News
O Canada
Three months ago I arrived in Vancouver, Canada, to become the managing director of Valutec Wood Drying Inc.
And what a crazy and exciting time it has been! Especially at first. Not only did we have to settle as a family and get everything going – I also attended the Timber Processing and Energy Expo in Portland just 10 days after we arrived. Fortunately the container with our personal stuff came on time. All that wouldn’t have been possible without my wife backing me up and taking care of most of the red tape we had to go through before we got all the necessary documents – such as the very important driver’s license and the even more important Social Insurance Number. One thing I had to understand very quickly: bureaucracy is as much a pain in Canada as it is in Germany. However, the friendliness of the Canadians makes up for whatever paperwork we have to go through!
Looking back, it’s hard to believe how much has already happened. I have travelled quite a bit in Canada and in the United States and met with many customers in the North American sawmilling industry. One of the most intense experiences was the trip I took to the New England Kiln Drying Association meeting in Gorham, New Hampshire. It was election night in the States and on my way from Boston to Gorham I listened to New Hampshire Public Radio as the results were coming in. When I woke up in my motel room the next morning it was clear that Donald Trump was the President elect of the USA. The discussions I had with the people at the meeting were so interesting and so diverse that it became clear to me (again) that you have to live in a country and talk to its people to understand what is going on.
The same applies for businesses. Only if you are in your customer’s area you can understand their needs and their concerns – with that comes the ability to react and adapt to the market. That is why it was clear from the start for Valutec that we had to have our own set up in North America if we wanted to be successful. For example, we have learned that there are more concerns about European components within the larger sawmilling groups than there are within the smaller independent mills. Does that mean we are shying away from the big guys? Certainly not! It just means that we have to work hard to convince them about the benefits of our technology which is much easier if you can communicate with them directly.
That particularly applies to the volatile market situation we are in right now. You want to be on the spot and not in Europe. For example on one hand you have the very stable housing market in the USA, but on the other hand the issues with the softwood lumber agreement. Will Canada’s lumber suppliers be able to benefit from a strong market in the USA? I don’t know. But I do know that every sawmill can benefit from a more efficient lumber drying process.
Good for wood is what we are all about. And now you can dial a local number to get Valutec’s advice.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2017
Ingo Wallocha
Managing Director
Valutec Wood Drying Inc.