FOREST ECONOMY
AT THE BEGINNING OF A NEW MILLENNIUM Part 2: Wood-Based
Composite Boards
Marius C. BARBU
Prof.Dr.Eng.Dr.- „Transilvania” University
of Brasov – Faculty of Wood Industry
Address: B-dul Eroilor nr. 29, 500036 Brasov,
Romania
E-mail: cmbarbu@unitbv.ro
Abstract:
Globalization seems to have seized the wood
industry too, in all the fields of activity. The
manufacturers of wooden boards have to maintain
profitability under the circumstances when the
prices of raw materials and energy are increasing,
while the competition on the sale markets is ever
harsher. The economic situation can be improved
by diversifying the range of products, increasing
the production volume and a zone distribution
of plants. The concentration of the board production
in industrial mega-groups is the result of the
over-capacity and of the medium capitalization
of the existing equipment. The installed capacity
for the board production has increased over the
last 5 years by more than 20%. The forecast for
the next years is a positive one and foresees
a growth in the production capacities of almost
10%. Europe holds more than 30% of the world capacity
and ranks the 1st in the production of particleboards
(PB) and medium-density fibreboards (MDF). The
European plywood and PB production is continuously
decreasing; on the contrary, unexpected peak outputs
can be seen in MDF and OSB production. Europe
will be more and more faced with the competition
of the boards made outside the continent, particularly
in China, Russia, Brazil, etc., which will result
in negative economic zone results. Significant
investments in the wood industry will be made
in the future only in Eastern Europe, especially
in Russia, based on the local demand for boards
on one hand and on the existent
wooden raw material, on the other hand.
Key words: MDF,
PB, OSB, plywood, wood-based composite boards.
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