MALAYSIAN HARDWOODS TO THE RESCUE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BILATERAL ENGAGEMENT IN RELATION TO THE SUPPLY AND IMPORT
OF A WIDE RANGE OF SOPHISTICATED , CERTIFIED HARDWOOD TIMBER PRODUCTS.
MTC’s Khairul Anwar, David Leonard, Tilling Timber gets an appreciation gift from Madam Noraihan Abdul Rahman and John Halkett.
Brisbane business-to-business seminar … attended by representatives of a range of timber importing and wholesaling companies.
MAIN PIC – L-R: Matt Greene, Bowens site manager briefs the Malaysian delegated about the company’s Victorian operations; Mark Affleck, General Manager, Hurford Wholesale addresses Malaysian visitors at the beginning of the site tour; Simmonds Lumber’s Mal Goatham briefs members of the Malaysian delegation at the company’s Banyo warehouse.
A busy and action-packed Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) lead marketing and trade mission to Australia concluded last Sunday. The trade mission was designed to provide a further update to the Australian timber supply chain about the opportunities for bilateral engagement between Australian and Malaysian companies in relation to the supply and import of a wide range of sophisticated, certified hardwood timber products into the Australian market.
Australian Timber Importers Federation (ATIF) general manager John Halkett said the federation was pleased to support and assist with the mission and noted that a number of ATIF companies participated in the mission in various ways.
“It is widely held that the Malaysian timber industry delegation was valuable in the context of the abruptly declining supplies of domestically sourced hardwood timber products in the Australian market.”
“It is expected that the supply of high-quality, certified hardwood solid wood and engineered wood products from Malaysian suppliers into Australia will become increasingly essential in coming years as a domestic supply of hardwood reduces because of politically motivated native forests closures by state governments,” said Mr Halkett.
Commencing in Melbourne the Malaysian delegation visited the Bowens store and head office at Hallam and the Beaconsfield Mitre 10 store at Beaconsfield. These visits were followed by an inspection of Tilling Timber’s smart frame manufacturing operation at Kilsyth where the delegation learned about the company’s significant expansion plans that include LVL manufacturing in Australia and Malaysia.
The trade mission was designed to allow delegates to attend the Australian Timber Supply Summit held at the Crown Promenade in Melbourne where MTC CEO Madam Noraihan Abdul Rahman gave one of the keynote speeches in the summit’s opening session. Delegates also joined with other summit attendees on a field trip to the Big River Group frame and truss manufacturing plant at Geelong and also inspected the Midway woodchip export operations.
The Malaysian delegation then travelled to Brisbane where they visited the Simmonds Lumber complex at Banyo and the Hurford Wholesale and Manufacturing operation at Stapylton. Following an MTC-hosted dinner with guests, including the CEO of Timber Queensland Mick Stevens, a business-to-business seminar was held on Friday that was attended by representatives of a range of timber importing and wholesaling companies. The seminar was also addressed by the CEO of MTC and the general manager of the ATIF general manager. Following the seminar, the Malaysian delegation visited the ITI Australia complex at Bundamba and the mass timber building at 25 High Street.
MTC’s Director of International Business Development Khairul Anwar said he was confident that the timely and important mission assisted in stepping up the Malaysian timber industry’s promotional efforts in Australia. He confirmed that MTC was contemplating further missions to Australia in an endeavour to assist with the future supply needs of hardwood timber products in the building and construction industries.
