
The Sokol cross-laminated timber (CLT) plant belonging to Segezha Group has successfully passed Conformité Européenne (CE) certification for CLT panels. The certificate confirms that the enterprise has deployed modern practices to verify that the quality of its products meets European requirements.
Prior to this, CLT panels underwent the European Technical Assessment (ETA) procedure in the authorised laboratories at the Graz University of Technology (TUI Graz), where detailed tests were carried out to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the panels.
“Our plant in Sokol has once again confirmed the high quality of its products in accordance with European requirements,” said Dmitry Rudenko, vice president of Segezha Group. “We consider this area of activity to be extremely promising. As of today, modern technologies make it possible to construct multi-storey buildings entirely from wood, and there are such projects in Scandinavia, Europe, Canada, and the US where such buildings are up to 85m in height and have up to 27 floors.
“In the European Union, CLT panels are used for the construction of hotels, schools, offices, and residential buildings. As for Russia, we almost never construct multi-storey buildings from wood. However, this is a very promising area of activity.”
The CE marking will facilitate the introduction of Sokol CLT products to the European market. Currently, the Group produces CLT panels only at the plant in Sokol, Vologda Region. Its capacity is 50,000m3, which is approximately 200,000m2 of housing per year. The Holding is considering opportunities to expand its CLT production capacity through the establishment of new enterprises in Arkhangelsk Region in 2024, of up to 50,000m3, and in Krasnoyarsk Krai in 2026, of up to 100,000m3.
At the same time, the total production capacity of the Group will increase by four times and reach 200,000m3. The demand for the company’s products is growing both in Russia and abroad.