In early October, American Softwoods representatives, including several representatives from SFPA member companies, attended the Edifica trade show in Santiago, Chile to exhibit U.S. softwood lumber samples and a preservative treated Douglas fir footbridge as part of the Softwood Export Council’s (SEC) ATP award to promote the use of treated softwoods in bridge construction.
A large show, Edifica covers 75,000 square meters and was attended by over 40,000 construction professionals. Exhibits range from heavy machinery to building materials used in residential and commercial projects. While the American Softwoods booth and APA-The Engineered Wood Products Association booths were well located, they were among only a few wood products booths present at the show. Although its economy has recently slowed down, Chile represents a promising market. A housing deficit of 500,000 units was reported in 2017 and wood is still being used as the primary construction material in 80 percent of residential buildings.
Traffic at the booth was steady throughout the show, and the group collected 37 inquiries as well as fielded questions about U.S. softwoods and the treated Douglas fir bridge on display.
SFPA Members can view the complete report and contacts within the Members Only section of SFPA.org.