Interview with Edouard Ducerf, CEO of the DUCERF Group: Outlook and Projects for 2024
I'd like to start by wishing our employees, customers, partners and suppliers an excellent 2024 year, which has enabled us to have a great 2023 and to tackle the challenges that await us in 2024.
Can you share with us the main objectives you have set for the company in this New Year?
We are affirming our commitment to reasoned and sustainable growth. In terms of performance, we are aiming to achieve a level of sales similar to that of 2023.
Major industrial investments that have been planned for a long time will see the light of day. We will also have to validate initiatives aimed at increasing our efficiency while respecting forest resources and enhancing the value of this noble material that we are lucky enough to work with.
We are also planning to go further in the processing of products in order to add more value to our production chain, a subject at the heart of our development thinking.
We will also have to position ourselves to meet the energy challenges ahead, particularly with a cogeneration project currently under study. Reducing our energy consumption will also involve setting up working groups at each of our production sites. We want to involve all our employees in this process.
At the same time, we are committed to continuing to attract, develop and retain our employees through an ambitious employer brand. The Great Place To Work initiative, launched in 2022, has enabled us to put in place a precise action plan following feedback from the Group's employees, and we hope to obtain this label in 2025.
What major innovations will you be introducing in 2024?
As far as innovation is concerned, there's a project that will be coming on stream in a few weeks' time, namely the commissioning of a new high frequence press, with the aim of manufacturing new products to expand our range! This line, which has already been installed at our « les Bois Profilés » site, will enable us to design up to 3 products: glued-laminated panels and solid panels, which will be available in new dimensions, as well as glulam scantlings and door frames. This tool will also give us the possibility of gluing for structural applications. This will enable us to adapt more effectively to the changing needs of the market. Our production tool must be flexible and offer more possibilities to our customers.
There's also a major project coming up at the sawmill, involving investment in the logyard and the overhaul of the debarking equipment. We plan to install more modern machines and reorganise the flows between the park and the production workshop. This project will start at the end of July, with the new line scheduled to come on stream in December.
2024 will also see the launch of « Bois Croisés de Bourgogne » with other partners. The aim of this company will be to manufacture a new product, an oak CLT (Cross Laminated Timber) panel for the construction market. These panels will be used for walls or floors, with the advantage that they have a finished look and can therefore be left exposed. The french 2020 environmental regulations offer us great prospects in this market. Production should start in the second half of 2024 !
How are you going to keep in touch with customers and specifiers this year?
Our sales department and teams are working hard to support our customers in all their wood projects. Our design office is available to propose solutions that are relevant from a technical, regulatory and economic point of view.
We'll also be out and about, whether at regional prescription meetings or larger events such as the FENSTERBAU joinery trade fair in Munich in March or the Carrefour International du Bois (Timbershow) in Nantes in May.
We need to be more aggressive in the face of strong competitive pressure.
Can you share the actions linked to the Ducerf Group's social and environmental responsibility in your strategic plan ?
These issues are central to our plans. We believe in reasoned growth, not doing more but doing better, in particular by controlling our production processes and offering more processed products. The overhaul of our debarking facilities and upcoming projects to make better use of the secondary qualities of oak are concrete examples of our commitment. We have also incorporated the production of green energy into our vision, with a structuring cogeneration project aimed at making better use of our related products.
In terms of social responsibility, we are implementing initiatives such as continuous improvement in the quality of life at work, training and skills development for our staff.
We are also committed to participating in local community life, this territorial anchoring is important to us. In fact, the Group has set up around ten partnerships in 2023.
All these issues are crucial to strengthening our place in the industry while respecting our values and making a positive contribution to our community.
A final word
Despite economic, geopolitical, energy and climate uncertainties, we continue to move forward with our values and ambitions. One thing is certain: responsiveness and adaptability are still the watchwords for 2024.
