The SWISS KRONO Group, headquartered in Lucerne, Switzerland, is the world’s leading manufacturer of wood-based materials. The company offers a wide range of products in the fields of interior design, flooring and building materials. The SWISS KRONO Group generated sales of more than CHF 2.0 billion in the last financial year. The group employs around 5,000 people at ten production sites worldwide. The eight national companies of the SWISS KRONO Group operate in Switzerland, France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia and the USA and supply customers in over 120 countries.
Products
The family company has stood for products of the highest quality and an outstanding price-performance ratio for more than 50 years. As experts in wood-based materials, SWISS KRONO Group understands the needs of its clients and therefore meets specialised retailer, processor, planner and end user requirements across the world. For the predominant majority of products, all production steps are executed by SWISS KRONO Group, from selecting suitable wood through to finishing. Consistent quality under a brand name is therefore guaranteed worldwide.
Innovation
For the most part, the national companies operating independently on the market are the winning formula for innovation. In line with the SWISS KRONO Way of Doing Things, experiences are shared between national companies on a regular basis and successful new developments transferred to other markets. This strategy has proven successful time and time again for setting new standards in matters of design, feel and value.
Sustainability
The group of companies acquires its raw materials exclusively from sustainable wood sources. The production processes in all of the plants are subject to the highest efficiency standards and are regularly assessed by independent institutions. As a group of companies operating internationally, SWISS KRONO Group continues to work on improving all production and business processes in both technical and ecological matters. The company thereby continues to invest in the further development of its existing plants.
History
SWISS KRONO GROUP’s roots lie in the company founded in 1966 by Ernst Kaindl in Menznau/Switzerland. With entrepreneurial acumen and vision, he developed the cornerstone for today’s group of companies with a global profile. The first plant was opened outside of Switzerland in France more than 30 years ago. This was followed by branches in Germany, Poland and the USA. The turn of the millennium saw three plants in Ukraine and sites in Russia and Hungary.
Management
The values of company founder Ernst Kaindl are still prevalent for SWISS KRONO Group today. Martin Brettenthaler, CEO and President of the Executive Committee runs the operating businesses.
For more than 50 years, the SWISS KRONO Group has been developing the natural material of wood to produce an industrial mass product with the highest quality and an outstanding value for money. The company develops solutions using natural raw materials for demanding residential and living spaces, which it successfully markets in many countries.
The Group uses resources efficiently: Raw materials are obtained from sustainable forestry. Idle time or break in product are not tolerated. The company stands for the SWISS KRONO Way of Doing Things. This means: The knowledge of the whole Group is shared to increase performance. The company has been setting the standards when it comes to design, look and feel, and quality since the formation of the SWISS KRONO Group in 1966. Customer value is at the heart of what we do: the Group can help customers grow and develop with our solutions and systems.
The range of wood-based materials produced by SWISS KRONO and sold worldwide ranges from decorative products for furnishings and interior design (‘interiors’) to effective OSB boards for wood construction (‘building materials’) to laminate flooring in various specifications (‘flooring’). SWISS KRONO Group customers expect high-quality products. The Group has developed trust over 50 years. The SWISS KRONO Group works reliably and to a top quality. This has made them one of the market leaders within the wood industry.
Approximately 5000 employees reveal their thirst for success every day and drive the SWISS KRONO Group forward through their commitment, passion and ideas. They are proud to be part of a successful company in the wood-based products industry. And the Group is proud of a performance-oriented, motivated, qualified and loyal workforce.
As one of the most successful producers of wood-based materials in the world, the SWISS KRONO Group has continuously improved its competitiveness on international markets. This is due to the foresight of company founder Ernst Kaindl († 2017). He recognised the opportunities for controlled expansion at an early stage and by investing in locations in Eastern and Central Europe, partly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, took appropriate steps.
