Family-run wood processing group: sawmills, glulam constructions, pellets and biomass electricity
Fruytier Group (Fruytier Finance & Trading S.A.)
Marche-en-Famenne (BE) · Marloie (BE) · Vivy (BE) · Bertrix (BE) · Hochscheid (DE) · La-Roche-en-Brenil (FR) · Doncols (LU)New on Amplifa
About Fruytier Group
Fruytier Group is a family business founded in 1946 by André Fruytier and now run by the third generation, with more than 700 employees in Belgium, Germany, France and Luxembourg. The group processes softwoods such as Douglas fir, spruce, pine and larch from forests within a radius of around 250 km into construction timber, outdoor wood and packaging wood. At sawmills in Marloie (up to 600,000 m³/year), Hochscheid (up to 300,000 m³/year), Vivy and La-Roche-en-Brenil, round logs with a diameter of 50–150 cm are cut, planed, dried and pressure-impregnated. Through the subsidiary Structure Wood, custom timber construction solutions made of glulam, CLT, solid finger-jointed wood and frame panels are designed, manufactured and assembled. In the Energy division, up to 300,000 t of pellets and 10,000 t of heating wood bûchettes are produced per year in Bertrix (ERDA) and La-Roche-en-Brenil (BER), and around 75 GWh of green electricity is generated via biomass power plants. The group headquarters is located in Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium.
- Site
- Marche-en-Famenne
- Processes
- Sawmill / sawing (softwoods), Cutting and sorting station for round logs, Planing mill (high-speed planing), Drying (drying chambers and kilns), Soaking (soaking ponds), High-pressure impregnation (24 m tunnels), Finger-jointing (finger-jointing line), Glulam production
- Materials
- Douglas fir (Oregon pine), Spruce, Larch, Pine, Spruce (Épicéa), Pine (Pin), Larch (Mélèze)
- Certificates
- PEFC, FSC
- Founded
- 1946
- Employees
- +700
- Industries
- Wood processing, Timber construction, Construction, Renewable energies, Timber construction
- 01
Roundwood purchasing (forestry)
- 02
Sawing and sorting
- 03
Soaking (water ponding)
- 04
Drying
- 05
Planing
- 06
High-pressure impregnation
- 07
Finger-jointing and glulam production
- 08
Timber construction engineering and assembly
- 09
Pellet and energy production
- 10
Transport and logistics
Materials & Processes
Douglas fir (Oregon pine)
Main softwood of the group for construction, outdoor and packaging wood, also at the La-Roche-en-Brenil site.
Spruce (Épicéa)
Local softwood for sawn timber and timber construction products.
Pine (Pin)
Processed at the Hochscheid site depending on availability.
Larch (Mélèze)
Processed at the Hochscheid site depending on availability.
Locations
Marloie
BEHistoric headquarters, sawmill
- Materials
- Softwood (Douglas fir, spruce)
- 9 sawing lines
- 6 cutting and sorting stations
- Planing mill (high speed)
- 2 soaking ponds
- 3 drying chambers
Marche-en-Famenne
BEFinishing: planing, drying, impregnation, glulam; group headquarters
- Materials
- Softwood
- 2 high-speed planing mills
- 14 drying chambers
- 2 soaking ponds
- 3 high-pressure impregnation tunnels (24 m)
- Finger-jointing and glulam line
Vivy
BESawmill site for large-diameter logs
- Part weight / size
- Log diameter 50–150 cm
- Materials
- Douglas fir, spruce
- 2 cutting and sorting stations
- 2 sawing lines
- 1 soaking pond
Bertrix
BEERDA: pellet production and biomass power plant
- Lot size
- up to 200,000 t of pellets/year
- Materials
- Sawdust and planing shavings from the group's own sawmills
- Pellet plant
- 1 biomass power plant (combined heat and power)
Hochscheid
DESawmill (Fruytier Deutschland, formerly Karl Decker)
- Lot size
- up to 300,000 m³/year
- Materials
- Douglas fir, spruce, pine, larch
- 3 sawing lines
- 14 drying chambers
- 1 high-speed planing mill
- 1 soaking pond
La-Roche-en-Brenil
FRSawmill (Douglas fir) and BER pellet plant
- Materials
- Douglas fir
- 1 cutting and sorting station
- 2 modern sawing lines
- 8 drying chambers
- 2 soaking ponds
- Pellet plant (2023, conveyor belt connection to the sawmill)
Doncols
LUAdministration, sales and logistics site (timber purchasing, timber sales, truck fleet)
Products & Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawmill / sawing (softwoods)Wood processing | – | – | – | – | Douglas fir, Spruce, Larch, Pine |
| Cutting and sorting station for round logsWood processing | – | – | Logs 50–150 cm diameter (Vivy) | – | Douglas fir, Spruce |
| Planing mill (high-speed planing)Wood processing | – | – | – | – | Softwood |
| Drying (drying chambers and kilns)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | Softwood |
| Soaking (soaking ponds)Wood processing | – | – | – | – | Softwood |
| High-pressure impregnation (24 m tunnels)Surface treatment | – | – | – | – | Softwood |
| Finger-jointing (finger-jointing line)Joining | – | – | – | – | Softwood |
| Glulam productionJoining | – | – | – | – | Softwood |
| Cross-laminated timber / CLT (solid finger-jointed wood, timber frame panels)Wood processing | – | – | – | – | Softwood |
| Wood pellet productionWood processing | – | – | 300,000 t/year (Group) | – | Sawdust |
| Heating wood bûchette production (10,000 t)Wood processing | – | – | 10,000 t/year | – | Wood |
| Biomass cogeneration / green electricityOther (Energy) | – | – | – | – | Wood biomass |
| Custom timber construction (design, manufacturing, assembly – Structure Wood)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Glulam, CLT, Solid finger-jointed wood, Timber frame panels |
24 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawing line | – | 9 | – | – | Marloie (BE) |
| Cutting and sorting station for round logs | – | 6 | – | – | Marloie (BE) |
| High-speed planing mill | – | 1 | – | – | Marloie (BE) |
| Soaking pond | – | 2 | – | – | Marloie (BE) |
| Drying chamber | – | 3 | – | – | Marloie (BE) |
| High-speed planing mill | – | 2 | – | – | Marche-en-Famenne (BE) |
| Drying chamber | – | 14 | – | – | Marche-en-Famenne (BE) |
| Soaking pond | – | 2 | – | – | Marche-en-Famenne (BE) |
| High-pressure impregnation tunnel | – | 3 | 24 m | – | Marche-en-Famenne (BE) |
| Finger-jointing and glulam line | – | 1 | – | – | Marche-en-Famenne (BE) |
| Cutting and sorting station | – | 2 | Logs 50–150 cm diameter | – | Vivy (BE) |
| Sawing line | – | 2 | – | – | Vivy (BE) |
| Soaking pond | – | 1 | – | – | Vivy (BE) |
| Biomass cogeneration unit | – | 1 | – | – | Bertrix (BE, ERDA) |
| Sawing line | – | 3 | – | – | Hochscheid (DE) |
| Drying chamber | – | 14 | – | – | Hochscheid (DE) |
| High-speed planing mill | – | 1 | – | – | Hochscheid (DE) |
| Soaking pond | – | 1 | – | – | Hochscheid (DE) |
| Cutting and sorting station | – | 1 | – | – | La-Roche-en-Brenil (FR) |
| Sawing line | – | 2 | – | – | La-Roche-en-Brenil (FR) |
| Drying chamber | – | 8 | – | – | La-Roche-en-Brenil (FR) |
| Soaking pond | – | 2 | – | – | La-Roche-en-Brenil (FR) |
| Pellet production plant | – | 1 | – | 2023 | La-Roche-en-Brenil (FR, BER) |
| Pellet production plant | – | 1 | – | – | Bertrix (BE, ERDA) |
Additional services
Quality & Certification
The group focuses on proof of origin and certified timber sourcing (PEFC/FSC context); the raw materials come from forests within a radius of around 250 km with guaranteed traceability. No further documented test methods or management system certifications are available.
| Evidence | Marloie | Marche-en-Famenne | Vivy | Bertrix | Hochscheid | La-Roche-en-Brenil | Doncols |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEFC | |||||||
| FSC |
History
- 1946
Founded by André Fruytier, start of forestry activities.
- 1956
Branch in Marche-en-Famenne (Belgium).
- 1972
2nd generation: Pierre and Herman Fruytier.
- 1977
Installation of the first cutting station.
- 1986
First industrial sawmill (500 m³/day).
- 1990
Focus on local softwoods.
- 1996
Establishment of planing mill and drying for higher-value products.
- 1999
Acquisition of the German sawmill Karl Decker (Fruytier Deutschland).
- 2000
Start of expertise in glulam and engineered timber construction.
- 2001
3rd generation, including David Fruytier.
- 2007
Industrial development in the Morvan (Burgundy, France).
- 2010
Establishment of the La-Roche-en-Brenil site.
- 2014
Acquisition of ERDA – entry into pellet and electricity production.
- 2023
New BER pellet plant in La-Roche-en-Brenil.