Panels & Furniture Asia March/April 2024
Panels & Furniture Asia (PFA) is a leading regional trade magazine dedicated to the woodbased panel, furniture and flooring processing industry. Published bi-monthly since 2000, PFA delivers authentic journalism to cover the latest news, technology, machinery, projects, products and trade events throughout the sector. With a hardcopy and digital readership comprising manufacturers, designers and specifiers, among others, PFA is the platform of choice for connecting brands across the global woodworking landscape.
Panels & Furniture Asia (PFA) is a leading regional trade magazine dedicated to the woodbased panel, furniture and flooring processing industry. Published bi-monthly since 2000, PFA delivers authentic journalism to cover the latest news, technology, machinery, projects, products and trade events throughout the sector. With a hardcopy and digital readership comprising manufacturers, designers and specifiers, among others, PFA is the platform of choice for connecting brands across the global woodworking landscape.
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IN PERSON<br />
Education is a crucial aspect of Ciqam’s<br />
mission. Through workshops and<br />
awareness campaigns, they aim to<br />
educate carvers, carpenters, and wood<br />
suppliers about the benefits of using<br />
locally sourced green timber instead of<br />
cutting down forest trees.<br />
GENDER EQUALITY AND ECONOMIC<br />
EMPOWERMENT<br />
Back in 2008, Ciqam initiated a project<br />
aimed at providing young women from<br />
poor households opportunities with<br />
jobs such as carpentry, plumbing,<br />
and masonry. With the support<br />
of the AKCSP, Ciqam has trained<br />
numerous women through an NGO<br />
before integrating the initiative into its<br />
business plan.<br />
“I believe in empowering women.<br />
Coming from a marginalised, lowincome<br />
family, I know many other<br />
girls in a similar situation who want to<br />
provide for their families,” said Aqeela.<br />
“Especially here in this area, we face<br />
a very male-dominated society with<br />
discriminatory barriers dictating which<br />
jobs are for men and which are for<br />
women. Many jobs are segregated by<br />
gender, and we want to overcome this<br />
so that we are all equal as human beings<br />
with the same opportunities. We want<br />
to ensure you can pursue whatever path<br />
you choose, whether you’re born a girl<br />
or a boy.”<br />
Together, they challenge traditional<br />
gender norms and open doors for<br />
women to new non-traditional<br />
professions.<br />
LEGEND<br />
1 The new Wood-<br />
Mizer LT70<br />
sawmill uses<br />
narrow-band<br />
blade-cutting<br />
technology that<br />
produces thinkerf<br />
in wood no<br />
more than 2mm<br />
thick<br />
2 Ciqam works<br />
with green<br />
timber, locally<br />
grown species<br />
like poplar,<br />
mulberry, walnut,<br />
and Russian olive<br />
which can be<br />
easily replanted<br />
1<br />
“I am honored to see the difference<br />
Ciqam has made,” said Christoff<br />
du Plessis, Wood-Mizer technical<br />
sales representative. “Among the<br />
100,000-plus sawmills Wood-Mizer<br />
has produced over its 40-year<br />
history, many are operated by female<br />
operators and entrepreneurs. It is<br />
amazing to have a business like Ciqam<br />
contributing to the local economy in<br />
Pakistan, and to see the community<br />
supporting women-owned businesses<br />
as elders and locals bless our<br />
machines to prosper.” P<br />
2<br />
MARCH / APRIL <strong>2024</strong> | PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA 21
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