"Fewer construction projects are being carried out"

How does the new cross-laminated timber plant fit into your company’s corporate concept? What makes your production and products stand out?

Richard Stralz: Demand for cross-laminated timber keeps growing. That is why we invested in a new factory where we will produce and sell around 220,000 m³ of MM crosslam a year (at full capacity). In Leoben, we installed state-of-the-art machines and systems and attached great importance to the gentle handling of the product along the entire production chain right up to the loading process. These are the best prerequisites for a product of the highest quality. Our customers have been giving us positive feedback since production started this past spring, which of course makes us very happy!

What role does the optimized use of materials play in your new production facility?

Richard Stralz: The design of the production facility and, most of all, the selection of the machines were based on the goal of producing the best possible yield. Low manufacturing tolerances open up new possibilities for the dimensions of the semi-finished products.

How do you position yourself on the market and which markets will you focus on specifically?

Richard Stralz: So far, we have only been operating in Austria, parts of Germany, Italy and, to a very limited extent, in Scandinavia which is due to our limited capacity. In the future, we will focus on the whole of Europe and enter many (new) markets.

How do you assess the current situation on the cross-laminated timber market, how will it develop and how will you deal with it?

Richard Stralz: Due to the current economic situation, fewer construction projects are being carried out, even though demand for new housing space is very strong. Despite these challenging times, we are experiencing intense interest in timber constructions, and especially in cross-laminated timber and composite elements made of wood and concrete. The coming year will not be easy, but we do hope that support will be provided for the weak construction industry across Europe.

Where will cross-laminated timber and the timber construction sector be heading in the coming years?

Richard Stralz: Wood is the building material of the 21st century. It is climate-friendly, renewable, has a high degree of prefabrication, which enables short construction times, and is light in weight with high strength. All of this makes it an ideal material for urban densification and, especially when you combine CLT and glulam, an excellent choice for residential and commercial multi-story buildings. In the coming years, the challenges will certainly lie in increasing the degree of prefabrication, which will require a certain standardization, as well as in the reduced use of materials and, above all, we will have to focus on the topics of disassembly, reuse and flexible floor plans. Other important aspects are and will be: dealing with all types of water pipes in timber constructions, laying them in a way that is suitable for timber constructions, installing sensors that quickly alert you to leaks, and standardized repair instructions.