Deflagration in Wismar: Fire brigade on duty, no injuries!

Deflagration in Wismar: Fire brigade on duty, no injuries!

In Wismar on Monday morning, a deflagration at “Wismar Pellets”, a large wood processing company in the Wismar wood cluster, caused the fire department to be called out. The bang, which could be heard throughout the city, brought emergency services from the Wismar professional fire department and the Old Town Volunteer Fire Department onto the scene. Fortunately, there were no injuries and no visible damage to the plant, which quickly brought the situation under control.

The fire department was on site with a turntable ladder to check the silos with wood pellets. The emergency services searched for embers until late morning, because safety is the top priority, as the fire department emphasized. These events shed light on a number of previous incidents in the Wismar wood industry area, such as at Egger Holzwerkstoffe in 2023, which resulted in similar alerts. This raises a certain level of concern about safety in the wood industry, particularly given the high density of operations in this region, where, among others, EGGER Holzwerkstoffe is based.

The wood cluster in Wismar

“Wismar Pellets” is part of a network that is shaped by Egger Holzwerkstoffe Wismar GmbH & Co. KG, one of the largest employers in the region. This family business employs around 1,000 people and offers secure jobs with a high level of personal contact with employees. The factory in Wismar has been active since 1999 and stands out from other EGGER factories due to its special location on the Baltic Sea. Around two million cubic meters of wood are processed here every year, which represents an immense logistical effort, as that corresponds to around 50 shiploads, 2,000 railway wagons and 15,000 trucks.

The close cooperation and the flat hierarchy in the Egger factories make it possible to respond flexibly and efficiently to employee concerns. However, after the deflagration at “Wismar Pellets” raised the question of safety in the production process, other wood processing companies in the area are also faced with the question of how they can deal with safety-related challenges.

Growth and challenges

One of the key points being discussed in the industry is production and logistics efficiencies. A current article from Machine Market addresses the growth and challenges in the industry. Strong company growth often leads to capacity limits in production and logistics. A parallel expansion of these areas, combined with an effective logistics concept, is necessary in order to meet increasing requirements.

The exemplary collaboration between a company and a consulting company shows how important it is to optimize internal material flows and processes in order to make production future-proof. The innovative development of logistical concepts can also show how the wood cluster in Wismar can address its challenges in order to continue to create a safe and effective environment for the employees and the region in the future.

Finally, it is to be hoped that today's deflagration will not remain just a one-off incident, but will serve as an impetus to rethink and improve safety standards in wood processing. The regional news program from [NDR 1 Radio MV](https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/westmecklenburg/Wismar-Feuerwehrsatz-nach-Verpuffung-bei-Holzverarbeiter,mvregio Schwerin4386.html) will continue to report on the developments at midday.