A key concern in the plywood sector is soaring freight rates, notably in containerized trade. With global container distribution disrupted by the pandemic, shippers out of Asia have been naming their price. Importers report five and six-fold rises over the last six months, some even more.  While Chinese hardwood plywood suppliers are reported to have generally returned to pre-pandemic production levels, some manufacturers in Indonesia and Malaysia (despite EU+UK imports from the latter rising in 2020) are reported to still to be struggling. “One of our leading Malaysian suppliers is still only at ...