Associated with the village of Bullange in the East Cantons for a long time, the company set up a base in Luxembourg Province in 2011 for both economic and ecological reasons. To survive in a sawmill industry that is now dominated by big names, Pauls was forced both to grow and to diversify.
Find out more about this “Made in Belgium” Success Story!
Much more than just a sawmill…
Founded in 1921, “Holzindustrie PAULS AG” has never stopped expanding and growing. To do this, in 2011 it decided to come to the Pôle Ardenne Bois in Gouvy, on a site of more than 15 hectares. This family business with 90 employees cuts down 330,000m³ of round logs per year, generating an annual turnover of approximately 65 million Euros, 75% of which is thanks to exports.
Much more than just a sawmill, the company incorporates five wood processing tools: a log yard, sawing, drying, cogeneration and pellet production.
This new project was launched in several stages.
The company first chose to set up its cogeneration and drying activities at this new industrial estate. These investments involved installing a drying tunnel for sawn wood with a capacity of 90,000m³ per year and a cogeneration unit with a capacity of 5MW based on waste generated by the business (bark, swarf, offcuts). The heat produced would be used to dry sawn wood, sawdust and any wood chippings.
After this, a log yard was also set up. Lastly, the Pauls sawmill moved all of its activities to the Pôle Ardenne Bois in Gouvy in order to have just one centralised production unit and a fully integrated industrial process, with a strong environmental message, capable of producing fresh sawn wood, dried wood, heat, electricity and pellets. All of this based on just one raw material, regional resinous wood, without anything else apart from the know-how of the company’s staff.
The total investments amounted to 70 million Euros.
The Pôle Ardenne Bois, a safe bet!
Investing in Luxembourg Province, and more specifically in the Pôle Ardenne Bois was a strategic decision. The Group was keen to move to an industrial estate with a commitment to the environment, dedicated to the wood industry.
Based in the Ardennes, in the midst of some large areas of resinous trees, the 100 hectare Pôle Ardenne Bois offers many advantages:
- the proximity of raw materials
- lots of fully equipped plots, ready to welcome other stakeholders in the wood processing industry
- potential for synergies with other businesses based on the business park and in the north of the province
- rail links
For Manfred PAULS, the company’s CEO, “IDELUX was an incredibly proactive partner that was ready to take risks, including in particular through a property lease. There was a real desire to succeed, which you won’t find everyone”.
Find the interview of Manfred PAULS!
