12 | Interview: New EPF MD
Matti Rantanen has started as new managing director of the European Panel Federation (EPF). Stephen Powney spoke to him
TAKES THE HELM N
NEW EPF MD
ew European Panel Federation (EPF) managing director Matti Rantanen
knows a thing or two about being prepared for a new role.
When he was just 19, Finnish national Mr Rantanen was elected for service on his local city council. Surrounded by older, more experienced colleagues, he knew it wouldn’t be easy, and he had to meticulously prepare for meetings to demonstrate his aptitude. It’s been a long journey since then for the
40-year-old, who has officially taken the reins of the EPF, the representative body for the European wood-based panels manufacturing industry. Politics, lobbying and working with a variety of industries has given him a deep understanding of how things work in Brussels. It is this skill-set that is likely to help in the new role as he takes the baton from Clive Pinnington, who has effectively led the EPF for a decade and is moving on to pastures new.
“The initial feeling in this industry has
been very positive,” said Mr Rantanen. “It’s an extremely innovative industry
and very interesting to see companies launching different products on the market. The sustainability is still increasing in the product itself.” His attendance at Interzum and Ligna just weeks into the new role gave a rapid education of the demand side and the manufacturing/technical side. At Interzum, the EPF gave a press conference to unveil provisional statistics for European wood- based panels industry production output in 2024.
“It felt like Interzum was quite packed, which gave a positive sign there is interest and demand for wood-based panels,” he added.
“I think people were saying it had been a few challenging years, but no one mentioned to me the challenge would be low demand, but ensuring the raw material availability, whether virgin wood or recycled. “The figures from 2024 show moderate
Above: New EPF MD Matti Rantanen WBPI | June/July 2025 |
www.wbpionline.com
growth [in production] but they are growth despite furniture and construction being a bit behind, which shows wood panels are
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