100% utilisation

Every chip counts

Boards, blocks, nails – in Torgau we manufacture all intermediate products ourselves. For this purpose, sawmill by-products are refined into our own finished products. This makes us independent of suppliers and service providers – and protects the environment.

100 %

Our unique concept

We have a concept that is unique in Europe in the packaging industry: the utilisation of 100% of the wood – starting from the bark to the very last chip. And all this in the best possible way: bark is converted into CO2-neutral energy in our own power plants, while sawdust and wood chips are used for pallet blocks as well as high-quality briquettes and pellets. Together with our own production of pallet nails, that makes us crisis-proof and allows us to deliver reliably even under difficult economic conditions. At the same time, the self-sufficient, integrated production enables us to offer a wide range of products in the areas of pallets, biofuels, sawn timber and garden and milled products.

100% from trunk to finished product

Wood is a valuable raw material that must be used with care. This is also applies to the production of pallets and other products. Our pledge is therefore clear: we use 100 % of every trunk.

To deliver this, we have invested in state-of-the-art technology:all tree trunks are harvested with modern harvester machines and then transported to the factory. There they are debarked and then measured in full contour using laser and camera technology. The data obtained through these processes forms the basis for further processing in the sawmill and settlement with the suppliers.

The boards are used to produce high-quality pallets, milling and garden products. Planed goods for export are also produced. The resulting sawdust and wood chips are dried and processed into high-quality biofuels and pallet blocks.

The energy needed to dry the sawdust and the pallets is also produced on site – from the tree bark of the logs, which is utilised in our own combined heat and power plants. We also feed green electricity into the public grid in accordance with the Renewable Energies Act.

Consistently well thought-out

Self-sufficient production

From the delivery of the logs to the finished pallet usually takes just 24 hours. And this happens even under difficult economic conditions. Thanks to our unique concept, we can operate largely independently of external service providers and suppliers. From the harvest to the pallet, everyone works hand in hand.

Regional supply

timber harvesting

Our wood comes from sustainably managed forests, which are generally located within a radius of 250 kilometres around Torgau. The region around Torgau is one of the most densely forested regions in Germany and reliably ensures the supply of log wood to our sawmill. It also allows us to maintain a personal relationship with the regional forest owners and to set up short transport routes.

The wood is also harvested with five of the company’s own machines and long-standing cooperation partners. Our highly mechanised forestry technology is RAL-certified. It can therefore also be used in certified forest areas for timber harvesting and logging.

The professional harvesting and removal of the logs is take care of by forestry engineers in the office and in the field, among others. They advise our partners on all questions concerning the forest, the harvest and the processing up to the billing of the harvested logs.

Where appropriate, we also take over complete lots from the forest owner. This is possible since we are able to process log wood in diameters ranging from 6 cm to 1 m and in lengths from 2.40 to 5.00 m of any native wood species in almost any quality at our plant.

Cutting-edge technology

Sawmills

In our two sawmills, more than 1.1 million solid cubic metres of wood are processed annually into timber for our own pallet production and for export. 

Each sawmill is ideally equipped for cutting the 2.40 – 4.00m long logs: in the weak wood sawmill, two HewSaw R200 sawing lines cut logs with smaller diameters. A LINCK chipper-reducer circular saw line processes the medium logs in online operation, while an EWD double quadro band saw line, with upstream CT log, processes the heavy logs into timber, also in online operation. Using the latest scanner and measuring technology, the sawing lines are electronically controlled to get the maximum yield out of the cut logs.

Perfect load carriers

Pallet production

We are proud to be Europe’s market leader for EPAL pallets and to have the largest production site for pallets. Our team produces around 50,000 pallets per day in a 4-shift system in consistently high quality.
This is made possible by modern technology and highly automated processes. The pallets are automatically assembled on production lines and are then ready for drying.

Thanks to our self-sufficient production and the resulting independence from external suppliers and service providers, orders for a wide variety of load carriers are processed reliably and quickly and the load carriers are delivered on time.We ensure the high quality of the EPAL load carriers in cooperation with the Gütegemeinschaft Paletten e.V. (EPAL) and through our own quality management system.

MAde in Torgau

Pallet components

11 boards, 9 blocks and 78 special nails – all manufactured and produced in Torgau. In this way, we operate largely independently of external service providers and suppliers – to the benefit of our customers.We use the sawdust that is produced in our factory for the production of the pallet blocks. They are pressed and dried on site.
We buy raw wire for the special nails. This is punched into nails in our own nail production system with modern machines. To cover our own high demand, we produce up to 20 tonnes of nails every day. They are certified by EPAL and approved for use with Euro pallets. All nails are subject to regular strict quality controls.

Stable

NAIL PRODUCTION

At least 78 special nails must be added in each Euro pallet to guarantee its stability. To meet this high demand for nails, we produce up to 20 tonnes of them per day directly on site.

Raw wire is used for this purpose, which is punched into nails in modern special machines. The nails we produce are certified by EPAL and approved for use with Euro pallets. They are subject to regular strict quality controls.

Suitable for export

Drying

With a few exceptions, all Mercer Torgau pallets meet the requirements of the ISPM 15 standard. The “International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures for Wood Packaging in International Trade” aims to prevent wood pests from being imported into other ecosystems. Various measures are possible to meet the standards – for example, appropriate heat treatment.

Our pallets are dried to the required wood moisture content in the largest channel dryers installed in Europe and in nine drying chambers and treated in accordance with the IPPC guidelines (ISPM 15). In four-shift operation, up to 17 million pallets can be dried per year. This corresponds to an annual drying capacity of 720,000m³.

We obtain 100% of the energy we need for this from renewable energy, which is generated in a CO2-neutral way in the company’s own biomass combined heat and power plants.

100% green

Sustainable energy

A total of three Renewable Energies Act (EEG)-certified power plants produce renewable energy from tree bark and forest residues – so-called renewable raw materials (NaWaRo) – at our plant. The 7 boilers produce up to 1,200 MWh of heat per day. This heat is used for drying the pallets, timber and sawdust. The three turbines in the power plants produce an additional 90 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity per year. This covers approximately the plant’s electricity needs and would also be enough to supply 30,000 households with electricity.Both the electricity and heat are 100% renewable. The electricity is fed into the public grid, fully in accordance with the EEG.

Sustainable

Biofuels

The sawdust produced at our plant is a valuable raw material for us – for example, for the production of sustainable and high-quality biofuels such as wood briquettes and pellets.  

The biofuels are produced only by pressing the sawdust. They are free of chemicals and, as a pure natural product, provide clean and cosy warmth.

All of our company’s biofuels are certified according to ENplus. The quality seal places high demands on production, quality assurance, labelling, logistics and storage of the briquettes. This is how we want to give the trade and consumers more security and orientation when choosing their biofuels.

Durable wood

Garden

At our second location in Dahlen near Torgau, we produce high-quality wooden products for the garden – from privacy screens to classic fences to pergola systems to flooring to play equipment such as climbing swings and sandboxes.

The wood for these products comes from sustainably managed forests. We prove this, among other things, with the long-standing certification of our operation according to PEFC. This certification is the guarantee for an independently monitored and fully traceable processing chain for sustainably grown wood.

Distribution takes place via partners such as hardware stores. This allows consumers nationwide to choose from our high-quality garden range.

 

Own fleet

Logistics

We also rely primarily on our own strength in logistics – we transport a large part of the log wood from the forests to our plant with our own special log trucks. 

Deliveries to our business partners and customers in the local area are also made with our own fleet of vehicles wherever possible. Several modern jumbo trucks are available for this purpose.

Otherwise, we rely on modern transport logistics and work closely with regional and international logistics service providers to always supply our customers safely. 

A factory of our size also has a high internal transport requirement. With a modern fleet of timber excavators, wheel loaders, various forklifts with different payloads and other special vehicles, our internal fleet ensures the internal supply of materials at all times. The fleet also includes the company’s own vehicle workshop, two petrol stations and washing bays, as well as digital solutions for monitoring the fleet.

High availability

Warehouse logistics

Mercer Torgau has more than 50,000 m2 of storage space which is used for its various products. For example, we operate a FiFo warehouse for sawn timber, assortment warehouses for garden and milled products and, of course, warehouses for our biofuels. Customers benefit doubly from the high storage capacities: orders are picked quickly and delivered at short notice if required, and our warehouses can also be used as consignment warehouses.

We also use part of the storage area for ourselves: centralised warehousing allows us to quickly provide the tools and materials we need within our company.

State-of-the-art

GRINDING SHOP

All cutting and milling tools are repaired, reconditioned and sharpened in our own tool grinding shop.For this purpose, we have the most modern computer-controlled machine tools at our disposal, such as grinding robots, automatic soldering machines and chain sharpening machines.
All tools are provided with a machine-readable QR code in order to be able to effectively plan maintenance intervals and thus always ensure the quality of our products.