EUWID Special: Wood-based Panels

Machinery

• Acimall reckoning with double-figure drop in production and exports
• German woodworking machine orders down 9% last year compared to 2024
• Two projects moving ahead despite a muted appetite for investment
• Weinig aims to cut costs by increasing flexibility at German production sites
• Jagenberg Converting Solutions stops activities in decor printing machines

Chemicals

• Capacity cutbacks accelerating in the European chemical industry
• Wood-based panel industry in talks over CBAM-driven rise in costs
• Import duties and anti-dumping probe into urea imports from Russia to EU
• Gas supply issues and weather effects lead to uptick in methanol spot prices
• Production stoppage at MHTL further tightening global melamine supply
• Melamine processors lodge appeal against ruling of CJEU in the first instance

Wood-based panels

• Many companies made additional capacity adjustments during 2025
• EU anti-dumping duties bring little relief for European businesses
• German Wood-based panel industry posts a small growth in revenues
• Wood-based panel manufacturers stepping up efforts to raise prices

Structural panels

• Brazilian elliotis pine plywood exports showed slight reduction in full year
• EU intends to keep anti-dumping duty for Brazilian softwood plywood at 5.4%
• Structural panels: shutdowns having greater impact on production output
• US imported 22% less OSB from the EU last year, total imports decreased by 7 %
• Swiss Krono Group halts Orpinia OSB mill construction project in France
• Japanese Nankai Plywood took over French company Groupe Joubert

Composite panels

• First two MDF/HDF recycling plants in Europe have been started up in fall
• Uniboard Canada completes Renaissance modernisation project at its Val-d'Or site
• Investment projects of Arauco at two sites in Mexico still behind schedule
• Nile Wood MDF project meanwhile more than four years behind original schedule
• Joint venture company FT Board UAB plans particleboard plant in Lithuania
• Ikea Industry planning to install thin-board plant in Zbąszynek
• Gruppo Mauro Saviola secures financing for replacement of Sustinente MOP line
• Egger started up laminating operations in Markt Bibart in line with schedule
• Pfleiderer Group missed financial targets again in financial year 2024
• Pfleiderer Group transferred Silekol shares internally to Maple Acquisitions

Surfaces 

• Munksjö sold stake in Chinese decor paper joint venture to minority shareholder
• Independent treater operators have taken 17 lines out of service since 2024
• Arclin bids farewell to East Longmeadow site and shifts focus to other businesses
• Schattdecor started up sixth treater in its Rosate site in early February
• Interprint completed Pittsfield expansion project with three printing machines
• Surteco Group exploring focus on surfaces and overseas business units
• Italian decor printer Neodecortech acquired CPL manufacturer Lamitex
• Aica Kogyo Group acquires stake in laminate manufacturer Stylam Industries

Furniture 

• US tariffs on furniture imports from the EU to remain capped at 15%
• German furniture exports just reach the prior-year level with €8.203bn
• Wren Kitchens’ US expansion continues to place a strain on Group earnings
• Nobia intending to sell remaining British activities to Alteri Partners

Flooring

• European flooring markets: parquet stable, laminate declines, SPC grows
• EU opted for combination of duty-free quota and AD duty for corundum
• B.I.G. expands its position in North America with Congoleum acquisition
• Hamberger to sell Flooring division to private equity company Mutares

Doors 

• Jeld-Wen announced a strategic review of European business and cut 850 jobs

Machinery

• Europe and China continuing to deepen ties in machinery and plant engineering
• VDMA criticises import tariff agreement negotiated between the US and the EU
• Acimall makes minor adjustments to key figures for Italian machinery industry
• Dieffenbacher Group closes last big gap in its portfolio by adding refiners
• Siempelkamp shipped MDF line for Roseburg Dillard as complete charter
• Sunds Fibertech expands emission control activities with two acquisitions
• Wemhöner planning to ramp up capacity in China with construction of a third factory

Chemicals

• EGC dismisses cases on classification of melamine in first-instance rulings
• European Court of Justice confirms annulment of CLP classification of TiO2
• ECHA published explanatory guidelines for measurement of formaldehyde emissions
• Resin manufacturer Hexion also to cooperate with Bloom Biorenewables
• Kronospan acquires remaining stake in Danish resin producer Nordalim

Wood-based panels

• Markets for structural and composite panels still affected by weak housing
• EPF: slight upward trend in panel production poised to continue in 2025
• European wood-based panel producers facing additional hikes in their costs
• Mixed trends in particleboard, MDF/HDF, OSB prices in Central European markets

Structural panels

• EPF is anticipating further recovery in European plywood markets in 2025
• European Commission conducting AD investigation into elliotis pine plywood
• AD duties for hardwood plywood from China enforced at 25.1% and 62.4%
• OSB imports into USA in second quarter remained slightly below last year’s level
• Georgia-Pacific wants to invest US$140m in former Grant OSB mill in Englehart
• Huber Engineered Woods starts hiring staff for the Shuqualak OSB mill
• Weyerhaeuser and West Fraser ordered machinery for structural panel projects
• Insulation board manufacturer GO Lab restructures and continues as TimberHP
• Kingspan Timber Solutions planning to stop all activities until mid-December

Composite panels

• Swiss Krono Group completed takeover of Collins Pine plant on US West Coast
• Homann Holzwerkstoffe to build MDF/HDF mill in Alcolu, South Carolina, until 2028
• Ultradecor eyeing investments in other sites after completing Lyudinovo project
• Finsa: higher costs and lower prices affected business development in 2024
• Pfleiderer Group reported turnover decline and reduced earnings for 2023
• Egger: margins rise again amidst stable revenues in financial year 2024/2025
• Sonae Arauco will replace the damaged drum dryer in Beeskow with a belt dryer

Surfaces

• Chinese decor paper manufacturers adapting to new anti-dumping duties
• Munksjö submits offer for abrasive paper activities at the Arches site of Ahlstrom
• Interprint accepts first machine from Kusters Calico for new site in Turkey
• Surteco Group shut down impregnation site in Heroldstatt at the end of May
• Surteco: lacquering line IPA 9 up and running in Sassenberg since May
• Formica discontinued HPL production in Valencia after severe damages by flooding

Furniture

• US customs policy hitting foreign trade with furniture in first half of 2025
• German furniture industry downwardly adjusted turnover forecast for 2025
• HNI and Steelcase plan merger reshaping North America’s office furniture industry
• Kitchen manufacturers MasterBrand and American Woodmark to merge
• Investment company W&R Barnett acquired stake in Symphony kitchens
• Kitchen furniture producer Ballerina plans further investments at Bruchmühlen plant

Flooring

• European parquet production down 5.3% as consumption decreased by 4.5%
• EU: anti-dumping duties on parquet from China were reduced and levied retroactively
• Shifts among MMFA categories continued to play out last year
• Customers left baffled by latest EU anti-dumping decision on corundum
• Bankruptcy Court initiated sales process for SPC manufacturer Wellmade Floor
• Flooring producer Barlinek expects its Vinnytsia plant to be offline for six months
• Unilin Flooring invested €30m in new short-cycle press for laminate flooring