After the acquisition of the Hüttemann Group in 2018, this takeover is the next big step in the Styrian company’s expansion and growth strategy. In the 2022 financial year, Mayr-Melnhof Holz will record sales of more than € 1 billion for the first time in its 170-year history. The closing, which is subject to the approval of the competition authorities, is expected in the first quarter of 2022. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.
Heading towards 5 million m³/yr in cutting
With the acquisition, Mayr-Melnhof Holz, one of the leading companies in the European sawmill and wood processing industry, raises its annual production capacity by around 50% to over 5 million m³.
“The new production sites in Insjön, Mora and Blyberg (all of them in Central Sweden) complement the existing sawmills in Leoben, Paskov/CZ and Efimovskij/RU, and are the starting point for Mayr-Melnhof Holz’s entry to the Scandinavian market,” the company explains.
Perfect fit
“Mayr-Melnhof Holz and Bergkvist Siljan are the perfect fit. Both have similar roots, both are traditional family businesses with a history going back more than 100 years and both are committed to sustainability. We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration and the mutual exchange of experience,” Richard Stralz, CEO of Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG, says who is happy about the recently completed acquisition. Michael Wolfram, CFO of Mayr-Melnhof Holz Holding AG, adds: “We are very optimistic about being able to use the existing potential for synergy and growth in sales and technology very quickly thereby securing and strengthening our market position.”
Family roots
“The family roots and the impressive track record make Mayr-Melnhof Holz an excellent long-term majority owner of Bergkvist Siljan. We have come a long way since the merger of the Siljan Group and Bergkvist-Insjön in 2019. Becoming part of a successful, international timber group is the next logical step for us. We thank ESSVP IV and Orlando Nordics for their support and the joint work since 2018 and are looking forward to working with Mayr-Melnhof Holz’s team,” Ulf Bergkvist, President of Bergkvist Siljan, says.
Bergkvist Siljan
Bergkvist Siljan is a leading Swedish sawmill group which supplies 840,000 m³ of lumber a year mostly to customers in East Asia, Western Europe and North Africa. Both the Siljan group with two sawmills and Bergkvist-Insjön with one sawmill are over 100-year-old family businesses in the Dalecarlia region in Central Sweden.
The group was the result of the merger of Siljan Group AB and Bergkvist-Insjön AB. ESSVP IV, a subsidiary of the Orlando group, now sold the Swedish company to Mayr-Melnhof.
Bergkvist Siljan generates sales of around SEK 2.7 billion (around €265 million) and employs 285 people. The group also operates one of the biggest container terminals in Sweden (40,000 TEU/yr).
Mayr-Melnhof Holz
© Mayr-Melnhof Holz
Previously, Mayr-Melnhof Holz was the ninth biggest sawmill group in Europe. Thanks to the takeover, it will rise to third place in Europe. The company is a market leader in the glue-laminated timber segment and a large manufacturer of cross-laminated timber. The company has been processing wood for 170 years.
Mayr-Melnhof Holz employs 2,000 people. In addition to lumber, the company’s product range includes glue-laminated timber, special construction elements, glulam ceilings and boards, duo/trio beams, mass timber construction elements, cross-laminated timber, wood-concrete composite elements and formwork.
The corporate headquarters are located in Leoben. The group owns three sawmills with pelleting plants in Leoben, Paskov/CZ and Efimovskij/RU. The production sites in Gaishorn, Reuthe, Wismar/DE and Olsberg/DE specialize in the processing of wood.
Mayr-Melnhof Holz + Bergkvist Siljan
Sales: >€1 billion
Headquarters: Leoben
CEO: Richard Stralz
Staff: 2,300
Cutting: >5 million m³/yr
Softwood lumber: 2.9 million m³/yr
Types of wood: 80% spruce, 20% pine
Sawmills: 6
Cross-laminated timber: 75,000 m³/yr (2021)
Glue-laminated timber: 327,500 m³/yr (2021)
Pellets: 275,000 t/yr (2021)
Products total: lumber, glue-laminated timber, special construction elements, glulam ceilings and boards, duo/trio beams, mass timber construction elements, cross-laminated timber, wood-concrete composite elements, formwork, pellets
