Eastern European wood industry company VMG Group has opened a new LVL and I-joist factory in Lithuania during Q3 2023. The new plant has the annual capacity of 120,000 m3 of LVL and 15 million metres of I-joists. The industrial site in Akmene, Lithuania, already has a particleboard line that can produce 200,000 m3 of structural particleboards. The new investments will increase roundwood demand by some 400,000 m3 in Lithuania.

Laminated veneer lumber, LVL, is a structural wood product made by gluing together lathe-turned veneers. It can be used for example in load-bearing columns and beams, trusses, ring beams and components for the door and window industry. There has been a significant expansion of LVL consumption in Europe over the past 10 years as builders increasingly adopt building systems that incorporate engineered timber.

Equipment was delivered by Raute Corporation, Finland based technology provider for woodworking industries. The complete mill delivery included all lines and machines for veneer and LVL manufacturing, intelligent data collection system and machine vision analysers for production optimization.

VMG Group employs over 5,000 people in the Baltic States, Poland and other European Union countries and invests in wood processing and manufacture of sustainable wood products, and other industries. VMG Group plans to expand other segments of sustainable building structures, such as prefabricated wall and ceiling panels, LVL columns and wall chipboard with a decorative finish.