Real estate sector is badly affected due to Covid Pandemic but the budget housing, small building construction activities in tier 3 cities and rural markets is helping the shuttering plywood markets that has gathered some pace after July this year. The project work led by Government planned infra and housing and retail consumer demand emerging from smaller cities and rural towns have created a huge demand for economical grade shuttering plywood. The lower density 30 kg shuttering plywood in phenolic grade and commercial MR grade shuttering plywood are fast moving items in today times. The markets are evidently buying 30 percent of shuttering needs from MR category which is helping the film faced plywood sector to survive during post Covid Era. As per reports from Yamuna Nagar, Punjab, UP find that shuttering plywood producers have sufficient order of economical grade Shuttering plywood.
Industry sources confirms that they have 80 percent orders of economical grade shuttering plywood of 30 kg and below, among which they have more demand of MR grade shuttering plywood. A manufacturer from Yamunanagar confirms that he is unable to feed commercial grade film face plywood orders because of unexpected high demand. Plywood machinery manufacturers said to the Ply Reporter correspondents that, there are many queries of Shuttering plywood presses on urgent basis, among most of the presses are of 1000 tons to produce low density shuttering plywood.
The market survey data of ply Reporter team point towards a shift happening, from 30 kg to 28 kg and 24 kg to 21-22 kg plywood. The repetition from this grade is ranging from 3 to 8 times according to shuttering dealers. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, NCR region, Haryana is basically fueling the surge in order book in this weight category. The organized builder category who usually purchase 34 kg plywood are hit after Covid, hence the shift toward lower density has gathered pace among shuttering plywood manufacturers.
Industry sources say that the building construction activities are less in big and metro cities of high rise buildings in Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR where they demand 34 kg and higher density shuttering plywood. Although some reputed builders (who comes under RERA) in this area have started construction at their sites, but their numbers are less. Recently the government of India has allocated some funds to those builders, who works were stopped due to fund crisis, and construction activities at these projects have started in September month, which will good news for good quality shuttering plywood demands. More than a dozen of new presses for shuttering plywood are placed in last two months, and more new presses may come in future with improving sentiments of real estate sector.