8 | News
Lumin’s third plywood mill takes shape in US$136m construction project in Uruguay
nearly 500,000m3 . Above: Lumin team inspects building progress
The construction of Lumin’s third plywood mill in Uruguay is progressing, with 30% of the mechanical installation
completed in July. Lumin is investing US$136m in the new mill to expand production capacity to
The Lumin team was recently on site in Melo, Cerro Largo to check on the construction progress. “We have reached some major milestones in July, having completed 30% of the mechanical installation of the production machinery and completing the installation of both the log infeed system and the green veneer peeling line,” the company commented. “The team’s visit was a chance to see the progress first-hand and to reflect on significance of this project for
Egger “defies” markets with solid set of financial results
Egger Group has reported a 9.7% growth in EBITDA to €541.3m for the 2024/25 financial year, despite challenging markets. The company said it is bucking the trend with its solid financial performance, coupled with significant investment plans in capacities – particularly the €200m spend on the Markt Bibart particleboard plant in Germany. Egger generated a group- wide annual turnover of €4.13bn, -0.1% down on the previous year, with the company citing economic downturn, a weak construction sector, global conflicts and uncertainties as the challenges faced during the period. EBITDA margin was 13.1% (previous year: 11.9%). At 42.8%, the equity ratio remains at a high level. “Although we would like
to see a more ambitious development, we can be really satisfied given the economic environment,” said Thomas Leissing, chief financial officer Egger Group and speaker of the group management. “Stability in such volatile
times is a significant achievement. We would like to thank our 11,860 employees for this. Our global team proves once again that Egger is not only crisis-proof but even uses crises as an opportunity,” added Mr Leissing. The Decorative Products division (products for furniture and interior design) generated an unconsolidated turnover of €3.647bn (+0.5% compared to the previous year), while the Building Products division’s (products for wood construction and flooring) turnover totalled €705.4m (+0.1% compared to the previous year). The Egger Group produced 10.8 million m3
of wood-
based materials and timber in the 2024/2025 financial year (previous year: 10.4 million m3
).
Egger invested €435m (previous year: €568.6m), with €200m being invested in Markt Bibart (in sustainability, upgrading and automation) by 2026.
The first expansion stage is already well advanced, with the new recycled
WBPI | August/September 2025 |
www.wbpionline.com
wood processing facility for chipboard production beginning operations in a few weeks. The company reported a particularly weak development in its core markets in western and central Europe in the building products segment, and also in downstream decorative products. This resulted in strong price
and volume competition, but Egger said it was able to hold its own in this environment. “The markets in eastern
Europe and overseas, particularly Asia, have developed positively in the past financial year,” said Michael Egger Jr, chief sales officer.
The plant in Lexington, North Carolina, US, also delivered an improvement in earnings. Egger has a cautious outlook for the 2025/2026 financial year, expecting the weak economy, subdued demand in the construction sector and challenging geopolitical conditions to continue. However, the group says it does see initial signs of economic stabilisation.
our company and the wider community.”
The expansion, which will create more than 320 jobs, started in 2023 and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026. This new investment
complements investments of US$48m made in recent years into the company’s existing facilities, which includes the construction of a thin peel line and a new warehouse facility. Lumin currently employs 780 people and produces 304,000m3
of plywood per
year at its two existing plants in Tacuarembó.
Stefan Zipf becomes new CTO at Dieffenbacher
German machine and plant manufacturer Dieffenbacher has appointed Stefan Zipf, head of the Wood Business Unit, to the company’s management board.
On March 1, 2026, Mr Zipf will also transition into the role of chief technical officer (CTO) while remaining head of the Wood Business Unit. Lothar Fischer, who’s served
as CTO since March 2018, will continue at Dieffenbacher on a project and advisory basis from March 1, 2026. “Mr Fischer has achieved a lot in his tenure as CTO. He has strengthened our supply chains and further expanded our global production network,” said Dieffenbacher CEO Christian Dieffenbacher. “We thank Mr Fischer for
his commitment and tireless efforts over the past eight years and look forward to our continued collaboration.” New CTO Stefan Zipf has
worked at Dieffenbacher for 28 years.
News
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