Binderholz acquires Klausner Lumber Two
15 December 2020The Binderholz Group, headquartered in Fügen in Austria, has purchased all the assets of Klausner Lumber Two LLC, headquartered in Enfield, Halifax County, North Carolina, at a virtual auction held on December 10. In the auction, Binderholz prevailed over Mayr Melnhof Holz and was awarded the contract at US$83.4m. The transaction is expected to close in January 2021.
In August 2020, Binderholz expanded outside Europe for the first time with the purchase of Klausner Lumber One in Live Oak, Florida. This will now be followed by the second American sawmill in Enfield, North Carolina. The technical equipment and performance of the two sawmills are similar.
The North Carolina site is located in one of the best growing areas for southern yellow pine, which is in high demand in the US. Log availability from the local area is sufficient and sustainable. In addition, the south-east of America is one of the most populous states, so that sales in this region are correspondingly high.
Reinhard Binder, CEO of binderholz, explains the strategic motives as follows: "The acquisition of Klausner Lumber Two is the logical complement to the Klausner Lumber One plant in Live Oak, Florida, which we acquired in August,” said Binderholz chief executive officer, Reinhard Binder. “This step will significantly improve availability for our customers. With this acquisition accomplished, the foundation has been laid for further investments in the depth of value creation."
The acquired Klausner Lumber Two sawmill has a sawing capacity of over 1 million m³ of logs and a further processing capacity of over 500,000 m³ of planed products. As some technical investments still have to be made, production is expected to start at the end of 2021.
With this acquisition, Binderholz becomes the largest European sawn timber producer. With its nine sawmills in Austria, Germany, Finland and the US, Binderholz has a capacity of approximately 8.5 million solid cubic meters of roundwood, from which 5 million m³ of sawn timber and from which 3.6 million m³ of solid wood products are produced.
Through Binderholz Timber Inc and its employees, the Binderholz Group already has a very good network and customer contacts in the US. In addition, Binderholz Bausysteme GmbH has been able to realise numerous innovative timber construction projects in the US in recent years. With the acquisition of the two sawmills in the US, the company says it will further strengthen its presence in this market and continuously advance the internationalisation and diversification of the Group in terms of market and production.
