Development of Pre-cut Factories in Okinawa, Japan

Abstract

Generally, housing structures in Okinawa Prefecture are reinforced concrete structures, but wooden structures, which are common in Japan, are rarely constructed. However, a previous study reported that there was a movement to export pre-cut lumber for housing construction in Okinawa from 1990s onward. The proportion of wooden structures in housing starts had increased mainly in detached homes, and after two pre-cut factories were established in the special economic zone of Okinawa in 2015-2016, it increased further. This study was conducted to clarify the relationship between two pre-cut factories and increased demand for wooden structures in Okinawa through an interview survey of business managers. Both factories had the purpose to respond to the growing demand in Okinawa and reduce distributional disadvantage, but only one factory was involved in exports used the promotion measures. Whether to export affected the selection of materials and the location of the factory. Both factories primarily used kiln-dried wood and/or laminated timber to supply strong and high-quality wooden houses as typhoon and earthquake countermeasures. Unfortunately, the production capacity of each factory was restricted due to the shortage of labor. Moreover, the purchase demand for the heat utilization of woody biomass in Okinawa was not sufficient to justify the processing cost of industrial waste, such as sawdust.