NPDA Examines Industry Problems

The problems facing the nation's plywoocl distributors \\'ere met head-on at a regional rneeting of the National Plywoocl Distributors Association held at the Sl-reraton-Palace in San Francisco on liriday, December 8. NPDA presiclent, Jack Walker of Birmingham, Alabama, told the group of 65 plywood jobbers that, in his opinion, conclitions enjoyecl by plywood jobbers througl'rout tl-re nation following WWII are little more thatl a pleasant memory norv. "I believe tl.rat we can look for\\rard to selling plywood at only a moderately yearly gross," he told the grorlp, "ancl it is my belief that we are going to have unrlsecl capacity for many years to come. Let's stop right no\\r and try to learn horv to best live rvith this unusecl capacity," prexy Walker rlrged.

Notirrg that NPDA figures covering tl-re clistribution of plywood through legitimate jobber outlets showed a slight increase (over last year) to 72/o of total plywood produced, president \\'alker cxoressed concerlr over an iucreasing amount of plyu'ood being moved on a direct mill basis by tl-re nation's lumber u'holesalers. In the past five years, \\ralker noted, lumber wholesalers have increased their direct n.rill sales of plyrvood from less tharl 5'/o to a current 14% of all domestic plyn'oocl produced.

\\'alker told the group that he felt clistributors should move to meet this competition on the same ground. Although plywood jobbers are at a disadvantage because of higher operating overhead, Walker pointed out that they have an offsetting advantage of being able to take direct car business and combine those shipments with stoPover stock for their o$'n warehouses.

The NPDA president made his canrlicl observations of the problems facirrg today's (and tomorrow's) plywood jobbers in the windup slot of the morning session. The extremely well presented program was organized by NPDA managing director Mahlon X,Iunson, who with Walker brought the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

l-irst speaker on the program was