A Second Film Faced Plywood Line and the Sales Year That Followed

Client Background

Film faced plywood is the shuttering panel used for concrete formwork. It is bought by formwork contractors and hire fleets who judge it on cost per pour rather than cost per sheet, and it is a product where supply reliability matters because a site cannot pause while panels are found.

Project Challenge

Formwork demand is project-driven and arrives in blocks. A supplier working from a single production line either turns work away at the peak or stretches lead times until the customer goes elsewhere. Neither is recoverable once a contractor has moved.

Customer Pain Points

• Lead times stretching exactly when a project needs panels
• Panel specification drifting when production is pushed beyond comfortable capacity
• Contractors unable to commit to a programme without a firm delivery date

Our Solution

A second film faced plywood production line was established at the end of 2008. The product range around it is specified in detail rather than sold as one undifferentiated panel: black or brown face, MR or WBP glue, grades A and AA, and four core species — poplar, combi, hardwood and birch — across 9, 12, 18 and 21 mm in both 1220x2440 and 1250x2500 mm sheet sizes.

Final Result

With the second line in place, the company recorded an outstanding sales volume for film faced plywood in 2009.

Customer Benefit

For a formwork buyer, the practical benefit is that the four variables that determine cost per pour — face, glue, grade and core — are all specifiable, and the capacity exists behind them.