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The largest sawmill in the Czech Republic celebrates its anniversary

Mayr-Melnhof Holz Paskov s.r.o. is the largest sawmill in the Czech Republic with a cutting capacity of around 1.45 million solid cubic metres of softwood logs and a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes of pellets per year. It is located in the north-east of the country, in Staříč, was commissioned in 2004 as the country's most modern sawmill and is one of five sawmills belonging to the Austrian Mayr-Melnhof Holz Group.

Paskov marked the first step in the internationalization of the Mayr-Melnhof Holz Group.

Franz Mayr-Melnhof-Saurau, owner: "The decision in 2002 to build a sawmill in the Frýdek-Místek region was a courageous step and turned out to be a valuable asset: the Czech Republic welcomed us with open arms and showed itself to be a proud industrial nation. The sawmill went into production in 2004, just 8 months after construction began. Over the past 20 years, the company has proven to be stable and efficient. This sawmill stands for quality, reliability, innovation and a strong team spirit among the employees."

The owner's invitation to celebrate the company's 20th anniversary was accepted by numerous guests of honour from politics, business, science and interest groups, business partners, as well as the Supervisory Board, the Management Board and the management team of Mayr-Melnhof Holz and several pioneering guests of honour, people from the very beginning and the development of the company, including the sawmill's long-time managing director, Marie Wagnerová, who managed the plant for 18 years until her retirement in 2021.

The successful Mayr-Melnhof Holz Paskov team - the employees under the leadership of the two managing directors, Michal Kocián and Lukáš Konečný, were given a special place at the ceremony.

The keys to success

Michal Kocián and Lukáš Konečný, who hosted the official ceremony, thanked the employees: "You are this company and carry it through good and challenging times to success. A great team."

Richard Stralz, CEO of Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG and Chairman of the Management Board: "I am proud of this joint achievement by our employees. Their commitment and passion are the keys to our success, thanks to them we have been able to develop into one of the leading companies in the industry. May the next twenty years be just as successful and fulfilling as the past."

Where ideas can grow

Inspired by the Group's motto - "Where ideas can grow." - and accompanied by best wishes for the company, the employees and the management, owner Franz Mayr-Melnhof-Saurau together with Managing Directors Michal Kocián and Lukáš Konečný planted a spruce tree. The wishes for a prosperous future for the sawmill were warmly echoed by the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board Franz Rotter and the members of the Supervisory Board as well as the Management Board Richard Stralz (CEO), Michael Wolfram (CFO) and Arnulf Penker (CTO).
The official celebration was accompanied by various activities for the guests. A factory tour was held at the beginning, in addition to a photo exhibition about the last 20 years of company history, there were nail sticks, visitors could prove their skills by hammering in nails, teamwork was required when cutting logs to length with a traditional cross-cut saw, "Flying Saws" fascinated with a sawing demonstration and the band entertained with lively songs.

The unanimous feedback: A successful anniversary celebration! Cheers to Mayr-Melnhof Holz Paskov and all the best for the next 20 years.

Guests of honour:

• Helena Pešatová, Senator of the Czech Republic
• Petr Korc, Mayor of Frýdek-Místek
• Libor Alex, Mayor of Staříč
• Petr Baďura, Mayor of Paskov
• Petra Cetin, CzechInvest
• Vladimír Gryce, Director of the Mendel University Institute in Brno
• Libor Jankovský, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology at Mendel University in Brno
• Pavel Bednář, Research Institute of Forestry and Hunting
• Jiří Kubala, Deputy of Mayor Libor Alex - Staříč
• Marie Wagnerová, former Managing Director Mayr-Melnhof Holz Paskov s.r.o.
• Petra Votavová, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, a.s

About Mayr-Melnhof Holz Paskov

The company currently employs 250 people. The sawmill processes spruce logs from sustainably managed forests, primarily from the surrounding, timber-rich regions. The cutting capacity is 1.45 million solid cubic metres. Sawn timber is produced for the sister plants in Austria and Germany for the manufacture of cross-laminated timber and glulam and for customers, primarily in Central Europe and Japan, with smaller quantities going to North Africa, the Middle East and overseas. Pellets have been produced since 2007, with a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes/year. The wood chips produced in the sawing process are delivered on-line to the neighbouring Lenzing Paskov pulp plant, a company of the Lenzing Group. The plant's own biomass power station with an installed capacity of 32 megawatts supplies the sawmill, the drying chambers and the pelletisation with thermal energy. Mayr-Melnhof Holz Paskov is PEFC-certified.

Mayr-Melnhof Holz Paskov

Facts Mayr-Melnof Holz Paskov s.r.o.

Photocredit: © Juriček Radek