IKEA Industry, the manufacturing arm of Sweden's flat pack furniture giant, has launched a new production unit in the town of Stalowa Wola.

With a staff of 43, the sawmill can process 400,000 cb.m of logs per annum, and it will supply sawn timber to IKEA factories
in Poland and Slovakia. It is the largest sawmill operated by IKEA Industry worldwide.

"The location in Stalowa Wola gives us good access to raw material, boosting the reliability and consistency of our solid wood division's supply chain," Ewa Cander-Karolewska, communications manager at IKEA Industry, tells Poland Today. "Due to proximity to our furniture and component factories in Poland and Slovakia, we get to shorten delivery times, cutting transportation costs and CO2 emissions."

The company will be sourcing timber locally, from FSC-approved Polish forests. The factory is located on a 25-ha site, which according to a number of sources is likely to see further investments from IKEA Industry in the future, including a furniture plant.

"At the moment our focus is on rolling out production in Stalowa Wola and gradually achieving full operational capacity. We expect it to happen in two years at which point the plant's workforce will include around 80 employees," says Cander-Karolewska, refusing to disclose any details regarding IKEA Industry's capital expenditures in Stalowa Wola. "At the moment our focus is on rolling out production in Stalowa Wola and gradually achieving full operational capacity. We expect it to happen in two years at which point the plant's workforce will include around 80 employees," says Cander-Karolewska, refusing to disclose any details regarding IKEA Industry's capital expenditures in Stalowa Wola.

Source: Business Review +

www.ikea.com