The fi ne woods of France

BY Szeto Hiu Yan

Unit N°1 Les Bois Profi lés, the production facility for 2nd transformation in Charolles, France

The Ducerf Group prides itself for standing against the test of time for the past 134 years and emerging time and again as the forerunner in the French timber industry, be it in adopting advanced technology or being an inspiration through its innovative and bold spirit.

This may also explain why it can be delivering timber for a prototype project (75 per cent scale) related to the rebuilding of the 850-year-old Grand Dame of Paris on one side, while debuting its graphic and innovative YD-WOODS© on the other. YD-WOODS© no. 1 is a solid wood panel in cross-ply glulam made of alternating plies of end-grain and threaded wood, designed by designer-cabinet maker Sylvain Hardy.

How can wood panels be graphic? But YD-WOODS© is just that. It is a panel with a younger look and attitude. The natural growth rings of the wood are exposed, interrupted and reconstructed into a graphically distinctive and rhythmic surface.

(Photo credit: Frédéric Dahm -Empreinte D'ailleurs)

Book shelves and staircases made of YD-WOODS© no.1

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Profi léo® European Oak 1) 75mm (DKD) 2) 95mm (DKD) 3) 86mm (KKK)

Ducerf Group is no stranger to breaking new frontiers. Back in 1962, it was the fi rst company in France to provide fi nger jointed scantlings oak for joinery machinery. In the same year, the manufacturing unit of “Les Bois Profi lés” was created, presenting the next stage in the group’s development, which they named “Second Transformation”.

The DUCERF Group has come a long way since its first sawmill was built in Burgundy, France, in 1885. A fi vegeneration family-owned business, the group has grown, spread and established new sites in France, implemented innovative processes and exported to many countries, while evolving with the market.

The group has six production sites across France and 200 employees, with products supplied to more than 45 countries, with annual revenues of EUR 35 million, half of which come from exports.

Its “First Transformation”, represented by its primary sawmilling business, still stands strong today. Its three manufacturing yards in France process 50,000 m3 of logs annually, of which 80 per cent are French Oak and the rest are other popular hardwood species such as ash, poplar, beech and chestnut.

Doors made with Profi léo® wood scantlings

Following the “Second Transformation”, there are now three manufacturing sites in France where 14,500 m3 of wood-based products are manufactured annually. The main products of this Ducerf Group branch are panels and fi nger jointed scantlings. 80 per cent of wood used are French oak.

Speaking to Florence Perrucaud, Export Sales Director of Ducerf Group and newly elected President of French Timber, she shared some export sales fi gures.

“Currently, 50 per cent of our products are exported, 20 per cent of which is exported to countries in Asia like China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and Australia. Our products are high in quality and used in mostly big-budget projects.”

The Ducerf Group has relentless drive in spearheading innovation in the wood industry. Its Research and Development department team has been around since 1960s. “We invest heavily in effi ciency, new ways of manufacturing and new products. We have been exporting our products for the past 30 years so we are constantly on the ground, speaking to people in the industry . We have a very good sense of the market and we are very open to new ideas.” Over the years, the group continued to transform and introduced new products based on market trends, such as high temperature treatment wood in 2008 and cross laminated wood made from oak– they have been working on a project for three years with a group of industrial and research partners.

“We are constantly evolving and adapting. We are dynamic and adopt the latest technology. In fact, we are now

Florence Perrucaud, Export Sales Director of Ducerf Group and newly elected President of French Timber

Panoplot® Cabinet making oak

Panoplot® Natural oak (Rustic)

Table made with Panoplot® oak panels

working with our team of engineers to develop the ‘Sawmill of the Future’ with a group of innovators from National French Wood Federation, a fi rst in France,” said Perrucaud.

The group also places great priority on the environment, becoming the fi rst PEFC eco-certifi ed sawmill in France for its control chain in 2002 and receiving certification from both PEFC and FSC for the control chain of Les Bois Profi lés company in 2006.

Besides its processed raw materials, the best-selling products from the Group are the solid scantlings from the Profi léo® range, solid panels from the Panoplot® range and the three-ply panels from the 3 PLIS® range.

The Profiléo® range is designed for doors and windows manufacturing with diff erent profi les such as visible joinery, 100 per cent solid wood joinery and wood-aluminium windows, allowing for cost eff ectiveness based on their uses. “We used only oak for scantlings for manufacturing windows, usually built for big houses and can go up to 6 metres in height. We have managed to open up new markets in India and China with this new product,” said Perrucaud.

A good variety of species is available such as European oak, U.S. white oak, brown oak and larch. Depending on the species, diff erent combination types such as KKK, DKD and DKKD are available. For example, scantlings in European oak comes in thickness of 63mm (DKD, 21+21+21), 72mm (DKD, 22+28+22) or 84mm (DKKD, 21+21+21+21), with length of up to 6000mm.

Panels from Panoplot® is made of solid full stave lamellas glued together on the side and in the width. Intended for the manufacture of stair steps, tabletops, furniture and decoration, the range is is available in high quality wood species such as oak, natural oak, ash and beech; in thickness from 19mm to 40mm and length of up to 2400mm. Panels are made from lamellae of length 40mm onwards and sanded on two sides.

The 3 PLIS® panel consists of continuous lamellas for the exterior sides and countercrossed lamellas fi nger-jointed for the external ply. Tabletops, furniture and decoration can be manufactured using 3 PLIS® panels, available in oak, unsteamed or steamed beech, ash, maple, birch, alder, cherry and walnut. The panels come in two thickness – 20mm and 26mm, with lengths ranging from 750mm to 2500mm.

“It is not common to see timber businesses in France that have undergone First and Second Transformations, let alone off er customers a wide range of premium quality raw wood materials and products - from logs to near fi nished products. We have been around for a long time, we have a deep understanding of the market’s needs but what is even more notable is our dynamism and robustness, which continues to fuel our drive to innovate and always stay ahead of the game,” Florence Perrucaud concluded. ℗

All images are credited to Ducerf Group unless otherwise stated.