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| DuBois-based firm ships hardwoods around the world |
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2008/10/7
DUBOIS - P.V. Trading and P.V. International are family-owned businesses manufacturing and exporting Pennsylvania and U.S. hardwoods worldwide.
The company was established by Paul Vrielynck in 1987.
"I was born in Belgium and I always worked in the furniture or wood industry there. It is huge in Belgium," Vrielynck said. "In the 1980s I decided to come to work as a plant manager in West Virginia in a plant who exported to Belgium and Europe. A couple years later, I decided to start my own company because I knew all of the players."
A Pennsylvania mill sponsored him while he gained his citizenship. Now, he is a U.S. citizen and lives in DuBois.
P.V. Trading and P.V. International are two companies working together for the benefit of both and exclusively with one another.
"At first we were just shipping to Europe. Later on, my son-in-law Dean (Harman) and our daughter (Ann Harman) came on board and we started shipping to the whole world," Vrielynck said. "P.V. International works exclusively in sales for P.V. Trading."
The two companies have three employees who manage business. In total, the group speaks five different languages fluently and has 35 years of experience in the industry.
P.V. Trading specializes in 4/4 rough white oak ripped to width strips and rough white oak dimensions for the flooring, molding, cabinet and furniture industries. The company also produces width and length solutions using other species such as red oak, hard or soft maple, poplar, walnut, cherry and white ash.
Aside from 4/4 and dimensions, the company creates lumber, strips, flitches, squares, logs, and stave material for wine barrels using contract facilities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.
Dean Harman of P.V. International said "contract" means P.V. Trading and International do not own the facilities.
"We sell exclusively their material for the export market," Harman said.
To which Vrielynck added, "The companies are making a product which we create. The one company in southern Pennsylvania has been manufacturing for almost 20 years a product we created. In other words, we have a lot of people working for us, but they aren't on our payroll."
Vrielynck said this is a favorable way of operating because the manufacturer and P.V. Trading are aware of their costs, and the facility has control over the production process.
In total, P.V. Trading produces about 6 million board feet for export.
"P.V. Trading oversees two hardwood and dimension productions, manufacturing a total of 3 million board feet of export lumber. An additional 3 million board feet is procured from other Pennsylvania and U.S. companies," Harman said.
With 100 percent of their customer base being found abroad, P.V. Trading exports more than 350 containers on hardwood products on average each year. The markets for these product can be found in: Malta, Indonesia, Spain, Belgium, France, Portugal, Germany, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
Harman said travel is one of the perks and necessities of the business. The company's managers travel extensively by themselves and in conjunction with North Central Regional Planning and Development Commission to connect with existing customers and develop new business.
"We are constantly looking to expand our customer base, and because we work with smaller companies we are able to make adjustments and adapt to the requirements our customers call for," Harman said. "The bottom line is that is our saving grace - the people we work with are willing to conform to the demand that is required."
Hands-on inspection, quality control and strict attention to detail are what the owners say sets P.V. Trading apart from other businesses in the industry.
"In our particular business, we follow the market because we know the market so well. We try to be the first to come up with a new product," Vrielynck said. "We specialize in width and length solutions.
Both Harman and Vrielynck agree the most obvious advantage of working in a global market is the vast customer base available to the company.
"The specialized products we produce are geared for the world market," Harman said.
Despite the increased customer base, P.V. Trading faces many hurdles, of which the largest is the increased cost of fuel.
"The end price of the product hasn't come down with the weakening of the dollar because we have to raise the price because of the high ocean freight and trucking," Vrielynck said. "The price of the trucking was $500 up until last month (January). Today it is $1,000. Price increases have to reflect in the price of the final product."
Competition with other companies is also an ever-present challenge for the company as larger companies are constantly trying to create the same products as P.V. Trading.
Customer needs are also ever-changing.
"The customers are always looking for an alternative product. For example, if the white oak is too expensive then they can look at red oak, Vrielynck said. "It is always changing."
Another challenge noted by Harman, is in the domestic wood industry - there are fewer people seeking careers in the lumber industry. Additionally, government regulations on where natural resources can be harvested from and how they are harvested, while important, hinder the ways business is done and its costs.
"Ultimately, our competitive advantage is our unique specialization in white oak and our ability to conform to changes in the world market," Vrielynck said.
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