Like sawmilling competitors across the Nordic region and Europe, Martinsons AB is finding conditions in the sawn timber market intensely competitive. Which is an added bonus to having arms in the timber construction and bridge building business,
“We’ve had our best year,” said Mikael Lindberg, who heads Martinsons Byggsystem and Martinsons Träbroar in Skellefteå. “We’re still a relatively small part of the group, but given conditions in the wider timber industry, this growth makes us more significant.”
Martinsons Träbroar is a veteran of engineered timber and solid wood bridge building, clocking up more than 700 over the years. But it is still pushing back new technical barriers, using glulam in particular to create longer, more complex structures with greater load capacities.
“One of our latest is our longest to date, at 130m,” said Mr Lindberg. “It is a footbridge, but can take loads of up to 12.5 tonnes, so it can carry an ambulance, for example.”
The company, he added, is also making full road bridges, with load capacities up to 22.5 tonnes, and working on producing standardised off-the-peg structures.
Most of its bridges are in Sweden and Norway, but it does build some abroad, recently completing a project in Spain.
It is also undertaking research with Chalmers University in Gothenburg to see what it can learn from timber bridge building techniques in the US and Australia.
“And we would be interested in looking at the UK market, although we would, of course, have to analyse local conditions and regulations,” said Mr Lindberg.
Martinsons Byggsystem has also been hitting new heights – literally. Its cross-laminated timber (CLT) systems are enabling it to engineer bigger, taller buildings. One of its latest projects is a residential complex in Sweden comprising four seven-storey blocks.
“Eurocode 5 for structural use of timber in construction has made this and our bridge-building business challenging, but we’re getting more experienced with the new rules by the day,” said Mr Lindberg. “We’re also working with a university on a 20-storey CLT concept. This is theoretical, but 15-storeys could be a reality in a couple of years.”
Martinsons sees possibilities for this business in the UK too. “We’ve followed recent multi-storey, rapid-build CLT developments in London with interest,” said Mr Lindberg. “Our approach is very similar.”