32 | Conference Report: European Panel Federation
BERLIN HOSTS EPF AGM
This year’s EPF AGM in Berlin was an opportunity for the European panels sector to gather and hear about latest industry economic prospects, developments and challenges. WBPI’s Stephen Powney attended the event
T
he European Panel Federation (EPF) AGM is definitely one of the highlights in
the European wood-based panels industry calendar.
Whether it is the latest industry statistics, thought-provoking presentations from sector stakeholders, or the networking and fantastic annual dinner, the event is valuable on multiple levels.
The German capital of Berlin was the setting this year for the June 25-27 event, and it was a case of third time lucky. Two previous attempts to host the event in the Berlin – in 2020 and 2021 – were cancelled due to the pandemic. This year’s event was co-organised by The German Wood-Based Panel Association (VHI), which represents 80% of the German particleboard and fibreboard industry, as well as 95% of the plywood sector and 90% of the interior door industry. Event sponsors were Surteco, BASF, Dieffenbacher, Prefere Resins, and Hywax GmbH. WBPI attended the AGM open session at the Melia Hotel overlooking the River Spree and the annual dinner in Berlin’s mesmerising Natural History Museum, complete with a
dinosaur skeleton taking centre stage. Raw material availability, regulation and
economic prospects were major talking points on the AGM’s open session conference. The publication of the EPF’s 2024-2025 Annual Report at the event gave extensive statistics on the performance of the European wood- based panels industry during 2024. From the stats, summaries and hard- hitting presentations, it is clear that while the panel industry has been through a tough time in the last couple of years, there are some positive glimmers, one being the growth in its market share in the furniture industry during 2024.
The EPF Annual Report 2024-2025 shows the final production figures for the European wood-based panels industry – a 2.7% growth in output during 2024 to 58.1 million m3 The figure is slightly higher than the
.
. The stats have to be viewed in light of a -6.2% reverse in 2023. A key point emphasised by EPF MD Matti Rantanen was that wood-based panels
provisional statistics shared at the Interzum exhibition in May, when production growth was expected to be up 1.9% to 57.4 million m3
increased their market share in 2024, with the product’s usage in the furniture sector growing to 49% (+2% on 2023), despite a -4% reverse in European furniture production during the year. The building industry (including doors and floors) accounted for a declining share of 36% of overall wood- based panels production Final stats show particleboard recorded a 1.5% production growth to 31.3 million m3 in 2024, which was 3% below pre-pandemic levels of 2019. MDF grew 1.9% to 11.3 million m3
and OSB reached 7.1 million m3 – a 5% rise
on the previous year. The EPF’s stats show Germany remains the number one PB producer in EPF countries, with a quoted production output capacity of 4.95 million m3 4 million m3
in 2024, followed by Poland (nearly ) and Italy (3.1 million m3
). The
three countries’ PB production rate compared to 2023 was -2%, +6.9% and 3% respectively. The EPF predicts PB production in 2025 will see growth from several countries, with an estimated target of 32 million m3 (+662,000m3
on 2024).
The report also shows that in PB, the annual production capacity of most
Above: EPF chairman Pablo Figueroa López, Kris Wijnendaele - EPF technical director, and Matti Rantanen, EPF managing director at the EPF AGM
WBPI | August/September 2025 |
www.wbpionline.com
Above: The Melia Hotel in Berlin was the setting for this year’s EPF AGM and conference
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