Source: Woodworking Network By Bill Esler
There are two sides to every plywood panel (technically there are six). So when the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that China's plywood manufacturers had sold at predatory pricing levels - below the cost of production - U.S. plywood makers cheered.
Not joining in that celebration were wood products manufacturers who rely on the inexpensive resource of hardwood and decorative plywood produced in China, a group whose interests are represented by the American Alliance for Hardwood Plywood. The AAHP is comprised of small, medium and large American importers, distributors, manufacturers and retailers who use the imported plywood. It was formed specifically to oppose the petition that led to the Department of Commerce findings.
"U.S. manufacturers that rely on a steady, competitive global supply of hardwood plywood are speaking out against the impact that a near 45% price hike on one of their vital raw materials will have on their production and their bottom line," the group's co-chairs, Greg Simon of Far East American and Gregg Wilkinson of Liberty Woods International, said in a statement. The AAHP's members also include Northwest Hardwoods, Medallion Forest Products, American Pacific Plywood, and the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association - KCMA.
Masco's KraftMaid says it will raise prices in December as a result of the countervailing duties that will be lodged against the imported plywood product. So it's no wonder this flashpoint issue resulted in the two most-viewed reports this week at Woodworking Network.
"U.S. manufacturers that rely on a steady, competitive global supply of hardwood plywood are speaking out against the impact that a near 45% price hike on one of their vital raw materials will have on their production and their bottom line," the group's co-chairs, Greg Simon of Far East American and Gregg Wilkinson of Liberty Woods International, said in a statement. The AAHP's members also include Northwest Hardwoods, Medallion Forest Products, American Pacific Plywood, and the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association - KCMA.
Masco's KraftMaid says it will raise prices in December as a result of the countervailing duties that will be lodged against the imported plywood product. So it's no wonder this flashpoint issue resulted in the two most-viewed reports this week at Woodworking Network.