Wood industry

The extant forest sector strategy research rests on Porter's classic dictum that successful firms pursue a singular strategy. A growing research stream on organizational ambidexterity, however, challenges this traditional view and recommends the pursuit of hybrid strategies, a phenomenon that we note existing among forest sector firms. In this study, we set out to compare the financial performance of firms pursuing a singular or pure strategy and those pursuing hybrid strategies. We compare whether a differentiation, overall low cost, or hybrid strategy yields higher financial performance. We first deduce our study hypotheses and then test each using data from 441 US-based manufacturing firms drawn from multiple sub-sectors. We find no evidence that a hybrid strategy is a more effective choice towards enhanced firm performance than a singular strategy. We also find that firms pursuing a differentiation strategy are the highest performers while there is little difference in performance of firms pursuing other strategies.

This Guidelines, also published with the original English name of “How to ‘Bridge the Gap’ between
University and Business”, has been developed inside the project “ADRIA-HUB- Bridge technical differences
and social suspicions contributing to transform the Adriatic area in a stable hub for a sustainable
technological development” and financed by the EU IPA-ADRIATIC Cross Border Cooperation Programme
2007-2013.

Hacia 1921 se abrió un período de crisis y reconfiguración del mapa de las fuerzas políticas que intervenían en el seno del movimiento sindical argentino. En este artículo nos ocuparemos de indagar cuáles eran las raíces así como la fisonomía que caracterizó a las nuevas corrientes surgidas en la posguerra y cuál fue su impacto en el mundo del trabajo de la rama de la madera. A partir de un estudio de caso sobre el sector, se buscan delimitar los contornos de estas nuevas fuerzas políticas con el objetivo de aportar a una reflexión general sobre las culturas políticas de izquierda en la Argentina de entreguerras. Para cumplir con este propósito, se relevan un conjunto de periódicos gremiales y políticos. Palabras clave: Movimiento sindical argentino, rama de la madera, culturas políticas de izquierda, entreguerras.

Wood is a natural material that has always been with man, giving him the
comfort of living in his environment. Its specific properties also characterize it as the
most complex material to use. Many ways of processing wood try to get the best out of it.
Thanks to the thermal treatment, we have the opportunity to improve some properties,
change the color and use lower quality wood. Wood modification processes are of great
importance both in the region and in the world where it is becoming a trend. Wood
modification has already proven in practice as a successful alternative in wood protection
and has given positive results as environmentally and economically acceptable and as a
solution to the lack of better quality and more resistant wood species.The content
presented in this thesis refers to the processes of wood modification based on thermal,
such as charring of wood surface, the process of thermal modification, and the aging of
wood.

Les espèces ligneuses du nord du Togo sont sujettes à de diverses utilisations pour satisfaire des besoins multiples des populations et leur gestion implique plusieurs acteurs. L’objectif de l’étude est d’apprécier les connaissances endogènes de ces espèces ligneuses, les préférences et les similarités. L’approche méthodologique est basée sur des enquêtes ethnobotaniques et socioéconomiques menées auprès de 14 groupes ethniques par interview individuel et par focus groups. Les analyses ont porté sur la Classification Ascendante Hiérarchique (CAH) des usages selon la méthode de Sorensen et sur la catégorisation des parties prenantes. Au sein des différents groupes socioculturels ciblés, il ressort un consensus, notamment sur les espèces utilisées pour une catégorie d’usage donnée. L’utilisation courante des espèces ligneuses est orientée simultanément sur deux grands types d’usages à savoir : (i) usages alimentaires, médicinaux, fourragères et rituels ; et (ii) usages artisanal, bois énergie et bois de service. Elle est rare pour un type spécifique d’usages cosmétiques ou hygiéniques. Ces usages sont similaires à quatre grands regroupements ethniques. Le résultat des inventaires réalisé sur l’ensemble des espèces ligneuses montrent que, 42 de ces espèces présentent une vulnérabilité forte. Les réalités socioculturelles et la promiscuité entre les groupes ethniques déterminent les connaissances et les choix de biens et services écosystémiques. Ainsi, il est recommandé que les programmes d’aménagements forestiers tiennent compte de ces facteurs y compris, les responsabilités locales de même que les influences et les intérêts des parties prenantes.



Woody species in northern Togo are used to meet multiple needs of populations and their management involves many actors. The study objective is to appreciate communities’ knowledge of these woody species, preferences, and similarities. The methodology is based on semi-directive ethnobotanical and socioeconomic surveys within 14 ethnic groups through individual interviews and focus groups discussions. The analysis included Hierarchical Upward Classification (HUC) of uses according to the Sorensen method, and on the characterization of the main stakeholders. Within the targeted various socio-cultural groups, there is a consensus, mainly on the species used for a given category of use. It emerges that woody species are frequently used for two goals (food and medicinal; livestock feeding and ritual), or three goals (artisanal, energy wood, and service wood) and rarely for a specific type of use (cosmetic or hygienic). Four main ethnic groups have similarities of uses and 42 out of all of the species identified, present a high vulnerability. Some local socio-cultural realities and promiscuity between ethnic groups determine the knowledge of forest trees and the choices of goods and services. Therefore, it is recommended for forest development programs to take into account the above factors including local responsibilities as well as influences and interests of stakeholders.

A study on the export performance of timber products certified under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) was conducted from 2003 to 2015. The objectives were to analyse the trend and growth of certified timber products (CTP) and to determine the factors that influenced their export using Generalised Linear Models (GLM). The annual growth of CTP export had a fluctuating trend. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) within the study period was estimated at 31%. The average annual growth rate (AAGR) estimated using log-linear regression analysis was 22%. The primary markets for CTP export were European countries, accounting for nearly 83% of exports over the study period. The Netherlands seemed to be the main destination for almost half (40%) of the CTP. The major product was sawn timber (59%), followed by plywood (31%). GLM revealed that the export trend of CTPunder the MTCS increased with the number of Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certificate holders. More active involvement in the MTCS CoC certification scheme by industry players could promote the growth of Malaysia’s sustainable timber trade.

Edgebanding affects both the visual appearance and edge protection of wood-based panels. In order for edgebanding to provide the desired protection, it must adhere strongly to the entire surface of the panel edges and maintain this adhesion throughout the life of the product. The present research compares conventional and so-called zero-joint edgebandings in terms of water and steam resistance, and examines the environmental impacts of edgebanding technologies using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In-line with our hypothesis, our test results showed that corners are the critical points of edgebanded furniture fronts, especially when exposed to moisture. Due to high variations in measurements, there is no significant difference between the two edgebanding methods at the beginning. However, differences become more significant after longer treatment times. These differences amount to two quality categories after 6 hours and three quality categories after 12 and 24 hours. The edgebanded fronts exposed to water for less than 30 minutes experience no significant deteriorations with any of the edgebanding methods. In the case of steam resistance, zero-joint edgebanding provides better protection, especially after the second and third treatment cycle. We can state that the surplus costs of zero-joint technology are 1.45 times greater than costs associated with conventional technology. Both show the considerable costs of edging materials, chipboard, and electrical energy. The applied environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) method corresponds to the requirements of ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006 standards. We built up the environmental inventory and the life cycle model of the manufacturing technology using the GaBi Professional LCA software. In the impact assessment, we analysed the specific environmental impact categories of the differing production processes by technology according to the operation order of the manufacturing technology. In relation to traditional and the zero-joint edging technologies, according to all impact assessment methods, the life-cycle contribution rate was uniformly 47% traditional – 53% zero-joint by impact category. The higher indicator values of the zero-joint method are due to larger edge material consumption and higher energy demand. Zero-joint technology appears to avoid the application of conventional hot melt adhesives, but replacing these adhesives does not necessarily result in better environmental indicators. Nevertheless, zero-joint egdebanding does not just improve aesthetic appearance but also exceeds the durability provided by conventional edgebanding technology.

An increasing demand, the higher prices and scarcity of wood in the market may cause the craft industry to search other raw materials than wood. Bamboos must be the raw materials that can be used as building construction and handicrafts industry with abundant potency. Black petung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper (Schult) Backer ex Heyne c.v. ‘black’ is one of bamboos, which is widely used to support the craft industry. This study aims to determine the quality of black petung bamboo propagated by culm and rhizome cuttings, based on chemical properties as fiber content, ash content and starch content and physical properties as moisture content, specific gravity and shrinkage ratio T/R. The qualities for chemical and physical properties of black petung bamboo indicated to be 60.85 ~ 67.13% in culm cutting propagation and 61.34 ~ 62.73% in rhizome cutting propagation by fiber content, 2.90 ~ 4.52 % in culm cutting propagation and 4.19 ~ 5.38 % in rhizome cutting propagation by ash content, 6.32 ~ 8.17% in culm cutting propagation and 7.62 ~ 8.11% in rhizome cutting propagation by starch content, 9.27 ~ 10.17% in culm cutting propagation and 9.84 ~ 10.38% in rhizome cutting propagation by moisture content, 0.508 ~ 0.607 in culm cutting propagation and 0.491 ~ 0.567 in rhizome cutting propagation by specific gravity, 0.289 ~ 0.903% in culm cutting propagation and 0.253 ~ 1.047% in rhizome cutting propagation by shrinkage ratio (T/R). Black petung bamboo propagated by culm cutting has a better quality than that by rhizome cutting, according to the test results for chemical and physical properties.

The recent economic downturn severely affected the US forest sector from a macro economic perspective but little is known about changes in firm-level performance. In this study we investigate the changes in financial, social and environmental performance of forest sector firms during a period approximately corresponding to the downturn. We also assess industry dynamism and industry’s view about social and environmental responsibility as a competitive tool. We conducted a national survey of wood, furniture and paper companies. Approximately sixty percent of our respondents reported a decline in financial performance during the downturn. With respect to social and environmental performance, customer oriented actions show mixed trends, employee matters remained somewhat unaltered, community engagement significantly decreased, and engagement in environmental activities significantly increased. Respondents view their operating business environment as highly dynamic and difficult and they do not view engagement in social and environmental responsibility activities leading to either financial or non-financial benefits.

En este trabajo se analizan las formas de lucha y organización de los trabajadores madereros de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, entre 1916, año de “salida” de la crisis económica (circa 1913), y 1921, momento de cierre del ciclo de protestas, huelgas y movilización obrera que culminó con la “derrota” de la huelga general de junio de 1921. Para ello, se repasan los conflictos laborales del período en vinculación con las formas inherentes al proceso de trabajo y cómo esta última dimensión determinaba una particular morfología del organismo sindical. Asimismo, en estrecho contacto con la experiencia política de estos trabajadores, las corrientes de izquierda ocuparon un lugar central dentro de la conformación de la clase y de los procesos de estructuración gremial.
El estudio del caso peculiar de la rama de la madera y el mueble permitió visualizar con mayor nitidez y detalle algunos fenómenos que muchas veces son desmerecidos o pasan desapercibidos en los análisis. De modo tal que la última parte del artículo presenta las características del espacio que ocupaba la comunidad de obreros judíos dentro de la industria y los rasgos distintivos que asumió su organización dentro del colectivo de obreros ebanistas. Por último, elaboramos ciertas conclusiones.

Ohio's wood industry cluster contributes nearly $25 billion and 116,321 jobs to the state's economy, yet most of this value-added impact occurs outside of the heavily forested Appalachian Ohio region. This research, conducted as part of a Small Business Administration Regional Innovation Cluster grant, includes a multi-industry economic contribution analysis to document wood industry impacts to the entire State of Ohio and the 32-county Appalachian Ohio region. Findings indicated that Appalachian Ohio contained lower paying and lower on the value chain sectors compared to the state. This paper highlights these metrics and presents recommendations to improve investment and value-added industry opportunities in the wood industry cluster to support Appalachian Ohio.

Paraná has a clear forest vocation in the Brazilian panorama. Its forest-timber-based industry represents an important part in the economy of that Brazilian state. This sector is technologically outdated, both to other Brazilian production sectors such as metal-mechanic and petrochemical, as similar sectors from Scandinavian countries, United States, Canada, Germany, among others. The wooden housing sector is a promising alternative by virtue of its strong aggregation of value to the raw material, the wood. Its proximity and similarity with the logging sector – exemplified by the sawmills – accredits it as an activity which demands greater investments in technology. As a result, the preset study has an objective to analyze the current situation of the machinery used by the wooden housing manufacturers from Paraná State, especially its obsolescence level and its size. It indicated the most of Paraná’s industry of wooden housing has machinery with less than 5 years.

Timber housing sector has several features and is essential for civil construction and forestry chains. In Brazil, the economy related to timber housing is still an unprecedented topic. Thus, the paper aimed to estimate scenarios to delimit the annual volume of this sector. Three years were studied from rare data available in the literature. From these national outcomes, projections for next years were developed. Multiple case approaches composed the literature-based methodology. As a result, the sector endured distinct internal and external economic instabilities, whose associated factors compiled political and sanitary crises, specially, with negative influences. The economy of timber housing reached an average about 500 million Dollars in 2014, being halved in 2015 due to the government crisis marked by the impeachment of the Brazilian president. From 2016 to 2019, small improvements were verified for this sector. In 2020, this favorable scenario was stagnated by the global Covid-19 pandemic. After 2021, a sectoral recovery is forecast based on positive expectations on the Brazilian economy. The two-year period of domestic presidential impeachment was more economically catastrophic than the current three-year phase of sanitary pandemic with global implications. From our economic forecasts, it was possible to attest that the Brazilian sector of timber houses is economically perceptible.

The Government of Uganda is already bringing industrial policy back into the core of its policymaking in order to revive economic transformation. This is taking the form of industrial parks, public investment and concessional lending, skills and R&D initiatives, and more.

The paper argues that the wood processing industry should be made a priority sector within Uganda's industrialisation efforts and lays out a proposed policy agenda for the sector.

Thanks to the establishment of high-quality eucalyptus and pine plantations in the 2000s, Uganda's timber supply is projected to grow from less than 200,000 cubic metres per year to a steady supply of up to 1.5 million cubic metres per year over the next ten years. This unique natural resource supply growth can spur the rapid transformation of Uganda's wood processing industry. The sector has the potential to produce carpentry, timber, and joinery products for domestic, regional, and international markets that would generate new job and income opportunities for upwards of 100,000 households.

The paper lays out five "sector missions" that the government, in partnership with the private sector and development partners, could embark on to stimulate the industry's transformation, with specific policy recommendations attached to each mission.

This paper investigated the existence and participation of public and private real estate credit lines for timber house funding in Brazil. The analysis was completed through face-to-face interviews with Brazilian timber housing producers. Semi-structured questionnaires were applied in this survey method to obtain a sectorial approach of the industry. Accesses to full financing for timber housing and credit for the acquisition of construction materials were the main two issues studied. About 107 producers were fully evaluated from all sectors. Half of the studied companies offer full housing finance and, simultaneously, most loans still come from private banks. Credit directed to raw materials emerges as the most common method of accessing funding for timber-based construction despite the lower economic value of this form of credit compared to other, more complete financial options. Public banks disseminate partial credit more frequently because of lower rates and lower restrictions, such as the absence of insurance requirements against risks from these construction ventures. Full funding proliferation will stimulate this market.

The recent economic downturn severely affected the US forest sector from a macro economic perspective but little is known about changes in firm-level performance. In this study we investigate the changes in financial, social and environmental performance of forest sector firms during a period approximately corresponding to the downturn. We also assess industry dynamism and industry’s view about social and environmental responsibility as a competitive tool. We conducted a national survey of wood, furniture and paper companies. Approximately sixty percent of our respondents reported a decline in financial performance during the downturn. With respect to social and environmental performance, customer oriented actions show mixed trends, employee matters remained somewhat unaltered, community engagement significantly decreased, and engagement in environmental activities significantly increased. Respondents view their operating business environment as highly dynamic and difficult and they...

L’agriculture a une importance cruciale dans le developpement economique du Ghana, generant 37% du PIB du pays et employant plus de 60% de la population active, mobilisant 63% des terres. Le cacaoyer est la culture dominante. Neanmoins les forets disparaissent rapidement, non seulement dans le sud-ouest du Ghana, mais dans tout le pays pour alimenter les scieries. Les fondements de la cacaoculture et de l’industrie du bois dans un contexte juridique ambigu sont en cause. Face aux difficultes des planteurs, mais surtout de l’Etat et des scieries a gerer le bien commun que constituent les forets et leurs ressources en bois, que pesent les preoccupations environnementales ? Dans ce contexte, un projet d’agroforesterie communautaire Oda-Kotoamso (Ocap), lance par la compagnie forestiere Samartex a ete initie. L’objectif du projet est de developper, par l’agroforesterie, des alternatives a la culture itinerante sur brulis, d’augmenter le revenu des planteurs et en meme temps de creer une filiere d’approvisionnement pour la scierie. En soutien au projet Ocap, cette etude, realisee dans le cadre d’une collaboration entre la Samartex et le Cirad, a pour objectif de proposer des modeles agroforestiers susceptibles de reduire la deforestation et la pauvrete. L’etude privilegie l’analyse technico-economique sans oublier les aspects institutionnels et environnementaux.

Corporate representativeness is an important issue for engineering and its industrial sectors, considering that producer associations can defend represent the rights and ambitions of their members. This study aims to investigate timber housing producer participation in generalist organizations, as well as to identify which examples of class entities could be created to consolidate this industry in the Brazilian scenario. A short survey was personally applied to entrepreneurs from the timber house production sector in Brazil. This survey was based in four qualitative queries, whose responses were converted into percentage. The studied producers revealed that the sector does not have an official organization to represent them, forcing them to search for different representation mechanisms from other sectors related to this industry. The lack of corporate and/or labor representation is visible to the point where several interviewed entrepreneurs declared the need to create unions for w...

Corporate representativeness is an important issue for engineering and its industrial sectors, considering that producer associations can defend represent the rights and ambitions of their members. This study aims to investigate timber housing producer participation in generalist organizations, as well as to identify which examples of class entities could be created to consolidate this industry in the Brazilian scenario. A short survey was personally applied to entrepreneurs from the timber house production sector in Brazil. This survey was based in four qualitative queries, whose responses were converted into percentage. The studied producers revealed that the sector does not have an official organization to represent them, forcing them to search for different representation mechanisms from other sectors related to this industry. The lack of corporate and/or labor representation is visible to the point where several interviewed entrepreneurs declared the need to create unions for w...

Corporate representativeness is an important issue for engineering and its industrial sectors, considering that producer associations can defend represent the rights and ambitions of their members. This study aims to investigate timber housing producer participation in generalist organizations, as well as to identify which examples of class entities could be created to consolidate this industry in the Brazilian scenario. A short survey was personally applied to entrepreneurs from the timber house production sector in Brazil. This survey was based in four qualitative queries, whose responses were converted into percentage. The studied producers revealed that the sector does not have an official organization to represent them, forcing them to search for different representation mechanisms from other sectors related to this industry. The lack of corporate and/or labor representation is visible to the point where several interviewed entrepreneurs declared the need to create unions for w...

Edgebanding affects both the visual appearance and edge protection of wood-based panels. In order for edgebanding to provide the desired protection, it must adhere strongly to the entire surface of the panel edges and maintain this adhesion throughout the life of the product. The present research compares conventional and so-called zero-joint edgebandings in terms of water and steam resistance, and examines the environmental impacts of edgebanding technologies using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In-line with our hypothesis, our test results showed that corners are the critical points of edgebanded furniture fronts, especially when exposed to moisture. Due to high variations in measurements, there is no significant difference between the two edgebanding methods at the beginning. However, differences become more significant after longer treatment times. These differences amount to two quality categories after 6 hours and three quality categories after 12 and 24 hours. The edgebanded fr...

Competition and efficiency for better products have forced the industry improvement. Advisory and consulting emerged to assist in the error correction and the objectives performance. This paper evaluated the access to social services by Brazilian timber house producers. Personal interviews were used to collect the data. Most of this sector still does not request the social services, despite the demand for its technological improvement. Finance and administration were the areas of greater access. The sector still requires proper solutions, suggesting a good potential for these services.

Worldwide, wood and its composites act as underlying raw materials for construction, due to their features. Brazil has produced many scientific studies and building examples about timber construction, but this scenario is still reasonable compared to those developed nations. Despite this promising status, the country lacks construction solutions adapted to its regional diversities, whose developments demand for continuous initiatives to generate building technologies and materials, and sectoral data. In light of this data limitation, the need to identify the popularity of several types of wood and composites in use in the national panorama. Thus, this paper aimed to carry out this survey with the Brazilian production sector of timber housing. The data collection was carried out by face-to-face interviews with respective producers to verify the utilization of these inputs by this sector. Only the structural materials were declared in using. Sawn solid wood and green solid wood were the most common lumber-based inputs. The most popular wood-based composites were, in the case of panels, oriented strand board and plywood, and in the scope of beams, glued laminated timber and I-joist.

Uniquely among the world’s temperate forests, much of the vegetation of the Caspian forests is now endangered. But while deforestation has accelerated in Iran, these processes were actually underway in the nineteenth century. This article offers a brief introduction to the history of forest exploitation and concessions during the Qajar and Pahlavi periods, addressing actions taken by the Iranian state to protect and extend forest cover, but also the deficiencies of that legislation and the reasons for its failure. Though it is one of the most forested countries in the Middle East, Iran’s forests remain understudied. Existing scholarship mostly addresses the contemporary period; this paper extends the scope of our knowledge, offering a deeper history of forest exploitation in Iran.

Les je naš domači vir, ki ga imamo veliko. Slovenska lesna panoga predstavlja pomemben delež v BDP-ju. V nalogi lesno industrijo predstavimo ter analiziramo z vrsto finančnih kazalnikov. Vprašanje, ki se zastavlja, je, zakaj je v letih od 2008 naprej toliko lesarskih podjetij propadlo. Drugo vprašanje je, ali so donosi v lesni industriji dovolj veliki za lastnike oziroma zakaj niso. Podlaga za odgovor na to vprašanje je izračun donosnosti kapitala po modelu preostalega dobička. Ta upošteva donosnost, ki jo lastniki zahtevajo ob upoštevanju tveganj. Izračun donosnosti je tudi osnova za odgovor na vprašanje, katera podjetja po velikosti so v slovenski lesni panogi bolj uspešna: mala ali velika. V zaključku so podani vzroki za nastalo situacijo v panogi ter  na podlagi ugotovitev zapisane možne rešitve.

Wood is our (Slovenian) domestic resource, which we have in abundance. The Slovenian wood industry represents an important part of the national GDP. In our thesis we introduce aspects of the wood industry and analyze it according to the selected financial indicators. The question which arises is, why were so many companies closed down after 2008? Are incomes in the wood industry high enough for the owners or not and if not, why not? The basis to answer these questions is a calculation of return of equity with the model of residual income. This model takes into account the return, which the owner requires in consideration of his/her risk. The calculation of return is also the basis to answer the question, which companies in the Slovenian wood industry were more successful: the small or big ones. At the end we discuss causes which led to the current situation in the wood industry, and we list some possible solutions on the basis of our findings.