24 | Country Focus: France
Above left: Visitor numbers hit a record 14,000 Centre: Frédéric Castaings with a sample of ab pano acoustic paneling Above right: Automated hosting on the France Bois Forêt stand
◄ Moreover, the CIB, initially a primarily French affair, cemented its status as a global trade forum. In 2018, 29% of visitors were from outside France. This year it was 39%, while 37% of exhibitors were also from abroad.
A slight dip in UK visitor numbers to 94 was attributed to the jubilee holiday overlap. The surge in attendance was described by one visitor as an “equal and opposite reaction to being confined by Covid”. “It was a bounce back. After lockdown, people just wanted to get out there and widen their horizons again.” “Another important factor is increasing timber demand across the market, from construction, to interior and exterior wood product sectors, resulting in tight supply. This made finding alternative products and suppliers an added motivator for visitors,” said CIB international business executive Sam Padden.
As always, says CIB, the core of its appeal is that it’s “about timber and only timber”.
At the same time another theme identified this year was an ever greater focus on value- added, advanced performance products. This was seen as an industry responding to the widening application of wood, notably in construction, and specifier and end-user demand for timber and wood products that match or exceed the technical specification of man-made materials.
“These products testify to the industry’s ability to meet the technological and ecological challenges of tomorrow,” said CIB manager Géraldine Cesbron. Meanwhile, the CIB conference programme covered the industries’ current and future challenges and opportunities, from maintaining the forest resource, to construction decarbonisation. CIB president Jean Piveteau also commented on the increasingly “upscale presentation” of stands. Visitors saw this as reinforcing the show’s reputation as a prime platform for unveiling latest ranges and corporate developments.
Above: Moulinvest reports a “volatile but busy year” TTJ | July/August 2022 |
www.ttjonline.com
Among those highlighted by Cosylva (www.
cosylva.fr) was its move further down the construction supply line. The glulam specialist uses Scandinavian and eastern European spruce and has felt the supply pressure resulting from spruce bark beetle infestation and war in Ukraine. But the company has also ridden the wave of France’s Douglas fir harvest growth – its sites at Bourganeuf and Langladure are at the heart of the Douglas resource – and it has developed a reputation for the timber. Today its products range from floor and roof systems and brise-soleil components, to beams, columns and pillars used for everything from industrial and agricultural buildings, to multi-storey commercial and residential blocks. At the CIB it highlighted its strategic step into further assembly of more factory prefabricated components and whole building elements.
“Our package increasingly includes fixtures and fittings and we’re looking across the market, at houses, factories, sports halls, supermarkets, schools – buildings up to nine storeys high,” said technical sales representative Thomas Rouchon. The company, he said, is interested in supplying the UK. “But currently we’re so busy in France, with full order books into 2023.”
One focus of Swiss-based African supplier Interholco was its development into one of the biggest manufacturers of African engineered hardwood products, notably window scantlings (
www.interholco.com). “We’re also one of the most experienced; we’ve been developing finger-jointed and laminated products for 10 years,” said commercial director Christian Morgenroth. “Our core goal is stable quality, standardised products that deliver high, predictable yield and performance, bringing Swiss, German and African approaches together.” Interholco is also developing products in a wider range of species, with varieties highlighted including kanda, kosipo, bosse, tali and padouk, all FSC-certified. “It’s a demanding process, with each having different machining, gluing and other technical characteristics,” said Mr Morgenroth. “But for environmental and economic sustainability, we can’t keep using just sipo and sapele. There may be risks, but we must open our minds to other species.” Multi-faceted pine and Douglas fir specialist Moulinvest was at CIB after a “busy, if volatile year” (
www.moulinvest. com). “Timber supply has been challenging, but demand has been strong and customers have accepted prices are what they are – and they’re now more stable,” said commercial director south Joseph Tixier.
a year, including structural timber, cladding and fencing products. Its pallet mill
Output at Moulinvest’s main mill stands at 400,000m3
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