Stora Enso Timber’s mission is to provide competitive wood products for selected end-use segments worldwide. Business Line Construction’s development work is a good example of putting this commitment into practice for the Japanese market. It has resulted in a comprehensive range of wood products for building Japanese-style houses, comprising components of consistently high quality tailor-made for their specific end-uses.

Building in Japan

Japan has a long tradition of building with wood. Timber frames are strong and elastic, and so resilient in earthquakes. Japan is the second-biggest house building market in the world, with about half of its house frames built of wood. Stora Enso is the leading European supplier of this market, known for its commitment to long-term business relationships.

In Japan the construction sector is in transition. Housing starts are decreasing, but the market is evolving and demand for quality products is increasing. Markets for glue-laminated post and beam are growing clearly faster than markets for wood products in general.