SSA NEWSLETTER - July 2026
|
| Our newsletter is proudly sponsored by: |
SAWMILLING SOUTH AFRICA NEWS |
Taking stock and looking ahead
|
 |
After a busy June, July offered us a welcome opportunity to return to routine. I trust that many of you took advantage of the school holidays to squeeze in a well-earned mid-year break.
It is always encouraging to hear from our members that the local market is showing signs of improvement, with volumes at satisfactory levels. However, some exporters are feeling the effects of slower international trade, with geopolitical tensions in the Middle East contributing to shipping delays.
Shaping the future of sawmilling Our Exco will hold a strategic planning session in August. This is long overdue and will help us set a clearer direction for the future.
We operate in a fast-paced world, with technology and processes advancing rapidly. Changes in the way the world does business affect our industry, just as they affect every other sector. We will therefore be taking stock and exploring innovative ways to represent your interests while adding value to your businesses and the sawmilling industry at large.
Among the challenges we need to address are timber theft and the sale of ungraded and undried timber into the informal market, which places consumers at grave risk. At the same time, the development and manufacture of mass timber products hold considerable potential for established mills. These issues, together with many other ideas and opportunities, will be discussed as we work towards a stronger and more sustainable future for sawmillers.
When you stop to think about it, South African sawmills are still taking a beautiful log that has grown for more than 25 years and cutting it into a 38 x 114 mm piece of timber. It is time to take a long, hard look at what we produce, who we are and where the next dimension of sawmilling lies, if you will excuse the pun.
Strengthening regional value chains |
Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau visiting the Forestry Value Chain stand.
|
Last week, Sawmilling South Africa shared space with Forestry South Africa, PAMSA, now Paper and Allied Manufacturers of South Africa, and PG Bison at SADC Industrialisation Week in Durban.
Our stand was fortunate enough to be visited by both the honourable Minister and Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.
The event – hosted by the SADC Business Council, the dtic and BUSA – brought together governments, businesses and development partners from across SADC to explore initiatives that could advance regional industrialisation, attract investment and strengthen cross-border value chains. I am sure you will agree that this is very much needed!
The SADC region is rich in natural resources, yet too much of this value continues to be exported in raw form and imported again as finished goods. By accelerating local beneficiation and value addition, we can improve industrial competitiveness, create jobs and deepen regional economic integration.
Our forestry value chain featured prominently during a breakaway session on agro-processing. Penwell Lunga of PG Bison, who also chairs the South African Furniture Initiative, delivered an insightful presentation on the sector’s contribution and potential. Francois Oberholzer of Forestry South Africa and Steven Ngubane of the Industrial Development Corporation also participated in a panel discussion covering a range of issues affecting agro-processing, investment and industrial growth.
A key message from the session was that the region needs to move beyond exporting raw logs and other unprocessed materials and focus more strongly on local and regional manufacturing.
Participants also highlighted the need to harmonise customs procedures and regulatory standards, improve logistics and border processes, and invest in skills, technology and regional processing capacity. The region’s continued reliance on imported furniture was identified as a significant opportunity for local manufacturing, while engineered wood products and other higher-value forest products also offer considerable potential.
Importantly, there was a strong call to move beyond developing strategies and focus on implementation, supported by clear accountability and measurable outcomes. Yes please!
I am certain that many of these themes will also inform our strategic planning discussions in August.
|
John Steenhuisen, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, and Penwell Lunga as he shared opportunities for regional integration of the forestry value chain. |
The team from the dtic and the Forestry Value Chain at the agro-processing breakaway session. |
Talking Timber webinar: Fire safety in timber construction
|
You should have received an invitation to our next Talking Timber webinar, taking place on Thursday, 6 August. The webinar will focus on fire safety in timber construction, which remains one of the most important considerations in the design and adoption of timber buildings.
We will hear from Dirk Streicher, founder of Ignis Testing, and Dr Humaira Fataar, senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University. They will examine how timber behaves in fire and the engineering principles that underpin safe structural design.
The discussion will cover fire resistance testing, fire door performance, timber material behaviour and the practical interpretation of test results for real-world applications.
You can register here.
|
As always, do not forget that it remains just as important to cut straight and dry flat.
|
| Executive Director: Sawmilling South Africa |
JOIN THE NETWORK
Please follow us on our various social media channels.
LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook
KEEP US INFORMED
We once again appeal to our members to keep us informed of any news so they can publicise this on our website. And if you spot any interesting articles, please do share them with us. |
Legend is that Senegal’s former Portuguese colonial masters made a mistake when they gave the country its name.
When the Portuguese met a Wolof-speaking Senegalese in the 16th, they assumed that Sunuu Gaal was the country’s name. Little did they know that that it meant “These are our boats,” and that the speaker was eyeing their boats!
|
| Senegal is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the westernmost point of the African continent. |
With a population of just over 16 million, Senegal is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the westernmost point of the African continent.
Senegal warm climate changes from a tropical south to a semi-arid middle part and baking hot desert conditions in the north.
It shares borders with several countries and because it is an important economic hub in West Africa, its exports flow freely into the region, the success of this making Senegal the 119th largest export economy in the world.
|
| The African Renaissance Monument in Dakar celebrates Africa’s liberation from ignorance, intolerance and prejudice. |
| The prosperity of a growing economy and a stable political landscape order in the country has allowed Senegal to build diverse languages, religions, ethnic groups and cultures into a success story that few countries in West Africa can compete with. |
| The Grande Mosque de Touba confirms Senegal’s religious freedom. |
|
| The diversity that is Senegal |
|
Sawmilling in Senegal
Senegal has about 6.2 million hectares of classified forest, most of it in the country’s Casamance region.
|
| Wood-Mizer is the preferred sawmill brand in Senegal |
| Firewood and charcoal are the most important forest products but round logs exports also add to the timber economy. Most of the logs are exported but consistent volumes are made available to sawmillers in Senegal to process into sawn timber for local use.
A logging ban imposed by Senegal and Gambia to clamp down on timber exports and log smuggling has made it more difficult for sawmillers in Senegal to get logs for processing.
|
|
But sawmillers in the country are used to hardship.
They have stockpiled logs to bypass the log scarcity and are continuing to trade and create a booming sawmilling sector in the country. |
The sawmilling trade in Senegal is generally organised in loose sawmilling associations that group together in sawmilling and timber processing hubs scattered across the country.
The Pikine sawmilling compound in Dakar and the Lagal compound in Kaolack show how these hubs are busy crossroad where sawmillers, merchants and manufacturers trade and barter for the best deals.
Wood-Mizer is the preferred brand in both sawmilling compounds and across Senegal.
|
|
| A Wood-Mizer sawmiller in Touba. |
|
| There are a number of reasons for that. |
Wood-Mizer Africa’s official dealership in Touba,
which is located in Senegal’s Diourbel region. |
|
| The friendly staff of Diaw Ibrahima, Wood-Mizer Africa’s dealer representative in Senegal. |
|
With logs no longer freely available because of the logging ban and focus on log exports, sawmillers know that they need to use every inch of available timber as best as possible.
|
| A good supply of spare parts makes it easy for sawmillers in Senegal to run mills. |
| Wood-Mizer sawmills, offer affordable modern technology that wastes less and produces more sawn timber for higher profits.
The dated circular and wide bandsaw sawmills that that are still used in Senegal waste a lot of timber and energy. Sawmillers know that Wood-Mizer sawmills increase their profits because they now have more sawn timber to sell.
Manufacturers that trade next to the Wood-Mizer sawmills also prefer using the sawn timber that is produced on a Wood-Mizer sawmill.
|
|
Wood-Mizer sawmills cut accurate boards that need very little finishing before manufacturing can start. This makes it useful for manufacturers because their production costs are lower and their profits higher.
|
| Hand-crafted furniture cut on a Wood-Mizer sawmill comes to life in the hands of Senegalese carpenters |
The affordable pricing of Wood-Mizer sawmills and the availability of a Wood-Mizer dealership in Senegal makes it easy for sawmillers to save money and grow their businesses.
Because Wood-Mizer understands the frustration of not having a local dealership that can ensure good service, it has grown its dealership network across Africa to also now include Senegal.
Wood-Mizer’s dealership in Senegal is headed up by Moustapha Diaw who runs an independent spares and distribution network across Senegal known as Diaw Ibrahima.
|
| Moustapha Diaw (WM Authorised Dealer - Senegal) receives a dealership plaque from JJ Oelofse (WM Corporate Director for Emerging Markets) and Fred Kapenda (WM Area Manager - French Africa). |
New machine sales and after-sale service support, technical advice, spares and training are some of the benefits that sawmillers in Senegal can rely on when they buy a Wood-Mizer sawmill.
Moustapha is also a sawmiller himself and therefore understands the value of good service.
He’s ploughing the lessons learnt by himself to grow his sawmill back into the Wood-Mizer dealership for the benefit of sawmillers across Senegal.
Link to story on Website
|
| Maximise Your Mill’s Recovery and Throughput with the New Era Twin into Gang Sawline |
| Pinnacle SA introduces the New Era Twin into Gang Sawline, boosting sawmill efficiency with seamless automation, precision durability, and optimal recovery. Its sloped fence system and integrated sideboard management streamline production from log to finished timber... read more |
|
|
|
| New outlook report: Global Softwood Timber Supply - Latin America, Asia and Oceania |
| A new report from O'Kelly Acumen and Global Wood Trends analyses softwood roundwood supply across Latin America and Asia-Pacific through 2035. With tightening supply balances and shifting trade flows, the outlook examines harvests, costs, pricing, and risks for producers and investors...read more |
|
|
|
| Established Magoebaskloof Sawmill Operation Presents Rare Acquisition Opportunity |
| An established sawmilling facility in Limpopo's Magoebaskloof timber region is available as a going concern. The 17 hectare property includes kilns, workshops, employee housing, boreholes, and operational machinery, ideal for expansion or entry into timber processing...read more |
|
|
|
| ENTRY LEVEL to EXECUTIVE... |
|
|
|
| Send your news to: bronwyn@fevertreemedia.co.za |
| Feel free to forward to friends & colleagues |
| Copyright © 2026, Fevertree Media (Pty) Ltd, All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
