryer Control (SDC) 

system is a plug-and-play system where all 

controlled components are prewired and 

plugged into the control panel. To modify an 

existing dryer, the customer has to replace 

the heating control valve, spray valves and 

vent actuator with feedback system. The 

timber dryer controller and electrical panel 

will also have to be changed. The system uses 

psychometric temperature measurements to 

determine humidity and equilibrium moisture 

content (EMC) of the chamber environment. 

all drying parameters in the form of plots; 24/7 

real-time notifications via Telegram; 60 preset 

drying programmes for various timber species 

and thicknesses, and reportedly unlimited userdefined 

programmes; the option to monitor 

power consumption and boiler operation; and 

real-time kiln operation and historical drying 

data, as available in the cloud service. 

Tritherm also provides annual subscription 

packages where members can feedback drying 

issues. In addition, the system keeps track of all 

important drying data and can provide reports 

on the typical drying time for a particular wood 

DET-2000-H8MS 


species, how many cubic metres of timber 

had been dried by each kiln, and the power 

consumed for drying each batch of timber. 

The company plans to set up small 

experimental dryers for developing special 

fast drying schedules, at a fee for members 

only. Should any dryer component be faulty, 

the member will be informed quickly without 

having to wait for the dryer manufacturer’s 

engineer to arrive to troubleshoot the problem. 

Customers can terminate the subscription 

should they decide that the system has not 

improved their operations. 

With Cloud Kiln, 

operators can 

control and 

monitor multiple 

kilns from the 

control room 

Some of the major benefits of the Cloud Kiln 

timber drying control system provides include: 

reduction of labour costs as an operator can 

control and monitor multiple kilns from the 

control room; recording of real-time trends of 

Cloud Kiln system in operation 


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DISPERSION AND HOTMELT ADHESIVES: JOWAT 


Jowacoll 

103.18 

Jowatherm 280.58 

Polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) dispersion 

adhesives are classified into four 

durability classes, D1-D4, in accordance 

with EN 204 based on their resistance to 

water. Dispersion adhesives of the latest 

generation facilitate efficient bonding 

processes with low emissions at the 

workplace as well as from the finished 

product. Jowat supplies a portfolio with 

different adhesives for each durability 

class. The company’s portfolio provides 

products for interiors with relative 

humidity of less than 15%, for wet 

environments that have high humidity 

and short-term exposure to water, as 

well as for exteriors exposed to weather 

with protection from a suitable surface 

coating. 

Jowacoll 103.18 is a PVAc adhesive used 

for bonding hard and softwood species, 

and the flat lamination of wood-based 

materials which have to meet high 

requirements. The dispersion has been 

tested in accordance with EN 204/205 at 

the ift Rosenheim in Germany and meets 

D3 durability class. Jowacoll 103.18 

is characterised by good resistance to 

water and heat, and by easy processing. 

Jowacoll 103.18 can be applied 

manually by hand or using industrial 

roller applicators, and has fast drying 

and process times. Especially due 

to its high initial strength, it is used 

in a range of furniture and assembly 

bonding applications. It is manufactured 

in Malaysia according to German 

production standards to ensure short 

process and delivery distances. 

Jowatherm 280.58 is an edgebanding 

hotmelt known for its processing 

characteristics and bond strength. 

Transparent and crystal-clear in the 

melt, it provides colourless and opaque 

bond lines suited for dark décors or 

combinations of different décor materials. 

Jowatherm-Reaktant 607.50 is a 

polyurethane reactive (PUR) hotmelt for 

edgebanding with good initial strength, 

optimal flexibility at low temperatures, 

and good resistance to solvents. It has 

a pure white version, the 607.51, that 

adapts to current modern furniture 

designs. 

The Jowatherm-Reaktant 609.00 PUR 

hotmelt is applied to flat lamination, and 

has high green strength for substrates 

with high restoring forces. Its long open 

time allows flexibility in processing, and 

its flexible processing characters and 

stringing-free application allows speed 

feeds of up to 40m/min. 

Lastly, the Jowat 950.00 ureaformaldehyde 

(UF) resin is ideal 

for standard veneering and flat 

lamination of furniture and interior 

finishing. Its powder form is not only 

low in formaldehyde — and thus 

non-fossil, meeting requirements 

for CARB P2 – TSCA IV — it is also 

convenient for transport and storage. 

Jowatherm-Reaktant 607.50 

Jowatherm-Reaktant 609.00 Jowat 950.00 


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VENEER SPLICER: 

INNOVATOR 

MACHINERY 

Innovator Machinery’s splicers use 

pressurised and heating mechanical 

structures, and thermosetting glue is used to 

bond veneer edges with no visible joint lines. 

In particular, the longitudinal veneer splicer 

with an integrated gluing system, VeneerPlus 

G1, removes the pre-gluing process. After the 

veneers are fed into VeneerPlus G1 and aligned 

by the synchronised infeed rollers, the veneers 

are conveyed to the singular gluing unit to glue 

the edges, then transported to the heating 

section for glue curing. The veneer gluing and 

splicing processes are accomplished within a 

single machine. 

Different from traditional “zig-zag” stitchers, 

Innovator’s butt-jointed longitudinal veneer 

splicers are ideal for processing high-quality 

glue-spliced veneer faces. The main advantage 

of butt-jointed splicers over “zig-zags” is 

to avoid thread marking and the 

opening gap of jointing line onto the veneer 

surface after veneers are pressed onto the 

board. 

“Zig-zags” use glue thread to put two veneers 

together, but in actuality, the two veneers are 

not jointed, just connected by glue thread. This 

results in an opening gap after being heated 

by the hot press. Additionally, users might still 


VeneerPlus G1 

see the jointing line after 

sanding. For buttjoint 

splicer, 

the machine 

applies glue 

on the veneer 

edges and sticks them 

together without 

overlap; as such, there 

will be minimal gap and visible 

line after pressing onto the board 

and sanding. 

Further features of the VeneerPlus G1 include: 

complying with European safety standards; 

has a cooling system for prolonging glue-pot 

life; allows easy adjustment and quick access 

of the integrated gluing system; has motorised 

driven infeed discs instead of traditional rollers 

for smoother infeed; and transporting chains 

of engineering plastics for reducing heat on 

veneers. 

BOOTH NUMBER: C1009 

Five-axis machining centre 

TENONER, MORTISER 

AND FIVE-AXIS 

MACHINING CENTRE: 

NEW MAS WOODWORKING 

New MAS Woodworking Machinery & Equipment is a 

manufacturer of various kinds of woodworking machinery, 

covering 260 acres of land and plants. Since 1994, the company 

has produced more than 200,000 units of moulding machines and 

saws of various kinds. The company has also established a longterm 

collaboration platform with technology universities, working 

and researching on issues from field testing of new products to 

operator and safety training programmes. 

NC double-sided four-spindle tenoner 

The team consists of more than 30 technicians and engineers 

with experience both in machine design and wood processing, 

with over 400 skilled workers and approximately 500 set quality 

manufacturing equipment, including 30 advanced numeric 

control (NC) metal and sheet metal processing machines like laser 

cutting, vertical and horizontal machining center. At BIFA Wood 

Vietnam 2022, it is demonstrating a range of equipment, including 

a NC double-sided four spindle tenoner, a NC mortising machine, 

and a five-axis machining centre. 


V 

BIFA WOOD 

I E 

T N A M 

BIFA WOOD 


WIDE BELT SANDERS: JUN SHIAU MACHINERY 


With 40 years of experience under 

its belt, Jun Shiau Machinery has 

its own brand, Sheng Shing Wide 

Belt Sander, that produces a range 

of light- and heavy-duty sanders. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic 

over the past two years, furniture 

manufacturing companies, which 

are labour-intensive in Asia, have 

stopped production due to pandemic 

prevention policies or infected staff, 

bringing up the problem of the 

reduction in manpower. 

In light of this, Jun Shiau began 

thinking about how to solve the 

manpower problem that customers 

are facing. Therefore, in the past 

two years it has promoted its top 

and bottom sander BSD + FSD for 

constant pass line. According to Jun 

Shiau, the bottom sander BSD goes 

with the table fixed sander FSD. 

Customers can install the conveyor 

table in between the sanders and 

connect the production line with a 

software to reduce the dependence 

on manpower, and users can match 

the automatic production line 

themselves. 

SD SERIES 

With a wide belt sander for sanding 

solid wood, jointed panels, and 

calibration, the SD series, which 

includes SD3130, offers customers 

with a working width standard from 

610-1,300mm; widths of 1,580mm 

and upwards can be requested. 

The two head series offers both 

roller types for general sanding. 

For sanders with three sanding 

heads, the third sanding head is 

a combination type in addition to 

the roller type, which is capable of 

calibration and fine sanding in one 

pass. The three head series offers fine 

finishing. 

300mm or 420mm at the customer’s 

choice. Ideal for sanding veneers, 

medium-density fibreboard (MDF), 

parquet, or plywood, the SV series 

delivers with high precision sanding 

with a dimensional tolerance within 

0.1m. 

In addition, the SV series features 

a pressure plate welded from steel 

and plated with hard chrome, 

presenting a hardness up to RC 70°. 

Maximum stability and smoothness 

of panel feeding is enabled through 

the incorporation of the pressure 

plate with a rubber coated pressure 

roller. P 

The SD-3130 wide belt sander 

The SV-3130 wide belt sander 

SV SERIES 

The SV series comprises a sanding 

head constructed with a contact 

drum, with a roller diameter of either 

BSD-31300 + FSD-31300 

bottom and fixed table sanders 


SHOW PREVIEW 

“Bigger and Better”: 


MWE 2019 

although it continues to face some 

challenges. 

The US recently imposed a higher 

average import duty on softwood 

lumber from Canada at 17.9%, 

from the previous 8.99%. Canada 

is the world’s largest softwood 

lumber exporter and the main 

exporter of plywood to the US. 

The steep increase in import duty, 

together with the US’s ongoing 

trade war with China, forces 

US importers to source timber 

products from other countries 

such as Malaysia, Vietnam and 

Indonesia amid booming housing 

demand in the US. 

With a booming wood processing scene, 

Malaysia is set to become one of the biggest 

players in the global wood-based industry, 

and the Malaysian Wood Expo (MWE) is here 

to leverage it from 20-22 Nov 2022, at the 

Malaysia International Trade and 

Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur. 

Muhtar Suhaili, CEO of Malaysian Timber 

Council (MTC), the co-organiser of MWE, 

shares more about Malaysia’s timber 

industry and the exhibition. 

OPPORTUNITIES IN MWE 2022 

What are some of the current 

trends in the wood and 

woodworking industry? 

Muhtar Suhaili: The COVID-19 

pandemic has forced businesses 

to reduce their dependency on 

foreign labour and motivated the 

industry to embrace automation 

and digitalisation. The timber 

industry continues to perform 

well despite the pandemic and 

associated fallout, and the outlook 

for the industry is positive this year, 

Robust demand from the North 

American region is driven by 

work-from-home policy and the 

US-China trade war. The current 

market sentiment for Malaysian 

timber in the US is bright, 

especially for Meranti and Keruing. 

Medium density fibreboard (MDF) 

manufacturers are also enjoying 

an upcycle in the panelboard 

market, supported by the growing 

demand from furniture makers in 

Malaysia and Indonesia as well 

as the increase in export demand 

from the Middle East. 

At the same time, there is a 

growing demand for particleboards 

from Japan for the production of 

ready-to-assemble furniture sales 

growth to e-commerce sellers. 

Export of particleboard from 

South East Asia to Japan is also 

expected to increase due to the 

rising costs of European timber, 

which forced the Japanese to shift 

their import from Europe to South 

East Asia. 


SHOW PREVIEW 

In terms of furniture design, what do 

Malaysians want and how have their 

tastes changed over the years? 

Muhtar: High-rise residential properties 

such as condominiums and apartments 

are becoming more popular, especially 

among the younger generation. Limitation 

of space also makes homeowners go for 

multi-functional space-saving furniture. 

The younger generation of ages 25-35 is 

more attracted to trends of simplicity and 

minimalism. At the same time, this age 

group has purchasing willingness. 

Speaking of minimalism and simplicity, 

Scandinavian design has a big influence 

on today’s furniture making, instead of 

heavy classic Victorian-like furniture. 

The increase in wealth income has made 

Malaysians develop a taste for modern 

luxury design furniture and sustainable 

furniture materials. To embrace the digital 

era, especially after the pandemic, furniture 

manufacturers or traders have started 

selling their products online. Furniture 

stores are making use of the online 

marketplace and e-commerce platform. 

How will the Malaysian Wood Expo (MWE) 

2022 address the previously mentioned 

trends and challenges? What can visitors 

look forward to during MWE 2022? 

Muhtar: We want the expo to be the 

preferred buying-and-selling platform 

in South East Asia where international 

suppliers and buyers of timbers, timber 

products, and woodworking machinery 

congregate under one roof. The presence 

of decision-makers who are shaping the 

industry, prominent manufacturers, and 

suppliers from around the globe will create 

an ideal platform for partnerships to be 

forged and business opportunities to be 

seized. 

We are anticipating a high number of 

international buyers who will boost 

business opportunities. MWE 2022 is 

endorsed by the Malaysian Wood Industries 

Association (MWIA), Timber Exporters’ 

Association of Malaysia (TEAM), the 

Malaysian Panel-Products Manufacturers’ 

Association (MPMA), Malaysian Wood 

Moulding & Joinery Council (MWMJC), 

Malaysian Furniture Council (MFC), 

Association of Malaysian Bumiputra Timber 

& Furniture Entrepreneurs (PEKA) as well 

as the Malaysian Timber Industry Board 

(MTIB), Malaysian Timber Certification 

Council (MTCC), Malaysia External Trade 

Development Corporation (MATRADE) 

and Malaysian Woodworking Machinery 

Association (MWMA). The fair is also 

recognised and endorsed by timber-related 

associations from countries such as China, 

France, Hong Kong, Thailand and the US. 

Our infrastructure, geographical location 

and business facilities make us a good 

timber hub for importing and exporting to 

ASEAN countries which have a combined 

population of over 622 million and a GDP 

of US$3.08 trillion. The GDP of the ASEAN 

region has been skyrocketing for a few 

years now, reflecting the region’s thriving 

economy. 

MWE 2022 plays an important role in 

rebuilding the economy, especially post- 

COVID. This will help to address the 

struggle of maintaining sales during the 

pandemic. Through the Business Matching 

Programme, suppliers and importers get to 

meet up and discuss potential businesses. 

At the same time, this will help to secure 

new business sales, and thus contribute 

to rebuilding the economy. Businesses 

that have lost important clients because 

of the pandemic will have another shot at 

generating new leads and other potential 

clients through the exhibition. There is also 

an opportunity for them to attract other 

businesses that may want to collaborate. 

Last but not least, MTC offers various 

financial incentives for local manufacturers, 

such as the import of raw materials, 

purchase of software systems, acquirement 

of new woodworking machineries, and 

more. Only in MWE will local industry 

players be able to enjoy these incentives. 

MALAYSIA’S TIMBER MARKET 

Can you rate Malaysia’s performance 

in terms of wood product exports and 

production capacity? 

Muhtar: Malaysia is an important player 

in the international market for tropical 

wood and wood products, and is also 

the top 10 exporter of plywood, wooden 

frame and wooden furniture globally. 

“We want the MWE to be the preferred buyingand-selling 

platform in South East Asia where 

international suppliers and buyers of timbers, 

timber products, and woodworking machinery 

congregate under one roof.” 

Muhtar Suhaili 

CEO of MTC 


SHOW PREVIEW 

Over the years, the Malaysian wood-based 

industry has become one of the major 

revenue contributors to the country’s 

economic growth, encompassing the export 

of sawntimber, veneer, panel products, 

mouldings, builders’ joinery and carpentry 

(BJC) as well as furniture and furniture 

components. 

Timber is the third largest export contributor 

in Malaysia’s agri-commodity sector after 

palm oil and rubber, with the exports of 

timber products recording a 3% growth 

from RM22.08 billion in 2020 to RM22.7bn in 

2021. Demand for Malaysian timber products 

grew as people around the world began 

working from home, leading to a rise in 

home construction, repairs, and remodelling. 

Products such as plywood, sawntimber, 

mouldings and BJC contributed to the gains 

chalked up by the industry last year. 

Malaysia’s total timber and timber products 

trade from January to March 2022 increased 

by 10.1% to RM8.69bn from RM7.89bn in 

the same corresponding period in 2021. In 

particular, the exports from January to March 

increased by 8.2% to RM6.54bn compared 

to RM6.04bn in the same period in 2021. 

Wooden furniture remained the highest 

contributor with RM3.1bn or 47.3% in Q1 

2022 exports, followed by plywood with 

RM896.5 million or 13.7%, and sawntimber 

with exports of RM640.9m or 9.8%. 

The top three export destinations for 

Malaysia’s timber and timber products in 

Q1 were the US at 34.8%, Japan at 14.8%, 

and China at 9%. The country’s exports 

of wooden furniture were mainly to the US 

at 59.3%, followed by Japan at 5.6% and 

Singapore at 4.4%. 

The industry is moving progressively 

towards producing higher value-added 

products, leveraging automation, as well as 

investing in the upskilling of its workforce 

to boost the country’s GDP. For the timber 

industry to improve its export ranking, the 

industry has to adopt automation and move 

towards Industry Revolution (IR) 4.0 to 

improve efficiency and productivity. 

As the leading timber promotion council, we 

encourage the timber industry players to 

Ongoing business networking sessions in MWE 2019 

focus on creativity and innovation in their 

production processes, enabling them to 

start venturing into automation and IR 4.0 

and moving up the value chain from original 

equipment manufacturer (OEM) to original 

design manufacturer (ODM) or the original 

brand manufacturer (OBM). 

In light of the Russia-Ukraine war 

affecting timber material supplies, 

how exactly can Malaysia become an 

alternative supplier? 

Muhtar: The Russia-Ukraine war has 

heightened uncertainty and unsettled the 

commodity markets. Risks include the 

escalation of the invasion, further sanctions 

of commodities from Russia on top of the 

existing financial instability caused by 

the US Federation’s monetary tightening, 

hyperinflation and stagflation, and the 

emergence of more deadly COVID-19 

variants and disruptions associated with 

China’s current outbreaks. Furthermore, 

the impact of the war on supply chains 

worldwide not only created pockets of 

demand for timber products not originating 

from Russia and Ukraine, but it has also 

affected commodity prices, with timber 

prices increasing year on year. 

While it is still too early to see the impact 

of the war and its correlation to Malaysia’s 

timber products trade, since sanctions 

on Russia were only announced and 

implemented from late February to March 

2022, we can however see potential 

increases in demand for primary timber 

products from the European and Eastern 

Asian regions to fill in the supply vacuum 

left by Russia and Ukraine. 

As for the available high-quality timber 

species offered by Malaysia, the most 

common ones are Meranti, Keruing, and 

Hevea, also known as rubberwood, Kapur, 

Kempas, and Balau. Moving forward, we 

would also like to promote the lesser-known 

species such as Sepetir and Kembang 

Semangkuk, also known as KSK. 

In your opinion, how will Malaysia’s wood 

and woodworking industry evolve in the 

next 5-10 years? 

Muhtar: The timber industry will continue 

its focus on going further into downstream 

processing to achieve higher value from 

its timber resources. There will be more 

interest in emerging markets from ASEAN 

member countries that are offering 

business opportunities for timber-based 

manufacturers. 

Timber product manufacturers will also 

explore new technological advancements 

to enhance their productivity and efficiency 

in keeping with the ever-changing taste of 

customers and the business environment. 

They should also embrace the digital 

economy as it will enable timber products 

to be sold online. 

E-commerce has become vital for local 

producers to access customers globally. 

Such a trend is inevitable and remains a 

long-term solution, not only for the timber 

industry but also for other sectors. The 

younger generation is also more inclined to 

shop online, and we should move fervently 

in this direction. 

We also need to increase awareness of 

the sustainability of the forestry and 

timber industry. Malaysia will endeavour 

to build its strengths on this aspect with 

the collaboration and partnership with key 

stakeholders. 

Bigger and Better — MWE 2022 is set to 

take your business to the next level. Do look 

out for details on our programmes which 

will be announced soon. See everyone 

there! P 


台湾振萧砂光机 

TAIWAN SHENGSHING Wide belt sander 

台湾長風高速电脑裁板机自动直线封边机 

TAIWAN CHAMFOND High Speed Panel Saw Edgebander 

台湾广荣单片圆锯机多片圆锯机 

TAIWAN FOMASA KUANG YUNG Rip Saw Machine Multi Rip Saw 

電腦優選鋸機 

Cnc Cross-cut And 

Length-sorting System 

( 德國 PAUL )

台湾龙德單板木皮加工設備 

TAIWAN INNOVATOR Other Veneer Processing Equipment 

See us at 

BIFA WOOD 

VIETNAM 2022, 

Hall C Booth 

C1012 ,C1018 

台湾森科 

四面鉋木機系列特殊型四面鉋木機系列 

TAIWAN SHENKO Particular 4-side 

Moulder, 4 - Side Moulder 

郑太 - ZHENG TAI 数控六面钻 

CNC Multiple Spindle 

Oscillation Mortiser Item 

长丰 - CHANGFENG 

重型双台面移动式加工中心 

CNC Machining Center 

五轴加工中心 CNC 

Act Five Axis 

Machining Center 

德亨客 DAHAKA 自动双端锯铣机 

Automatic Double 

- End Sawing Milling Machine 

五轴加工中心 CNC 

Act Five Axis 

Machining Center 

長興木工機械有限公司 CÔNG TY TNHH TRƯỜNG HƯNG 

地址 : 越南平阳省 , 新淵市 , 新福慶坊 , 慶會區 39/3 號 

ĐỊA CHỈ : SỐ 39/3 , KHU PHỐ KHÁNH HỘI , PHƯỜNG TÂN PHƯỚC KHÁNH, 

THỊ XÃ TÂN UYÊN , TỈNH BÌNH DƯƠNG, VIỆT NAM 

TELL : 0274 3618 639 FAX : 02743 618 638 FONE : 0978 601 299 MR” XIE 

EMAIL : truonghungmachinery@gmail.com/ zxquan003@gmail.com

EVENTS CALENDAR 

Events Calendar 2022–2023 

SEPTEMBER, 05 – 08 

2022 2023 

JULY, 17 – 20 

49th CIFF 

Guangzhou (Phase 1) 

Guangzhou, China 

Shanghai International Furniture Machinery 

& Woodworking Machinery Fair 

Shanghai, China 

FMC China 2022 



DOMOTEX 2023 

Hannover, Germany 

JANUARY, 12 – 15 

JULY, 26 – 29 

49th CIFF Guangzhou (Phase 2) 

Guangzhou, China 

AUGUST, 08 – 11 


Binh Duong, Vietnam 

AUGUST, 18 – 21 

Indonesia International 

Furniture Expo 

Jakarta, Indonesia 

AUGUST, 25 – 28 

Korea International Furniture & Interior Fair 

(KOFURN) 

Korea 


Photo: Jason Yuen / Unsplash 

Photo: Warren Gold Swain / istockphotos 

125th NHLA Annual 

Convention & Exhibit Showcase 

Ohio, United States 

IFMAC & WOODMAC 2022 

Jakarta, Indonesia 

Xylexpo 

Milan, Italy 



OCTOBER, 12 – 15 

OCTOBER, 18 – 21 

VietnamWood 2022 

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam 

NOVEMBER, 20 – 22 


Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

DECEMBER, 15 – 18 

Photo: Robert Conlkin / Unsplash 

Photo: Muhammed Faiz Zulkeflee / Unsplash 

imm Cologne 2023 

Cologne, Germany 

Hanoi Wood Vietnam 

Hanoi, Vietnam 

DelhiWood 

New Delhi, India 

MARCH, 07 – 09 

Dubai WoodShow 

Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

Wood Taiwan 

Taiwan 

interzum Cologne 

Cologne, Germany 

JANUARY, 16 – 21 

FEBRUARY, 09 – 11 

MARCH, 02 – 05 

APRIL, 20 – 23 

MAY, 09 – 12 

MAY, 15 – 19 

LIGNA 

Hannover, Germany 

JUNE, 26 – 28 

Photo: Jonathan Bernard / Unsplash 

50th CIFF Shanghai 2022 


Photo: The Starters Guide / Unsplash 

Cairo WoodShow 2022 

Cairo, Egypt 

Photo: Osama Elsayed / Unsplash 

SYLVA WOOD 2023 



INDEX OF 

ADVERTISERS 

PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA • July / August 2022 

COMPANY 

PAGE 

Baillie Lumber 9 

Baumer Inspection GmbH 27 

Biesse Malaysia Sdn Bhd 

FC 

MAT MOISTENING 

INNOVATION MAT MOISTENING 

AT WORK 

INNOVATION AT WORK 


OBC 

Dai Phuc Vinh (Fuvico) 68, 69 

Dieffenbacher Industriemarketing GmbH 1 

Electronic Wood Systems GmbH 33 

Top moistening 

on mat surface 

Top moistening 

on mat surface 

Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd. 

IFC 

Hanoi Wood 2023 5 

IMEAS spa 13 

Kim Thuan Cuong 70, 71 

Kuang Yung Machinery Co., Ltd 11 

Lensaya Industriya Journal 67 

Bottom moistening 

on forming belt 

Bottom moistening 

on forming belt 

WEKO-FLUID-APPLICATION-SYSTEM 

WEKO-FLUID-APPLICATION-SYSTEM 

Long Phat CNC 57 

Malaysian Wood Expo 2022 45 

Nanxing Machinery Co., Ltd 2, 3 

Northwest Hardwoods 7 

Technik Associates, Inc 

IBC 

Teknos (M) Sdn Bhd 15 

TOMRA Sorting GmbH 76 

Tritherm Technology 59 

Truong Hung 72, 73 

Weitmann & Konrad GmbH & Co KG 75 

Yalian Machinery Co., Ltd 49 

IMPROVE YOUR BOARDS QUALITY 

IMPROVE YOUR BOARDS QUALITY 

YOUR BENEFITS 

• Increase your press speed 

YOUR BENEFITS 

• Higher surface density 

• Improved Increase your bending press strength speed 

• Less Higher or no surface sanding density 

• Longer Improved sanding bending tool strength lifetime 

• Smoother Less or no surface sanding for 

• Longer easy laquering sanding tool lifetime 

• Smoother surface for 

easy laquering 

Productivity 

and Quality 

Productivity 

and Quality 

Scan to download eBook 

PFA July/August 2022 

www.weko.net 

www.weko.net 


THE BEST GRADE IN WOOD SORTING 

GAIN your competitive edge with pure wood A and MDF fractions 

EXPLORE 

WHAT YOU 

Pioneering the use of deep learning technology, AUTOSORT and GAIN 

combine the most advanced technologies for recovering wood A, 

wood B and MDF from waste wood. Count on TOMRA technology 

to deliver profi table results! 

CAN GAIN!

IN VIETNAM’S 

FURNITURE 

CLUSTER 

www.bifawoodvietnam.com 

NEW DATE: 8-11 AUGUST 2022 

NEW 

VENUE 

WTC Binh Duong New City Expo 

Lot A19, Hung Vuong Street, Hoa Phu Ward, 

Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam 

Google Map 

QR code 

Exhibition Site 

WOOD & WOODWORKING MACHINERY EXHIBITION 

Enquiries For International Exhibitors 


3 Ang Mo Kio Street 62 

#01-23 Link@AMK, 


Tel: (65) 6266 5512 

Email: williampang@pabloasia.com 

info@pabloasia.com 

WeChat 

Jointly organised by 

• BINH DUONG FURNITURE ASSOCIATION (BIFA) • PANELS & FURNITURE Group 

BINH DUONG FURNITURE ASSOCIATION 

Photo: elena rouame, helena lopes, guzman barquin/unsplash

Panels & Furniture Asia July/August 2022

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