LEXINGTON, N.C. - Egger Group, a wood-based materials suppliers for the furniture, wood construction and flooring industries, broke ground on its North American corporate offices in North Carolina’s Davidson County. The Austrian panel producer says this is a critical step in expanding its U.S. presence to better serve North American customers.

 

The office building, which is scheduled for completion in early 2019, will house Egger'ss North American future office staff. This building also lays the groundwork for future plant operations, which includes an 'ultramodern' particleboard manufacturing plant.

 

Construction of the plant is expected to start at the end of 2018 and production at the future facility is slated to begin in 2020. Sources report the 4.5 million-square-foot production facility will be spread across more than 200 acres in an industrial park. The first stage of the project will involve the construction of a composite panel plant with coating capacities. The company said the North Carolina plant will feature state-of-the-art facilities and will enable it to better serve customers in North America.The company also plans to establish a training center at this location to train and grow skilled workers in the region.

 

“Today, we celebrate a significant milestone for Egger’s presence in North America,” said Bernhard Vorreiter, technical project manager. “This groundbreaking is an important moment as we work to become a leading resource for wood-based solutions in North America.”

 

The office building will house approximately 80 workplaces and improve access for architects, designers, wholesalers and furniture industry customers to Egger’s wide range of wood-based products and cutting-edge designs.

 

Founded in 1961 and headquartered in Tirol, Austria, the family-owned company employs approximately 8,200 people and has 17 plants located across Europe. Egger produces an extensive product range of wood-based panels, including particleboard, MDF and OSB, as well as timber products, for use in the furniture, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, flooring and other wood products markets. It generated sales of more than $2.74 billion (EUR 2.34 billion) in the 2015/2016 fiscal year.