The HS Timber Group has announced that it is selling HS Timber Productions Sebes SRL to the German Ziegler Group as part of a share sale. The purchase agreement was signed on April 14, 2023. The completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. The closing of the transaction is expected for the middle of the year after the official approvals. It was agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Ziegler Group also takes over the existing experienced team in Sebes.

The sawmill was the first production site of the HS Timber Group in Romania. “We are happy to have found a successful family business that will continue the lumber production at the site and expand the business,” says Gerald Schweighofer, CEO of the HS Timber Group. “We would like to expressly thank the employees in Sebes for the outstanding performance over the past 20 years.”

For the HS Timber Group, the purchase of Romanian softwood logs has been limited by law to 30 percent of the annual harvest volume for each individual assortment since 2016. Due to the geopolitical situation, the Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are no longer suppliers of raw materials for Romania. Extensive import regulations and rising logistics costs are making timber imports increasingly difficult.

With this step, HS Timber Group is consolidating its continued existence in Romania in the long term and as a result can use the capacities of its existing plants better and more efficiently.

At other locations in Romania, the HS Timber Group operates a sawmill and blockboard plant as well as glued timber production. There are other sawmill locations in Germany and Finland. With further locations under construction, the group is successfully continuing its global expansion.

Stefan Ziegler, Managing Director of the Ziegler Group, is enthusiastic about the new member of the group of companies and the entrepreneur behind it: “HS Timber Productions Sebes SRL was the starting point for the success of the HS Timber Group, which Mr. Schweighofer built up with a lot of entrepreneurship and vision ! We want to continue this success story. I am all the more pleased about the decision to sell this location to us, as we would like to strategically develop the location and my group of companies. True to the philosophy “from tree to house”, the domestic market should benefit, right up to the creation of sustainable living space directly on site!”

The location in the center of Romania is an ideal addition to the sawmill division of the Ziegler Group with the existing production facilities in Germany and Sweden. In addition to high-quality raw materials, the site offers optimal conditions for the group’s purchasing and sales activities, particularly due to its central location. Stefan Ziegler is also looking forward to the more than 650 new employees and the new location: “I am already looking forward to working with the Romanian employees, whose pride is in the local wood and with whom I share my enthusiasm for the raw material would like to share!”

With the Ziegler Group as the owner, the location is to be further strengthened. The always strong roots in the domestic markets should play a central role in further development.

About the HS Timber Group:

The HS Timber Group is a traditional, wood processing company with Austrian roots and strong roots in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Romania. The company processes wood in Germany, Finland and Romania and supplies industrial customers all over the world. www.hs.at

About the Ziegler Group:

The ZIEGLER GROUP has its roots in the northern Upper Palatinate. Since the company was founded in 1948, the core business of the group of companies has been wood processing. Today the group is at home in various areas. Whether wood, logistics or technology – one thing unites the different sectors into one big whole: Stefan Ziegler’s vision – to further promote the construction of intelligent and sustainable wooden houses in Europe. www.ziegler.global

Follow IFI on Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

As part of Combilift’s celebrations for its 25^th anniversary, the Irish materials handling specialist has announced that it is donating its 75,000^th truck – an Aisle Master articulated forklift – to Convoy of Hope, a non-profit humanitarian and disaster relief organization.

Convoy of Hope works alongside communities and its wide network of volunteers aim to alleviate poverty and hunger and to bring help and hope wherever they are most needed in the world.  As this type of aid is sadly always in demand, operational expansion has also seen a corresponding increase in the requirement for warehousing capacity to accommodate the vast volume of supplies that are stored and ready for delivery to areas in need.

The World Distribution Center is based in Springfield, Missouri, and from this location at the “crossroads of America” truckloads of relief supplies and food are sent on their way across the USA and further afield around the globe. Combilift supplied its first Aisle Master for this site four years ago, and a further three units were delivered last year. Convoy of Hope’s Senior Director – Distribution Jeff Smethers: “A lot of our exponential growth has been down to the Aisle Masters as they enable us to get more loads in and out faster. And thanks to Combilift’s free warehouse layout service and the Aisle Master’s narrow aisle capability we have achieved the best possible storage density and very efficient operation.”

The announcement was made at a gala dinner in Chicago during the ProMat trade fair, and Combilift’s CEO and Co-Founder Martin McVicar said: “The work that Convoy of Hope does is invaluable to relieve suffering around the world and we wanted to make our own contribution by donating our 75,000^th truck to this very worthwhile charity.”

Erick Meier, Senior Vice President – Supply Chain at Convoy of Hope said ”We are so grateful that Combilift and Martin and the whole team have actually given us one of these trucks for our operations. This is going to help people for years – and ensure that every day someone in the world will receive aid – and that brings hope.”

www.combilift.com        https://convoyofhope.org/

About Combilift

Established in 1998 by two of Ireland’s leading engineers, Robert Moffett & Martin McVicar, Combilift celebrates 25 years in business this year, and is recognised as the fastest growing, and largest manufacturer of 4 directional, side loading and articulated forklifts globally.

Alongside the Aisle Master narrow aisle articulated forklift for handling pallets as well as larger loads in warehousing applications, products include the C-series multidirectional range of trucks for handling long loads safely, Straddle Carriers and Mobile Gantries for handling containers or oversized loads, and pedestrian operate stacker trucks. The model range on offer exceeds 50 distinct models with capacities ranging from less than 1 tonne to over 100 tonnes.

The company has continued to be at the forefront of product innovation, keeping one if not many steps ahead of any competition due to continuous annual investment of 7% of its turnover in R&D. From a total of 18 units produced in 1998, over 75,000 units – most of which are customised to individual requirements – have since been sold in more than 85 countries.

To read other Combilift related posts click here.

Follow IFI on Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

USNR and Burton Mill Solutions are perfectly positioned to serve the industry. With over $74 million in inventory and 17 customer service centers across North America.

Their warehouses are stocked with the consumable items and wear parts you need, ready to ship when you need them.

USNR’s buying power has enabled them to negotiate very favorable pricing for brand-name industrial components that are widely used across the industry. Save time and money by consolidating your parts orders with USNR.

USNR and Burton Mill Solutions can save you the shipping cost on some items by having your USNR or Burton representative bring them to you on their scheduled visit. Call your representative to learn more.

To read other Burton Mill Solutions posts click here.

To read other USNR related posts click here.

Follow IFI on Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

EWD is not completely reinventing itself for 2023, rather remembering its strengths. This will also be presented in a confident new corporate image.

Since 1862 the traditional, yet innovative, company with 250 employees in Altötting and Reutlingen has been one of the worldwide leaders in supplying sawmill equipment. With this EWD stands for customer specific, highly efficient and sustainable sawmills, in which people can work safely and with passion.

Commitment to quality, reliability and customer focus count among the most important values within the company and contribute to the positive success.

As seen elsewhere in the industry EWD has enjoyed considerable growth in recent years and has taken several, successful steps towards digitalisation. Despite this the sawmilling industry will face substantial challenges in coming years which will require further, continued development.

The company, always known for realising new possibilities, is facing these challenges and developing a comprehensive vision for the future. For this EWD is drawing on its values and experience from the last 160 years and combining these with a large portion of innovative spirit and willingness for development.

This will also be reinforced in a new, confident company image.

The previous EWD logo, with the letters outlined will change to three solid, bold letters. They reflect the stability of  the company within the market and build a solid base. The company colour remains the timeless, elegant grey of the trusted machines and shows technical and classical values.

The new external image can be seen in different channels in the future. Already at the end of 2022 the new EWD Linkedin channel was launched. A TikTok presence is also planned to target future talent. The next step in the plan is an optimized Internet presence, which reflects the relevance of the company EWD online.

However, in all you will repeatedly find the future company values: Tradition AND Innovation, Awareness of the past AND Future orientation, Stability AND Flexibility

Follow IFI on Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Pfeifer Group, Austria has invested in Raute’s latest panel repairing technology. The automated Panel Repair Station R5, including the latest machine vision technology, will be used for repairing 2,1×5,2m three-ply massive wood panels with polyurethane filler. With the new automated way of repairing, Pfeifer is able to save repair material and labor, increase capacity, and secure constant panel quality.

Raute was selected for being the one-stop shop from design to all the way to installation. The line will be delivered in December 2023.

To read other Pfeifer group posts click here.

To read other Raute posts click here.

Follow IFI on Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Raute Corporation has signed a contract worth EUR 49.6 million with Lumin in Uruguay for the technology delivery of a new plywood mill. This project was earlier referred to in the stock exchange release dated March 9, 2023 (Raute plans directed share issue, rights issue and junior loan to support targeted growth and strengthening of capital structure and proposes combination of share classes). Following the receipt of an advance payment for the project it has become effective as of today.

Lumin will build a green-field plywood mill in Melo, Cerro Largo, Uruguay. The new mill will increase their plywood production capacity from 304 000 m3 to nearly 500 000 m3, making Lumin the second largest plywood producer in South America.

The order for Raute’s technology includes all main production processes to this new eucalyptus plywood mill: a log handling line, a veneer peeling line, two veneer drying lines with grading, three veneer composing lines, two plywood lay-up lines, two plywood pressing lines, panel repairing and sawing lines with extensive service package and long-term on-site management. All lines are of the most modern automated R7-Series technology equipped with analyzers for grading and MillSIGHTS software for data capturing.

“We are very pleased to receive this order, which shows our ability to serve our customers as a complete, one-stop-supplier. Lumin is our long-term customer with multiple technology deliveries from Raute over the years”, says Mika Saariaho, CEO of Raute.

The ordered machinery and equipment will be delivered between February 2024 and June 2025. They will be manufactured at Raute’s production units in Lahti and Kajaani in Finland, and in the company’s partnership network.

This new mill, which will be in full operation in 2026, is part of Lumin’s strategy to capitalize on the growing global demand for sustainable timber products for the construction and furniture sectors. On the other hand, they are giving added value in Uruguay, instead of exporting timber, to the tree farms that they have been sustainably managing for more than 15 years in Cerro Largo and Treinta y Tres.

Lumin, employing 780 people, is a leader in forestry and forest products in Uruguay. With more than 25 years of experience it manages 120 000 hectares of timberland and has two plywood mills in Uruguay. Lumin is dedicated to the sustainable production of plywood panels destined for international markets. It is owned by a consortium of long-term investors.  www.lumin.com

Photo:  Render of the new plywood mill in Melo, Cerro Largo, Uruguay (© LUMIN)

To read other Raute Corporation posts click here.

Follow IFI on Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram