Chinese flooring manufacturers are teaming up to import hardwood en masse to keep up with soaring demand.
According to local sources, hundreds of the flooring businesses, most of them in China’s coastal regions, are facing a raw material shortage. There are now an estimated 1,000 manufacturers across the country and their output last year jumped 20% to 220 million m2, putting a huge strain on existing timber sources in China and abroad.
As a result, a number of manufacturers are co-operating on their wood sourcing, buying from South America and several other regions.
“The flooring sector in China is heavily reliant on imports and joint purchasing is essential to guarantee stocks of raw material,” said Gao Zhihua, vice-director of the China Timber Circulation Association.
Since 2001 China has had no import tarrifs on lumber, a strategy aimed both at helping the wood processing and manufacturing sector develop and reducing the pressure on indigenous timber resources.
Currently, the majority of flooring manufacturers are small to medium sized businesses, with the town of Nanxun having the biggest concentration – a total of 300.
It is predicted that the next few years will see producers merge. According to Mr Zhihua, this will result in the creation of “30 powerful enterprises”.
