HS TIMBER GROUP
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn Austrian wood-processing group active in timber manufacturing, wood-product trading and bioenergy.
Last updated November 4, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
HS TIMBER GROUP is an Austrian-based wood-processing and timber-trading group whose business developed from the Schweighofer family’s long-running sawmilling activities. The group’s historical roots are associated with woodworking records connected to the Schweighofer family dating to the seventeenth century, while the modern family enterprise began in 1956 when Franz and Maria Schweighofer acquired a sawmill in Brand, Lower Austria. Gerald Schweighofer joined the business in 1975, and subsequent investments in profiling, sawmilling and wood-product manufacturing transformed the family operation into an international industrial group. The company’s principal activity is the processing of coniferous roundwood into products for construction, packaging and manufacturing. Its portfolio includes sawn timber, construction and packaging timber, planed and semi-finished timber, profiled timber, glued laminated products, finger-jointed products, blockboards, concrete formwork panels and wood pellets. The group also operates or has operated combined heat and power facilities at sawmills, using bark and other wood-processing residues to generate heat and electricity. Timber trading is another business area, including activity through DABG, Dr. Anna Bauthen GmbH, which focuses particularly on North African and Middle Eastern markets. The group expanded substantially during the late twentieth century. It opened a large sawmill in Ybbs an der Donau in 1984, acquired and enlarged facilities in Sollenau, Austria, and expanded into the Czech Republic through acquisitions in Ždírec and Planá. By the late 1990s, its network had reached six mills and an aggregate capacity of approximately three million cubic metres. The Schweighofer business also formed a joint venture with Japan’s Maiken for glued laminated timber and established the foundation now known as Evergreen Privatstiftung. In 1998, Holzindustrie Schweighofer merged with Enso Timber. The Schweighofer family subsequently sold its interests in the Austrian and Czech sawmills to Stora Enso Timber in 2001. The modern international phase began with Romanian investments. A sawmill in Sebeș began operating in 2003, followed by a sawmill in Rădăuți in 2008. The group acquired a former Swedwood facility in Siret in 2009 and a former Finnforest factory in Comănești in 2010, adding solid-wood panels, blockboards and concrete formwork panels. It later acquired the Kodersdorf sawmill in Germany from Klausner in 2015 and Luvian Saha Oy in Finland in 2022. The Sebeș operation was sold to the Ziegler Group in 2023, while the group continued operating selected Romanian, German and Finnish facilities and developed a joint-venture sawmill in Argentina. HS Timber Group has also faced significant scrutiny over timber sourcing in Romania. Investigations and environmental organizations alleged that suppliers connected to the company were involved in illegal logging and the degradation of protected or old-growth forests. The Forest Stewardship Council disassociated itself from the company in 2017. In response, the group introduced a sustainability and supply-chain action plan, including the Timflow GPS-based truck-tracking system and a voluntary commitment not to process timber from national parks. The company rejected later allegations that it continued to receive wood from protected areas. In 2021, FSC announced that the disassociation had ended after the company met the relevant requirements, and the Comănești blockboard facility regained FSC certification in 2022. The group adopted the HS Timber Group name in 2019. In addition to manufacturing, it supports environmental, social and innovation initiatives. Its Tomorrow’s Forest program in Romania, launched in 2017 with partner organizations, aimed to restore degraded land through the planting of one million trees, a target reported as achieved in 2022. In 2023, HS Timber Group became the commercial partner of a Christian Doppler Laboratory at TU Wien researching wood-based biocomposites made from sawmill by-products. The company is privately owned through Evergreen Privatstiftung and is not known from the supplied sources to be publicly listed.
History
HS Timber Group traces its industrial heritage to the Schweighofer family’s woodworking activities. Historical records associate the family with woodworking as early as 1642. The modern enterprise began in 1956, when Franz and Maria Schweighofer acquired a sawmill in Brand, Lower Austria. Gerald Schweighofer joined the business in 1975 and expanded its technical capabilities, including the introduction of a profiling line for small-diameter logs in 1977. The business grew through a series of Austrian and Central European investments. In 1984 it opened a major sawmill in Ybbs an der Donau. It later acquired and enlarged a sawmill in Sollenau and expanded into the Czech Republic with facilities in Ždírec and Planá. By 1997, the group had six mills and a combined capacity reported at approximately three million cubic metres. The group also entered glued laminated timber through a joint venture with Maiken of Japan and established the Schweighofer Privatstiftung, now called Evergreen Privatstiftung. In 1998, Holzindustrie Schweighofer merged with Enso Timber. The Schweighofer family sold its interests, including the Austrian and Czech sawmills, to Stora Enso Timber in 2001. The group subsequently rebuilt its international manufacturing presence, beginning with a new Romanian sawmill in Sebeș in 2003. A second Romanian sawmill opened in Rădăuți in 2008, and the group acquired the former Swedwood factory in Siret in 2009. In 2010, it took over a former Finnforest plant in Comănești, which became a major blockboard and concrete-formwork-panel facility. The group acquired M-real Hallein GmbH in Austria in 2011 and sold it to TowerBrook Capital Partners in 2017, citing a desire to concentrate on sawmilling. In 2015, it purchased the Kodersdorf sawmill in Germany from Klausner. The same period brought intense criticism of the company’s Romanian timber sourcing. Environmental organizations and investigative journalists alleged that timber supplied to the group was connected to illegal logging and the destruction of old-growth or protected forests. The company rejected the allegations and introduced a sustainability plan centered on stronger supply-chain controls. Its Timflow system records delivery-truck routes and photographs of loads, with the stated purpose of making sourcing more transparent. In 2017, the Forest Stewardship Council disassociated itself from the company. The group also launched Tomorrow’s Forest in Romania with forestry and academic partners, supporting reforestation on degraded land. FSC later announced in 2021 that the disassociation had ended after the company met the relevant conditions; the Comănești facility was recertified in early 2022. The company rebranded as HS Timber Group in 2019. Its more recent development has included a joint venture with Forestcape to build the Acon Timber sawmill in Gobernador Virasoro, Argentina. Construction began in 2021 and the facility was commissioned in April 2024. In Finland, HS Timber acquired Luvian Saha Oy in April 2022. Meanwhile, operations at the Rădăuți sawmill and Siret glue-laminated-panel facility ceased in March 2022, and the Sebeș sawmill was sold to the Ziegler Group in August 2023. Beyond core production, HS Timber Group has participated in bioenergy generation at sawmills, used wood residues such as bark for combined heat and power, supported charitable projects near its production sites and partnered with TU Wien on research into wood-based biocomposites. The group remains privately owned through Evergreen Privatstiftung.
- 2024
Acon Timber sawmill commissioned
[1]The Argentina joint venture with Forestcape officially commissioned its Gobernador Virasoro sawmill.
- 2023
Sebeș sold and WoodComp3D partnership begins
[1]The Sebeș sawmill was sold to Ziegler Group, and HS Timber became a commercial partner in a TU Wien Christian Doppler Laboratory researching wood-based biocomposites.
- 2022
Luvia acquisition and Romanian closures
[1]HS Timber acquired Luvian Saha Oy while the Rădăuți sawmill and Siret panel operation ceased production.
- 2019
Rebrand to HS Timber Group
[1]Holzindustrie Schweighofer adopted the HS Timber Group identity.
- 2015
Kodersdorf sawmill acquired
[1]The group acquired the German Kodersdorf sawmill from Klausner.
- 2008
Rădăuți sawmill opens
[1]The group began operating a second Romanian sawmill at Rădăuți.
- 2003
First Romanian sawmill begins operation
[1]The Sebeș sawmill started production, marking the group’s first Romanian manufacturing venture.
- 2001
Family sells Austrian and Czech sawmill interests
[1]The Schweighofer family sold its shares and the relevant mills to Stora Enso Timber.
- 1998
Merger with Enso Timber
[1]Holzindustrie Schweighofer merged with Enso Timber.
- 1984
Ybbs sawmill opens
[1]The group opened what was described as Europe’s largest sawmill at the time in Ybbs an der Donau.
Products and positioning
An integrated European timber producer emphasizing industrial wood processing, downstream wood products, residue-based bioenergy and traceable timber sourcing.
Wood products
Sawn timber
The group’s core output is industrially sawn softwood, principally spruce and pine. Timber is processed for construction, packaging and further manufacturing applications across the group’s sawmill network. Production is integrated with planing, profiling and residue utilization at selected sites.
Processed timber · 1977
Planed, profiled and semi-finished timber
HS Timber processes sawn timber into planed, profiled and other semi-finished forms. These products are intended for downstream construction and industrial uses and reflect the company’s historical expertise in converting smaller-diameter logs into commercially useful profiles.
Engineered wood
Glued laminated and finger-jointed products
The group produces engineered wood components including glued laminated timber and finger-jointed products. These products extend the use of solid wood by joining or laminating pieces into components suitable for structural, construction and other specialized applications.
Panel products · 2010
Blockboards and concrete formwork panels
The Comănești operation manufactures blockboards and concrete formwork panels. The facility was acquired from Finnforest in 2010 and became one of the group’s major downstream wood-product plants, with blockboard production remaining in operation after other Romanian sites were closed or sold.
Bioenergy
Wood pellets and bioenergy
HS Timber uses sawmill residues, including bark, in bioenergy operations. Combined heat and power plants at several sawmills generate process heat and electricity, while wood pellets provide an additional product stream from processed biomass.
Controversies
2018
Further allegations involving Romanian national parks
A subsequent Environmental Investigation Agency inquiry alleged that the company continued receiving wood from third-party suppliers connected with Romanian national parks. HS Timber publicly rejected the allegations and reaffirmed its voluntary exclusion of wood from national parks and relevant buffer areas.
2017
Forest Stewardship Council disassociation
FSC disassociated itself from the company over concerns about illegal timber purchasing and impacts on protected natural areas in Romania.
2015
Allegations concerning illegal Romanian timber sourcing
The Environmental Investigation Agency and other investigative projects alleged that Holzindustrie Schweighofer received or encouraged timber linked to illegal logging and the destruction of Romanian Carpathian forests. The company disputed the allegations and introduced additional sourcing controls.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Evergreen Innovationcamp
Europe
The follow-up to the Schweighofer Prize was organized as a 48-hour innovation hackathon connecting forestry and wood-industry students with participants from other fields.
Outcome. The format continued the earlier prize’s emphasis on innovation and networking in forestry and wood technology.
- 2017Tomorrow’s Forest
Romania
HS Timber Group, Evergreen Privatstiftung, the Association of Forest Administrators and the Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava launched a reforestation initiative focused on degraded forest land.
Outcome. The initiative reported planting one million trees by 2022. An independent nonprofit foundation was established in 2019 to continue the work.
- 2017Timflow timber-traceability system
Romania
The company introduced a GPS-based system recording the routes of trucks delivering logs to its Romanian mills, together with photographs and related load information.
Outcome. Timflow became the central measure in the company’s response to illegal-logging allegations and was presented as a tool for public supply-chain transparency.
Brand decisions
2023
Sale of Sebeș sawmillM&ABackground
The Sebeș plant was the group’s first Romanian sawmill and had operated since 2003.
Action taken
HS Timber Group sold the sawmill to the Ziegler Group in August 2023.
Aftermath
The transaction reduced the group’s Romanian production footprint while the Comănești and Reci operations remained relevant to its manufacturing network.
2022
Acquisition of Luvian Saha OyM&ABackground
The group sought to maintain and broaden its European sawmill network.
Action taken
HS Timber acquired the Finnish sawmill Luvian Saha Oy in April 2022.
Aftermath
Luvia became part of the group’s active production network, processing predominantly spruce and pine.
2021
Investment in Argentine sawmillingStrategyBackground
HS Timber sought to expand its production footprint beyond Europe through a joint venture with Forestcape.
Action taken
The partners constructed the Acon Timber sawmill in Gobernador Virasoro, Argentina.
Aftermath
The sawmill was officially commissioned in April 2024.
Reported investment value. Approximately US$100 million (Project investment, reported for the Acon Timber sawmill)
2019
Corporate rebrandingStrategyBackground
The company operated internationally under the Holzindustrie Schweighofer name while seeking a broader group identity.
Action taken
The business changed its name to HS Timber Group.
Aftermath
The new identity became the group’s principal corporate brand.
2017
Shift toward core sawmilling and traceable sourcingStrategyBackground
The group faced criticism over Romanian timber sourcing and was also reviewing non-core businesses.
Action taken
It introduced a sustainability action plan and Timflow while emphasizing sawmilling and supply-chain controls.
Aftermath
The measures became central to the company’s response to environmental criticism and were followed by the eventual end of FSC disassociation.
Recent events
Reported
HS Timber Group and Blue Minds agree to acquire Interfloat[2]
HS Timber Group and Blue Minds agreed to buy Interfloat Corporation, with the transaction subject to approval by the German and Austrian antitrust authorities. HS Timber was to receive an 80% share and Blue Minds the remainder.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/hs-timber-group · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled