Swiss Sawmills and Gluelam Manufacturers Have Been Facing Since 2011

The discrepancy between prices for products imported from the euro zone and locally-produced wood, that Swiss sawmills and gluelam manufacturers have been facing since 2011, still exists in 2012 in spite of the price reductions of up to 10% against last year. The price differences had already been adversely affecting the business activity of Swiss gluelam beam, duolam, triolam, and shuttering board producers over large parts of 2011. For some months now, Swiss timber merchants have also been receiving a growing number of quotes for construction lumber from sawmills in the euro zone. Nevertheless, since the weather-driven reductions in the first half of February, many Swiss sawmills are operating an extended single-shift again that numerous businesses are geared to. Only one or two Swiss sawmills are working short-time at the moment. The cold spell from the beginning to the middle of February had caused technical problems in the sawmills, entailing reduced cutting services and, in the Swiss construction industry, lower demand for lumber as building activity was suspended in many places due to the weather. Source: euwid-wood-products.com