American Softwoods Attends IMEXFOR Meeting
In late February, Fernanda Vale, Director of the American Softwoods Mexico Office, attended the IMEXFOR meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico. To increase member participation, IMEXFOR took place at the same time as the Expo Mueble Internacional tradeshow winter edition, which was also located Guadalajara. Topics covered during the meeting included the effects of COVID-19 on the Mexican economy, and the decrease in imports through the Port of Manzanillo, Colima. There were several presentations on imports of OSB, plywood, SYP, hardwood lumber, MDF, PBO, and tropical lumber. All presentations were supported with useful tables comparing import volume and market share percentages from various countries between 2018 and 2019.
Several graphics were shown illustrating the United States’ decrease in market share of softwood lumber from 2017 to 2019. It was mentioned that this observed decrease in market share of softwood lumber was largely due to the new administration as well as an aggressive marketing strategy from South America focused on lower prices and custom sizes.
American Softwoods’ presence at the IMEXFOR meeting is crucial for maintaining existing relationships with IMEXFOR members and providing U.S. product support and producer information. The IMEXFOR meeting provides American Softwoods with an opportunity to stay up-to-date with the latest information on current events in and import statistics. American Softwoods looks forward to continuing their involvement at future IMEXFOR meetings.
SFPA Members can access the full report, contacts, and trade leads within the Members Only section of SFPA.org.
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