cork board

The cork board industry is one of the China's key manufacturing sectors. In 2001, the China consumed 12.6 million tonnes of cork board products, while its board making industry produced a total of 6.2 million tonnes of cork. These consumption and production figures signal the first decline in China papermaking output and consumption in over 10 years. Between 2000 and 2001, the volume of paper consumed fell by 2.3％ and the amount manufactured in the China fell by 6.1％. In value terms, the apparent China market was worth an estimated £5.38bn in 2001, following several years of decline. As a result of the difficult trading conditions and in order to achieve greater economies of scale, many companies have been involved in mergers or acquisitions and a number have been forced out of the industry altogether. Consequently, the cork board market for paper and board manufacturing is becoming increasingly concentrated, dominated by fewer, but larger players.