Estonian Plywood AS, Estonia - Reducing glue waste with a modernized lay-up line

MAKING WOOD MATTER

Summary

Estonian Plywood AS (ESTPLY), a growing birch plywood producer in the Baltics, faced challenges in efficiency, labor attraction, and glue consumption due to manual lay-up processes. By investing in Raute’s fully automated Plywood Lay-up Line R7, ESTPLY achieved improved production flow, reduced glue usage, and enhanced working conditions. Real-time data insights via MillSIGHTS now enable smarter, data-driven decisions and continuous performance optimization.

Estonian Plywood AS

Estonian Plywood is a subsidiary of the LEMEKS Group, one of Europe’s largest forestry companies. Located in Central Estonia, ESTPLY leverages abundant birch resources to produce high-quality plywood for construction, transport, and interior applications. Their growth strategy focuses on automation, efficiency, and data-driven production.
Founded
2018
Location
Viruvere, Estonia
Annual output
55,000 m3
Export markets
Baltics and Scandinavia
Raute Partner Since
2018

Challenge

As a relatively new player in the plywood market, ESTPLY faced the critical hurdle of building a competitive edge while ensuring profitability and operational efficiency. Despite having access to high-quality birch resources and strong backing from the LEMEKS Group, ESTPLY needed to address several pressing challenges to scale its production and attract a skilled workforce.

According to ESTPLY, the key challenges included:

  • Improving overall efficiency
    Manual lay-up processes were slowing production and limiting capacity, making it difficult to meet growing market demand.
  • Reducing glue consumption
    Outdated roller gluing methods resulted in excessive glue usage, increasing costs and waste.
  • Creating better working conditions
    Physically demanding and noisy operations made it hard to attract and retain employees, especially in a competitive labor market.
  • Access to real-time operational data
    Without accurate, timely insights into material usage and production performance, optimizing processes and making informed decisions was nearly impossible.

We knew that profitability depended on efficiency and manpower management. To achieve this, we needed advanced automation and data-driven solutions.

– Vahur Temmis, Technologist, Estonian Plywood AS

Want to learn how Estonian Plywood transformed its operations with automation and data-driven insights?