!!!Holzindustrie

Timber Industry: The industrial processing of wood is divided into 
numerous sectors and has a particularly long tradition in Austria. The 
industrial manufacture of furniture using bentwood, the  Thonet, 
Gebrueder company being its chief representative, began in the 
Biedermeier period and is still popular throughout the world. As 
customers have become more aware of nature and environmental issues, 
the demand for solid-timber furniture has increased steadily. 
Companies such as Team 7 were particularly successful in exports. 
Austrian kitchen furniture is a particularly important export article. 
The Wittmann company is an innovative manufacturer of upholstered 
furniture of international renown. Other sectors of the furniture 
industry are the manufacture of office furniture as well as of shop 
furnishings. The market leaders in these sectors are  Bene Bueromoebel 
KG, Hali, Svoboda,  Wiesner-Hager Moebel GmbH and  Umdasch 
Industrieges.m.b.H.. In 1993 the whole industry (about 10,600 
employees in about 110 companies) produced furniture valued at ATS 
10,400 million.

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An important development in the processing of wood was the manufacture 
of derived timber products such as fibre boards. The problems that 
arose from the processing of natural wood were largely avoided and 
optimum use of this natural raw material was made possible. The 
Austrian board manufacturing industry produces materials needed in the 
manufacture of furniture and in other sectors. In addition, the board 
industry makes use of wood residues. The environmental compatibility 
of the production plants has been considerably increased over the past 
years. Relatively new production sectors of the board industry are 
boards of solid timber and concrete formwork panels. Even though the 
development of this industry has been largely positive since the 
post-war years, the sector has occasionally suffered from structural 
crises. Since the 1980s successful businesses such as  Egger, Fritz 
GmbH., M.  Kaindl M. Holzindustrie and Iso-Holding  Turnauer ( Funder 
Industrie GmbH, Leitgeb, Homogen,  Isovolta, Oesterreichische 
Isolierstoffwerke AG) have stabilised the board industry.

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Other important sectors of the wood industry are the manufacture of 
sports articles (mainly skis and tennis rackets), where Austria ranks 
among the world´s market leaders ( Ski Industry), and in the 
building trade (windows, doors, floors, halls, etc.).

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The rapid development of the bonded wood construction sector, assisted 
by the invention of high-quality glues in aircraft construction in the 
1930s, enabled the building of wooden structures up to 150 m 
wide. Austrian pioneering companies in the bonded wood construction 
sector were  Wiesner-Hager Moebel GmbH and Kaufmann, and Austrian 
bonded wood constructions have received several awards. In 1993 
Austria produced approx. 100,000 cubic metres of laminated wood 
boards.

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In 1993 the wood industry comprised about 350 companies (almost all of 
them owned privately) with more than 27,000 employees and a gross 
production value of about ATS 31,000 million. In 1993 exports 
amount to ATS 16,400 million, imports of ATS 14,600 million.


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