Summary
• Bob Sabistina set up the NHLA’s Shanghai base nearly two years ago.
• His main roles are training, dispute resolution and promotion.
• All the training is done with the help of interpreters.
• Mr Sabistina has spent 33 years in the hardwood lumber business.

I have spent the better part of my 33 years in the hardwood lumber business teaching the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) grading rules to thousands of people all over the world through my collaboration with The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). Two years ago I was approached by NHLA to develop a programme in China, not only to teach the rules but also to establish NHLA’s first overseas base.

My three main roles are teaching/training, dispute resolution, and promotion. I have developed an advanced three-day grading seminar geared towards buyers, manufacturers, and local sales reps for North American hardwood companies. These classes are similar to what NHLA has been doing in North America for years. I also organise individual workshops for companies to meet specific training needs. My limited knowledge of the local language means that all this training has to be done with the help of interpreters.

Typical day

A significant part of a typical day in Shanghai is spent in traffic, trying to get across this huge and sprawling city. The company rep will pick me up and we can spend two hours in traffic each way. My two to three-hour presentation includes the grades, relevant species and some information on getting trees converted into kiln-dried lumber and into a container for transport here. Then it’s a trip to the warehouse to look at the lumber on site.

Invariably, there will be some “special boards” laid out for me to comment on. These will be the most ragged pieces saved from multiple containers and I will explain the “One bad apple…” principle, pretty much as I would in any manufacturer’s warehouse anywhere in the world.

I’ve travelled all over China doing this sort of work and the vast majority of the firms I have worked with have been well-run, well-managed companies. Unsurprisingly though, I do run into some issues with interpretation. Once when I was looking at some #2A & Btr walnut I got into a very heated debate with several of the company bigwigs. The loudest voice brought out the AHEC grading guide and held it right up to my face. I told him politely, but firmly, to take a look inside the back cover and he would see my name in it because I wrote it! Although he seemed quite impressed, he carried on arguing the point.

Dealing with claims

The most interesting controversies are claims. I can only get involved in dispute resolution when a member of the NHLA requests me to do so, usually after all the arguments between the buyer and the member have been exhausted. Most of the Chinese companies I have visited for claims are small manufacturers, but this is China, and they may have several hundred employees but no yard and extremely limited warehouse space. And this will probably be the first time an inspection of this kind has ever taken place, so it’s a challenge, to say the least.

I usually like to go through at least one-third of the container, approximately 3,500 board ft or about 8m³, unless of course the parties involved want a full-blown inspection. This would normally take about two to three hours, depending on thickness and species, but here in China it’s usually an all-day affair. The reason is simply that there is no place to work. We are constantly moving one pack out of the way to get to another, while maintaining the packs we have already graded and trying to get a good mix of the lengths that were in the can.

Memorable job

One of my most memorable claims was near Beijing – an early morning two-hour flight away. We got to the warehouse where the disputed lumber was stored. By then it was noon and the temperature was around 30ºC. There were no lights in the warehouse which was empty except for the lumber and a mountain of fertilizer. After some confusion, I managed to convey that I needed a gas mask for this job. It took me two days to finish the full container, after which I was taken straight back to the airport. It was the Friday before the May Day holiday and the plane was completely full. By the time we landed my fellow passengers were very glad to see the back of me.

I enjoy my life in Shanghai and I still travel to other parts of the world to run grading workshops. This year I will host workshops in Germany and in the UK in April and I’ll be at Interzum in Moscow in May.

In my time in Shanghai I have found the Chinese to be friendly, generous and fun-loving and I have had the good fortune to work with many high quality companies that just want to make a living and have good fortune for their families – no different from anywhere else in the world.