Stora Enso Timber invests in and increases its ThermoWood production 

Stora Enso Timber has decided to increase its production of ThermoWood by building a new kiln in Bad St. Leonhard Sawmill, Austria. The investment value is EUR 5 million and the new kiln will be in operation in the 4th quarter of 2008.

“This investment is the next phase in Stora Enso Timber’s goal towards becoming a leading supplier of ThermoWood. In conjunction with the investment, Stora Enso Timber has decided to organise the development of ThermoWood in a Product Line, headed by Nils Bergström,” explains Dieter Kainz, responsible for marketing and sales at Stora Enso Timber. Stora Enso Timber has five other Product Lines: joinery components, KVH, WoodPax, Post & Beam and CLS.

Stora Enso ThermoWood is manufactured using a patented thermal modification process that uses only steam and heat. The finished product is non-toxic and chemical-free. The heat treatment has a lasting effect on the product’s technical properties, such as dimensional stability and durability.

Most ThermoWood products are used for interior panelling, decorative products, garden products, exterior cladding and decking. Nils Bergström, Product Line Manager ThermoWood, is sure that “because of ThermoWood’s huge variety of end-uses and its potential status as among the most environmentally friendly building materials of the future, the investment will be a success.”

Stora Enso Timber’s total capacity of ThermoWood production in Austria and Finland will be 30,000 m3.

For further information, please contact:
Dieter Kainz, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Stora Enso Timber
Tel. +43 1 269 7460 1362, mobile +43 664 410 8812

Herbert Jöbstl, Vice President, Central European Production Group, Stora Enso Timber Tel. +43 4350 2301 3120, mobile +43 664 182 53 49

Nils Bergström, Product Line Manager ThermoWood, Stora Enso Timber
Tel. +46 1046 82771, mobile +46 70 578 2771

Link to Stora Enso Timber ThermoWood homepage:
http://www.storaenso.com/thermowood