“Falcata does not have a durable surface, so we spent 4-5 years in R&D developing a resin treatment process for the plywood veneers,” added Mr Oshima. A patent is pending for the process. As well as an LVL version of NaSFA, the Jember factory also produces standard plywood products. In all, falcata is used in 95% of Nankai’s products.
FRENCH OPERATIONS
In Europe, Nankai Plywood has also been expanding its operations.
It now operates three plywood factories in France – all acquired by acquisition. The first company – Rolpin – was acquired in 2014 and is situated in the Landes region of southwest France in the heart of maritime pine forests, giving a local sustainable supply of raw material. Its production capacity is 3,500m3
a month of maritime pine plywood. Rolpin’s products include foil-faced plywood for the concrete forming and truck bed sectors.
Then last year, Nankai acquired the Joubert Group, which makes FSC and PEFC-certified plywood, producing both general-purpose and specialty plywood. Its okoumé and poplar products include marine plywood made from okoumé for ship fit-outs, plus fire retardant products.
Joubert operates two factories in the
Aquitaine region of western France and a peeling site at Port-Gentil in Gabon, Africa, with a total annual capacity of 80,000m3 Joubert is a high value-added
.
manufacturer with strong brand recognition and a broad customer base spanning 30 countries worldwide, although its prime markets are France and the Netherlands. The acquisition allowed both companies to merge their expertise and create a global leader. The partnership also preserves the shared heritage and values of both groups, which are centred on product excellence and environmental stewardship.
Through these strategic investments, Nankai aims to increase the ratio of overseas sales to approximately 40% and establish a solid foundation for sustainable growth. The decline in housing starts and population in Japan is another reason for a global outlook. The Group will pursue synergies in both sales and manufacturing, such as expanding sales of NP Rolpin products through Joubert’s brand strength and distribution network, as well as considering joint production of poplar
TTJ | Summer 2026 |
www.ttjonline.com
Nankai storage solutions are popular in the Japanese housing market
plywood and composite plywood. “In overseas markets, simply offering the same products and solutions as those in Japan is unlikely to be effective,” explained Mr Oshima. “We believe that proposals tailored to local preferences and sensibilities are essential. Building on our core business of plywood sales as a material, we aim to explore whether our unique solutions and proposals can be accepted in each local market. “Our overarching theme is the fusion of
‘Western’ and ‘Eastern’ strengths.” This involves combining the Indonesian production, which features strict manufacturing quality based on Japanese standards, with the sales networks of Joubert and Rolpin in France, essentially creating a global value chain: supplying products made in Asia to the EU, delivering products made in the EU to Asia, and developing high value- added products that leverage materials from both Asia and Europe for markets worldwide. “As a first step, we will streamline and reorganize our sales networks to fully leverage the synergies among our group companies,” Mr Oshima said. “As we made significant investments in France and Indonesia throughout 2025, we aim to deliver tangible results from these initiatives in 2026. Building on plywood as our core material, we will further expand our portfolio toward higher value-added products.” At Rolpin, high-quality Meinan peeling machines and veneer composers have been
installed to further enhance product quality and production efficiency. “While market conditions may not necessarily be favourable, we will leverage our group’s sales network and synergies to make multifaceted proposals and pursue growth from various angles.”
Nankai sees growth potential in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other European markets for its Indonesian- made lightweight falcata panel products. The Falcata core / MDF faced product is particularly viewed as a unique proposition. Its personnel have been visiting supply chain contacts in the countries. In late February it visited the UK and other European countriesfor market meetings. In the UK it has engaged experienced timber industry consultancy Geoff Rhodes Associates to guide its market approach and joined both Timber Development UK and the British Woodworking Federation, as well as appointing Graeme Holburn & Co as its UK & Ireland sales agent.
Nankai is interested in establishing relationships with both distributors and manufacturers, with industries like caravan manufacturing expected to be interested in the lightweight credentials of falcata-based products.
Overall, 2026 is set to be a time of further growth, market expansion and investment for Nankai Plywood as it seeks to use its Far Eastern and European operations to effectively target wider customer markets.
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