2018 International Forest Industries IFI April May 2018 Digital | Page 18

LUMBER PROCESSING NEWS

West Fraser ’ s CEO Ted Seraphim to retire in 2019

West Fraser announced Ted Seraphim ’ s plan to retire as CEO at the end of the 2Q 2019 . West Fraser also announced the appointment of Ray Ferris , Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer , as President and Chief Operating
Officer effective immediately . Ray will be appointed CEO upon Ted ’ s retirement next year .
Ray Ferris has been with the Company since 1997 and has progressed through a series of key leadership roles . He was appointed West Fraser ’ s Executive Vice-President and COO in 2016 and before that served in several executive positions including as Vice-President , Wood Products , Vice-President , Solid Wood and Vice-President , Lumber Operations .

Brazilian wood product exports increased by 28.8 % in January

In January 2018 , Brazilian exports of wood products ( except pulp and paper ) increased 28.8 % in value compared to January 2017 , from $ 183.7 million to $ 236.6 million , ITTO reported .
The value of pine sawnwood exports increased 23 % between January 2017 ($ 33.6 million ) and January 2018 ($ 41.2 million ). In terms of volume , exports increased 18 % over the same period , from
168,300 cubic metres to 198,900 cubic metres .
In contrast tropical sawnwood exports fell around 12 % in volume , from 32,800 cubic metres in January 2017 to 29,000 cubic metres in January 2018 . But unit prices were higher such that export values fell less than 1 % over the same period .
Pine plywood export values increased a startling 55 % in
January 2018 in comparison with a year earlier from $ 34.8 million to $ 54 million . The volume of plywood exports increased but by only 27 % over the same period , from 133,000 cubic metres to 169,400 cubic metres .
As for tropical plywood , exports increased in both volume and value , from 10,600 cubic metres ($ 3.9 million ) in January 2017 to 12,300 cubic metres ($ 5.1 million )
in January 2018 .
The good news on exports continued with for wooden furniture where export values rose from $ 26.6 million in January 2017 to $ 32 million in January 2018 , a 20 % rise .

Latvijas Finieris increased its turnover in 2017 by 7 %

The consolidated turnover of Latvijas Finieris Group in 2017 reached Euro 229 million , which is 7 % more than in 2016 . With a steady demand , Latvijas Finieris exported a total of Euro 185 million worth of products in 2017 , mainly to partners in the European continent ( 83 %) and Asia .
The total amount of taxes paid by Latvijas Finieris Group in Latvia last year was Euro 18.7 million . Consequently , over the last ten years , the total amount of taxes paid to the Latvian budget has reached Euro 130 million .
In addition , as of 2011 , Latvijas Finieris Group has been charged
a total of Euro 12.4 million as the Compulsory Energy Component to support renewable energy and security of the power supply in Latvia . Taking into account the changes in the calculation of this component , this year the planned amount is Euro 1.6 million ( at the same level of economic activity in
Latvia ).
Latvijas Finieris is one of the largest birch plywood producing companies in the world with production in all Baltic countries and in Finland .

Atlas Engineered Products appoints Bill Woods as CFO

Atlas Engineered Products appoints M . William ( Bill ) Woods as CFO . Mr . Woods is a seasoned executive with management and executive experience in North American mining , manufacturing , biotech , telecommunications , transportation , and service industries . He has over 20 years of experience in senior and executive roles with established companies , as well as with various start-up and expansion scenarios .
He previously held the positions of CFO and COO of Athabasca Minerals , CFO of Cardio-
Metabolics , CFO of Liberty Mines , and served as VP Finance for companies in the transportation , manufacturing , and business brokerage fields . His experience is diverse in both private and public company contexts .

Russian sawmills gain market share in Egypt

Russian sawmills exported approximately 84 thousands m3 of softwood lumber to Egypt in January , analysis company Woodstat reported . This represents
an increase of 42 % compared to January 2017 . Deliveries from Sweden decreased by 7 % during the month and Finland increased the export by 3 %.
The Russian export to Egypt increased by 63 % during the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to same quarter previous year . With increased deliveries from
the Russian sawmills they are increasing their market share again in the Egyptian market after a significant loss during the first half of 2017 .
16 International Forest Industries | APRIL / MAY 2018