The structural use of high-strength veneer-based products requires the development of more performant connections, than those actually used. Great development is going on with glued-in bars. Besides high efficiency, adequate ductility may be achieved, resulting in robust structural components. The presentation will focus in the application of glued-in bars inserted parallel to the grain. Generally individual glued-in bars show a very brittle behaviour. Through special shaping of the steel rod and controlled application of ductile steels, ductile connections with groups of glued-in rods are now realistic. This is shown in typical applications like tension joints, bending joints in beams and trusses. By extending the ductility requirements, plastic design of such connections will now be possible. This opens the way for more performant design of complex structures.