New Agreement Opens Major Export Market for CHH

New Agreement Opens Major Export Market for Carter Holt Harvey

Sydney-based Carter Holt Harvey Pinepanels expects to increase exports to China by up to 30 per cent within the next twelve months through a new sales and marketing agreement with International Paper Pacific Millennium Limited (IPPM).

Pinepanels currently exports between 35 and 40 thousand cubic metres of Customwood Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) to China’s southern provinces, where it is primarily used in the manufacturing of furniture for export to the United States and Japan.

Under this new agreement, IPPM will market and sell Customwood and other Pinepanels products in five of China’s northern provinces. Pinepanels will provide IPPM with sales staff training and market analysis support.

Pinepanels chief executive Ian Myers says, “This is an excellent opportunity for us to achieve market-led growth for our business in the rapidly developing Chinese domestic market.”

“Government initiatives and Beijing’s successful bid for the 2008 Olympic Games have contributed to strong growth among manufacturing industries in northern China, so this is an ideal time for us to be expanding into these provinces.”

The partnership with IPPM, in which CHH has a 25% shareholding, will enable CHH to leverage IPPM’s strong storage, distribution and customer networks in targeting manufacturers of products, particularly furniture, for the domestic market.

“In IPPM we have found a partner who knows the northern Chinese market and has the networks, experience and facilities to give us greater reach and a much stronger presence as a local business,” says Mr Myers.

“This agreement augments our considerable presence in Hong Kong for servicing southern China and puts us in a position to emulate the success we have achieved there with Customwood and other Pinepanels products.”

Manufactured from 100% radiata pine, Customwood MDF offers strength and superior machining and performance. Carter Holt Harvey is the Asia-Pacific region’s leading manufacturer of MDF with a total production capacity of 450 thousand cubic metres, split evenly between facilities in Oberon, NSW and Rangiora, New Zealand.

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