Opening new doors: Indian product trial shows promising market opportunity for B.C. hemlock
Gayatri Doors establishes commercial production using finger jointed and edge glued (FJEG) hemlock panels made in India.
As a result of a successful product trial with FII India, the Hyderabad-based door and door-frame manufacturer has secured an order for 3500 door jambs made with hemlock finger jointed and edge glued panels and plans to continue scaling up its use of this affordable B.C. wood species.
Finger jointed and edge glued panels (FJEG) is a type of wood joinery that involves joining many pieces of short wood together to form a longer board so that the grain of each piece runs in the same direction. The longer pieces are then edge glued together which creates a wider flat panel that can be utilized in a variety of applications. This type of joinery is often used to create furniture, cabinetry, and other wood items where a strong, long-lasting joint is needed.
The initiative was part of the “Try Canadian Wood” program and supported by Forestry Innovation Investment’s India team, who have had a long-standing relationship with the company. The manufacturer has experience using other B.C. wood products including yellow cedar and Douglas-fir.
With more than 25-years’ experience in the industry, Gayatri Doors has three factories for door and door frame manufacturing, producing more than 10,000 flush door and 5000 door frames per month. As a result of the successful trials, the company has secured additional dedicated factory space for making the finger-jointed and edge glued hemlock panels.
Gayatri Doors had previously tried a range of options, including local species—but the results were not satisfactory or commercially viable. That’s when they turned to Canadian species, and specifically hemlock as a material that offered greater affordability, fast and efficient bonding and machining. Sustainably sourced and certified Hemlock provided the flexibility to use a range of colours and types of coatings.
“It was an excellent journey and experience working with Canadian Wood (FII India). The team is always helpful and quick to respond to any query whether technical or commercial. The suggestions received were neutral and unbiased. They organized technical visits and helped us in connecting with some industry experts of FJEG to help us in this trial,” according to the company.
Gayatri Door said their positive experience working with FII India in the past gave them the confidence to conduct the product trial. The company has purchased seven containers of hemlock for post-trial production, with plans to buy more.
