“Short-time work will mainly affect the log yard and the sawmill. The further processing facility and the pellet mill continue to work at full capacity,” Jörn Kimmich, Managing Director of the Ante Group, explains in a conversation with the Holzkurier. In the past weeks and months, the federal states of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony have reportedly reduced their log deliveries “by up to half” compared to previous years. “That is definitely not enough for the Rottleberode site,” Kimmich is quoted as saying by the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung on January 15. “The states are monitoring the damaged wood situation and are therefore very hesitant when it comes to logging,” he explains.
For the time being, the production site in Rötenbach in the Black Forest will supply the raw wood for further processing to the Rottleberode site. Speaking to the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, Kimmich explains that “the company is currently accepting every type of softwood and is also considering the option of expanding the freight zones and increasing rail transport.”
Ante Holz plans to maintain short-time work in the log yard and sawmill until the end of April. If the log supply improves, production can be fully ramped-up at the entire site at short notice. The affected employees will see their working hours reduced by one third starting in February. The company plans to deploy them in other areas of the site or in other production sites if possible.
