December 18, 2020. – Seasoned people in the industry remember autumn 2008. After September and Lehman Brothers the plywood orders started to vanish steadily month by month. There were no ups and downs, just a steady decline towards the rock bottom in 2009. The business oracles predicted a flat or W-shaped future. Incentives and bonuses took a holiday for years.

In March this year, when Covid started to bite, I started getting flashbacks. Is it going to be the same collapse again? Luckily it wasn’t. This time it feels like a slightly hilly country road. A few bumps you feel in the stomach but you still have both hands on the steering wheel. Certainly the market is not at its best but the underlying feeling is that we’ll get over it.

It has been an unusual journey this year. Soon it is time to rest a while and get ready for next year’s ride. Active driving might be needed as the road signs are not yet there. I wish everyone  a peaceful Christmas time!