Wowed by WoodMart

Not having been to South-east Asia for some years, I was seriously bowled over, and not a little smitten, with the sheer energy of the place on a visit over the last couple of weeks.

I was on 10-day press tour around the Malaysian timber industry, followed by a few days in the shopaholics’ paradise that is Singapore – just when you think you’ve seen the biggest, shiniest, coolest mall in the place, a bigger, shinier, cooler one looms on the hot and humid horizon.

Coming from ‘age of austerity’ Britain, the can-do/will-do attitude of both countries was seriously refreshing, if initially a bit of a culture shock.

And nowhere was this full-steam ahead approach to life and business more apparent than at the inaugural Global WoodMart trade fair in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Organised by the Malaysian Timber Council (also hosts of the press tour) the new exhibition is a showcase for the country’s timber and wood products suppliers to their buyers around the world.

But, as the fact that it’s backed by The American Hardwood Export Council and French Timber marketing organisation highlighted, the WoodMart is more besides. It’s also designed to be a channel for overseas timber companies to market their products and services into Malaysia and the wider South-east Asia region.

Malaysia itself has been importing more timber year on year, partly because increasingly tight environmental controls in its forests are limiting growth in its own harvest, partly to follow fashion and taste trends for a wider range of timber species in its overseas wood products’ markets.

And its appetite for wood from around the world is set to grow exponentially – with its timber sector targeting exports of RM53bn in 2020 (compared to RM21bn this year).

The increasing affluence of South-east Asian countries and growth in their own domestic consumption is opening up further opportunities for timber and wood products companies from around the globe. Some are already among the industry’s biggest buyers as well as suppliers and more in the region are set to join them. Interesting and exciting times for all of us.

And the next Global WoodMart takes place in 2012.