High value wood exports a well-kept secret

 
The FIEA Wood Innovations 2012 Conference wound up on Wednesday on a very positive note. One of the most upbeat aspects for those companies attending the Wood Innovations technology series were the insights given on a number of technology businesses which have been prospering through licencing of wood engineering, enhancement and modification processes. They key to success for these companies, many of which were hatched in New Zealand, has been to find niches in mass markets in Europe and other similarly large wood products markets.

Over 120 technical specialists and industry leaders gathered over the last 2 weeks at the two conference venues in Melbourne and Rotorua. The draw-card was international technologists and scientists with current and past experience at growing new businesses through valued-added wood products. The combination of motivating presentations from niche government agencies and the case studies from the hard graft of entrepreneurial product developers provided inspiration for delegates from small and large wood companies alike, who senior managers attended the conference series.

One of the long-term success stories for evolutionary wood products from NZ has been the Fibre7 company that operates in the United Kingdom and Germany. Originally known as Greenseal and subsequently Indurite, this niche business has found considerable success in European markets. Best of all they continue to purchase small volumes of high value Radiata pine solid wood for distribution to a very select group of high value customers around the world.

But for most of us these small volumes are not seen in the statistics or market reports because the private company rarely shines its light publicly. The FIEA Wood Innovations audiences got an exclusive insight into the experience of the business brains behind this successful product group - based on the combined excellence of forest genetics, high-value products and home-grown, but world market-matured technologies from Scion's experienced team of scientists and product developers.

For the many people who attended the Wood Innovations conference series has confirmed that the path pioneered by innovators some 20 and 30 years ago are still growing in value and volume today in markets widespread throughout the world.

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