NELA Continued from page
NELA Continued from page 44 Cabinets: Recent improvements in the manufacture of composite materials (new adhesives, for example) allow for better screw holding capabilities and taking finishes easier, which is in turn making composites a more attractive material to use in cabinet making. Business in the first half of 2023 has been stable. Forecasts had been for a 5-10 percent decrease but they have stayed above those forecasts. Having said that, large cabinet manufacturers are starting to see inventories building. There are currently no signs of a recovery of Red Oak in the cabinet market. Flooring: Seasonal sales have been good but there are concerns about what happens moving forward now that the seasonal bump is nearly complete. There is no solid forecast for the next six months. Without that, one flooring manufacturer’s strategy is to simply maintain inventory and guard against any buildups of finished goods. With that said, the same manufactur- er is looking to reduce lumber inventory. Cherry and Birch demand has decreased, while Red and White Oak are “so-so,” with Hard Maple seeing a slight increase in demand. Railroad ties: Tie inventories are building but are still behind demand and have been behind for quite some time. One manufacturer said they are receiving more ties than production can handle. The forecast is that demand will continue to be strong for the foreseeable future as railroads target fully replacing all tracks every 30 years to maintain safety. Truck flooring: Lumber inventories are very good right now as there is a lot of low-grade lumber available. This was not the case last year as lumber was harder to find. Demand for truck trailer flooring continues to be strong and all companies currently in this segment of the industry cannot produce enough to satisfy demand. The forecast for the next 6-8 months is very strong. Please turn to page 48 Bob Cafiero, Meadow River Hardwood Lumber Co. LLC, Rainelle, WV; Parker Dukas, Abenaki Timber Corp., Kingston, NH; and William Cafiero, Sackett Lumber, Wassaic, NY Bruce Dahn, HHP Inc., Henniker, NH; Justin Welyczko, North Hudson Woodcraft Corp., Dolgeville, NY; and David Hubbard, GMC Hardwoods Inc., Medfield, MA Greg Stascavage, Missouri Walnut LLC, Neosho, MO; Peter Lovett, King City Northway Forwarding Ltd., Montreal, QC; and Jean-David Alder, Produit Forestiers St-Armand Inc., Saint-Armand, QC Jeff Hardy, Cersosimo Lumber Co. Inc., Brattleboro, VT; Chris Castano, Maine Woods Company LLC, Portage Lake, ME; Brin Langmuir, Falcon Lumber Ltd., Toronto, ON; and Ryan Satterfield, Cersosimo Lumber Co. Inc. Always Shows Up To Work Quick, easy installation Simple, Dependable, Affordable Cut ties, grade, timbers, mats, you name it 45 years of engineering design MADE IN USA MOSCOW TN All parts in stock - ready to ship Hurdle Automatic Sawmill Low maintenance www.hurdlemachineworks.com www.facebook.com/HurdleMachineWorks www.youtube.com/HurdleMachineWorks Fast payback 5-man operation 8hrs - 20,000 to 25,000+ bd/ft CALL US NOW! 901.877.6251 Rustic Wood Products cuts the finest Appalachian Hardwood lumber, cants and railroad ties for our customers, and those in need of these wood products. Call us today at (573) 547-8227 when we can be of service! Some of the key products we make, and services we offer, are: • green, air dried and/or kiln dried lumber in 4/4 and 5/4 thicknesses • S2S Now Available • species like Red Oak, Walnut, White Oak, Hard Maple, Ash, Poplar, Cottonwood and Cherry, in 6-16 foot lengths • all lumber is band sawn and double end trimmed • 250,000 board feet per charge of dry kiln capacity • 300,000 board feet of kiln dried inventory In Business • 1,000,000 board feet of air dried inventory under cover Harvesting the finest Hardwoods since 1972 • our own trucks and logging crew 6347 Highway 51 • Perryville, MO 63775 Phone: (573) 547-8227 • Fax: (573) 547-2288 CELEBRATING Website: www.rwpinc.net Sales: Kurt Rehagen 46 AUGUST 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry AUGUST 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 47
