French Buyers' Purchasing Activity Is Still Very Slow

Demand for softwood lumber remains slack in France even though the holidays are now over. With the exception of individual, though only minor replenishment purchases in the first few days after the holidays, French buyers’ purchasing activity is still very slow. These few orders continue to be placed at very short notice. At the end of August, many sawmills’ backlogs of orders were only enough to last two to three weeks for lumber for the building trade as well as lumber for the packaging and pallet industry. The majority of sawmills can supply most of the volumes and assortments of softwood lumber required in France at the moment even though the bulk of the two to three week stoppages announced by producers were carried out during the holidays. The production cuts announced in July for the end of August and September are already being put into practice just as those during the holidays were. French businesses as well as German sawmills geared to the French market have frequently only resumed their production in a single shift after the holidays. Reductions in cutting have also been made by a number of Belgian sawmills. Short-time working of one to two days per week has also been dictated for some Belgian companies’ businesses located in Germany. Source: euwid-wood-products