With some 900 employees at 17 production facilities, VIDA
AB is Sweden's largest privately owned sawmill company. Production
is primarily focused on structural timber for a large assortment of
different markets. Around 85% of production is exported to Europe,
USA, Australia, Africa and Asia. Sales of sawn wood products
are via a sales company, VIDA Wood.
Operations also include the manufacture of packaging, pellet
manufacture, house manufacture and biofuel trading.
The plants are strategically located near forest owners in the
Småland and Västra Götaland regions of Sweden. Since 1999, the
group has grown rapidly. Over the past seven years, turnover has
quadrupled with maintained profitability.
Via its own purchase company (VIDA Skog), VIDA buys most of its raw
materials from private forest owners. A total of around 3
million m3 solid timber excluding bark is acquired
annually.
In recent years, to reduce costs in an increasingly competitive
global market, the group has strongly specialised the operations of
its various units. Over the same period, there has been heavy
investment in logistics. The group's own train and own distribution
warehouses in a host of countries are some of the results of
this.
