Value proposition

PG Bison is the leading producer of wood-based decorative panels in Africa, servicing the retail, construction, furniture/kitchen manufacturing, and residential development markets, primarily in southern Africa.

 We have integrated forestry, timber, and resin manufacturing operations, featuring both primary and secondary upgrading processes. The integrated supply chain, supporting a value-added strategy, enables us to extract the most optimal margin from our assets.

Managing our key raw materials of timber and resin is critical to ensure a sustainable supply chain. 

 The business is market-focused and is constantly taking into account the evolving consumer trends when developing our decorative panel ranges, which are updated frequently. This is an essential feature of our strategy to secure market share and sustainable growth in both existing and new markets. The paper resin impregnation plant creates the flexibility to supply the market with a wide range of bespoke wood-based decorative panels. 

 PG Bison is considered the leading brand in the market, having manufactured and supplied board products for over 50 years. We are passionate about collaborating with our customers and inspiring and enabling them and their consumers by providing them with products and services to create beautiful spaces. 

Our manufacturing operations are equipped with the latest technology, which enables PG Bison to match European product quality standards and compete globally in the decorative panel market. 

At PG Bison, we aspire to be recognised globally as the leader in the decorative wood panel industry. 

Products & services

Certification and accreditation

All of our panel production lines are ISO 9001 certified.

Our NECF plantations in Ugie continue to be accredited by the FSC.

PG Bison is also a member of the South African Furniture Initiative (‘SAFI’), and the
Proudly South African programme.

How we add value

We produce innovative, high-quality, value-added products that reflect global consumer and design trends.

We secure market differentiation through constant innovation in our products, services, marketing, sales, and supply chain.

We use the latest technologies and processes in order to maximise efficiency and consistently deliver the best value for money.

We adhere to international quality standards in all aspects of production.

We have an integrated supply chain, which ensures that we always have ready access to the timber, resin, and paper that we use to produce our products.

Innovation

We regularly evaluate our product line in relation to evolving consumer trends. In line with this strategy, we develop exclusive MFB colours and finishes with the input of local and international designers to meet the needs of our specific markets.

PG Bison is one of two gloss wood-based decorative board manufacturers and the only manufacturer of matt wood-based decorative board in the market. The range includes a unique innovation – a matt-coated MFB with an antibacterial additive, which is exclusive to PG Bison.

In March 2022, PG Bison successfully commissioned its latest expansion project in eMkhondo (Piet Retief) which increased the plant’s capacity by 37% to 1 000m³ per day, bringing it in line with our Ugie plant. 

With a cost of R560 million, the project consisted of a complete replacement of the entire fibre preparation line with new technology and higher capacity. This included installing a state-of-the-art Büttner energy plant and driers, screening equipment, a new flaker, and new conveyor systems.

PG Bison has consistently invested in local manufacturing, having committed R2.5 billion to capital investment projects in the past two years. The most recent investment is the construction of a new medium-density fibreboard line, scheduled for commissioning in mid-2024, also at the eMkhondo site.

Looking ahead

Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the way in which the world works, lives, and plays. We anticipate that consumer focus on the integration of home, work, and social environments will continue to be a fundamental feature of the market and we foresee that demand is likely to continue outstripping supply in the short and medium term. Further, civil unrest during July 2021 caused extensive damage to large-scale shopping malls, schools, warehouses, and furniture retailers, and this is likely to fuel further demand for our products.

Global supply chains continue to be disrupted, which is impacting the import of both panel products and furniture. Customers and consumers are increasingly considering locally manufactured products as an alternative. 

Limited local production capacity has constrained supply into the market, with PG Bison’s customers being on product allocation. However, the recent successful commissioning of the new press in eMkhondo (Piet Retief) creates the opportunity to grow market share. Additional value-adding capacity will be commissioned in the next financial year with an additional MFB and gloss line.

Bearing these market conditions in mind, we will continue to implement our five-year growth plan, which is aimed at improving market share within existing markets as well as entering into new markets.

We aim to achieve this through continued investment in our production capabilities as well as by developing and introducing new products.