Thermory, one of the world’s largest producers of thermally modified wood, held its Loo thermal complex’ topping out ceremony on February 26.
The construction of Thermory’s new thermal heating complex has therefore reached the point where the basic loadbearing part of the construction is done. The construction of the complex is planned to be completed by May.
The company is investing 7,5 million euros into the construction of a 3,000 m2 thermal complex. The new complex will include four new thermal heating chambers which will double production capacity and help meet growing demand. The main contractor for the construction is Maru Ehitus, heating chambers are provided by the Finnish producer Jartek.
The building will more energy efficient than Thermory’s existing production units and new technology allows heating chambers to be more resource efficient. In the new premises, the company will use the ovens’ residual heat in order to shorten the baking cycles. Furthermore, more energy savings will come thanks to the renewed boiler room and the improved incineration of tail gases which allows the plant to essentially only emit clean air and water vapor. The new ovens won’t create additional noise and the factory will generate electricity by placing solar panels on its roof.
The complex will be completed as part of the Estonian-Norwegian cooperation program “Green ICT” which supports the sustainable development of Estonian entrepreneurs and is run by Enterprise Estonia. The grant’s objective is to develop innovation-led business cooperation between Estonia and Norway and businesses’ increased value creation by sustainable growth projects.
According to Thermory CEO Simmo Soomets, the new thermal complex will also create 40 new vacancies which, especially during a time like this, will be important for the local community. According to Soomets, it is necessary to increase the production capacity because the company won’t otherwise be able to meet the growing demand. “The use of environmentally friendly and chemical-free wood is increasing worldwide,” Soomets says, adding that the pandemic hasn’t decreased demand, on the contrary – since many are currently building or renovating, saunas and terraces for example, demand has been strong despite national distractions.
Thermory has had a close and smooth cooperation with Jõelähtme municipality. Last year, Thermory helped finance the cleaning of drainage ditches in Loo. The company also donated a significant amount of disposable face masks to the municipality last year. “This year, we’ll co-finance the revegetation and renewing of landscapes in the town of Loo and the construction of Sule road,” said Soomets.
Thermory produces thermally modified wood which is made durable and weather-proof by using cutting-edge technology that uses only heat and steam. Due to its properties, such wood is a great alternative to, for example, tropical wood which has a significantly negative impact on rainforests, as well as cheap wood that is impregnated with chemical or composite materials made out of plastic and wood fibers.
Thermory has expanded successfully in recent years, both organically and through mergers. In 2018, the thermal wood producer HaServ joined the company, in 2020 Thermory acquired a 11 percent stake in the Finnish manufacturer of painted wood materials Siparila.
Thermory is a chemical-free thermally modified wood processing company founder in Estonia in 1997 that produces decking boards, exterior and interior flooring boards, sauna material and ready-made saunas using a heat treatment technology created and patented in Finland. The company’s production units are located in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Belarus. The company also has a sales unit in the United States. The group employs 750 people, the estimated turnover in 2020 was 110 million euros.