It is an attitude that fits perfectly with how the Pfeifer Group sees itself: committed across the board to ensuring a responsible future together with the valuable raw material that is wood.
Finnish identity
The forests or the timber industry? We say both!
With the integration of the Finnish timber company Pölkky, the Pfeifer Group has also embraced the business culture and lifestyle practised in the far north. This is a region where forests mean much more than a mere source of raw materials – they are part of people’s identity and are deep-rooted in their day-to-day lives.
This unique affinity with nature also shapes how Pölkky goes about its work. The Nordic understanding of forestry differs significantly from Central European practices in numerous respects. “In Finland, we don’t order a particular quantity – we buy a whole patch of forest,” explains Pölkky’s CEO Alexander Kainer.
© fokke baarssen, shutterstock.com
In other words, Pölkky works directly with the owners, people whose families will often have looked after their forests for generations before the wood is ready to be harvested. For them, the sale is as much an emotional transaction as a commercial one. Heli Rantapelkonen, Executive PA at Pölkky, puts it succinctly: “Harvest days are emotional times.”
This is precisely why personal contact is so vital. The wood’s journey often starts with a Pölkky procurement specialist calling on the forest owner at home. The process is underpinned by mutual trust. Building on this, everything that is done in the forest requires careful planning, from striking a deal, harvesting the wood, drawing up a restoration plan and, if necessary, reforestation through to logistics and shipping to pulp mills.
The close personal relationships and the varying grades of timber found in the same patch of forest makes procurement a complicated undertaking in Finland. As well as being experts on the forests, Pölkky’s buyers also play an important role in customer service and marketing – just like the sales team back at the factory.
© Pfeifer Holding GmbH
Logistics operations shaped by a high export rate
Pölkky’s approach to logistics and storage likewise differs markedly from that adopted in Central Europe. Unlike at Central European sites, Pölkky keeps large quantities of products on hand at the plants themselves. This is because, in Finland, logs are delivered in batches – not just by truck but also by sea, and you need the right volumes in order to load the ferries efficiently. For instance, it can take up to six weeks between a customer from the UK placing their order and the delivery being collected. The products earmarked for export thus remain on site for a correspondingly long time.
© Danita Delimont, shutterstock.com
Nature and industry not mutually exclusive
Pölkky is an impressive example of how forest conservation and the industrial use of timber can go hand in hand – a philosophy that is deeply embedded in Finnish culture. “In Finland, we don’t choose between the forest on the one hand and industry on the other – we say both,” says Mikael Kostamo, who is responsible for forest management and sustainability at Pölkky. After all, as far as many Finns are concerned, the forest is much more than just a part of the economy: it is somewhere to live, to retreat to and to pass on to your children – not to mention being a source of pride. This deep emotional connection shapes the respect that people show to the natural world.
Pölkky buyer