From Forest to

Finished Product

Since 1976

Our Story

Early Plywood Pressing - Kabokweni

ELS Timber Products was founded in 1976 as Woodcreations (Pty) Ltd in Wynberg, Johannesburg. A small business with a clear purpose: to manufacture high-quality laminated wooden furniture and furniture components using veneer. Nearly five decades later, that founding commitment to craftsmanship remains at the heart of everything we do.

Today, operating as ELS Timbers, we manufacture pine and eucalyptus veneer and plywood products from our modern, 15,000m² production facility in Kabokweni, near White River — one of six factories on site. We employ more than 300 people and supply customers across Southern Africa through daily deliveries to all major metropolitan centres.

  • PLYWOOD BEGINNING

    1976 — The Beginning

    Niels Rosenfeldt and Mario Garofoli founded Woodcreations (Pty) Ltd in Wynberg, Johannesburg, manufacturing laminated wooden furniture and furniture components using veneer.

  • 1985 — Vertical Integration

    To control quality and supply, the business established its own veneer and plywood factory in Lydenburg — a pivotal step that shaped the company's future direction.

  • 1991 — National Recognition

    Woodcreations was named SA Non-listed Company of the Year, a testament to the strength of the business and its people.

  • 1992 to 1999 — Expanding the Group

    The acquisition of Formply, a Cape Town-based furniture components business, and the purchase of Plywood and Veneer (Pty) Ltd in Kabokweni, near White River, significantly expanded the group's footprint and capabilities. The Kabokweni operation became Veneercraft — the foundation of what ELS Timbers is today.

  • 1999 — JSE-Listed Backing

    ELB Group Ltd, a JSE-listed company, invested in the timber sector and acquired the group, housing its subsidiaries under ELB Timber Holdings (Pty) Ltd.

  • 2003 — Renewed Focus

    ELB refocused on its South African operations, expanding veneer and plywood capacity and acquiring Ultrabord (Pty) Ltd — a sugarcane (bagasse) fibre particleboard business in Malelane — to broaden the product range.

  • 2008 — Management Buyout

    Following ELB Group's decision to exit the timber sector and refocus on engineering and construction, the management team completed a structured buyout in May 2008, operating the business as ELB Timber Products (Pty) Ltd. Non-core and loss-making divisions were closed or sold, and the business was consolidated around its core strengths.

  • 2014 to 2015 — A New Identity

    With the management buyout formally completed in December 2014, the company embarked on a major upgrade and modernisation programme, increasing manufacturing capacity and replacing ageing production lines. In January 2015, the business was renamed ELS Timber Products (Pty) Ltd — incorporating the initials of its past and present owners: ELB Group, Billy Lottering and Craig Stanton.

  • Forestry - ELS Timbers

    2016 - Joining the MTO Group

    The growth of the business attracted the attention of neighbouring industry players, and shareholders were approached to join the MTO Group, a substantial forestry group employing 4,700 staff, owning more than 100,000 hectares of timber across 20 plantations. MTO's major shareholder at the time was the Global Environment Fund, a private equity fund based in Washington, USA.

  • 2018 — Doubling Capacity

    A further round of investment doubled output and modernised most of the factory's production lines, positioning the business for significant growth.

  • 2022 — Back to Roots

    A new management team re-acquired the business, returning it to active, hands-on management. This renewed ownership has enabled a sharper focus on quality, capacity, and customer service — and that focus continues to drive the business today.

Our Home in Mpumalanga

Early Plywood Pressing - Lydenburg

All of our products are manufactured at our facility in the Kabokweni industrial area, near White River in Mpumalanga — an area rich in timber resources and ideally located to serve customers across Southern Africa.

Our six factories span more than 15,000m², housing state-of-the-art veneer and plywood production lines, modern drying and pressing equipment, and a dedicated logistics operation that delivers daily superlink loads to customers in all key metropolitan centres.

Our sales team is based in Gauteng and services customers throughout Southern Africa.

What We Make

Our People

300+ People. One Team.

ELS Timbers is proud to employ more than 300 people at our Kabokweni facility. Our team — from the factory floor to our Gauteng-based sales force — shares a commitment to quality, reliability, and service that has built lasting relationships with customers across the region.

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