Belgian Sawmill to branch out into Cote d'Or

The giant specialist wood merchants, Fruytier, are establishing a sawmill close to the village of La-Roche-en-Brenil in the Cote d'Or, situated close to forests of Douglas Fir and is served by the A6 motorway.

Fruytier plan to invest 18 million euros into Burgundy over the next three years, a project on 20 hectares, which is estimated to create 120 jobs in the various manufacturing units.

Founded in the Belgian Ardennes in 1946, the company has a turnover of 150 million euros a year and employs 700 people in Belgium, Poland and Germany, trading under the Karl Decker brand the group is one of the leading producers of wood products in Europe. They are recognised for their high quality softwoods and since sawmilling started in 1987, production has grown steadily to reach a daily capacity of 7000m3.

In 1997 the Group embarked on the processing of sawn products; kiln drying, planing and moulding facilities were installed to produce high value softwood products. The species mainly used are spruce, Douglas, larch and pine.

As a family group Fruytier has for generations adopted the policy of Renewable Forestry Management on which the company depends for its timber supply at nearby sawmills.

Unlike companies managed from a distance and with short term goals this family run group has future generations firmly in mind.