Rubner, the South Tyrolean holding company and leader in wood construction, is set to close its 2024 consolidated financial statements at 400 mln, up from the previous year (385mln). Meanwhile, the renovation of the Chienes headquarters and the digitization of production processes at Rubner Türen, which specializes in interior and exterior doors and gates, for which the Group has committed an investment of 25 mln euros, are proceeding.
“The wood industry together with residential and commercial construction continue to drive business. We have seen a reduction in demand from the private customer concerned about economic uncertainties, offset by the resilience of public works, particularly school construction, and the growth of the commercial segment where more and more companies are choosing to build in wood- stresses Peter Rubner, president of the Rubner Group.
NEARLY 100 YEARS OF RUBNER GROUP
It all started with a great passion for wood, the one that prompted Josef Rubner to open his first sawmill in South Tyrol in 1926. Since then, many things have changed: in 1964 the company started the production of doors and two years later, that of wooden houses. Then, in 1974 with the establishment of Rubner Great Wood Structures, glulam production was brought to Italy for the first time, the know-how of which the company helped to evolve and consolidate in our country as well, ranking among the leading companies in Europe.
More than 90 years later, with a workforce of more than 1,400 employees, 18 plants between Italy, Austria, Germany and France, the Rubner Group represents a unique reality, a pioneer in sustainability and a leader in the wood sector. A reality, family-run – now in its fourth generation – but with an international vocation, that presides over the entire wood supply chain: from the production of sawn timber, fir semi-finished products and solid wood panels, to that of doors and windows, houses, up to large architectural works.
The presidium of the entire production chain is the characteristic that distinguishes the Group on the market and allows Rubner not only to be self-sufficient and to offer the client a single interlocutor capable of supporting him from design to execution, but also to assure the client certain delivery times and above all fixed costs, among the most important advantages that wood construction promises compared to traditional building.
The other feature is to have focused on the premium segment with offerings of high-level technological solutions that make it possible to meet the very special demands of architects and clients.
“The decision to position ourselves on a premium level, highly customized, certified and supported by a service ranging from consulting to installation, continues to reward us,” adds Peter Rubner, ”Even in the door segment, where Rubner Türen stands on numbers that might appear low, about 20 thousand doors and 3,000 front doors a year in solid wood, where, however, the average price is 1,300 euros versus the average price of an industrial laminate door of 300 euros.”
INNOVATION AS A COMPETITIVE LEVER
Among the Group’s main strategic levers, innovation has led to a double achievement this year: the creation of a machine to digitize the repair of falling or rotten knots. Aiming to solve the high complexity and intense human effort of a process that until now had been manual, Nordpan, the Rubner Group company specializing in solid wood panels, activated its innovation department. This is how a team of 35 people designed the machinery and software in-house, automating the process and greatly speeding up production.
The second major achievement is the development of a patent with a focus on structural connections between wood and concrete, consistent with the Group’s philosophy that sees wood as the material of choice alongside an intelligent mix of other materials such as concrete, steel, glass, etc.
“Wood,” Peter Rubner confirms, ”is definitely the best solution when it comes to sustainability, but it should be used wisely: in the work or living environment there is no material more suitable than wood, while for example, it is useless to think of wood when it comes to underground spaces where concrete and reinforced concrete can play their part.”
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE DNA
Wood construction plays a central role in achieving the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and the Rubner Group, with 100 years of experience and know-how, can actively contribute.
Natural, renewable and capable of storing carbon, wood is the ideal building material for the cities of the future. In its sustainability journey, the Rubner Group seeks to maximize the use of the raw material wood as much as possible and to place it alongside other healthy and environmentally safe materials, such as cork and wood fiber used as insulation, and water-based paints for doors.
All of the Group’s companies then use wood by-products, generated during production processes, to cover their internal heating needs, while the remaining annual electricity needs are, at present, covered by specially installed photovoltaic systems that power production processes.
“We also try to use waste in a smart way, mainly to generate heat, and we continue to invest so much in photovoltaics with the goal of achieving energy self-sufficiency”-Peter Rubner concludes.
