Brazil may be the key to the future supply of some OSB products to China by US wood panels giant Louisiana-Pacific Corporation.
While the building materials group has shied away from selling much OSB from the US into the huge Chinese market because of the unattractive pricing picture there, LP ceo Rick Frost believes specialty panel products manufactured by his company in Brazil could boost business with China.
In 2010, LP exported only around 5 million ft2 of OSB products to China out of an estimated annual total of 75 million ft2 shipped from North America.
“We probably have the opportunity with a specialty OSB product out of Brazil to maybe go to about 40 million ft2 over there,said Mr Frost.
“Over time, if there is an additional use for this product or if we can invent more specialty products which will go over there, we are certainly going to chase it when it seems to make sense,Mr Frost added.
