When it comes to hardwood plywood and hardwood veneer products in North America, Columbia Forest Products is by far the most recognizable name in the business. Founded over 60 years ago in 1957, CFP has grown to become the single largest manufacturer of hardwood veneer and hardwood plywood products on the continent.
This success didn’t come overnight, however. Columbia Forest Products has implemented a foolproof strategy of offering a complete array of high-quality products in every plywood species, every core and size category, every combination core, and every particleboard core.
How they Grew to Dominate
CFP began as Klamath Hardwoods in 1957. They employed 43 people and were eventually sold to the Columbia Plywood Corporation in 1963. From there, they continued to expand and eventually were sold to the current owner in 1976, who then changed the name to Columbia Forest Products. From then until now, they’ve continued to expand both the size of their company and the variety of products they offer.
Expansion like this doesn’t come automatically, however. They have achieved their success by offering the highest quality and most varied selection of products in their market. They offer many different types of wood, from Birch to Poplar, Pine, Walnut, Cherry, Hickory, Ash, Maple, Red Oak, and more.
They also have an incredibly large range of cuts for their rotary veneers, from 1/30 to 1/42 inches. Their products can be found in the door, decorative plywood, kitchen cabinetry, and profile-wrap industries.
Their Secret to Success
Being a company that deals with wood, CFP could have chosen to implement less than ideal practices when it comes to forest conservation, but they instead chose the opposite route. By working together with the Rainforest Alliance, they ensure that they are doing everything possible to conserve the biodiversity of the lands they use as well as ensuring that sustainable livelihoods can be created through the responsible management of forest land worldwide.
A Vast Array of Products
Columbia Forest Products has also risen to such prominence by offering everything you might need when it comes to hardwood plywoods and hardwood veneer products for wood closet shelving, plywood garage cabinets, and more. They offer plywood finishes, faces, components, and cores.
They also provide whole piece veneers, book matched veneers, slip matched veneers, and spliced veneers. The species that they offer include Alder, Aromatic Cedar, Ash, Basswood, Birch, Cherry, Maple, Pine, Red Oak, and Walnut.
The grades of veneer they have available are select, uniform, natural, paint-grade, and stain-grade. They also offer hardwood veneer logs made from Maple, Cherry, Ash, Northern Red Oak, White Oak, Basswood, Poplar, Hickory, Birch, and Walnut.
Sustainable and Reliable
It’s not every day you see a company dominating its field while also acting as a leader in the field of conservation and eco-friendly practices. Columbia Forest Products has done just that, and continues to expand worldwide as a result.
With a combination of highly-skilled employees, decades of industry-specific wisdom, and a commitment to healthy and eco-friendly growth, it’s safe to say that Columbia Forest Products is one of the most impressive companies operating today.
