About Us
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About Us
Centre of Excellence for Wood Engineered Products (CeWEP) focused on developing engineered wood products from sustainable natural resources in line with National Timber Industry Policy (2009 -2020) to increase the production of value-added products in wood industry.
Among the activities that we are focusing on:
- Research in engineered wood products
- Innovation and products development
- Consultation and training
Background
- Sarawak with an area of 124,450 square kilometre, produced wood and timber products of 5,275,832 metric tons in 2012 for export earnings. The production of this product mainly focused on upstream industries i.e. sawn timbers, plywood, veneer, wood molding, laminated boards, particleboards, MDF, woodchip, charcoal/briquette, laminated flooring and wood pellets.
- Timber downstream industries such as furniture that can generate high income have not been established yet in Sarawak. The furniture used in the state are still being carried from factories in Peninsular Malaysia or imported from other countries. With Permanent Forest and Forest Plantation covering 6 million hectare and 2.8 million hectare respectively, the Sarawak state government intends to increase the production of downstream timber industry equivalent to the existing industry in Peninsular.
- The downstream industries can be increased through the production of engineered wood such as composite wood, man-made wood, or manufactured board, which include a range of derivative wood products manufactured by binding the strands, particles, fibers, or veneers or boards of wood, together with adhesives to form composite materials. These products are engineered to precise design specifications which are tested to meet national or international standards. Establishing the centre of excellence in “Wood Engineered Products for Housing and Construction Utilization” particularly from planted tropical timber species acted as a catalyst that spark and increase the participation and engagement of the local timber industry as well the local community in the heavy industries downstream timber production.
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Objectives
- To develop advanced engineered wood products from local wood species especially the planted timber in Sarawak.
To produce engineered wood products from lesser-known species with low maturity age for housing construction and furniture making.
To utilize and convert the engineered wood products as a component for affordable and durable house construction.