At a press conference held with the Austrian Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs, Dr. Margarete Schramböck, the Economic Director of the Benedictine Monastery Admont, Mr. Ing.Mag. Franz Pichler, together with the Board of Directors of Admonter Holzindustrie AG, Mr. Gerhard Eckhart, and the two Sales Managers - Mr. Adrian Capellari (DACHI - Germany, Austria, Switzerland & Italy) and Mr. Cemil Celiker (EXPORT - International Export Regions), a €25.5 million Euro Investment Program was announced which will be invested in Admont. From this amount around €19 million Euros will be invested in plant systems and machines and €1.5 million Euros in Technology improvements and Digitalization. A further €5 million Euros will be provided for various investments in a wide variety of areas such as Research & Development.
“These investments will not only secure existing jobs, which is very important for us, but will also enable our sales force to open up new markets", says CEO Gerhard Eckhart. Such investments in machinery and technology means we can make a significant leap in the performance of our systems and processes. The resulting advantages in terms of productivity, precision, flexibility & delivery time can be made available to an even larger circle of customers. "We are proud to be able to make such investments especially in times like these and to look to the future with courage and confidence. We are sending a clear signal about growth and commitment to our area” said the Economic Director and Chairman of the Supervisory Board - Franz Pichler.
In order to ensure the high quality of our products and company ‘know-how’, all Admonter Holzindustrie AG products will be exclusively produced and refined in Admont. Currently 55,000m3 of wood are processed into natural wood products in the form of 2 and 3-layer floorboards, 3-layer panels, doors, stair solutions and acoustic elements. This corresponds to an annual volume equivalent to 1.7 million m2. The main markets are the DACHI region, with the high-quality products also being exported to overseas markets such as Australia, China and the USA. In order to guarantee this into the future, the subsidiary company of the Admont Benedictine Abbey - Admonter Holzindustrie AG with almost 300 employees, relies on young, motivated workers. “The development of young people is very important to us in our companies,” says CEO Gerhard Eckhart. Admonter Holzindustrie AG is a Nationally Approved and Qualified Training Facility offering 8 different Apprenticeship Programs and currently has 20 active apprentices learning across different trades.
In order to guarantee product marketing & presentation worldwide and around the clock, Admonter relies heavily on digital media and online marketing tools. The Covid-19 pandemic in particular has made it clear how important digitization and modern sales concepts are. We can proudly claim to be a pioneer in this field which allows us to always connect with our customers in a positive way. The nomination of our online Virtual Reality tool “VRroomz” for the Upper-Austrian Advertising Prize - ‘CAESAR 2020’, shows that this technical and innovative marketing tool is recognized as a truly great sales-support solution. The link between online marketing and Admonter showrooms is also important. Customers want to "experience" products in real life, so wood is ideally suited as a material to awaken the senses and allow individuals to discover the advantages of real wood. Admonter Holzindustrie is known as a full-range supplier of premium products in real wood for interior design. It is precisely this USP that distinguishes the company and makes it particularly popular with architects as they can specify “everything from a single source” at Admonter. In order to keep this range of products attractive, innovations are required, for which our own dedicated Research and Development department is responsible. As testament to this, Admonter Holzindustrie has been awarded the “Reddot Design Award” twice, in 2015 & 2017 for innovative product design.
“I am particularly pleased that Admonter Holzindustrie and Admont Monastery are choosing to invest at this time thereby saving, securing and creating local jobs. The step which Admonter Holzindustrie is taking with this investment is a huge one - not only for the future viability of the company but also for the future of the Styrian location and the local people. These jobs and extensive investments will create additional orders in the region and thus make an enormous contribution to the entire business location Austria", said Federal Minister Dr. Margarete Schramböck.
Here you will find a short summary of the press conference
