Misunderstood wood

It's a woody experience with Matimco

By: Bettina

Whether it’s deciding on what materials to use for your home or on taking a stand on caring for the environment, it’s all about making informed choices. And when we talk about the use of wood for either of these two purposes, Matimco Incorporated definitely knows best.

A Cebu-based wood processing operations company, Matimco has been around for almost 50 years and counting. They started off with making wooden cases for beer and soft drinks then eventually expanded to a wider range of wood products for construction purposes. Their perfect combination of constant innovation and a great sense of corporate citizenship is what makes Matimco the leader in the wood processing industry today. With brands like Matwood, PCW, Weatherwood and their latest brand Trusswood, Matimco takes the genuine and novice wood users alike to a whole new level of appreciation for wood.

Why wood SHOULD be used

With the height of severe global weather changes and the effects of global warming daunting us, we’ve come up with so many ways to help out and be an eco-friendly individual. We are told to save trees, but we usually leave out the fact that we still have to continuously replant more. We get the misconception that if we use more wooden products, we’re wasting trees and we’re not helping the environment –but this is not exactly the case.

“Wood is the most misunderstood construction material,” says Mr. Charlie Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Matimco Incorporated. As the head of the country’s largest wood processing operations company, Mr. Liu has more than just the knowledge about wood to back up his statement.

Mr. Liu says that a tree can only absorb carbon dioxide for up to its 50^th year of existence. Mother Earth gave us that great big tree to last for only a certain period of time to help give us cleaner air –oxygen for us, carbon dioxide for them. Beyond that period, it does not function in that way anymore. To prolong the functionality of trees, they should be used up in many other different ways as wood, and then replaced by a new set of trees. This is how the cycle should work.

Yes, a cycle. Working with wood is a cycle because wood is a renewable resource that many other construction materials are not.

Wood is the only renewable construction material and the greenest product that anyone can use for their home. According to Mr. Liu, the production of wood uses the least amount of energy, making it the construction material with the least amount of carbon dioxide emission or footprint. That is why Matimco wants to promote the use of wood.

Going green is not that difficult. It’s all about making informed decisions. And at this point, this is what Matimco wants to put more emphasis on as it launches its various wooden product lines for the tree and wood lover in you.

Constant wood innovation and flawless expertise

Matimco’s premium product brand Matwood was created for those who give immense value to gracious living and refined elegance. Celebrating its 10^th Anniversary, the brand recently launched its newest line of pre-stained door designs, classic floor boards and cabinets. Its new and improved line is pre-stained in a rose color making it a more sophisticated choice.

Matwood flooring

PCW is Matimco’s more affordable, durable yet still superior line of engineered wood. Their products range from frames, mouldings, doors, handrails, cabinet doors and fascia boards. These are already pre-coated, making PCW a more convenient, time & cost-efficient alternative for those who still want to use wood for their homes but are on a fairly good budget.

PCW for your doors, doorways, cieling, etc.

If you’re into the outdoor lifestyle and still want to feel like you’re on vacation even when you’re just at home, then you can make a wise investment in extending your living space with Matimco’s WeatherWood. The premium outdoor wood, WeatherWood is real timber designed for outdoor exposure with product lines for in-ground or above-ground designs. Whether it’s a deck, gazebo or trellis you want made for your own home, WeatherWood is the 100% authentic architectural timber you’d want to use. All three of these brands use the double vacuum technology Osmos, a safe timber preservation treatment to ensure the quality of the wood for the longest possible time.

WeatherWood for your patio

WeatherWood for your pool area

As for the latest addition to Matimco’s branded wood products, Trusswood, is the tropic-friendly alternative to design structures that’s another inspiring innovation that only Matimco can establish. First of its kind here in the Philippines, Trusswood combines the versatility of wood and the strength of steel in its prefabricated lines of roof, floor and wall frame truss systems.

Trusswood: Strong, Easy, Fast building technology

Trusswood is backed up by the best wood treatments for prolonged safety and preservation using high quality Light Organic Solvent Preservative (LOSP). But the best thing about it is that it is also run by the most advanced software system as a design tool for builders provided by Matimco’s building partner, MiTek Asia. Its prefabrication technology as a building system solution produces just the most reliable layouts for builders, assuring any client that every detail of what is to be built will be cost-effective and material-efficient all through-out, beginning from Day 1.

Launching the very first Trusswood model house as a showroom in Frontera Verde, Pasig, Matimco shows off the strength of design and structure which Trusswood is able to offer.

It took the builders of Matimco less than 50 days to build the 160 sq. meter Trusswood model house, beginning the construction in August 1, 2010 and finishing it last September 9, 2010. The model house made the best use of wooden trusses and steel for its roof, floor and wall frames, as well as a design for the top of its staircase. It will be used not only as a showroom but also as a venue for meeting with clients, designers, architects and engineers for the months to come.

According to Mr. Billie Arrienda, Matimco’s Marketing Director, the whole concept of Trusswood has only been in the Philippines for almost a year and Matimco is still in the process of market education about the efficiency and versatility of using the truss technology. Amidst competition in this level of innovation, if there may be any, Billie said, “We want to approach it from the technology side,” putting emphasis on the difference in quality and originality that can only be found in a brand like Matimco.

And when it comes to talks about sustainable development, Matimco is never last to commit too. “It’s all about responsible forest management,” Mr. Liu said, when asked about Matimco’s sustainability efforts. Other than the fact that the timber that Matimco uses for their products are imported from countries with excellent reforestation programs like New Zealand, Brazil and Australia to preserve what’s left of what we have here in the country right now, they also support and initiate a number of plantation projects in the different parts of the Philippines.

The TrussWood Showroom House

With enduring strength in its constant sense of ingenuity for all things wood, it is true. “Matimco is wood. Wood is Matimco.”