Paged makes progress

Poland-based Paged Group is now one of the five largest plywood manufacturers in Europe and boasts over 90 years of history.

The company, also a significant producer of wooden chairs in the EU, has seen a number of developments recently, including a new service agreement with Raute and the construction of Paged LabTech’s new HQ.

In all, more than 2,000 people are employed across a total of seven production facilities in Poland and Estonia. Products are used in a wide range of industries, such as interior design and furnishings, construction, transport and packaging in nearly 80 markets worldwide.

The Paged companies Paged Pisz, Paged Morag, Paged Eesti, Paged Trade, Paged Meble, Paged LabTech, Paged Deutschland and BUK Ltd are part of the Thumos Group, a private Polish industrial and investment consortium.

The product portfolio includes raw hardwood and conifer plywood, coated and film-faced plywood and fire-rated plywood, as well as specialty plywood such as ELKON.

Its stated mission is to deliver on its quality promise for all plywood, composite boards and innovative, tailor-made solutions developed by its technology and R&D teams.

Paged says it is continuing to invest in employees and production processes in order to remain the “most advanced plywood manufacturer in Poland”.

RAUTE SERVICE AGREEMENT

Maintaining high calibre production standards and consistency is obviously very important in a large manufacturing enterprise.

Recently, Paged Eesti OÜ in Estonia, a veneer making division of the Paged Group, made a big commitment by signing a service agreement with Raute Corporation of Finland.

Paged Eesti has 20 years of veneer manufacturing experience and has a stated aim to be the largest birch veneer manufacturer in the world.

Its factory in Pärnu produces about 30,000m³ of veneer sheets per year. The standard thickness of furniture veneer is 0.55mm, though it can produce veneers of different thickness.

Due to the geographical location and the availability of raw materials, most of the production is birch veneer. Paged Eesti currently employs 140 people and exports account for about 93% of sales, most of which go to central and eastern Europe.

Birch wood raw material is procured mainly from Estonia, Latvia and Finland.

The Paged Group has a long-term co-operation with Raute using Raute’s equipment in Paged factories in Pisz, Morag and Pärnu and realising continuously new projects and equipment optimisation.

Maintenance outsourcing in Pärnu plant is, however, a new chapter in co-operation between two companies.

The new agreement covers full maintenance responsibility of the production machinery, including consumables, spare parts, and small upgrades. The maintenance team – 19 people from Paged Eesti – is transferred to Raute services team.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Paged Eesti,” said Kurt Bossuyt, Raute’s executive vice-president, services.

“This agreement aligns with Raute’s service strategy, aimed at deepening collaboration with our valued customers. We are pleased to enter into this agreement, which shows our ability to support the customer in ensuring optimised production of the factory together with life cycle services.

“These efforts are all geared towards our shared objective of enhancing the overall efficiency of the mill production.”

“The decision to outsource maintenance tasks and partner with Raute was taken with a firm belief in its substantial contribution to our company’s technical advancement,” said Arkadiusz Swider, chairman of the board and CEO of Paged Eesti.

“Opting for Raute, a renowned leader in the field, signifies a move towards conforming to international standards, a critical aspect for our ongoing growth. This partnership will facilitate the integration of our production processes with Raute’s advanced technology, with a focus on preventative strategies and continual enhancement.

“I am confident that this collaboration will significantly boost the efficiency of our processes, elevate our productionrelated metrics, and aid us in collaboratively establishing robust, enduring competencies for the forthcoming years, thereby establishing new industry standards in production and preventive practices,” continued Mr Swider.

LABTECH NEW BUILDING

Another recent development at Paged Group concerns its research and development activities.

Back in 2019, Paged established its own research and development centre called Paged LabTech.

In 2023, it increased investment in this area by opening a purpose-built new premises serving as the main laboratory – the Paged LabTech Research and Development Centre – in Pisz.

The laboratory is equipped with stateof- the-art equipment, which enables the company to carry out tests on wood, composites and wood-based panels for customers of Paged companies and to carry out complete product certification.

This is an important step for the company in its efforts to further develop innovative products that boost its competitive advantage on the market.

The company describes the facility as one of the most modern laboratories of its kind in the world. The building was constructed from wood and plywood, reflecting the company’s commitment to sustainable and low carbon footprint solutions.

The investment in Paged LabTech’s new premises was made thanks to funding from Paged and the European Development Fund with the support of the Polish Ministry of Development and Technology. This facility enables the company to engage even more deeply with new technologies and innovations and to expand the range of solutions offered by Paged, based on continuous research.

“Paged LabTech’s new headquarters enhances our ability to introduce to the Polish and international markets a growing range of solutions that meet our sustainability strategy and climate goals,” said Jaroslaw Michniuk, CEO of Paged Group.

Mr Michniuk said the facility would help shorten the time from product concept to implementation. It expands the scope of prototyping and testing, furthering technological or economic analyses.

“Our team is made up of experts with strong skill sets in wood technology, chemistry, material science and engineering. With this team we are able to intensify our research on wood-based materials and system solutions, adjusting to the requirements of the dynamically changing market.”

Paged LabTech is conducting research projects funded by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) in cooperation with renowned research centres such as the Warsaw University of Technology, the Gdansk University of Technology, the Institute of Wood Technology and the Poznan University of Life Sciences.

These projects cover areas such as lowemission plywood for furniture-making, innovative beech wood frame furniture with high resistance to external factors, and the development of innovative composite materials for use in road transport.