Construction seems finally back on track in France and softwood sawmills are looking at a strong domestic market performance for 2017, with growth in timber-based construction providing an added boost. Companies say they are upping output and developing new lines to capitalise on market developments. At the same time, they’re committed to continuing to grow exports, including to the UK.
Monthly housing starts have been over 30,000 in 2017 and timber-based building increased its share of the new homes market in 2016 to 31,325 units, or 7.8% of the total market.
“French softwood demand has been low, but is now recovering to top levels due to domestic construction growth,” said Jean-François Lorin, of Frasne, Jura-based sawmillers Scierie Lorin.
The company, he added, is producing around 40,000m3 a year, a mix of general construction and joinery sawn timber, and with a specialism in ‘massive construction’ and long-length planed square edge products, with bespoke sections up to 400x400mmx10m.
“Construction is our main market in France, but we’re also developing a popular joinery offer thanks to an adapted production line, our drying facilities and the quality of our Jura mountain softwood,” said Mr Lorin. Piveteaubois, one of the best-known French softwood names in the UK, also sees the sector “bouncing back”.
“We managed to grow business in 2016, despite a difficult market,” said export sales manager Elisabeth Piveteau. “But in 2017 the order book is looking healthy. The construction sector generally is recovering and timber building is doing particularly well.”
Across its three mills and production sites (two in France, one in Poland) Piveteaubois’s annual log throughput is now 800,000m3, with sawn output of 350,000m3, plus 50,000m3 of glulam, 880,0002 of cladding and 380,000m2 of decking.
It also produces 64,000m2 of WEX brand composite products and 280,000 tons of pellets.
“We produce engineered [laminated] timber in spruce, pine, larch and Douglas fir, and with CLT production starting next year, we’ll be even more present in this market.”
Another major player Moulinvest also sees the outlook as positive after the construction recession, with turnover this year set for €60m, and sawn timber output 450,000m3, (70% fir, 30% Douglas fir).
The business is highly diversified across six sites, heavily involved in biomass power generation, pellet production (50,000 tonnes a year), class 4 timber treatment (50,000m3 per annum) and pole manufacture through subsidiary France Bois Imprégné. But the key growth sector is sawn and planed construction timber.
“Planed goods are increasingly important and we’ve just launched a €5m, Weinigequipped automated planing mill,” said commercial director Sebastien Rolly. In terms of new product development, the latest move at Scierie Lorin was development of its ‘massive’ dried PAR range, for which it sees demand growing in line with timberbased building.
Besides its CLT developments, Piveteaubois’s broad new product thrust is further evolution of its Douglas fir range of cladding, decking, construction timber and other lines.
“It’s the species of the future!” said Ms Piveteau. “It has great mechanical resistance and natural durability and French production is increasing rapidly.”
The company has also launched the IGNI-B fire retardant treatment for external cladding, complete with a dedicated colour range.
“This complies with EuroClass B, meets UK Building Regulation requirements and has a 30-year service life,” said Ms Piveteau. “It’s also NHBC Building Control-approved for situations adjacent to building boundaries and new build applications above 18m, so specifying timber cladding for tall building is possible.”
New from Moulinvest is BMSR, a ‘massive’ construction grade designed to compete with German KVH.
“Our point of difference is that it’s in shorter lengths, 3-6m, without finger- jointing,” said Mr Rolly. “It’s been a successful launch.”
Latest investment at Scierie Lorin has been in “state-of-the-art machinery” related to its PAR developments. “To adapt to UK demand, we also invested in a CE quality stamping solution to grade mark every piece,” said Mr Lorin.
At Piveteau spending has been concentrated on the new CLT plant at its Saint-Florence mill, with annual capacity of 50,000m3, plus a supporting extra 30,000m3 of sawing.
“Within this we’re planning a large output in Douglas fir,” said Ms Piveteau. Besides its new planing mill, Moulinvest has recently invested €12m in a new log yard.
“We’ve also expanded drying capacity to 1,000m3 and are about to announce another new project,” said Mr Rolly. “In the last decade we’ve invested around €60m.” Scierie Lorin is among French softwood mills which reoriented increasingly to exports in the downturn.
“We diversified to exports over the last five years and our largest foreign markets in 2016/17 have been the UK, Spain and Switzerland,” said Mr Lorin.
Piveteau now exports 10% of output to the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan and North Africa and it is looking to grow this figure “substantially”, while Moulinvest sells 30% of production abroad. According to Ms Piveteau, France has work to do to get on the UK trade’s radar as a softwood supplier.
“I still don’t think it’s widely known we have annual sawnwood production of 7.5 million m3, and a Douglas fir harvest of 2.35 million m3!” she said.
“We’re selling glulam to timber frame manufacturers, our cladding is popular with architects and developers and our UC4 treated fencing products with merchants and distributors,” she said.
Scierie Lorin also sees prospects of UK buyers coming round to French softwood. “The main players know the quality of our Jura region timber, and we’re also getting a following on the basis of our short lead times and ability to deliver bespoke sections and mixed orders.
Particularly popular are our high grade scaffolding boards and purlin offer,” said Mr Lorin.
Moulinvest sells KD S4S, sawn Douglas and long length spruce and fir in the UK, but acknowledges it is not yet a major market. However, it would like that to change and, via Timber Expo, appointed a UK agent. “The market reference is still Scandinavian timber, but we have a different offer, the flexibility to supply small, frequent orders, and, of course, we have Douglas fir,” said Mr Rolly
