Tuesday, August 19, 2025
The Pfeifer Group, an Austrian torchbearer in the sawmill and timber industry, puts forward a compelling argument for even more resource conservation and a sustainable circular economy with two significant projects. At the long-standing Uelzen location, a new waste wood recycling facility and a modern sawing line are being installed as part of a larger investment package to safeguard and sustainably grow the factory over the long run. The new waste wood recycling plant in Uelzen will process regional class A1 and A2 waste wood to create pressboard pallet blocks, continuing Pfeifer’s tradition of using 100% of the valuable raw material wood. This will prolong the use of wood products and store CO₂, which damages the climate, for a long time.
Even better raw material production and increased efficiency are guaranteed by the new sawmill. “The modernisation follows a coherent concept for site development,” explains Clemens Pfeifer, CTO of the Pfeifer Group. “Pfeifer is committed to Uelzen – and with the waste wood plant and the new sawmill, the site is now ideally positioned for the future.”
Waste wood recycling improves the circular economy
The striking recycling tower is the focal point of the new wood waste recycling facility on the enlarged site at the port of Uelzen. Pfeifer only recycles materials under the Waste Wood Ordinance here. In order to comply with the new European Packaging Ordinance (PPWR), Pfeifer also recycles wooden pallets that are beyond repair. To guarantee the consistently excellent quality of the final products, deliveries are first visually examined and then examined in the lab. In the cleaning tower, contaminants are eliminated and recycled. After being cleaned, the wood is shredded, put in temporary storage in silos, and then turned into uniform pressboard blocks. Because the waste wood is only obtained locally, transportation expenses and the CO2 footprint are further decreased.
Pfeifer is promoting sustainable, resource-saving material use with the building of the waste wood recycling facility. In contrast to the past, when pallet blocks were made entirely from the leftovers of Uelzen’s sawn timber production, the company will now use a combination of clean recycled wood and fresh chips, which will reduce its reliance on fresh wood while also optimizing the use of raw materials.
At the Uelzen location, Pfeifer is updating the log cutting procedure concurrently with the recycling project. In the second half of 2025, a new, high-performance sawing line will take the place of the more than 30-year-old system. In order to further improve the efficiency of the overall manufacturing process, the investment seeks to lower production costs, raise yields, and enhance output. Another significant factor in resource conservation is the optimized raw material yield, which is ensured by state-of-the-art technology. Sawn timber and pallet blocks for the German and global markets are made from round timber sourced from sustainably managed forests in Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, and Saxony-Anhalt.
Conversion while production continues
The new sawing line was put directly in the sawing hall once construction started in May 2024. To accommodate the new technology, the hall roof had to be raised by roughly two meters. An organizational feat was accomplished when the new saw was integrated without affecting production: “Our thanks go to the project management team and the employees, who demonstrated full commitment during this intensive period. Despite extensive conversions, we were able to keep production running without interruption. A great team effort.”
The long-serving saw will be retired in the upcoming months when the new line is eventually put into service.
About the Pfeifer Group
Established in 1948 in Austria, Pfeifer Holding GmbH is currently owned by the third generation of its owners. It has 2,600 employees spread across 13 locations in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Finland, with its headquarters located in the Tyrol town of Imst. The Group’s fully integrated sawmills cut about 5.4 million solid cubic meters of timber annually. Along the whole value chain, this is subsequently processed into pallet blocks, briquettes, pellets, sawn and planed timber, concrete formwork panels, formwork beams, cross-laminated, glue-laminated timber (glulam), glued solid wood panels, and green power.
Read more news on: circular economy, pellets, CLT, glulam
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Tags: circular economy wood industry, German wood recycling regulations, modern sawmill technology, Pfeifer Group Uelzen investment, sustainable timber processing, waste wood recycling plant Germany
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