OREANDA-NEWS. December 24, 2013. Interest in Swedish wood for interiors is growing in China and Swedish exports of sawn wood products to China is increasing rapidly. This fact was confirmed during Sino-Swedish Wood Day, a Swedish initiative and event designed to further increase interest in Swedish wood products in China, as Swedish Wood said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.

Sino-Swedish Wood Day, a conference with an exhibition section, was organised by Swedish Wood in collaboration with the China Furniture Association and the China Timber & Wood Product Distribution Association. The programme combined lectures about Swedish wood and an exhibition where Swedish sawmill groups presented their products. The purpose was to inform and inspire the Chinese interior design industry in the use of Swedish wood for furniture, flooring, panelling and joinery, and to establish new business opportunities for the future.

Target groups for Sino-Swedish Wood Day included the Chinese furniture and joinery industry and interior designers and architects. At the conference, representatives of the Swedish sawmill industry presented the sustainably managed Swedish forest industry, the quality advantages of Swedish wood, both from the product properties and logistics solutions points of view, and examples of interiors using pine and spruce. Further, Chinese furniture producers and designers were invited to talk about their experiences with Swedish wood and about development potential for design using Swedish wood in China.

Eleven of the largest Swedish wood suppliers were present in Shanghai. They presented their companies at their own individual stands alongside the conference and made many valuable contacts with potential customers. A collective display exhibited samples of Swedish wood products and examples of how wood can be refined to make different surfaces and in such a way adapt the wood to suit the interior design tastes of Chinese customers.

‘The potential for Swedish wood exports to China is very big. The Swedish wood industry is renowned for its high and constant product quality, efficient logistics solutions and sustainable forest management. The Chinese wood industry now places great importance in these factors, and this has been confirmed at Sino-Swedish Wood Day. Designers and interior design architects at the conference supported the positive aspects of wood from an environmental point of view. China now exhibits an increased interest in using natural and renewable materials in building and interior design as a part of meeting the country’s environmental challenges,’ said Mikael Eliasson, director Swedish Wood.

Sino-Swedish Wood Day is part of a long-term strategy on the Chinese market.

“We have been active in China these past 8 years and during this time established strong contacts with Chinese trade organisations, universities and authorities. Organising such a large and well-attended event as Sino-Swedish Wood Day together with Chinese partners, is a way to show the long term perspective of the Swedish wood industry’s activities in China,” said Jan Soderlind, international director, Swedish Wood.

To further promote the growth of Swedish wood exports, Swedish Wood will be continuing their efforts in China.

“During 2014 we plan to arrange a design competition with Shanghai university, participate in important trade fairs and conferences where we shall market Swedish wood as a contemporary interior design material and arrange a workshop for representatives from Swedish and Chinese authorities and industry. All to promote the use of Swedish wood,” said Jan Soderlind.

Swedish wood exports to China have almost tripled since 2012 and this year are expected to total more than 400,000 cubic metres of sawn timber. The prognosis for 2014 is in excess of 700,000 cubic metres of sawn timber.