TEKCOM gains priority access to hevea veneer and plywood supply in Cambodia

The MoU is designed to create two complementary supply channels for the Vietnam-based plywood manufacturer: locally produced hevea veneer for TEKCOM’s wider manufacturing system and plywood made in Cambodia for furniture, interior and other plywood-based applications.

Photo courtesy of TEKCOM

Across Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) units in Cambodia, rubber plantations entering the replanting cycle are expected to total about 4,000 hectares a year from 2027. Chu Se – Kampong Thom Rubber expects around 600 ha under its management to enter replanting in 2027, rising to an average of about 1,000 ha annually from 2028.

The projected volumes point to a sizeable future resource base and a broader effort to move rubberwood beyond primary use into higher-value veneer and plywood products.

From latex to timber

Hevea is the market name commonly used for rubberwood from Hevea brasiliensis–the same tree tapped for natural rubber latex before being harvested when plantations are replanted. VRG is seeking to increase the value created from both latex and timber over the full life cycle of the tree.

Under the MoU, the companies will conduct field assessments and study veneer production and drying, plywood manufacturing technology, equipment selection, quality control, workforce training, traceability and product development.

Photo courtesy of TEKCOM

The framework also gives TEKCOM priority purchase rights for veneer and plywood produced from hevea resources managed by Chu Se – Kampong Thom Rubber, subject to agreed specifications and commercial terms.

The first route would supply veneer into TEKCOM’s broader plywood network; the second would develop Cambodia-origin plywood for selected furniture, interior and other plywood-based programmes.

The parties also plan to link timber to plantation plots and standardise records covering land use, harvesting, transportation and origin. VRG’s experience in PEFC plantation management is expected to support due-diligence requirements in regulated markets, including markets subject to the European Union Deforestation Regulation.

Cambodia joins a broader ASEAN manufacturing strategy

The Cambodia initiative sits within TEKCOM’s strategy to develop regional manufacturing partners across ASEAN, including Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia. The model is designed to match local raw materials and production capabilities with defined product programmes, giving customers more manufacturing-origin options and helping manage supply concentration as tariff and non-tariff barriers change.

“International buyers are looking for supply continuity, transparent origin and greater sourcing flexibility,” said Vu Quang Huy, CEO of TEKCOM. “By combining VRG’s hevea resource base with TEKCOM’s plywood technology, quality systems and market access, Cambodia can become an additional regional platform for veneer and plywood.”

On August 19, a delegation from the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City and VRG visited TEKCOM to review rubberwood demand, technical specifications, expected volumes, supply stability, traceability and opportunities to connect VRG resources more directly with wood-processing companies.

Photo courtesy of TEKCOM

The meeting placed the MoU within a wider industry effort to raise the value of rubberwood. It also reflected VRG’s direction to develop rubber plantations for both latex and timber as the group pursues double-digit annual growth.

The MoU will now move into a technical phase. A joint working team is expected to complete field surveys within 60 days and prepare a technology proposal and investment estimate within 120 days, before the parties negotiate specific implementation agreements.

If implemented, the project will extend TEKCOM’s supply base from plantation-level hevea to veneer and Cambodia-produced plywood, while adding another production node to its regional ASEAN manufacturing network.

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