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Woodworking and furniture


EXPLORING SLOVENIA’S KEY NATURAL ASSET
Photo: Miha Bratina
Slovenia's advantages | Facts & figures | Overview | Leading companies & institutions | Success stories | Events & topics | Related links

The wood of choice for the world’s greatest violin makers – like Stradivari, Amati, and other luthiers from the Italian town of Cremona – used to be the spruce from the mountains in northwestern Slovenia. Slovenian spruce and mountain maple are still often used to make musical instruments, yachts, and prestigious furniture due to their quality.

It is not a coincidence: wood is arguably the most important Slovenian natural asset in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Over 58 percent of Slovenia’s territory is covered by woods which makes Slovenia one of the three most densely forested countries in Europe. The long tradition of sustainable forest management ensures both conservation of nature and high quality of timber.

These days tradition is complemented by intense research and development. The results are top-quality products in selected niches. Slovenia’s prefabricated wooden buildings could be found in high-end locations in European cities from Vienna to London. The manufacturers of doors and windows combine old woodworking skills with modern IT solutions and offer smart window and door systems. Finally, some of the best examples of Slovenia’s modern design are made of wood. In short, Slovenia offers large supplies of top-quality wood, a longstanding woodworking tradition, top design, and advanced technologies in selected areas of woodworking – and many still unexplored opportunities.

SLOVENIA'S ADVANTAGES

  • supply of top-quality wood
  • long tradition in woodworking
  • sustainable and environmentally friendly material
  • top-notch local design using wood
  • advanced technologies in niche areas
  • diverse and innovative use of wood

FACTS AND FIGURES

INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS

  • low energy and passive prefabricated buildings
  • smart windows and doors
  • composite and cross-laminated timber technologies

EXPORT MARKETS

  • Italy (19 %)
  • Germany (15 %)
  • Austria (13 %)
  • Croatia (7 %)
  • United States (3 %)
Source: SORS, May 2022

EXPORT PRODUCTS

  • sawed or chipped wood (18 %)
  • wooden furniture (6 %)
  • articles of wood (6 %)
  • veneered panels (5 %)
  • wood pellets (4 %)
Source: SORS, May 2022

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

  • sustainable construction technologies
  • wood coatings and other products based on liquified wood
  • nanocellulose
  • advanced biomass-based materials
1,036 companies in 2022
12,160 employees in 2022
1.9 billion EUR revenues in 2022

OVERVIEW

Designers’ material of choice

Two wooden chairs by Slovenian designer Niko Kralj are part of the architecture and design collection in New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Kralj created his iconic chairs back in 1950s and since then many internationally awarded creations by Slovenia’s top designers were made from wood: furniture, toys, and buildings. In contemporary times young Slovenian designers are successfully launching their wooden products with the help of crowdfunding platforms: from pinhole cameras and bicycles to professional headphones, all made from wood.

From traditional woodenware to top design

Ribnica, a small town is southeastern Slovenia, has been known for its woodenware (called “suha roba”) since the 14th century. Peddlers from Ribnica sold wooden kitchen implements, garden tools, toys, and small items of furniture throughout the old Hapsburg empire. While “suha roba” is still sold on Slovenian markets, Ribnica is now the home of one of Slovenia’s top engineering firms that – among other things – constructs wooden buildings in the UK, France, and even in Scandinavia. And Slovenia’s young designers are often inspired by Ribnica’s woodenware when they create products like wooden spoons, toys, door handles and even wooden bathroom sinks.

Wooden buildings for high quality of life

Prefabricated wooden buildings are one of the key areas of Slovenia’s woodworking and furniture industries. Several companies offer buildings from simple wooden huts to luxurious glamping tents and complex public buildings from prefabricated wooden elements. The environmentally friendly and healthy natural material is often combined with modern IT solutions to create low emission and low energy houses. Examples of Slovenian wooden buildings can be found in the UK, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, and elsewhere in Europe.

Niche oriented furniture

Slovenia’s furniture industry is not large and the companies – typical for Slovenian manufacturing – often operate in niches. These niches include top quality hotel furniture, exclusive small series furniture, wooden elements for the caravanning and boatbuilding industries, and products specifically designed for large retailer networks. Another important area for Slovenian woodworking and furniture industry is the manufacture of doors and windows. Smart door and window systems made in Slovenia combine tradition, natural materials, and state-of the-art technology – and often receive international awards for their design and innovation.

Wood is the future

Wood is healthy, clean, CO2 neutral, renewable – and as such a top material with huge future potential. To further explore this potential, Slovenian woodworking industry has joined forces with academia and other industries like construction. The results are several research-oriented initiatives, like the InnoRenew Center of Excellence. The research carried out by this international team covers various areas, including the development of environmentally friendly wood protection materials, developed from waste products.

The companies within the industry are increasingly following the restorative environmental and ergonomic design paradigm (REED). The usage of wood is essential for this paradigm and in that context wood is the material of the future. With a strong heritage, vast forests and availability of top-quality local timber, Slovenian woodworking industry seems poised to play an increasingly important role.


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