Westcoast International Trading, a leading wood-products importer, spent about Bt200 million to take a 5.63-per-cent interest in Singha Paratech, paying Bt11 a share.

Kittiphat said the northern US and Canada were the two key markets Westcoast had committed to opening up. "We hope the Canadian wood-importer will enable Singha Paratech to plan production properly and design wood products that fit the market."

The two markets look promising due to changing consumer behaviour in Canada and rising demand by residents moving to the northern US after increasing hurricane activity in the South.

Canadians are stripping out the carpeting in their houses and using wood flooring instead. Using natural materials for home decoration is also very strong trend in the northern US, Kittiphat said.

Westcoast considers Singha Paratech an essential partner because Singha Paratech is one of only three companies in the world that can produce wood floors made from splinters with various graphics. The other companies are in Indonesia and the Czech Republic.

The two firms will today discuss what Westcoast will do for Singha Paratech and how much in sales Westcoast promises for the two markets.

At an early stage, the two partners will build a third plant at Singha Paratech's manufacturing facility.

Kittiphat could not remember what percentage of his company's sales came from the northern US but said sales from the US as a whole accounted for 1.73 per cent of the company's total sales. Sales from Canada make up 2.3 per cent.

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation