Michael Snow
Executive Director,
American Hardwood Export Council
On behalf of the American Hardwood Export Council, it is with great pleasure that I welcome all of you to the city of Ningbo for the 24th AHEC Greater China and Southeast Asia Convention.
Talk of trade wars, tariffs, extreme weather and a general slowing of demand have created a challenging business environment over the past twelve months. Indeed, since our last convention in Xian, exports of American hardwood lumber to China have declined nearly 13% by volume, and it is no secret that uncertainty and pessimism have taken center stage. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that the hardwood lumber trade alone with China still exceeded $1.3 billion in 2018, the second highest total ever! The United States remains the world’s largest exporter of sustainable hardwoods and China remains by far the largest importer.
This Convention is designed to help further strengthen these bonds, as our aim is not only to introduce US exporters to Chinese importers, but to also help foster the relationships between Asian end users and specifiers and the local wood processing industry and distributors of American hardwoods.
It is no simple matter to put the day-to-day running of a business on hold to attend an event such as this, and we have worked hard to bring together an array of top-flight speakers and experts from around the world. I sincerely hope that you find this Convention to be both timely and useful, and look forward to working with all of you toward creating an even closer bond between the US hardwood industry and Asia’s architectural, design and manufacturing industries.
Regional Director's Message
John Chan
Regional Director,
American Hardwood Export Council Southeast Asia & Greater China
It is my great pleasure to announce our AHEC 24th SEA & GRCH Convention is scheduled on June 20 and 21 at the Westin Hotel, Ningbo, China. I sincerely invite you to attend the most anticipated annual event in the wood industry.
Ningbo is an important economic hub and port city with a history spanning over 7,000 years. Two thousand years ago, Ningbo was known as a trade city on the Silk Road route. Today, Ningbo has developed as the fourth largest port city in the world and one of the top five metropolitan centers in the Yangtze River Delta. In the field of architectural art, Ningbo also has a distinct style. Among them, the Ningbo Central Building, the tallest building in Zhejiang; the Ningbo Museum, which won the LuBan Prize as the top architecture prize in China; the Ningbo International Financial Service Center, which is known as a new standard for Ningbo office buildings, as well as the Tianyi Ge and Baoguo Temple. These buildings have become a significant symbol of Ningbo, attracting tourists from all over the country and around the world.
We chose Ningbo to host the 2019 AHEC Convention this year, not only because of the city’s unique perspective in the field of construction and design, but more importantly, the great momentum of furniture manufacturing and processing and the development of wood industry that is happening in Ningbo right now. Consider the number of furniture enterprises operating in Zhejiang province: it has now reached 4,500 mainly in Ningbo and nearby cities. In 2017, the furniture industry in Zhejiang experienced swift and stable development, the gross output of the furniture manufacturing industry reaching RMB 5.17 trillion, with an increase of 7.8% (YoY). Ningbo offers a multitude of wooden furniture production and processing enterprises. Exports cover solid wood furniture, panel furniture, frame furniture, wood flooring and wooden crafts, etc.
Exports of U.S. hardwood products to Greater China and Southeast Asia were valued at US$1.89 billion and US$363 million respectively in 2018, accounting for 58.7% of all global exporting value. We hope that through this important Convention, we can further strengthen the trade links of different timber-related industries and convey our environmental protection approach to a greater audience. We will be promoting the design and application of U.S. hardwood for the consumer market while addressing low carbon environmental protection, outstanding properties and design advantages of American hardwoods to furniture manufacturers, architects, interior designers, engineers and real estate developers.
The Convention will be hosted by AHEC and supported by the Ningbo Furniture Chamber of Commerce. It is expected to attract over 350 delegates and 30 AHEC hardwood exporting members are expected to attend. A mini-trade show will be held at the convention for AHEC members, providing an invaluable platform for networking with local traders, distributors, manufacturers and specifiers.
At this Convention, we will feature several keynote presentations to address the application, sustainability and lower carbon future of American hardwood for interior design and furniture manufacturing, new technology and lumber grading rules of American hardwoods. The head of the Ningbo Furniture Chamber of Commerce will present an update on solid furniture manufacturing situation and the needs of imported timber in Ningbo to meet the increasing demand in the years to come.
As the key organizer of the Convention, AHEC is grateful for the strong support from trade and design industries, associations, communities and media across Greater China and Southeast Asia. I would also like to thank the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service and Agricultural Trade Office of U.S. Embassy in different regions in China, the American hardwood industry and AHEC members for their continual support. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the delegates and participants for attending the event and I wish you all an enjoyable Convention. I am confident you will make new business partnerships and explore new business opportunities while enjoying the AHEC program we have planned for you.