Building & Investment (Mar - Apr 2016) (Mar - Apr 2016) | Page 39

News & Events MTC seminar on Global Timber Industry MTC gathers industry experts at seminar to examine current trends and developments for the timber and timber products industry. A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR to the national economy, the Malaysian timber industry is thriving – for 2015, exports of timber and timber products, including wooden and rattan furniture, plywood and sawn timber, breached the RM22 billion mark, i.e., up 6.5% from RM20.5 billion in the preceding year. That, however, was yesterday’s news - what of today and tomorrow? For sustainable growth, particularly in a borderless international market, what has the industry to contend with insofar as changes, challenges and opportunities? With the primary aim of (a) updating the industry on worldwide trends and (b) providing a platform for networking and exchanging of ideas and best practices, the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) recently convened a day-long Marketing Seminar themed “Current Market Developments and Outlook for Malaysian Timber Products and Furniture in China, India, Europe, Philippines, the Middle East & USA”. Spanning these areas of interest and four continents of the globe, MTC assembled an array of thought leaders/industry exponents who shared their expertise in presentations on: • “Current Global Economic Scenario” (Mr Donald Amstad, Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Ltd) • “China - Current Market Developments and Outlook for Malaysian Timber Products and Furniture” (Mr Zhu Guangqian , China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association, China) • “India - Current Market Developments and Outlook for Malaysian Timber Products and/or Furniture” (Ms Shital Dhiren Thacker, Spacerite Furniture, India) • “Europe - Current Market Developments and Outlook for Malaysian Timber and Timber Products” (Mr Andre de Boer, Secretary-General/MD of the European Timber Trade Federation (ETTF)) • “Philippines - Current Market Developments and Outlook for Malaysian Timber Products and/or Furniture” (Mr Nicolaas de Lange, Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines) Speaker from Philippines during his presentation, Mr Nicolaas de Lange ( Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines). MTC’s CEO, Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Nik (centre) standing with fellow speakers during the seminar. Datuk M Nagarajan, Deputy Secretary General, Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Malaysia receiving a token of appreciation from MTC CEO after officiating the event. • “Middle East - Current Market Trends & Developments for Timber Products and Furniture” (Mr Radhak