40 | Sector Focus: Panel Products: Egger
SUMMARY
■ Egger is investing more than €200m at Markt Bibart
■ The Wismar OSB plant has seen capacity grow by 60,000m3
■ The Egger Decorative Collection 26+ responds to market trends
EGGER INVESTS IN KEY FACILITIES
Egger Group is one of Europe’s largest wood-based panels manufacturers. TTJ’s sister
title Wood Based Panels International (WBPI) spoke to Michael Egger Jr, Egger Group Management, Sales/Marketing, about recent plant investments and market dynamics
WBPI: the European wood-based panels industry has been in a state of flux in recent times due to challenging market conditions in the furniture and construction sectors. How do you see prospects in the different market sectors/ export markets? Michael Egger Jr: The overall economic outlook remains challenging, although current market data shows that we may have passed the lowest point. Weak markets, ongoing price pressure, low construction activity and numerous uncertainties – from inflation in Argentina and Turkey to geopolitical conflicts – have been weighing on demand. At Egger, we are responding to these developments with regional diversification, among other measures. Overall, we are content that we were able to secure stability despite these challenges. Markets in Eastern Europe and overseas are developing positively, while in Western and Central Europe we are facing strong competition, which we are answering with efficiency and innovation.
In a challenging economic environment, we continue to focus on sustainability, circular economy and product innovation to consolidate our competitiveness. In these strategic focus areas, we continue to realize extensive investment projects. Despite volatile conditions, there are initial signs of stabilisation.
And so is the outlook for the future – we do not expect any major leaps in the market in 2026. There is a slightly positive trend following stabilisation, both in furniture and interior design and in building products. And we are convinced that we are well prepared for a future economic upturn.
TTJ | Summer 2026 |
www.ttjonline.com
WBPI: Egger has been very active in site investments. Can you bring us up to date on the company’s developments at the Markt Bibart plant? M Egger: In a multi-stage large-scale project, we are investing more than €200m in our plant in Markt Bibart (DE) – one of the largest investment projects in our industry. The focus is on sustainability, upgrading and automation. Implementation is proceeding according to plan, with several milestones already achieved. The Markt Bibart plant was acquired by Egger in autumn 2023 and has since been successfully integrated into the group. Immediately after the acquisition, we began comprehensive investment measures. The new recycled wood processing facility, which enables the use of recycled wood in the production of high-quality particleboard on site, has been gradually ramped up since September 2025. At the end of 2025 the first short-cycle press has also been put into operation. Further groundbreaking project steps are planned until autumn 2026: the creation of additional lamination capacities through a second short-cycle press, the construction of a highly automated high-bay warehouse and a loading hall, and optimisations to existing facilities.
As in all our plants, we are also relying on state-of-the-art technology at the Markt Bibart site. The investment will create around 70 new jobs in Markt Bibart.
The creation of lamination capacities is a major innovation at the plant. The site previously produced raw particleboard with a capacity of up to 650,000m3
per year.
Existing customers will continue to be reliably supplied with raw particleboard of the highest quality. Part of the production volume will be coated with immediate effect.
This investment will ensure sustainable utilisation of production capacities. We are convinced of the great potential of the Markt Bibart plant. Together with our employees and partners, we are developing the plant into a state-of-the-art wood-based materials location. Markt Bibart will play an important strategic role within the Group. We are proud that we are making progress with the construction work at record speed. This is a major and successful team achievement.
WBPI: The Wismar OSB factory has also seen investment. Can you outline the developments there and how it improves efficiency/capacity at the plant? M Egger: Two major investments were made at the Wismar (DE) plant. The first was in the resin plant and the second in the modernisation of the OSB facility. With an investment of around €48m, we have fundamentally improved our OSB facility. Spreading, mat preheating, pressing and extraction have been brought up to the latest technical standards. The result: an increase in production of around 60,000m3 of OSB per year to 460,000m3 and improved working conditions for the workforce. A particular highlight is the new connection to the neighbouring resin plant. The excess steam from production there is fed directly into the plant’s steam network via a specially constructed pipeline. This means that the OSB facility uses this process heat efficiently – a prime example of circular thinking and sustainable energy use at the Wismar plant. At the Egger Group, we produce a significant portion of the binding agents and impregnating resins we need for wood-based panel production in our own resin factories
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