Carsten Merforth on market demand
From Carsten Merforth: "Beim Schnittholz können wir keine tieferen Preise mehr akzeptieren." · · Holzkurier
“Der Absatz war sehr schwierig, wurde schwieriger im Laufe des Jahres. Wir hatten zu Beginn des Jahres eigentlich noch die Hoffnung, dass die Volktale sich irgendwie freundlicher entwickeln werden. Die Hoffnung hat sich nicht erfüllt, sondern wir haben Quartal für Quartal einen Rückgang der Nachfrage und der Preise gesehen in allen Bereichen, im Konstruktionsbereich und besonders auch in der Palette deutlich.”
On , Carsten Merforth, Chief Operating Officer of Wood Products at MERCER INTL INC, spoke about market demand during Carsten Merforth: "Beim Schnittholz können wir keine tieferen Preise mehr akzeptieren." on Holzkurier.
About Carsten Merforth
Carsten Merforth, Chief Operating Officer of Wood Products at Mercer International, stated in September 2024 that the company's lumber segment is operating at economic limits where accepting lower prices is no longer viable. He said that demand and prices declined quarter by quarter across all areas, particularly in pallet and construction lumber, and that production had been reduced at the Torgau site due to weaker demand. Merforth described the current price level for pallet and lumber as "at the bottom." Merforth noted that the North American market performed similarly to Germany, with higher expectations for the second quarter of 2024 not being met, resulting in a prolonged sideways movement in demand and prices. He expressed a positive outlook for cross-laminated timber (CLT), describing it as a strongly growing market where Mercer is positioned as a leading producer. Merforth stated that the construction downturn will eventually end and that the long-term prospects for wood construction and the bioeconomy remain strong, though the industry must endure the current difficult period.