Germany's Pollmeier shuts down Malchow beech sawmill because of shortage of logs at right price; market paying 20% less for company's final product than in 2009

Audrey Dixon

LOS ANGELES , October 20, 2011 (Forestweb) – Lumber and flooring company Pollmeier Massivholz GmbH, which cut production in the summer at its hardwood sawmill in Malchow, Germany, because of a log shortage, has closed the 45-employee mill, according to a company spokesperson, The Timber Industry Magazine (TTJ) reported Oct. 19.

The Creuzburg, Germany-based company could not source enough beech logs at competitive enough rates to supply the 200,000 m3 log capacity mill,said company spokesperson Jan Hassan.

In the past, family-owned Pollmeier also transported beech logs to the mill from southern Germany. However, prices for the company's final products made of top grade beech fell 20% since 2009, making transporting the beech logs to the Malchow mill uneconomic, reported TTJ.

Pollmeier produces and sells flooring using all European beech wood for European and North American markets, panels to the European furniture industry, and lumber worldwide, according to the company website.

Hassan said Pollmeier decided to shut down the Malchow mill, built in 2000, to reduce risk to the whole company, reported TTJ.

The primary source of this article is The Timber Industry Magazine (TTJ), Sidcup, England, on Oct. 19, 2011.

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