Wooden furniture, plywood and sawn timber are the top three sources of foreign exchange earnings for the Malaysian timber industry. Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) Chairman Datuk Loh Seng Chuan said,
In recent years, the combined export value of these three products has exceeded 15 billion ringgit, accounting for about 70% of Malaysia's total annual wood and wood products exports.
Furniture - exported to over 160 countries
About 30 years ago, the furniture industry in Malaysia was still a domestic-based industry. Today, Malaysia has developed into a major producer and exporter of furniture in the world. Sustainable management of forest resources, strong institutional support and encouragement from the government, application of cutting-edge technologies, and entrepreneurial spirit of entrepreneurs are all factors that make Malaysia the furniture manufacturing hub it is today, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2017, Malaysia's wooden furniture exports were valued at 8.06 billion ringgit. As of September 2018, Malaysia's wooden furniture exports were worth 5.6 billion ringgit.
According to Datuk Loh, Malaysian furniture is exported to more than 160 countries around the world, with the top three export destinations being the US, Japan and Australia. In order of product popularity, dining furniture sets are the most popular, followed by the living room, system and office furniture, and outdoor and leisure furniture.
furniture
Among the most popular Malaysian woods for furniture, manufacturing is Rubberwood, Nyatoh, Kembang Semangkok, Dark Red Meranti, Balau and Acacia. Among these woods, rubberwood is the most popular as 80% of wooden furniture in Malaysia is made from this wood.
Plywood - in line with international standards
On plywood, Datuk Loh said the product has been produced in Malaysia since the 1940s. However, the industry really took off in the mid-1960s, when many markets such as the US, Europe, Korea and Japan began to recognise the high quality and technical reliability of Malaysian plywood.
He added that the Malaysian plywood industry is concentrated in Sabah and Sarawak in Eastern Malaysia, with some older plywood factories located in Peninsular Malaysia.
In 2017, Malaysia's plywood exports were valued at RM4.61 billion. As of September 2018, Malaysia's plywood exports were valued at 3.41 billion ringgit.
The types of plywood produced in Malaysia include ordinary veneer plywood, decorative plywood, laminated plywood (including printed paper and polyester plywood), phenolic laminated plywood, plywood for concrete formwork and container pallets, marine plywood, etc. Some factories have ventured into veneer products such as laminate veneer (LVL) and plywood-based laminate flooring.
Most of the plywood produced in Malaysia is standard 1220mmx2440mm (4'x8') utility plywood with sanded and edge trimmed surfaces. Other available sizes are 915mm x 2135mm (3'x 7') and 915mmx1830mm (3'x6'), with typical thicknesses ranging from 3 to 13 layers (3mm to 25mm).
The production of plywood in Malaysia complies with internationally recognized standards such as International Standards Organization, Japanese Agricultural Standards, British Standards, US Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board and European Harmonized Standards.
plywood
Commonly used adhesives are moisture-proof grade urea-formaldehyde, water-proof boiling grade phenolic or phenolic resorcinol. The low-concentration formaldehyde formulation ensures compliance with E0 and E1 emission levels.
Commonly used woods in Malaysia for plywood production include Bintangor, Meringue, Kelempayan, Keruing, Mengkulang, Sepetir and Yellow Meranti.
Sawn timber - a pioneer in wood processing
Malaysia's sawmilling industry is the largest and oldest in the country's wood processing industry. Sawn timber is mainly produced for export markets, but the industry also serves the domestic market, especially the construction industry. Datuk Loh also said that the sawmilling industry is also a reliable source of raw materials for the downstream wood processing industries, especially the moulding, joinery and furniture industries.
Malaysia’s sawn timber exports in 2017 totalled RM3.89 billion. As of September 2018, Malaysia’s sawn timber exports were valued at 2.7 billion ringgit.
Malaysia produces sawn timber of various sizes and varieties and exports it in both graded and ungraded forms. Thailand, China and the Philippines have been the top three export destinations for Malaysian sawn timber since 2012. The main varieties exported by the Malaysian sawmills are Sara, Kapur, Dipterocarp, Kempas, Kelat, Karanji, Meranti and Guilan. (Misawa).
sawn timber
The current practice of grading sawn timber is largely a buying and selling arrangement, usually on a specific request basis. Depending on the purpose of purchasing the timber, buyers wishing to purchase Malaysian graded timber have the option of grading the timber according to the General Market Specification or the Special Market Specification of the Malaysian Grading Rules (MGR).
General market specifications only apply to log lumber, such as log lumber and planks, which are typically resawed before use and graded under a cutting system. Special market specifications are created for specific uses of wood and usually specify final dimensions, such as railroad ties and crossbars.
While grading is no longer mandatory, MGR is still a guaranteed tool for buyers purchasing Malaysian timber. If buyers want a specific quality of material, they should order graded lumber. The purpose of this rule is to provide sawn timber shipped from Malaysia with a declaration of quality.
Value Added Wood Products
Malaysia also exports value-added timber products such as mouldings, timber framing, building carpentry and joinery (BJC) products. Exports of these products totalled 2.16 billion ringgit in 2017. As of September 2018, exports of these products have reached 1.53 billion ringgit.
wood frame
The moulding and BJC industry has grown by leaps and bounds since carpenters and construction workers in Malaysia began to shape and use wood. Today, a wide variety of quality mouldings and BJC products such as wood cornices, siding, wainscoting, door frames, window frames, floors, decks, picture frames and laminated beams are produced in Malaysia and exported around the world.
Datuk Loh said, “Moulded and BJC timber products in Malaysia are able to meet the increasing demand of buyers for use in construction and construction projects. These include hotels, resorts, theme parks, temples, houses and office buildings, and For the production of furniture, windows and doors, and facilities for outdoor and marine applications such as ships and boats.”
Malaysian timber manufacturers and exporters have also innovated in meeting the requirements of foreign importers, including tailoring products to their customers’ needs, as well as the flexibility to meet service and shipping requirements.
Architectural carpentry and joinery products
A wide variety of wood species are available from forests and plantations in Malaysia for the production of moulds and BJC products. Common varieties used for moulding and BJC production are Meranti, Gerutu, Gambar, Solo, Pineapple, Bintanger, Merpauh and Rubberwood.
Buyers can rest assured that the moulds and BJC products they import from Malaysia have years of research and development, strict regulations and strong efforts from established government agencies such as the Malaysian Ministry of Primary Industries, the Malaysian Timber Council, the Malaysian Timber Industry Council, and the Malaysian Forest Research Institute. support.