Thebault Group invests €100m in new LVL site

The Group, which currently has five processing sites and a turnover of €100m annually, said its sixth wood processing will be located in Auvergne. This new factory is intended to unroll Silver Fir logs, then to assemble the veneers for the manufacture of LVL – Lamibois panels and beams. 

A specialist in the peeling and production of plywood, the Group is thus pursuing its industrial development in the manufacture of wood products intended in particular for construction and industry. 

The new site will see the construction of a 25,000m2 factory on 15 hectares of land located in the Sud Auvergne Business Park, in Lempdes-sur-Allagnon. 

Eventually, the plant will produce 100,000m3 of LVL entirely “Made in France”, with a first phase at 70,000m3. The start-up of the site is scheduled for 2025 and will allow the creation of 85 direct jobs, mainly from local employment pools.

“Our industrialization project will support the development of new solutions for low-carbon and off-site construction, as well as renovation, ” said Antoine Thebault, president of the Group.

The choice of a new and fourth species with Silver Fir is strategic. With okoumé and poplar panels, as well as maritime pine and silver fir for softwoods, the Group is aiming to be a manufacturer offering the widest range of species.

This new production unit is part of the Group's strategy of expanding its range, in synergy with the species already processed, while securing its wood supply for the coming decades.

These products will bear the PEFC and Bois de France sustainable management labels, and global certifications, all of which are popular in the construction sectors for which LVL beams and panels are intended.

The Group is sharing its investment with a first partner, the company CBD Bois, which specializes in sawing softwood based in Craponnes-sur-Arzon.