One of the leading manufacturers of wooden garden products in Europe, Stelmet, offers a broad choice of high-quality products at competitive prices.
The comprehensive product assortment includes over 800 different articles: fences, panels, rolled elements, trellises, posts, laths and planks, palisades, cabinets, garden tables, decking tiles, pergolas and flower boxes, sandpits, arbours, garden and tool houses, composters and many other wooden garden products.
“We are the largest manufacturer of wooden garden products in Poland”, says Przemyslaw Bienkowski, vice president of the board of directors. Stelmet was founded by his father, Stanislaw Bienkowski, the company’s president, in 1985.
It started as a contract manufacturer of wooden garden equipment, later producing wooden articles for private households. The real start of the wooden garden range, though, is marked by the early 1990s when the company began cooperating with a German firm.
“Since then, we have been constantly expanding our assortment of wooden garden products“, explains Mr. Bienkowski. The company continues to invest in new product development and modern manufacturing technology.
Today Stelmet processes over 600,000 m3 of timber a year, has more than 1,100 employees and generates annual revenues in excess of 100 million EUR. Stelmet Group with a new company in the Great Britain has more than 1,500 employees and sales over 160 million EUR. “95% of our products go abroad”, states Mr. Bienkowski. “Our main export markets are France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway and Poland. The Polish market is small but developing rapidly.”
All Stelmet products are made from high-quality pine and spruce only. “We cover the entire processing chain, from purchasing the timber to packaging the finished product, to ensure maximum quality“, explains Mr. Bienkowski.
The timber processed by Stelmet meets the stringent requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council for responsible, sustainable forestry. The company also views environmental protection as important, employing a closed chemicals circuit for timber preservation.
The main production plants of Stelmet are in Zielona Gora, Jeleniów and Lubiecin. Located at the company’s main site in Zielona Gora, the latest addition to Stelmet’s manufacturing base is a new, 40 million EUR pellet production plant built in 2008.
It is equipped with state-of-the-art wet raw material processing systems and the most up-to-date pellet drying equipment in Poland. It produces 144,000 t annually and processes the by-products of manufacturing into wooden pellets which – thanks to their high energy value – provide an alternative fuel for heating and power in both residential and industrial buildings.
Wooden pellets have many advantages, as Mr. Bienkowski describes: “They are CO2 neutral as, during combustion, the quantity of CO2 emitted is the same as absorbed by the tree during growth. They are easy to use, clean and safe, and emit no odour. The volume of ash after combustion is very low, and the ash can be used as a natural fertiliser. They are also easy to transport and store and can be used with all types of heating devices, from small private units to large industrial plants.”
The new pellet production plant not only enables Stelmet to effectively use the by-products of manufacturing to serve the growing market for alternative forms of energy. It also uses the heat generated in the production of pellets to produce ‘green electricity’.
“Our pellet production plant is one of the largest in Europe“, says Mr. Bienkowski. Stelmet’s new pellet production facility is in line with the company’s strategic objectives focusing on developing new products and markets and growing production to strengthen its position as a leading European wood processor.
Stelmet stands out by being able to supply at very short notice. Meeting customer orders from all over Europe, the company is particularly busy during the spring and summer season. “70% of the total sale is done during only six months of the year“, Mr. Bienkowski describes the challenging situation.
To further grow its leading position in the European garden products market, Stelmet is continuing to grow organically and develop new markets.
“At the same time, we are focused on sustaining successful cooperation with our existing customers“, says Mr. Bienkowski.
