With 2024 soon behind us, we celebrate another eventful year defined by change, growth and reaching milestones: we expanded our business with new international offices, innovative products, and digital solutions. Looking back reveals what we have achieved together – and how we have set the course for 2025.
Our year started with a bang: in January, we opened our office in Rome. In one of Europe’s most dynamic markets, we are now even closer to our business partners, are able to respond more swiftly to requirements and are continuously expanding our portfolio in Southern Europe. Besides this, we have strengthened our presence in Northern and Central Europe. With founding the Brüning Group Sverige AB in Sweden, we have taken a major step towards internationalisation, which is already bearing fruit. We recently signed a long-term lease with Hallands Hamnar to establish our first hub in Sweden in the port of Varberg. Following the opening of our office in Munich, the formation of the Brüning Group Austria GmbH is yet another important step for our expansion in the GSA region.
In addition to the new locations, our internationalisation was also reflected in our presence at numerous fairs and congresses throughout Europe, which offered us valuable opportunities for market development and networking. Of course, we once again attended this year’s Ecomondo in Rimini with a large, multilingual team. For the first time, we had our own stand at the International Lime Association (ILA) symposium in Oslo, where we even held a presentation. We additionally took part in the European Coke & Ironmaking Congress (ECIC) in Bardolino under the auspices of the European Biochar Industry Consortium e.V. Participating in these events provided us with the chance to target new customer groups and promote our market position in the international business.
However, we have not only mobilised our growth geographically. We likewise set new standards in trade and logistics in 2024. We sold around 100,000 bulk cubic metres of bark in various grain sizes via our production site in Mölln. In addition, we shipped almost 30 containers of Portuguese pine bark to the United Kingdom. With a permanent loading hub in Brandenburg an der Havel and a steady wood flow from the Baltic States, we successfully established further new trade flows that allow us to ship up to 18,000 cubic metres of wood per year. We have continued to digitalise our logistics to handle contracts of this scale. The introduction of a digital shipment tracking system is just one example of how we are making our processes fit for the future.
With the same spirit of innovation, we forwarded the modernisation of our services – for example by purchasing a smart skidder for efficient forestry. This drive was also evident in product development: with Brüning Wonderfall, we offer a sustainable fall protection product made from wood chips. Cashew nut shells for thermal utilisation and biochar for biogas plants emphasise our mission to combine economic solutions with ecological responsibility. A special highlight in this context was the development of our agriculture unit, which is also an impressive example of what is possible in the Brüning Group when employees are determined to pursue their projects. Starting from scratch, we have marketed 15,000 tonnes of straw, manure, and sunflower husk pellets – a figure that we will more than double next year. In any case, we are convinced that this new unit will celebrate many more successes in the future.
The year also brought a change at the management level. Since October, the Brüning Group has been run operationally by a new dual leadership team: Christian Kuntze and Matthias Warnke are now responsible as Chief Operating Officers for Virgin Wood and Recycling & Waste respectively. With this clear division, we are creating the basis for strategically expanding our central business areas. Alongside strategic and operational successes, internal exchange was at the top of our agenda. Events such as the ‘Schnackabend’, where our teams presented their work to each other, the Circulation Day, which gave us exciting insights into the different units, and the Internationals Days for our colleagues from all locations have strengthened the team spirit within the Group.
A look back shows how much we have achieved together – and creates an appetite for what lies ahead. The most important success factor remains our team: with their passion, drive, and expertise, our employees make the Brüning Group what it is. For that, we say: thank you! Together with you, our partners and customers, we look forward to continuing our successful and sustainable journey in 2025.