Vancouver Sun
Western's higher-valued wood is heading to Japan and Europe, Hert said. The Japanese market, which had experienced a downturn caused by the introduction of a new building code, is recovering as builders adapt to the new standards, he said.
However, Western is no longer able to make bulk shipments of lumber from Vancouver Island and has switched to containers, which may limit shipments to Japan as the company works through logistics, he said.
Further, Western is not the only lumber producer to discover Japan.
"Markets truly are global right now," he said. There is quite a bit of price pressure. As worldwide producers have seen the slowdown in the U.S., they are focusing more on Japan. The Japanese customers currently have more suppliers offering lumber to them than they have had historically."
Western's higher-valued wood is heading to Japan and Europe, Hert said. The Japanese market, which had experienced a downturn caused by the introduction of a new building code, is recovering as builders adapt to the new standards, he said.
However, Western is no longer able to make bulk shipments of lumber from Vancouver Island and has switched to containers, which may limit shipments to Japan as the company works through logistics, he said.
Further, Western is not the only lumber producer to discover Japan.
"Markets truly are global right now," he said. There is quite a bit of price pressure. As worldwide producers have seen the slowdown in the U.S., they are focusing more on Japan. The Japanese customers currently have more suppliers offering lumber to them than they have had historically."