Martinsons invests SEK 80 million in Cross Laminated Timber production line
Martinsons is expanding its production line for the manufacture of construction components in Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). This will triple the company’s capacity and enable the manufacture of storey-high panels, which will provide benefits for many construction projects. The investment will be implemented in Bygdsiljum and is estimated to cost approximately SEK 80 million.
“We were the first in the Nordic region to manufacture CLT when we launched production in 2003. We have learned a lot since then, and are now ready to take the next step and further increase our total processing capacity,” says CEO Lars Martinson.
CLT consists of solid panels of planed spruce that are glued together, with every other layer being cross laid. The panels are often used in walls, floors and ceilings. Martinsons has so far manufactured panels with a width of 1.2 metres, but the new line will make possible storey-high panels, with a width of 3 metres.
“Planning will be even simpler and quicker, which will enable us to be a more flexible supplier,” explains Lars.
Martinsons’ sales of CLT have increased significantly in recent years.
“Once people have chosen construction components made from CLT, they tend to continue using the products. That is great testimony to their quality and usability. And even if demand has grown rapidly in Sweden, it is still a relatively unknown product compared with countries such as Germany and Austria, where self-contained homes have long been built using CLT,” says Lars.
Martinsons’ sales efforts will continue to focus on the Nordic markets, but the company also sees potential for sales of CLT to the UK.
“We have been successful in our long-term efforts to get more people to discover the product. We must keep this up. Knowledge-intensive processing is our way of taking advantage of and adding value to the raw materials provided by the forests of the north of Sweden,” explains Lars.
Construction of the new line will commence in spring 2016, and commissioning will take place in September of the same year.
Further information
Lars Martinson, CEO
Martinsons
Tel. +46 70 6660712
Email: lars.martinson@martinsons.se
Facts about Cross Laminated Timber
Cross Laminated Timber is a solid wood panel of planed spruce which is glued together, with every other layer being cross laid for increased stability. The result is a construction element that is transversely rigid and durable in relation to its low weight. It enables large spans and rational methods for rapid assembly. The building properties of CLT open up scope for a number of different applications.
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The family-owned company Martinsons is Sweden's largest producer of glulam, wooden bridges and construction systems for apartment blocks and other buildings in wood. Thanks to the development of climate-neutral construction, the group is a driving force in the building of a sustainable and forward looking society. Martinsons' sawmills in Bygdsiljum, Kroksjön and Hällnäs produce sawn timber and processed products for customers in the Nordic countries, Europe, Africa and Asia. The head office is located in Bygdsiljum, Västerbotten and the group currently employs about 450 people and has an annual sales turnover of SEK 1.5 billion.
Martinsons Burträskvägen 53, 937 33 Bygdsiljum, Sweden, martinsons.se
