Some UK and western Europe particleboard and MDF producers took downtime during December in response to a combination of rising raw material costs and the seasonal reduction in demand.
Kronospan stopped particleboard production at Chirk for 12 days during the first half of the month while its two MDF lines shut for five and six days respectively over the same period. Normally, the company would continue production over the Christmas period.
Sonae UK halted its particleboard output at Knowsley for six days from December 22 inclusive following a six-day shutdown in October.
Norbord closed its sawmill in Genk, Belgium for three weeks from December 22. Around 150 people were temporarily laid off as a result of the closure and it affected the production of particleboard and OSB.
