Case study video
Introduction
EHL Profiles specialises in the manufacture, sales and distribution of wood-based interior products and mouldings. The group has over 400 employees and operates in Sweden, Norway, Estonia and Poland, producing more than 80 million linear metres of profiles annually.
EHL’s core customers are retail chains, industrial customers, and builders’ merchants. Each market and country has its own product assortment, standards and quality demands, which means the company has a huge product portfolio, with several thousand items in regular production.
Andrus Rooks, CEO at EHL Profiles’ manufacturing site in Suure-Jaani, Estonia, explains the range and the ethos behind it: “All our products are wooden-based products, which means solid timber and also MDF. And the big part of production is fully finished products. It means that the customer doesn’t need to do any painting from their side. We make all kind of profiles. For us, moulding is not building product, but this is something that gives final and the best look for the interiors. It’s more a design element.”
He adds: “It’s very important for us to keep the promises, give the best service, best communication toward customers. These are the values that are very, very important for us. We sell trust, not just mouldings.”
Sustainability and the path to LED
EHL’s approach is to integrate sustainability into its operations by prioritising ethical business, environmental responsibility, and social commitment. The company’s focus is on innovation, efficiency, and integrity, to align with sustainable practices and to support communities and long-term growth.
The ongoing need to source sustainable solutions was the driver behind EHL’s shift to using UV LED curing technology. Rooks explains the problem his production team faced in finding an alternative to solvents: “It’s a big challenge to reduce toxical emissions and offer more and more environmentally friendly products. It’s difficult to find coating materials that give very good surface quality, give a smooth and hard surface, but eco-friendly at the same time. We have used many years solvent-based materials, and it was very difficult to find the alternatives.”
The eventual solution was clear: “We were thinking about classical UV, but we skipped it because the energy consumption is too high, and that’s why we came to LED, and here we are now.”
Why GEW, and why water-cooled LED?
Having decided that LED curing was the way forward, the next step was to choose a suitable supplier. Lembo Lamus, Development Manager at EHL, is responsible for research, procurement and implementation of all production line equipment. Through his relationships with paint suppliers, Lamus had the opportunity to thoroughly test a variety of LED curing systems, as he explains: “I get knowledge of LED UV systems from paint producers, and they have different LED systems available, and there was possible to compare different systems and LED solutions and how they work, and what the benefits are from one system to other. And there I see it, how it works, the GEW and competitors. Based off that information, I chose the GEW LED system.”
A secondary decision was the type of cooling system to opt for, as Lamus says: “Based on our production needs, we had to choose air-cooled or liquid-cooled systems. In woodworking industry there is a lot of dust flying around. The air-cooled systems need more attention. Because of our special environmental needs, I take a choice of liquid-cooled LED system.”
EHL now has GEW LeoLED and LeoLED2 water-cooled systems operating on three production lines, in two of the company’s factories in Estonia.
75% energy saving
Tarmo Luhaäär is Plant Manager at EHL’s second factory in nearby Sürgavere. His evaluation of the incoming technology is clear: “After switching to LED UV, our energy consumption has dropped by 75%. That means that we have been using so far 135 amps, and now we are down to 35 amps. So, it’s roughly one fourth or a quarter the energy consumption used so far. So, it’s a massive, massive saving.”
The cost benefit has enabled EHL Profiles to maintain a competitive edge, at a time when global energy prices have soared. Luhaäär comments: “The saving, of course, means for the company that we can put our energy more to the areas and to places where it actually matters and where we are more competitive. And also considering the still rising energy prices, we are really, really happy.”
Technical benefits
Andrus Rooks affirms this view and adds a comment on some of the technical benefits of working with LED: “Switching to LED, we have achieved a significant saving in energy consumption and also the LED curing process doesn’t create so much heat, which is positive for the adhesion between the coating layer and the wooden material and resin doesn’t come up to the high temperature. So, there is less risk for the bad adhesion. LED process is also less noisy because we don’t need to extract ozone from the curing process out of the building.”
Further to this poor adhesion issue which can be caused by excess heat, water-based primers and topcoats can also have an adverse effect on basecoats. However, UV-cured basecoats are far more resilient to the effects of water, which makes the finishing process more predictable and manageable. Lembo Lamus adds a comment on this: “We take a choice of LED UV because we need to change away from solvent-based materials. UV LED gives the opportunity to use water-based materials on the solid wood. Without UV, we will get the reaction with the water from primers or top coats, which are based on water. This is the main reason why to take UV.”
Increased productivity, reduced waste
The first of EHL’s UV LED curing systems was installed on a TRIAB machine in early 2024, followed by further installations on a Cefla line in 2025, and a Makor line in early 2026. Each system has proven its worth, in terms of output and several other technical benefits, as Tarmo Luhaäär explains: “Definitely, it increased the productivity and outcome of the line. So, all of the setups – when we actually start the production – that is faster, which enables us to produce more than we did before with the same time.
“And definitely easier for the employees to also understand actually the process. Time wastage reduced. Also, there is significant savings on the product waste and the material we use. It also helps to improve the environmental aspects, and also to create a more safer environment for our employees. So, the environment is actually a lot cleaner than it was before. If we talk about the fire hazard, it is much less than before. There is of course the distance between the LED lamps and the product, but also the temperature is lower, which definitely reduces the risk of the fire.”
He concludes: “I would say that going for LED is the right way to go. It’s the only way to go and it saves in many, many aspects. We are definitely very pleased.”
The future is LED
Unlike many other sectors of the printing and coating industry, which have worked with UV LED curing for many years, the technology is still relatively new to the wood finishing market. Whilst the availability and cost of LED-curable paints and lacquers was at one point problematic, that is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Lamus comments on this: “LED surface treatment technology is quite new. The availability is not the same as conventional surface treatment materials, but the development is going on faster and faster.”
He then adds his prediction for the future of LED: “It’s actually the only option on the market if you look to the future, and long-term business.”
Payback time
CEO Rooks sums up with a look at financial return, and future plans at EHL: “When we talk about return of investment, then we usually consider that the payback time should not exceed five years. In our case, it was three years. And we think this is very short and very efficient project.”
With plans in place for further LED system retrofits, he adds: “This is something that we wanted to do, that we had to do, for the better environment. The LED story doesn’t end here.”
For further information on GEW’s LeoLED2 curing system, visit: www.gewuv.com/leoled2
For more about EHL Profiles, visit: https://ehlprofiles.com/
Or contact GEW’s Sales Representative for Wood Coating: Justas Žvikas: jzvikas@gewuv.com
