Veneers in holding pattern
APRIL 2009 www.modernwoodworking.com 8 Green movement will be a bright spot Veneer in holding pattern T he economic slowdown has le the veneer industry in a holding pattern, but veneer manufacturers remain opti-mistic about the future. An expectation of government stimulus spending and increased interest and demand in the green movement promise a brighter economic picture. e veneer industry is holding its own now, but housing dictates cabinets being built, which dictates plywood, which dictates veneer sales, says Eddie Winfrey, sales manager for Veneer Technologies' southern region. e good news is that when the economy does turn around, we'll be in good shape we're all getting leaner and smarter. Eric omsson, vice president of Brookside Veneers, says, We're in the same boat as everyone else there's not much going on now. With the layo s and production slowdowns for furniture manufacturers, projects out there aren't plentiful. A larger number of people are bidding on a smaller numbers of projects. Small cabinet shops are still reasonably busy, how-ever. ey seem to be able to nd little projects here and there to keep themselves busier than the larger shops. Sam Parisette, owner of Herzog Veneers, reports similar activity. We specialize in medium to higher end custom cabinetmakers, and they go from job to job, he says. Some jobs are still out there and still shipping, and some aren't. It's up and down, but we have a lot of quotes out there right now, so that's a good sign that things will be turning around soon. Angela Fairbank, representative for the Vicwood Group, headquartered in Hong Kong, con rms that the slowdown in veneer sales is worldwide. We are getting inquiries daily, however, so that is encouraging, she says. Green movement is a bright spot e green movement promises to be a bright spot for the veneer industry. We get FSC requests all the time, says Parisette. It is still a strong market for us, and we are supplying it. We specialize in a lot of European species, and we're starting to look at carrying a lot of American FSC species like cherry. With organizations such as the Sustainable Furniture Council, the green movement is here to stay and will probably get bigger. We've gone to the next level that is FSC-certi ed veneer and then we're dying it. It's like dying leather or cloth. We vat dye it with anolin dye. Veneers utilize more of the log so veneer usage is green, says Winfrey. There's a lot of talk and action about FSC-certi ed veneers. With the new stimulus package, there is going to be more government building going on, and that will lean towards the LEED projects, which will up demand for FSC. For 2009 Treefrog Veneer is looking for growth with more environmental products, says Geo Schaefer, Treefrog's creative director and vice president. We're planning to introduce an FSC line of veneer laminates in late spring, he says. Treefrog FSC, comprised of Treefrog classic veneers like wenge, black oak, ebony, mahogany, zebrawood and white oak, represents proven straight grain veneers with an even greener message. What's hot? Best sellers on the domestic side are still maple and cherry with a little resurgence of walnut, says Winfrey. Alder is a good one, too, he adds. It's a West Coast species and has a rustic look. On the exotic side, due to the green movement, there's been a lot of interest in bamboo. As for other exotic By Brooke Baldwin Wisdom Veneer manufacturers will be responding to more demand from the green movement with products such as this FSC line of veneer laminates from Treefrog Veneer .