Europe and Russia are making a dent in North American softwood lumber exports to Japan.
Exchange difficulties and differing marketing strategies are cited by industry newsletter Random Lengths as being the cause of the downturn.
Softwood lumber shipments from the US to Japan dropped 32% in 2002 compared to the previous year, while imports from Canada, Japan’s largest supplier of softwood lumber, fell 10%.
New Zealand and Chile also felt the effect – with exports falling 10% and 11% respectively.
In Japan, however, imports of softwood lumber dropped by only 4% in 2002 helped by an 8% increase in shipments from Europe and a 15% rise in volume from Russia.
Part of Europe’s success in the Japanese market is attributed to its ability to offer variety and alter product mixes to meet customer demands.
