today at 15:58
,Austria
The Government of the Republic of Lithuania and wood panel manufacturer "FT Board" have signed an agreement for a major investment project. The partnership agreement is presented as a model of state-business cooperation aimed at promoting investment, creating jobs in the regions and strengthening the country's competitiveness in international markets.
The project is based on circular economy principles. The new plant is planned to use low-grade wood and wood industry by-products — raw materials that, due to their properties, are unsuitable for high-quality products. The production cycle is designed to minimise waste and use resources as efficiently as possible. In this way, materials that would otherwise generate lower value will be processed into high-quality products — a solution valued from both environmental and economic perspectives.
"It is particularly important that this project is based on circular economy principles — one of the directions in which the country's industrial transformation should move."
"FT Board" CEO Rimas Macijauskas views the signing of the agreement as confirmation of the state's trust in the investor and the company's strategic direction. The company is building one of the most modern particleboard (PB) plants in the region, aiming to meet growing demand in European markets. This investment continues a long-term strategy — to create higher value-added products and compete in international markets.
"FT Board" was established in 2024 by furniture manufacturer "Freda" and the "TMV Capital" group of companies operating in wood processing, logistics and digital business solutions. The plant's location was chosen in Nendriniškės village, Marijampolė district, due to its favourable logistical position — near the "Rail Baltica" infrastructure and the "Via Baltica" highway. This location will enable efficient organisation of both raw material supply and product export to key target markets — Poland and Western Europe.
"Invest Lithuania" CEO Elijus Čivilis emphasises that strong local business is one of the most important drivers of Lithuania's economic growth. The new plant is expected to become a significant economic hub in the Marijampolė region and contribute to strengthening the entire country's furniture industry. This industry produces around €2.5 billion worth of output annually and is one of Lithuania's most export-oriented industrial sectors.
Since 2025, "Invest Lithuania" has been advising Lithuanian companies seeking or already holding major project status. The agency has so far advised more than 80 Lithuanian-capital companies on application submission, project implementation and the application of special investment and business conditions.
Major project status can be granted to manufacturing or internet data server service projects investing at least €20 million in fixed capital — in Vilnius this threshold is €30 million. In addition, such projects must create at least 20 new jobs. In return, they may benefit from a 0% corporate tax rate for up to 20 years, faster territorial planning, quicker issuance of construction permits, simplified migration of qualified specialists and faster infrastructure development. Each major project is assigned an "Invest Lithuania" coordinator responsible for ensuring all planned special conditions are met.
