In the early part of the year, the forest machine market showed signs of picking up.
Market developments continued to be overshadowed by geopolitical uncertainty and trade policy tensions, yet forest machine sales developed strongly during the first quarter. Sales of Ponsse’s new forest machines developed favourably during the review period, particularly in Sweden, but also in Central Europe and Latin America. The Finnish market, on the other hand, was challenging due to the tight market situation in the forest industry, the exceptionally early spring and the thawing period. In North America, sales developed better than expected given the circumstances, and the Canadian market also showed signs of picking up.
The strong order flow early in the year increased the company’s order books, and the factory moved to two shifts and a five‑day working week after 9 March 2026. The factory’s capacity utilisation is currently at a normal level. Sales have developed exceptionally well given the circumstances, and the overall momentum across the organisation is clearly strong.
The company’s euro-denominated operating profit in 2026 is estimated to be on par with the operating profit in 2025 (EUR 41.6 million). Economic uncertainty persists and is affecting the demand for both forest industry end products and forest machines. Trade tensions, the geopolitical situation and fluctuations in the financial markets create a challenging operating environment, underscoring the importance of cost discipline and carefully considered investment levels. Source