A production decline of 7.3% was posted by the German floor manufacturers in the first three quarters, reports the German Association of the Parquet Industry (vdp). In the 3Q alone, the decline was 6.7%. At a press conference in Bad Arolsen/DE on 19 November, Michael Schmid, Chairman of the Association of the German parquet industry, regards the German domestic market as "difficult". Yet even more difficult is the situation in international business due to the continued weakness on the European market. Since the beginning of the year, exports of German parquet manufacturers fell by 6%. Bucking the trend are, however, the wideplanks (+10%) and the mosaic parquet.
Declines in production of the German parquet manufacturers cannot be reversed until year end, believes Schmid, who hopes for a market recovery. In 2014, the vdp-chairman expects the DIY-customers to opt for wood flooring to a greater extent instead again as opposed to floor covering consisting of PVC or other materials.
After extensive maintenance work in the first six months of this year as well as moderately positive signals from markets, the Finnish company expects a strong second half-year.
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In July, prices of the various types of packaging wood continued their upward trend, with the exception of solid wood for packaging. The biggest increase is reported for plywood.
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