National Hardwood Magazine - October 2020

NORTHEAST Continued from

NORTHEAST Continued from page 7 ing some slow improvement since the COVID shutdown. What helps our industry,” he said, “is construction: housing starts and remodeling, anyone using Hardwood for moulding and millwork, kitchen and bath and flooring – the people we support. “It’s the housing starts that really carry the day,” he continued. “So, I think we’re seeing a lot of remodeling thanks to COVID. Housing permits are up, too. We’re seeing an uptick in construction, which was basically shut down in a lot of states for well over a month. That’s starting to improve ever so slowly, but at least it’s improving. It’s trending in the right direction.” Compared to six months earlier domestically, things are worse, for this lumber supplier. Domestic business had been expected to improve over 2019 “and then we get hit with COVID,” he observed. The company, in central Pennsylvania, handles multiple species: Red and White Oak, Hard and Soft Maple, Ash, Cherry and Hickory. These species are sawn to 4/4 and 5/4. “All species seem to be moving,” noted the lumber sales representative. “The problem is not moving volume; the problem is pricing. That’s the issue in today’s world. At a sawmill, you’re bringing in logs that are overpriced for where the market is today. We don’t have trouble moving any species. The problem with the sawmill business and dry kiln business is profitability.” The Pennsylvania mill sells its products to both distribution and primary manufacturing. “I think everybody’s struggling,” said the spokesman. “I don’t know that any customer we’re talking to is at the level they thought they were when they started this year; everyone is digging out of a hole right now, in certain areas. They have employee problems, due to COVID mainly. So, production is down; everyone is struggling from a production standpoint. And I don’t think anyone is immune to that. I can’t think of any of our customers who has a full workforce working and has a backlog of orders. He noted that trucking is not a problem in his area. “We don’t have any trucking issues right now.” A lumber sales representative in Massachusetts was asked about the level of business in that area. “I’d say it’s OK,” he replied. “It’s not burning any buildings down, but it’s not horrible either.” However, he stated, business was worse than six months prior. “It’s definitely the virus,” he remarked. His company sells all domes- 52 OCTOBER 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

tic species of Hardwood, primarily in upper grades. Soft Maple and Poplar were the best sellers when he was interviewed. Primarily, his company handles 4/4 through 8/4. They sell mostly to end users. “It’s primarily cabinetry,” he noted. “Residential is really slow. Commercial has been busy for a while. That’s really about it. A lot of homeowners, they’d like to remodel the kitchen, for example, but they don’t want the workers in the house.” He stated that transportation was not a problem for his company, “not at all.” A lumber spokesman in Maine presented a different picture than the other men who were interviewed. “Business is pretty terrible,” was his assessment. “To be more specific,” he said, “there’s a lot of uncertainty, zero speculation, more production that trumps the demand. It’s too big even though we’ve lost mills over the past few years.” Also, he noted, “Businesses are definitely getting consolidated and they’re struggling with help. Everybody I talk to is looking for people to work.” Customers used to buy truckload quantities but now they purchase truckloads of five to six items. “Some guys on the supply end are not sure what to produce, because you can’t sell it all. Certain grades sell but not others in certain species. It makes it kind of tricky,” he observed. He said the sawmill pulp market is terrible. “It’s tough to get the logs we need,” he stated. “So, we have been hit from all angles.” Comparing six months earlier to the time he was interviewed, he was of the opinion that things were “about the same; it’s not getting any better.” This company sells Red Oak, Hard and Soft Maple, Yellow Birch and Ash, predominantly. His best-seller used to be Soft Maple. “It was the best mover we had.” At the time of this interview, different grades of Hard Maple were moving well. Red Oak was moving somewhat. “The Commons are where it’s tricky,” he stated. Flooring manufacturers and cabinet makers were slow to buy the grades they normally bought. “I’d say the uppers are OK,” he remarked. “We primarily do 4/4 across the board.” His company’s customers include end users, distribution yards, concentration yards, “you name it.” Regarding transportation, he said it was “expensive.” n Searching for Service? Bingaman Lumber has the solution. - www.bingamanlumber.com OCTOBER 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 53