NORTHEAST Continued from
NORTHEAST Continued from page 6 which markets 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses. Best sellers are the whitewoods, the Hard and Soft Maples and Birch, followed by Ash. Oak and Cherry were doing well but not as frantic as the other species. “There’s still quite a bit of desire for some of those species,” he said. Six months ago, the market wasn’t as frantic as at the end of the year. “It has settled in to be just consistent, good and steady at a good level,” he said. Customers are primarily wholesalers and distribution MCDONOUGH MANUFACTURING DRIVING INNOVATION SINCE 1888. www.mcdonough-mfg.com (715) 834-7755 yards who service the flooring, furniture, millwork and pallet industries. In their comments to the firm, most of them possess a “good appetite for good lumber out there,” he said. “It sounds like they’re all doing well. They’re having to work a little harder than they had been a few months ago, but they’re still pleased with sales overall. They’re glad to see things stabilize a little.” The usual challenges press the company and its customers. “Trucking is just as bad as ever,” he commented. “With labor, there’s no relief on the labor yet.” In New York, lumber sales were consistent for a supplier there. “The market in our area seems like it’s pretty steady,” reported the company’s green lumber buyer. “There doesn’t seem like there is much of a shortage of lumber. The sawmills seem to have a decent log supply, too, some better than others. It depends on how wet the weather is.” The company was experiencing “good business” at the end of the year, especially on the green side with the kiln a little softer. “It normally does that toward the end of the year, especially with inventories coming up the first part of the year,” he reminded. Compared to the first half of the year, business remained steady, he said. “We haven’t seen too much of an influx of lumber coming in. The market has stayed pretty steady all the way through. It hasn’t dropped off or creeped up.” Worker shortages and trucking deficits haven’t really affected his business. “Labor has been steady through COVID. We have a few reliable truckers, so there have been no real problems with transportation.” The firm sells Red and White Oak and Hard Maple in thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 to end users and distribution yards. n 46 FEBRUARY 2022 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE
SOUTHEAST Continued from page 7 of pause,” he noted. “I don’t know if that will be something that will be a telltale sign of the future.” The firm handles 4/4 through 8/4 thicknesses on Poplar, Ash and Red Oak for its customers, which include architectural millwork and associated firms as well as distributors supplying custom markets. In North Carolina, the management of a lumberyard and dry kiln operation regarded 2021 as a good year. Toward the end of the year, however, the market began to slow. “I won’t say volume has slowed a whole lot; it’s just the pricing has come down due to production increases following the dry weather,” said the president and chief executive officer. “Six months ago was crazy,” he added. “Pricing was increasing. Lumber was in short supply. “Demand was really high. We definitely saw some big increases six months ago. Everything is relative and still in good shape. The market is now just different from six months ago.” The company focuses on supplying Poplar in thicknesses ranging from 4/4 through 8/4. It supplies product to moulding and millwork customers as well as furniture manufacturers and distribution yards. Transportation woes remain a struggle, with the trucking shortage making it difficult to source product to market domestically, he said. For exports, huge increases in container and ocean freight rates should keep costs high. “We will probably see continued issues in freight rate increases into the new year,” he predicted. Many containers returned to Asia were shipped empty, due to shippers not wanting to pay the high rates. “Maybe some of that will ease up a little once supply channels become more full, but right now it’s still a big challenge,” he stated. The company’s customers talk of favorable business. “All our customers are saying things are going pretty well,” he said. “Of course, issues as far as supply and transportation keep us concerned. But all in all, all the lumberman’s furniture, moulding and distribution customers continue to have good business. We are hopeful that the first quarter of 2022 will be good for us, even though we have seen prices decline some. Business will be pretty good.” n nationalhardwoodmag.com It’s BIG. It’s NEW. It’s what WE DO. With 300% more capacity, we’re your ideal partner for cut-to-length and machine-to-spec orders. Atlanta, GA Cleveland, GA Crystal Spring, PA Clarksville, TN www.hardwoodweb.com 800-476-5393 FEBRUARY 2022 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 47
