Cameroon United Forests celebrates 25 years

Cameroon United Forests is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. Look back at the history of a growing company.

March 1991. Cameroon United Forests, soon nicknamed “CUF”, has just been officially founded. It brings together 15 forestry workers under the management of a single man, Antoine Darazi. The company acquires sub-contracted forests that allow it to produce 2,500 m3 of timber per month in the first year. It got its first logging Agreement in 1992. In that year, its turnover reached 250 million CFA francs by selling its production exclusively to the local market.

March 2016. 25 years later, Cameroon United Forests has more than 700 employees in its ranks, distributed among the 7 plots it owns in the South Cameroon region (5 own, 2 in partnership), the industrial sawmill of Ebolowa and the Top management, which is based in Douala. It produces an average of 17,000 m3 of logs per month, 7 times more than at its inception, and exports to Asia, Europe and other countries on the continent. Its turnover is close to 12 billion CFA francs.

Major investments

In the meantime, Cameroon United Forests has worked hard and made major investments to achieve this result. It acquired its first Forestry Planning Unit (FMU 09019) in 2000. It was among the first companies to voluntarily enter the OLB (Timber Origin and Legality) certification, in the early 2000s.

In 2008, it opened a «Transport» department which now owns 32 trucks and has its own technical workshop at the Headquarters in Douala. Two years later, it opened a sawmill in Ebolowa to be able to process part of its production locally and thus respond to the industrialization policy advocated by the Head of State. Over the past five years, the sawmill has experienced remarkable growth in its activity, from a production of 9,000 m3/year of sawn wood in 2010 to 32,000 m3/year in 2015, thanks to the acquisition in 2011 of a second sawing line.

The sawmill also has three drying cells with a capacity of 560 m3 of wood per month, which reduce the risk of wood spoilage. It also has its own potting service before transport to the Autonomous Port of Douala. A provision that helps speed up the export and delivery procedures for customer orders.

Always stay more competitive

But CUF does not intend to stop there. Driven by the desire to remain ever more competitive, a third, more modern sawing line has been purchased and is being installed. This will increase the production of processed wood to 5,000 m3 per month over the next few months.

An unwinding unit and a parquet one will allow it to offer both on the local and international market a finished product of superior quality directly usable, in addition to its finished products of 2nd processing (Decking boards, planked trusses that serve as floor support etc.) Finally, the upcoming acquisition of three additional drying cells will double the production of dried wood or “KD” (kiln dried).

In 25 years, the CUF has invested a lot to grow, but it has mainly invested in the know-how and abilities of each employee, to help them thrive, improve their living conditions and achieve entrepreneurial excellence. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!