The scale of the place was what first hit home driving through Southern Sweden.
The start point was Stockholm, the destination Växjö and the annual Market Day of the South Swedish Woodexporters Association (SST), where TTJ was presenting on the UK market.
It didn’t look far on the map, with both cities in the country’s lower third. But it’s actually a 450km trek.
The scale of the timber sector also strikes you – the region’s productive woodlands cover 4.94million ha, generating 6.3 million m3 of sawn timber annually, or 40% of Sweden’s total from 25%-30% of its area.
"It’s prime timber land," said Patrik Svensson, chief executive of sawmill Bodafors. "Trees grow faster than elsewhere in Sweden, but we’re still relatively far north, so density and quality remain good."
Timber is central to the wider community and regional identity, something that’s most apparent in Växjö. Not only is the city home to the SST, but also Linnaeus University, one of Europe’s foremost forestry and wood science schools. It’s also a burgeoning timber-based construction centre.
First stop en route was timber treater Ingarp Träskydd.
It covers 180,000m2, including 15,000m2 of undercover storage, and its four automated treatment units have annual capacity of 75,000m3, using primarily Wolmanit CX-8, Tanalith E7 and Celcure C50.
The scale of the place was what first hit home driving through Southern Sweden. The start point was Stockholm, the destination Växjö and the annual Market Day of the South Swedish Woodexporters Association (SST), where TTJ was presenting on the UK market.
It didn’t look far on the map, with both cities in the country’s lower third. But it’s actually a 450km trek.
The scale of the timber sector also strikes you – the region’s productive woodlands cover 4.94million ha, generating 6.3 million m3 of sawn timber annually, or 40% of Sweden’s total from 25%-30% of its area.
"It’s prime timber land," said Patrik Svensson, chief executive of sawmill Bodafors. "Trees grow faster than elsewhere in Sweden, but we’re still relatively far north, so density and quality remain good."
Timber is central to the wider community and regional identity, something that’s most apparent in Växjö. Not only is the city home to the SST, but also Linnaeus University, one of Europe’s foremost forestry and wood science schools. It’s also a burgeoning timber-based construction centre.
First stop en route was timber treater Ingarp Träskydd.
It covers 180,000m2, including 15,000m2 of undercover storage, and its four automated treatment units have annual capacity of 75,000m3, using primarily Wolmanit CX-8, Tanalith E7 and Celcure C50. sector, among them Trä & List.
"Wholesalers benefit the entire timber chain," said chief executive Kent Eriksson.
"We offer customers added choice and mills that extra market dimension. "Industry structural change has seen bigger mills emerge geared to steady flows of bulk planed production, but less equipped to provide the lower volumes and mixed-loads smaller buyers want. "That’s where we come in.
We source from a range of mills and sell customers timber in the form and timescale they require."
Formed 25 years ago, T&L today offers 3,000 products, from treated sawn softwood, to components, hardwoods and panels, while its Swedish customers range from merchants and wood processors, to packaging and housing producers.
And 75% of turnover is from exports, mainly to merchants, agents and fellow wholesalers across Europe, mainly the UK, Germany, Holland, France and Belgium.
"We also work with planing mill Einars Trä for added choice," said Mr Eriksson. "We use 80% of their 75,000m3 annual capacity." Logistics and stock management are also key services.
"We’re the customers’ warehouse, providing just in time delivery in Sweden and one to three week turnaround on exports."
With economic improvement, Trä & List has seen growth at home and abroad and it’s confident there’s potential for more, including in the UK.
"It’s already our largest export market, but we see opportunities for raising awareness of our special assortment and pick and pack multi-dimension services," said Mr Eriksson.
At the SST Market Day it was clear the UK was also a focus for the wider membership. Talk among delegates was of its buoyancy relative to other European markets and there was keen interest, and some pleasant surprise, at the country’s level of timber-based construction, particularly high-rise, which featured in TTJ’s presentation.
"Swedish and UK timber sectors have strong bonds, but there’s unexploited potential in terms of the range we sell and logistical relationships," said a delegate.
While not all south Sweden’s export markets are fully recovered, the overall conference mood was upbeat.
Trade at home and abroad was trending upward, with log availability and prices stable.
Reflecting improving conditions, the SST itself been evolving itself, gaining three new members, and, in the build-up to its 80th anniversary next year, revamping its website (www.sstfvaxjo.se).
The organisation includes big name producers, like Södra, Rörvik and Holmen, but its core are the middle ranking 50,000- 150,000m3 sawmills. These, said CEO Christer Petersson, are also enjoying more predictable conditions.
"They’re investing and evolving with the market," he said, adding that this includes servicing the burgeoning biofuel business in Sweden, which uses 50% renewable energy. Final stop on our trip was solid mid-scale SST mill, Bodafors.
The 75-year-old firm operates on a 15ha site in Malmbäck, with current sawn timber output of 120,000m3.
There has been steady investment and renewal, including new planing facilities and a treatment capacity increase to 15-20,000m3.
The company, which also manages 6,000ha of forest and has a German sister mill, Euro-Holz Gmbh, bore out the SST’s market perspective.
"Trading conditions are more ‘comfortable’," said managing director Ingemar Wareborn. "Both domestic demand and exports, which comprise 85% of sales, are improving, prices are increasing and raw material is cheaper than six months ago."
The future focus, said chief executive Patrik Jonsson, would be still greater responsiveness to demand and adding value for the business and customers.
"We don’t just mean timber treatment and processing, but also logistical services, like just in time delivery, and products that exactly meet customer needs. Construction talks about ‘smart housing’. Our focus is ‘smart timbering’!"
The UK was a key Bodafors export destination, but following recession and trade structural shifts, sales are "small but steady".
"Current sales levels suit our mill concept," said Mr Jonsson.
"But UK and south Swedish timber industries have a long connection and we keep an eye on the market."
