10 | News
Engineered wood giant Steico sees annual revenues stabilise in 2024 to €376.3m
weak construction industry. Steico’s 2024 revenue increased to €376.3m (2023: €365.3m), while EBITDA was €79.8m (2023: €57.7m). “The construction industry
Above: Steico I-joists
Engineered wood and wood fibre insulation manufacturer Steico Group has reported €376.3m annual 2024 revenue – a 3% growth and “stabilisation” of the business, according to its latest financial report. The company’s report, published on May 7, says the business continues to face a very challenging environment due to the
continued to be weak, and the competitive environment was tense,” it added. The company management does not yet expect a sustained recovery in the construction industry for 2025 as a whole. Revenue increased by 6.2%
to €101.8m in the first quarter 2025 (Q1, 2024: € 95.9m). At €97.5m, total operating performance was up 4.7% on the previous year (€ 93.2m). The reasons for this growth are the relative strength of timber construction, the rising refurbishment activity in many markets and the increasing market penetration in attractive growth markets and segments.
Dieffenbacher approves Metalube’s next-generation chain and belt oils for continuous presses
Metalube, the global high- performance lubricants supplier, has announced that its Metachain CB-310 and Metachain CB-633 oils have received full approval from continuous press manufacturer Dieffenbacher. Metalube said its Metachain CB-310, formulated for bending rods and chains, and Metachain CB-633 for belts and rollers, are designed for modern press environments presenting ever-increasing challenges, including higher thermal stress, longer lubrication cycles, and greater mechanical loads. The development of
Metachain CB-310 and CB-633 involved laboratory testing and extensive real-world trials using advanced analytical
WBPI |
techniques such as high- pressure differential scanning calorimetry (HP-DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and oscillating friction and wear (SRV) testing. “Approval from
Dieffenbacher represents a significant achievement and highlights the technical excellence of our Metachain range,” said Matthew Buffin, commercial manager at Metalube. “We have developed these lubricants specifically to cope with the extreme conditions present in today’s continuous presses, and this endorsement reinforces our commitment to helping customers maximise efficiency and reduce total cost of ownership.”
June/July 2025 |
www.wbpionline.com Above: The new design centre is in Clerkenwell
Peter Kaindl, managing director of Kronospan, attended the official opening of the new Kronospan Design Centre in London.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new design centre located in London’s historic Clerkenwell district, with the event led by Michael Mueller, Austria’s trade commissioner and commercial counsellor. As well as Mr Kaindl, also
in attendance were Ludwig Scheiblreiter, the CEO of Kronospan UK, and Ben Spruce, the chief financial officer.
The new design centre is in an area home to many creative businesses, interior designers, and architects. “We hope that this space will become more than just a showroom, but a dynamic environment where ideas come to life,” the company said.
The first wood fibre insulation materials are now being successfully produced at the new plant in Gromadka, Poland. Investment in upgrading and improving existing facilities is ongoing across the group to improve productivity, reliability and energy efficiency. Steico’s product range includes I-Joists, wood fibre insulation boards, hardboard, LVL and air-injected insulation. The geographic division
comprising the UK, Ireland, Australia and the US saw revenues fall by 0.6% to €69.5m (previous year: €69.9m). This corresponds to 18.5% of group revenues. By product grouping, sales of I-joists recorded negative growth in 2024 with revenues of €48.9m (2023: €50.2m). This corresponds to 13% of total revenues and a downturn of 2.6%. This downturn is due to
factors including lower prices for traditional construction timber.
In 2024 sales of LVL
amounted to € 42.6m (2023: € 41.3m) or around 11.3% of total revenues. This corresponds to an increase of 3.1%.
The sale of wood fibre insulation materials and air- injected insulation for building insulation and flooring is STEICO SE’s core business and accounted for 67.1% of total revenues in 2024 (€252.6m), compared to €239.1m in the previous year. This corresponds to an increase of 5.7%.
Production volume totals for 2024 were: I-Joists – 10,169trm (2023: 9,101trm); insulation materials – 298,691t (2023: 272,097t), LVL – 118,643m3
(2023: 107,454m3
and hardboards – 23,168t (2023 – 20,724t).
Kronospan opens new design centre in London’s trendy Clerkenwell district
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