Monday 27 March 2023. – Plywood production films from the 50s and 60s present huge logs. Human arms are too short to get around the trunks. Logs are peeled to kilometer-long veneer carpets.

I bet the log size and availability go hand in hand. In the old days the wood usage was less, and the needed round wood supply was better. When availability got weak, producers were forced to accept smaller logs. It is better to peel small logs than to have no logs at all.

If raw material sources are limited now, there is not going to be an abundance of logs in the future either. The plywood mill’s log yard will consist of smaller and lower-quality round wood. 

Will the wood scarcity change plywood as a product? What will be the available plywood types in the future? How about panel properties? Will plywood be renowned for its strength and durability also in the future?

What could be the consequences for the plywood manufacturing process and machinery? Spindless peelers were developed to utilize smaller logs. How about the following process steps? Because of the random sizes core veneer pieces, the layup stations in Asia look like an assembly line. It is far from automatized industrialization, but what if the small and winding logs force the development in that direction?

The raw material issue is a global megatrend. The globe changes. New challenges and new opportunities arise.