Hurray for the opening ceremony of the world's first PEFC-certified cross-laminated timber plant and The Next Generation!
Only two years after the start of construction, Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG opened its high-tech plywood production.
On June 23, 2023, Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG opened the high-tech cross-laminated timber production at the sawmill site in Leoben.
Franz Mayr-Melnhof Saurau, owner: "With the new cross laminated timber plant we are in line with the spirit of the times. It is our clear commitment to our responsibility for 'The Next Generation', indeed, for all future generations, because: 'The future begins today'! When constructing these buildings, it was important to us to use building materials made of wood wherever this valuable raw material can be used sensibly. We are proud that we have built the first timber construction project of this size in the world that has been PEFC-certified."
11,500 m3 PEFC-certified timber construction products from the company's own production were used. With an investment sum of 175 million euros, the BSP factory with upstream re-sorting and planning plant and a fully automated high-bay warehouse for sawn timber is the largest single investment in the history of the Mayr-Melnhof Holz Group.
Facts:
- More than 33,000 m2 of hall space was built.
- Almost 12,000 m3 PEFC-certified timber in the form of cross-laminated timber boards, glulam beams, three-layer boards and also construction timber – all from the company's own productions – were used.
- The new high-bay warehouse has 27,000 m3 of storage capacity, with room for around 7,000 sawn timber packages.
- Up to 70 trucks per day can be loaded with sawn timber from the high-bay warehouse.
- Around 140,000 m3 cross laminated timber can be produced per year in full operation, which is more than 2,500 single-family houses per year, storing around 128,000 tonnes of CO2
- Around 11,000 tonnes of CO2 are bound in the new BSP plant itself.
- 50 new green jobs were created in the region.
- On the roof is a 3.8 megawatt peak photovoltaic system for the ecological supply of electricity and heat to the plant.
- The sawn timber supply for the cross laminated timber production is handled by the adjacent sawmill without additional transport routes.
Richard Stralz, CEO of Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG: "I am proud of this joint achievement of our employees, who have realised this impressive factory in cooperation with our suppliers."
After the completion of the construction and the ramp-up phase of production, Richard Stralz (CEO) and Michael Wolfram (CFO) handed over the responsibility for prosperous growth during the opening ceremony. In the traditional ceremony of handing over the keys, they handed over the responsibility for prosperous growth to the production managers Markus Thier (Plant Manager) and Martin Klingenbrunner (Production Manager), as well as to the sales managers Bernhard Waldner (Division Manager Sales Processed Timber Products) and Florian de Monte (Sales Manager Cross-laminated Timber).
The sawmill's Plant Manager, Dietmar Sagmeister, received the "key" for the re-sorting and planning mill as well as the lamella center, which are located directly adjacent to the traditional sawmill and are part of the Saw Division at Mayr-Melnhof Holz.
The Strobl timber construction company, which was responsible for the timber construction of the building complex, presented Franz Mayr-Melnhof-Saurau with a hand-carved Klementi, the patron saint of forestry, timber and sawmill workers, on behalf of all "Mayrischen". The work of art will be given a place of honour in the BSP factory for all to see.
At the end of the opening ceremony, the Leoben city priest Markus Plöbst blessed the carved patron saint, all the guests present, the people who work in the cross laminated timber plant, and all those who now and in the future have to do with the timber construction product cross laminated timber or live or work in buildings constructed with this future material at the cross laminated timber plant in Leoben.
Guests of Honour:
- Landesrat ÖR Johann Seitinger, representing the Governor of Styria, Christopher Drexler
- Landesrätin Mag.a Ursula Lackner, representing the Deputy Governor Anton Lang
- State Minister for Economic Affairs, MMag.a Barbara Eibinger-Miedl
- District Governor of Leoben, Mag. Markus Kraxner
- Mayor of the Municipality of Leoben, Kurt Wallner
- Parish priest of Leoben, Mag. Dr. Markus Plöbst
- President of IV Austria, Ing. Georg Knill
- President LK Steiermark, ÖR Franz Titschenbacher
- Chairwoman of the Wood Industry Section of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce, Monika Zechner
- Chairman Agriculture and Forestry, Carl Prince of Croy
- Chairman of the Austrian Forest Association, Rudolf Rosenstatter
- Chairman of the Austrian Sawmill Industry, DI Markus Schmölzer
- Federal Chairman of the Forestry Contractors in the Professional Association of Commercial Service Providers in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Peter Konrad
- Chairman of proHolz Steiermark and Chairman of the Styrian Forest Association, LKR Paul Lang
- Chairman of PEFC-International, Eduardo Rojas Briales
- Chairman of PEFC-Austria, FD DI Dr. Kurt Ramskogler
- Rector of TU Graz, Univ. Prof. DI Dr. Dr. Harald Kainz
- Deputy Managing Director of IV Steiermark, Mag.a Nina Zechner
- Managing Director of SFG, Mag. Christoph Ludwig
Three major events took place during the opening:
- Official opening ceremony on June 23, 2023 with more than 550 guests,
- Summer party for employees at the Gaishorn and Leoben locations,
- Open day with more than 1000 guests on June 24, 2023.