10 | News
Andritz meets global challenges with satisfactory 2024 results
International technology group Andritz has reported satisfactory annual results despite a continuously challenging market environment.
Andritz, whose technology includes solutions for the MDF sector, reported 2024 group revenue of €8.31bn, just short of the 2023 record high (-4%). Fuelled by Andritz’s strong focus on its Service business, Service revenue continued to grow across all business areas, increasing to 41% (2023: 38%) of total revenue.
The Group’s order intake in 2024 reached a total of €8.28bn, slightly below the previous year (-3%). Pulp & Paper and
Metals declined, while the Hydropower and Environment & Energy business areas saw significant growth, increasing their order intake by 7% and 8%, respectively. Net income remained stable at €496.5m (-1.5%). Looking at the fourth quarter of 2024, order intake picked up considerably to €2.53bn. “Although we were not able
to achieve growth due to the economic headwinds in 2024, we proactively addressed our capacities early on and successfully improved our operating profitability,” said Andritz CEO Joachim Schönbeck. “We are prepared for the challenging conditions to continue but also for emerging opportunities,” he added. Due to the structural changes in certain markets, Andritz is adapting its capacities to the reduced demand.
New top marketing executive for Egger Group
Roland Auer will be the new chief marketing officer at Egger. Mr Auer will strengthen the marketing team from May 1, 2025. The long-standing industry expert worked for Schattdecor for over 30 years, most recently as CEO. In his new position at the
Above: Roland Auer (left) will become chief marketing officer (CMO). He will report direct to Michael Egger Jr (right), chief sales officer Egger Group
Austrian wood-based panel specialist, Roland Auer will report directly to Michael Egger Jr.
Italian particleboard producer Xilopan to close permanently
Above: Particleboard stocks at the Xilopan facility
Italian particleboard manufacturer Xilopan has shuttered production after deciding its panel manufacturing is uncompetitive in the current economic environment, according to Italian news outlets.
Xilopan has been a producer
of chipboard panel products since 1969 and is located in the Po Valley near Milan, manufacturing raw and melamine-faced panels based on poplar. Collettiva, an Italian digital news platform dedicated to the world of work and unions, recently reported the closure, saying the closure decision follows 71 workers being on redundancy pay since last November.
The outlet quoted the general-secretary of the Italian Federation of Wood, Construction, Related and Extractive Industries Workers as saying the business was
WBPI | April/May 2025 |
www.wbpionline.com
closing and employees made permanently redundant, with production costs said to be too high compared to actual revenues.
Another Italian news outlet Milano Pavia News said the factory owners had communicated to unions that production costs were around double the current market prices for particleboard. A March 5 deadline had been set for conclusion of negotiations with employees for severance agreement conditions. Xilopan’s installed capacity is listed as 180,000m3
Lumin orders Raute panel repair technology for plywood mill in Uruguay as part of investment
Above: Lumin plywood production facility situated in Uruguay
Lumin in Uruguay has decided to invest in Raute’s latest panel repairing technology for its plywood production operation. The Raute automated Panel Repair Station R5, which includes advanced machine vision technology, will be used to repair pine and eucalyptus plywood panels.
The equipment will allow
Lumin to save on repair, material and labour costs, increase capacity, and ensure consistent panel quality. The Panel Repair Station R5 is a compact, plug-and-play solution that will be fully tested at Raute’s factory before shipping. “This new project is
in WBPI’s particleboard survey statistics.
significant for Lumin and will enable more stable production at our Tacuarembó Mill,” said Daniel Bidault, mill manager of Lumin. “The investment aligns with our industrial strategy for continuous improvement, focusing on utilising cutting- edge technology to drive efficiencies and minimise environmental impact.” This delivery marks the first time this solution has been supplied to Latin America. The delivery is estimated to take place by the end of 2025.
News
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69
