Panels & Furniture Asia November/December 2023

FROM THE EDITOR
Everything is
going to be fine
It is a little surreal to think that in the same
year that China reopened their borders
and LIGNA, arguably the world’s wood and
woodworking trade exhibition returned,
the wood panel and furniture markets
are not doing well. You would think the
aforementioned two big events promise news
of a robust market. However, a majority of
the globe is still suffering from the economic
downturn, even if it is not felt evenly across
the world, mainly for those who depend on
the US for exports.
Per Friis Knudsen said it well in his article
(p.16). Ever since July 2022, which was
supposedly a turning point for both COVID-19
and the industry, what was supposed to be
a full market recovery turned out to be a
“rollercoaster ride” of lows and highs. And
this rollercoaster ride is still ongoing. But he
also offered a glimpse of hope: “Everything is
going to be fine.” Such words probably do not
mean much if they come from me, but from
a seasoned businessman, surely it is a little
comforting, even if it is speculation at this
point in time.
In this issue, we covered several company
updates and ventures. Press and coating
systems provider Bürkle has restructured
their organisation and realigned their strategy
to become more customer-oriented in every
industry they cover (p.18). We spoke with
the vice-president of the company’s wood
division to find out more. The IMALPAL Group
recently launched their UP-CYCLE IMALPALAB
research centre, dedicated to experimenting
and testing innovative solutions in wood
panel production (p.28). The American
Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) featured
a series of furniture designs by designer
Jarrod Lim at the recent IFMAC & WOODMAC
exhibition at Indonesia (p.52).
What is said to be Asia’s largest mass timber
building, Gaia, a business school for Nanyang
Technological University (NTU) in Singapore,
was completed late last year but unveiled
earlier this year (p.56). This is a very exciting
step towards the increased use of mass
engineered timber in South East Asia, enabled
by RSP Architects Planners & Engineers and
Stora Enso, among other firms in this project.
Take a look at how mass timber can flourish
even in a humid country like Singapore.
In around two months’ time the year will end.
We welcome the new year with open arms and
renewed hope that things will be better. But
until then, we hope everybody gets a chance
to rest and recharge, and we wish everyone a
good holiday break in December.
YAP SHI QUAN | EDITOR
PANELS &
FURNITURE ASIA
PABLO SINGAPORE
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William Pang • williampang@pabloasia.com
Editor
Yap Shi Quan • shiquan@pabloasia.com
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Shu Ai Ling • circulation@pabloasia.com
PABLO BEIJING
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Ellen Gao • pablobeijing@163.com
PABLO SHANGHAI
Editor
Rayla Liu • pabloshanghai@163.net
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6 Panels & Furniture Asia | November / December 2023