WoodDigest.com |

Kellie Schroeder, Executive Vice President, WMMPA

The Wood Moulding and Millwork Producers Association (WMMPA) is providing its members with industry data, marketing support and information on “green” certification requirements as the sector looks ahead to eventual economic recovery.

Housing, unemployment, the soft dollar and the banking industry are all contributing to the problems in the general economy.

Given these realities, “we do not see an even keel coming back to steer the economy until 2009,” says WMMPA executive vice president Kellie Schroeder. “Moulding manufacturers need residential housing starts to shoot up drastically in 2008 to achieve a sliver of normalcy in their market.”

Moulding plants are cutting back and laying off employees to help them get through this year. At the same time, raw materials shortages are having a negative impact on production for MDF and finger-joint producers. The shortages are “the No. 1 concern,” Schroeder says, aside from the lower sales caused by the housing problems.

Along with the sales impact of the housing crunch, raw materials supply has been the single biggest problem for moulding and millwork producers. “It seems that 2008 will go down as the year we lacked an affordable supply in all manufacturing segments — wood, MDF and poly,” Schroeder says.

“Rising methanol costs and the lack of wood shavings will continue to be a thorn in the side of MDF moulding producers,” says Schroeder. “The supply factor for MDF mouldings is not as severe as it is for wood or finger-joint mouldings, but there is enough going on in these two areas to cause concern.” High oil prices are a problem for poly-blend (polyurethane, composites) mouldings manufacturers.

The decision to accept nonwood manufacturers and include them on WMMPA’s membership roster was an easy choice, one that reflected the realities of changing times and changing materials.

“Trends and new ideas bring new products to the marketplace,” Schroeder says. “From solid wood mouldings, we moved into finger-joint mouldings. Then came MDF mouldings as the new hot ticket and buyers went into a frenzy scooping up ornate profiles at a cost-effective price.”

It makes sense, Schroeder says, to recognize the changes. “In essence,” she says, “we all sell the same product even though it is not the same substrate.” Poly-blends are still mouldings and millwork, and they now can get the market and technical information they need through WMMPA’s website, meetings and services. S

ome 60 percent of poly-extruded production was represented at WMMPA’s March meeting, and the association is aiming to have 80 percent of the poly segment by the July meeting.

WMMPA’s newly redesigned website is designed to simplify navigation through news reports and events, and WMMPA’s publications and bookstore. The association’s WM(R) Price Index Report follows monthly trends in wood, MDF and poly products. It is available to moulding and millwork manufacturers participating in the survey.

The July 16-19 summer business meeting will focus on the supply issues wood, MDF and poly face, along with a look at the markets to which they sell. There will be a panel on LEED certification requirements and on accessing information.