The global glue-laminated timber market (GLT) could reach US $6.22 billion over the next decade, fuelled by growth in the United States, with China and India driving a surge in glulam manufacturing across the Asia-Pacific.
That is according to a new report published by Spherical Insights, which estimates that the global market for glulam will jump from US $4.1 billion last year.
It comes after Wood Central revealed that the global market for cross-laminated timber is expected to triple, largely fuelled by growth in Australia, Japan, China, and India. However, like CLT, Europe and North America are the industry’s engine rooms, with both capitalising on the push to use glulam over steel-and-concrete systems to reduce embodied carbon.
Yesterday, Timberlab—one of North America’s largest mass timber manufacturers—announced that it would acquire American Laminators (previously known as Swinerton Mass Timber), adding to major investments in new CLT plants in March. According to Christopher Evans, Timberlab’s President, the deal “is a leap forward to advancing our capabilities and services across the mass timber industry.”
Under the deal, Timberlab – which has split the company into Timberlab Laminators (for manufacturing) from Timberlab (for consulting) – will acquire American Laminators’s two glulam mills in Oregon – which together have a capacity of 20 million board feet.
According to Dave Anderson, President of American Laminators parent company, Diversified Wood Resources, the acquisition is “an exciting time for the future of American Laminators.”
“By combining our strengths and expertise, we are well-positioned to expand in the mass timber market while continuing to provide superior service, quality, and craftsmanship,” Mr Anderson said.
More than 2,000 mass timber buildings, many with CLT floors and Glulam columns and beams, are rising across the United States, with demand expected to surge in the coming years.
This includes Portland’s new Mass Timber Airport, which is set to open in August, which combines CLT (manufactured by Timberlab) and Glulam columns and beams (supplied by Zip-O-Log Mills) in the world’s largest timber-based airport project.
