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Above left: Swiss Krono has been considering a new OSB plant in France Above right: The Sully plant of Swiss Krono in France


to continue in Q2. January was not as good as it expected, but February and March had shown some improvement, continuing into April. “We are selling everything we make, but prices have been bumbling along the bottom across Europe for the past 12 months,” the contact said. “The only way is up, it’s just a question of when. “All European manufacturers are putting their prices up and we are likely to see a decrease in volumes coming to the UK, particularly if Germany picks up,” he said. Contacts on the important UK market


predicted OSB demand and prices increasing. “That price increase is desperately needed,” one trader told WBPI. “OSB volumes are currently only fractionally up on 2020, and I believe the only way is up.” If the UK government’s push for more housing is realised, even 100,000 to 150,000 units will lead to increased demand for OSB.


PROJECTS Moving on to capacity developments, we start with the news that Kronospan started production at a €200m new OSB mill in Rivne, Ukraine at the end of 2024. The new plant, which follows an earlier particleboard facility investment at the same location, has the capacity to manufacture 700,000m³ of OSB panels annually. Approximately 60% of these panels will be exported to key markets in the EU and the US. The investment is part of a larger


commitment to the Rivne plant, totalling €563m, demonstrating Kronospan’s dedication to expanding manufacturing


capabilities and supporting Ukraine’s economic growth.


The project originally started in 2018, with machines and components delivered by Dieffenbacher in 2019. Its scope of delivery included the forming station, forming line, CPS+ press, the whole finishing end, and the plant’s electrics and automation. The project was already delayed for several reasons before the war in Ukraine, with the latter also complicating matters. Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime


Minister of Ukraine, visited the plant as part of an official recognition of the start of production. “Who invests during a war?” she said. “It’s a question often posed by those who haven’t witnessed Ukraine’s determination to overcome adversity. Companies like Kronospan offer a powerful answer.” Kronospan is also investing at its Tortosa


site, adding an OSB mill where it has previously started particleboard production. The expected completion is in 2025-2026, so we would expect an update in the near future.


The €150m investment, which will utilise


recycled wood, will give an estimated capacity of 360,000m3


.


The project serves to underline the prominent role Kronospan is playing in wood- based panels mill development. The Group has more than 50 mills worldwide and a workforce of more than 15,000 employees. Swiss Krono has been expanding several of its existing OSB mills in major investments. We can report that expansion and


improvement projects at Swiss Krono’s Sully- sur-Loire in France and Vásárosnamény in Hungary have been completed.


The former expansion adds approximately 150,000m3


to the plant’s capacity, while the


extension at Vásárosnamény adds about 250,000m3


. Contractor SGS Industrial Services


confirmed completion of the Hungary project, saying it took 11 months and included the mechanical assembly of a drum dryer, the wet chip bunker, the energy system, screening area, as well as the machines for wood processing and the expansion of the continuous press. The existing combustion chamber from 2015 has been also dismantled and reassembled during the same period. Swiss Krono’s OSB plant in Zary, Poland is also being expanded, while an earlier investment saw the Heiligengrabe factory’s capacity increased. The Group’s plans also involve new greenfield OSB production plant investment in western Europe.


It has been exploring a new OSB mill


development the Lot-et-Garonne region. A website for the project – Orpinia – is operational and meetings have been held. RTE is also leading the project to connect the plant to the electricity grid. Industry news publication EUWID has recently reported that Swiss Krono is no longer pursuing the project for the time being.


A preliminary consultation on this project was held from September 2 to October 18, 2024, under the auspices of the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP). Following the preliminary consultation, Swiss Krono and RTE decided to continue their dialogue with local residents and


www.wbpionline.com | April/May 2025 | WBPI


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