EUCA3

Eucatex S.A. Indústria e Comércio, issuer of the EUCA3 and EUCA4 shares traded on B3, is an industrial company with a long track record in the wood panel and coatings sector. Founded in 1951, it began operations producing ceilings and insulation from eucalyptus wood fibers, consolidating its first plant in 1954 in the municipality of Salto (SP). Over the decades, the cash generated by the business was reinvested in production expansion, especially in the implementation of hardboard lines (high-density wood fiberboard), a product that remains one of the main items in the portfolio. From the 1980s onward, the company began a process of diversification and vertical integration, with panel coating lines, door assembly and partition panels, while also testing businesses in fiberglass, rock wool, agricultural substrates, activated clays, metal products and terpenes, most of which were later discontinued or divested.

The change in control in 1996, when Paulo Maluf acquired the stake previously held by his brothers, marked a deep reorganization. Flavio Maluf took over as CEO of the Eucatex group and remains in charge to this day, leading a streamlining process and focusing on core activities. The structure, which in 1995 had 23 executive boards and more than 5,600 employees, was gradually adjusted to around 3,000 employees. In parallel, the company expanded its industrial base with the opening, in the mid-1990s, of architectural paint units in Salto (SP) and an MDP (Medium Density Particleboard) plant in Botucatu (SP), as well as a laminate flooring plant, also in Botucatu, inaugurated in 1998. These moves consolidated the group as an integrated producer of wood panels, flooring, doors and paints aimed mainly at the furniture industry, building materials retail and civil construction.

From a financial and capital structure standpoint, Eucatex went through a critical period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, impacted by external crises and a shortage of foreign currency credit. This situation led the company, in 2003, to resort to the legal instrument of preventive composition with creditors and later to migrate to the judicial reorganization regime under the new legislation. The plan approved in 2007 provided for the transfer of land and forests in payment of debts, partial cash payment and conversion of part of the indebtedness into shares. In 2009, the plan was ratified, and Eucatex began operating with a capital structure described as adequate and low-leverage, prepared for a new growth cycle, which would be supported by investments in industrial modernization, increased production capacity and energy efficiency, such as replacing 16 oil-fired boilers with two biomass boilers in Salto, in addition to implementing a pioneering industrial-scale wood recycling project in South America.

Eucatex’s current business model, which underpins the revenue behind EUCA3 and EUCA4 shares on B3, is centered on the production and sale of wood fiberboard, MDP, MDF and T-HDF panels, laminate flooring, doors and partition panels, as well as paints and varnishes. These products are mainly organized into the so-called Wood Segment (boards, panels and flooring) and architectural paints and resins operations, part of which is used internally by the group itself. The company also operates with profiles, timber sales and other resale materials. In 2024, net revenue breakdown shows a diversified exposure across segments: 38% of revenue linked to civil construction, 37% to the furniture industry and resale segment, 23% to exports and 2% to others. There is no significant concentration in a single customer, as the company states it has no clients responsible for more than 10% of total net revenue.

The corporate and operational structure is organized into different subsidiaries, with Eucatex S.A. acting as a holding company, concentrating equity stakes in the operating companies. Eucatex Indústria e Comércio Ltda is responsible for the production and sale of fiberboard, T-HDF, MDF, doors, partition panels and architectural paints, including resins and inks for paper printing and board painting for internal consumption. ECTX Indústria e Comércio Ltda also produces and sells wood panels, including particleboard and fiberboard, MDP and HPP, as well as laminate flooring, reinforcing the vertical integration of the panel and coatings chain. In logistics and distribution, Eucatex Distribuição e Logística Ltda serves the civil construction segment through regional hubs, while ENA – Eucatex North America, headquartered in Atlanta (USA), coordinates exports and distributes products in the North American market. There are also companies dedicated to forestry, real estate and environmental management, including Novo Prisma Agro-Florestal Ltda, responsible for eucalyptus seedling production, forest planting and maintenance, and ECTX Ambiental, Logística e Transportes Ltda, which manages wood waste recycling.

In terms of markets served and geographic presence, Eucatex concentrates its revenue in the Brazilian market, which accounted for around 76.9% of net revenue in 2024, with the remainder coming from abroad. Exports correspond to 23.06% of net revenue and reach approximately 50 countries, with a strong dependence on the North American market: 84.88% of foreign revenue comes from the United States, which represents about 19.6% of total net revenue. Other relevant destinations, though on a much smaller scale, include Bolivia, Israel, England, Paraguay, Sweden, Peru, South Africa, Ecuador and Honduras. This export mix is based mainly on fiberboard sales, underscoring the historical and current importance of this product in the revenue composition. International presence occurs both through direct exports and through ENA’s structure, which also requires the company to comply with U.S. legislation due to the subsidiary established there.

Government regulation is an important component of operations, especially due to the use of wood, chemical products, water and radioactive sources in industrial processes. Fiberboard production depends on authorizations from agencies such as the Civil and Federal Police for the use of chemical products, CNEN for radioactive sources, CETESB for installation and operating licenses – including effluent treatment ponds – DAEE for drawing water from the Jundiaí River and artesian wells, and IBAMA for the use of timber from renewable forests. The T-HDF, MDF, MDP and HPP production lines also operate with CETESB licenses, both for operation and expansion. The Paints and Varnishes unit follows a broader regulatory framework, which includes Health Surveillance, environmental licenses, registrations with the Federal Police, Civil Police, Army, ANP for controlled products, as well as AVCB for fire prevention, registration with IBAMA and Technical Responsibility Annotations. Paint operations are also subject to specific rules on processing, packaging, distribution, advertising and labeling.

In the environmental, social and governance field, Eucatex emphasizes the use of eucalyptus wood from reforested areas, with more than 48,000 hectares of owned forests, approximately one-third of which are allocated to nature reserves and permanent preservation areas of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. The company holds ISO 14001 certification for its forestry unit and a green seal granted by the Scientific Certification System (SCS), linked to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), reinforcing forest management standards. Forestry activities follow the concept of sustainability, with documentation of dozens of mammal species and hundreds of bird and insect species, in addition to investments in effluent treatment through aeration ponds and wood recycling for use as biomass. At the Paints and Varnishes unit, the company maintains ISO 9001:2000 certification, participates in ABRAFATI’s Sectorial Quality Program and in the international Coatings Care program, focused on the environment, health and occupational safety. Although it does not yet publish an annual sustainability or integrated report, Eucatex states that it is structuring its ESG strategy based on the GRI methodology and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with plans to draw up a greenhouse gas emissions inventory from 2025 onward, using 2023 and 2024 as the baseline years.