The European timber industry has enormous potential, but needs greater international collaboration and improved communications to achieve it, according to presentations at the European Wood Day.
The event, held at the headquarters of the European timber industry confederation CEI-Bois in Brussels 10 days ago, was the first of its kind. It attracted more than 200 industry figures and representatives of national timber sector bodies from across Europe, the Nordic and Baltic states. It was also attended by EU commissioners and officials.
The tone of the presentations was set by CEI-Bois president Bo Bogström. Remarking that the Wood Day marked CEI-Bois’s fiftieth anniversary, he said that the forest and timber industry’s had adapted well to changing market conditions in the last half century. But, he added, they would have to change and develop even more in the years ahead.
‘Global competition will make business even tougher,’ he said. ‘We will need to co-operate and collaborate more and step beyond company boundaries for the common benefit of the industry. We will have to think differently in the 21st century and regard other companies in the industry as partners.’
It was also vital , said Mr Bogström, that the industry communicates its special benefits and characteristics to customers, consumers and the authorities.
Lars Göran Sandberg of Swedish timber consultancy Timwood AB said that key challenges facing the sector in the years ahead would be posed by the rapid growth of the international home products chains, led by the US giants Wal Mart and Home Depot. And companies would also have to adapt to changing demographic patterns, with declining birth rates and ageing populations in developed countries leading to fewer housing starts.
‘We will see increasing polarisation in the industry, with companies becoming either global players or niche operators, with the latter forming supply partnerships with the former,’ he predicted.
Kellly McCloskey, chief executive of the Wood Promotion Network, the organisation behind the North American ‘Wood is Good’ generic timber promotion showed examples of the timber knocking campaigns run by the US steel and concrete sector. He also highlighted the success to date of ‘Wood is Good’, which is backed by 300 companies in the timber and related industries, in raising consumer and construction sector awareness of the performance and environmental advantages of timber. ‘Against very well financed, aggressive competition, we’ve demonstrated that our best defence is offence,’ he said. ‘We must stop being reactive as an industry.’
TTJ editor Mike Jeffree said that campaigns like wood. for good and wood is good were a good start, but urged delegates to improve communication skills and exploit the media further to improve market perceptions of the timber sector and its products. ‘The industry has a great story to tell. When its communication is as good as the message imagine what a potent force it will be,’ he said.
The European timber industry has enormous potential, but needs greater international collaboration and improved communications to achieve it.
This was the common theme running through presentations at the European Wood Day held at the headquarters of the European timber industry confederation CEI-Bois in Brussels 10 days ago.
The event, the first of its kind, attracted more than 200 industry figures and representatives of national timber sector bodies from across Europe, the Nordic and Baltic states. It was also attended by EU commissioners and officials.
The tone of the presentations was set by CEI-Bois president Bo Bogström. Remarking that the Wood Day marked CEI-Bois’s fiftieth anniversary, he said that the forest and timber industry’s had adapted well to changing market conditions in the last half century. But, he added, they would have to change and develop even more in the years ahead.
‘Global competition will make business even tougher,’ he said. ‘We will need to co-operate and collaborate more and step beyond company boundaries for the common benefit of the industry. We will have to think differently in the 21st century and regard other companies in the industry as partners.’
It was also vital , said Mr Bogström, that the industry communicates its special benefits and characteristics to customers, consumers and the authorities.
Lars Göran Sandberg of Swedish timber consultancy Timwood AB said that key challenges facing the sector in the years ahead would be posed by the rapid growth of the international home products chains, led by the US giants Wal Mart and Home Depot. And companies would also have to adapt to changing demographic patterns, with declining birth rates and ageing populations in developed countries leading to fewer housing starts.
‘We will see increasing polarisation in the industry, with companies becoming either global players or niche operators, with the latter forming supply partnerships with the former,’ he predicted.
Kellly McCloskey, chief executive of the Wood Promotion Network, the organisation behind the North American ‘Wood is Good’ generic timber promotion showed examples of the timber knocking campaigns run by the US steel and concrete sector. He also highlighted the success to date of ‘Wood is Good’, which is backed by 300 companies in the timber and related industries, in raising consumer and construction sector awareness of the performance and environmental advantages of timber. ‘Against very well financed, aggressive competition, we’ve demonstrated that our best defence is offence,’ he said. ‘We must stop being reactive as an industry.’
TTJ editor Mike Jeffree said that campaigns like wood. for good and wood is good were a good start, but urged delegates to improve communication skills and exploit the media further to improve market perceptions of the timber sector and its products. ‘The industry has a great story to tell. When its communication is as good as the message imagine what a potent force it will be,’ he said.
Other speakers included Tony Bravery of the Building Research Establishment, Centrumhout director Cees de Bruin, and Professor Arno Fruhwald of the University of Hamburg.
