ITALY – Professionals, entrepreneurs, and industry operators from the wood and furniture sector convened at the Catas headquarters in San Giovanni al Natisone to mark the 30th anniversary of the CQA-Catas Quality Award, a prestigious product certification offered by the laboratory.

CHINA – The 52nd China International Furniture Fair (CIFF Shanghai 2023) has successfully concluded, drawing a total of 93,474 professional attendees over four days. This marked a significant increase of 10.44% in overseas participants compared to 2019.

COLOMBIA – The value of Colombian imports of particleboard (PB/MDP) reached USD 73.32 million in the first half of 2023 (6M-2023), marking a 13.1% decrease compared to 6M-2022 (USD 84.36 million).

PERU – Peruvian imports of particleboard (PB/MDP) were valued at USD 79.56 million during the January-June period of 2023 (6M-2023), representing a 14.9% decline compared to the same period in 2022 (6M-2022: USD 93.51 million).

GERMANY – German kitchen furniture manufacturers are grappling with dwindling consumer demand.

BELGIUM – Ingka Group welcomes the European Union agreement, now approved by the European Parliament, to increase the target for the share of renewable energy as a part of the energy mix from 32% to 42.5% by 2030, with the possibility of reaching 45%.

UNITED KINGDOM – Recycling and reprocessing company, Timberpak Ltd, has unveiled its new site in Leeds, UK,  following a multi-million pound investment into the six acre site on Cross Green Industrial Estate.

COLOMBIA – Colombian imports of European machinery for secondary wood processing (wood-based panels) reached USD 1.87 million in the first half of 2023 (6M-2023). This represented a sharp drop of 30.3% compared to the previous year (6M-2022: USD 2.69 million).

CANADA – The Ministry of International Development announced a USD 1.5-million contribution to Roseburg Forest Products Canada for the installation of robotic equipment to enhance their medium-density fibreboard (MDF) plant.

BRAZIL – Fimma Brasil and Movelsul Brasil, held jointly from August 28 to 31 at the Bento Gonçalves Event Park in Rio Grande do Sul, delivered on their promise to revitalize the furniture sector.

SPAIN – According to data published by Anieme (Spanish National Association of Furniture Manufacturers and Exporters), from January to June 2023 (6M-2023) Spanish furniture exports showed a growth of 6.6%, exceeding EUR 1,535 million.

BELGIUM – The European Commission has launched an official probe into potential evasion of EU anti-dumping rules by Russian birch plywood producers and traders.