American Hardwoods to capitalize on increasing GCC timber demand through participation at Dubai WoodShow 2013

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23 Feb 2013

The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), the leading international trade association for the American hardwood industry, has announced its participation in the eighth edition of the Dubai International Wood & Wood Machinery Show (Dubai WoodShow), which will be held from April 9 - 11, 2013 at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre (DICEC).

The event will see the participation of nineteen U.S. hardwood lumber and veneer exporters under the banner of the American Hardwood Pavilion. AHEC’s participation at ‘Dubai WoodShow 2013’ is aimed at promoting American hardwoods in the face of increasing demand for timber across the GCC and wider Middle East region.

According to the latest trade data available, it is estimated that imports of all timber products by the six GCC member states reached a total value of USD 1.7 billion during the first nine months of 2012, which represents an increase of around 16 percent from the same period in the previous year.

Furthermore, the leading suppliers of timber products were China, Malaysia, Romania, Germany, Indonesia and the United States and shipments from these six nations accounted for around two thirds of all exports to the GCC. With a view to feeding this growing demand, AHEC has implemented an extensive outreach campaign that seeks to impart the benefits and advantages of the U.S. hardwood resource whilst also highlighting its environmental credentials.

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“We look forward to our participation at ‘Dubai WoodShow 2013’, which is a must attend event for the region’s timber trade and woodworking sector. The timing could not have been any better given that demand for wood and wood based products is reaching new heights as construction projects gather pace across the GCC,” said Roderick Wiles, AHEC Director for Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania. “Growing interest in American hardwoods can widely be attributed to a better understanding of the physical properties of the different species and recognition of the concepts of improved performance in application, increased yield and reduced wastage in manufacturing and long term availability. Through our participation in ‘Dubai WoodShow’ we hope to sustain this interest and create opportunities for increased trade between the woodworking industry in the region and the American hardwood industry for now and for many years to come.”

The American Hardwood Pavilion, which will occupy 216 square meters of space at the show, will serve to highlight the variety of American hardwood species while also throwing the spotlight on the benefits of the value-added processes undertaken to supply such a high quality and high yielding raw material. According to Wiles, the growing interest in American hardwoods has bolstered U.S. hardwood exporters to become increasingly active in the wood and wood processing market in the MENA region. Wiles goes on to add that the GCC, and most particularly, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have now become key destinations for many key timber supplying countries and feature among their top ten or even five export trade partners.

“Participating at key events like the Dubai WoodShow or holding lumber grading workshops or design seminars has given us the opportunity to share the comparative benefits of U.S. hardwoods - in particular the strong environmental credentials that they carry - with our intended audience of architects, interior designers, flooring, furniture and joinery manufacturers. Significantly, the construction sector in the GCC looks set to continue its recovery through this year from the downturn seen in 2009 and, as a result, it is widely anticipated that demand for wood products will continue to rise. We remain positive of a greater demand for American hardwoods this year and in the years to come,” concluded Wiles.

During the three-day show, AHEC will be hosting a pavilion with individual booths occupied by nineteen U.S. hardwood exporting companies along with the Hardwood States Export Group (HSEG) - a coalition of major eastern U.S. hardwood exporting states. The American hardwood companies participating at the show are Hermitage Hardwood; Kretz Lumber; Allegheny Wood Products; Atlantic Veneer Corporation; Hanafee Hardwood; Wheeland Lumber; Northland Corporation; Snowbelt Hardwoods; Muth Lumber; Northwest Hardwoods; Oaks Unlimited; Nina Company; Missouri Walnut; Freeman Corporation; American Hardwood Industries; Baillie Lumber; American Lumber; Ohio International Lumber; and Lawrence Lumber Company.