Glulam Products To Penetrate Australian Market In Two Years - PEKA

PUTRAJAYA, April 4 (Bernama) -- Locally produced glued laminated timber (glulam) products are expected to penetrate the Australian market in two years, said the Association of Malaysian Bumiputera Timber and Furniture Entrepreneurs (PEKA) President Hanafee Yusoff. He said glulam products were already used to build pontoons at Melaka River and residences of the Prime Minister and Chief Secretary in Putrajaya, besides becoming a trend in several countries like the United States. Hanafee said PEKA and the Malaysian Timber Council were working together to conduct researches and develop the glulam technology which uses a special glue to join the pieces of wood. "We are still at the initial stages as this research requires high cost. We are still identifying the most suitable type of wood to use," he told reporters after PEKA's 25th Anniversary celebration, officiated by Plantations and Commodities Minister, Mah Siew Keong, here Tuesday. Hanafee said glulam had better durability than iron and had high potential in building and landscape architecture. Mah in his speech earlier said the timber industry was among the largest contributors to the country's revenue with total export value estimated at around US$4.96 billion (RM22 billion) last year. "Malaysian furniture is successfully exported to more than 160 countries and that puts us as the world's eighth biggest furniture exporter. Total export of furniture, including wood-based furniture, was RM9.53 billion last year, a 4.2 per cent increase compared to RM9.14 billion in 2015. "This improvement is in line with our aim to reach 60 per cent in export of high quality wood products by 2020," said Mah. To increase the Bumiputera participation in this industry, Mah said the ministry had formulated a training programme involving cooperation between Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera entrepreneurs. The pioneer programme carried out from January-September 2016 involved 10 participants who were given training and assistance in five non-Bumiputera furniture factories in Muar. "The participants successfully completed the training programme and were qualified to proceed as sub-contracting apprentices for three years in the factories," he added. (US$1 = RM4.42) -- BERNAMA