The CENZATO Group, a quality local partner

Let's meet the CENZATO Group, a 10% investor in the LVL plant and a long-standing local partner in the project. Meet Fabien CENZATO, President of Groupe CENZATO, a company based in the Haute-Loire department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

A Group on a human scale, with sustained growth momentum

A family business founded in 1965, the Group has expanded under the leadership of Fabien CENZATO, the third generation to head the company, who bought the structure in 2005.

In 2009, the company planned to relocate from its historic site, which had become too cramped to accommodate the planned developments. The new site was postponed due to the financial crisis, but resumed a few months later. In 2012, construction work resumed on the new Craponne-sur-Arzon plant. This brand-new unit goes into production in September 2014 with a state-of-the-art sawing line. The plant, which specializes in large lumber, is known as Craponne 1. In October 2016, development continued through external growth with the acquisition of the RAZ BOIS sawmill, located a few kilometers away in the neighboring Puy-de-Dôme department. This sawmill specializes in heavy timber, carpentry and formwork. In 2019, the Craponne 2 extension will see the light of day, specializing in the sawing of small timbers. The Group is thus able to process all diameters, all wood qualities and all softwood species.

In 2023, the project to set up the first LVL plant became a reality with the creation of the Bois Structurés d'Auvergne entity in partnership with the THEBAULT Group. The plant will produce its first LVL panels by autumn 2025.

A few figures.

The Group, with 45 employees at its 2 production sites, processes 100,000 m3 of logs a year and generates sales of €17 million. Its know-how is focused on sawing and planing. The Group mainly produces wood for packaging, formwork and carpentry.

LVL made in France, a long road and a meeting of minds

The establishment of the LVL plant in Auvergne is a human adventure that has been written over a long period of time. In the end, it was two companies, motivated and involved for a long time, who came together in 2022 to take action: Groupe THEBAULT and Groupe CENZATO. A look back at the genesis of the project.

For over 20 years, the THEBAULT Group, specialists in veneer and plywood, had been legitimately interested in diversifying its know-how. After encouraging technical trials with various species such as Maritime Pine, Douglas Fir and Pectinated Fir, the Group postponed its decision, considering that the market was not there yet.

In the Auvergne region, two industry players, Borie sawmill and CBD Bois, were studying the feasibility of setting up an LVL production unit. The aim was to solve the local problem of the lack of outlets for large pectin fir trees. This observation was shared by the interprofession and local manufacturers. This study was carried out by the two companies over several years, with trials carried out at Groupe THEBAULT factories, as well as in Finland. At the end of this phase, however, neither the THEBAULT Group nor the financial institutions approached were willing to follow up.

In 2022, contact was resumed by the THEBAULT Group and its managers, who expressed renewed interest in setting up an LVL production plant. The decision was made to set up the plant jointly with the CENZATO Group. The adventure of LVL Made in France could begin.

A meaningful association, shared values

At a time when France needs to reindustrialize, the two groups are investing together in a plant to produce a biosourced building material, saw fir LVL, to meet the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making rational use of the resource.

This investment is also made possible by the active support of France 2030, ADEME, the Auvergne Rhône Alpes Region, the local economic union and the Conseil Départemental.

The managers of the THEBAULT Group and the CENZATO Group share the same human values and a common passion for the responsible use of wood. The partnership also enables them to benefit from complementary skills.

The CENZATO Group has a procurement structure staffed by 5 specialized buyers with in-depth knowledge of the local terrain and markets. This expertise is complemented by a sorting operation on a vast log yard, to direct the best wood for peeling to the Lempdes-sur-Allagnon plant, some 60 kilometers away. A shuttle system reroutes the peeling cores for use as lumber, notably for pallet lumber at the Craponne plant.

For its part, the THEBAULT Group will contribute its industrial know-how in peeling and its commercial presence on markets, particularly export markets.