Blumer Lehmann begins manufacturing solid wood panels made from cross laminated timber (CLT) and products made from glued laminated timber (BSH) in various qualities and dimensions. The wood industry division of the Eastern Swiss wood specialist is expanding its product range to include climate-friendly CLT and BSH semi-finished products for the construction industry. And thanks to transport savings in the supply chain, it is also reducing CO2 emissions.
The production line for glued laminated timber (BSH) is expected to go into operation in September 2025. The first solid wood panels made of cross laminated timber – CLT for short – will be produced in Blumer Lehmann’s own wood industry gluing plant from around June 2026.
Preparations for the installation of the two production lines for glued laminated timber and CLT solid wood panels with the necessary machines for the process steps of scanning, gluing, pressing, cutting and sanding are in full swing.
Urban Jung, Managing Director of the Wood Industry Division at Blumer Lehmann, explains the reasons for the investment at Erlenhof: "With the new gluing plant and thus CLT and BSH production, we are increasing our added value and at the same time can save a lot of CO2 because transport along the supply chain is eliminated. The round timber is delivered to Erlenhof, the sawn timber produced from it is processed into panels in the gluing plant and then installed directly in our modules. This is sustainable and saves a lot of energy."
The advantages of automation and series production of CLT solid wood panels are particularly evident in the manufacture of floor and ceiling elements for the modules that Blumer Lehmann produces in the timber construction division, but also in their use in standard timber buildings: In the newly built production hall, the CLT solid wood panels are transported to an intermediate storage facility via a vertical conveyor. They are then cut to size in the joinery plant and from there forwarded directly to the adjacent production line for timber elements and timber modules . All truck transport of the finished solid wood panels and forklift journeys are eliminated. This not only saves a great deal of logistical effort, but also a lot of CO2.
In addition, the new production lines will be used to produce semi-finished products made of CLT and a newly developed CLT variant as well as glued laminated timber, which complement the already extensive range of timber products for the construction industry.
Bild: Blumer Lehmann
The new gluing plant is a further step in the wood cycle at Erlenhof, which enables even more comprehensive use of the round wood. In the future, Blumer Lehmann will be able to process poorer quality wood into high-quality products in the wood industry. Previously, these qualities had to be sorted out and transported away for further use. This means further transport savings, which of course also have an impact on the environmental balance. And the residual wood that accrues during wood processing is also 100 percent recycled in the new CLT and BSH plant - true to Blumer Lehmann's principle of fully utilising wood. In the form of pellets , the residual wood from the new plant provides clean energy from the renewable raw material wood.
The new gluing plant for CLT and BSH products is part of the extensive expansion measures being carried out by Blumer Lehmann at its Swiss site in Erlenhof. This also includes the modernization of the log yard in the sawmill with a new, powerful electric gantry crane and the associated sorting line. The crane is already in operation on the first 40 m of a total travel distance of around 150 m. The log yard will be shut down in July 2024 for further line expansion. To avoid bottlenecks in the availability of sawn timber products during this time, the required sawn timber is already being cut and all warehouses are well stocked.
