Chilean forest products group Compañía Manufacturera de Papeles y Cartones (CMPC) is expanding its pine plywood capacity as part of a record US$2.5bn investment programme over the next three years.
The pulp, paper, carton board and wood products manufacturer is more than doubling its 225,000m3/year Mininco plywood plant later this year. It is installing a second 240,000m3/year line supplied by Raute at its only plywood mill in Chile with an investment of around US$20.7m.
Raute as the project's main supplier is providing equipment including a state-of-the-art veneer peeling line and two automated gluing and pressing lines with 45-opening presses.
Other suppliers contributing to the Mininco expansion scheme include the Norwegian company Argos Solutions which supplied two panel repair system lines with joint capacity of 500,000m3/year, shipped to Chile last year.
The CMPC repair line will have handling technology from the Spanish supplier Biele. It is also providing a complete sawing line, with sawing heads, as well as a handling system for the panel sanding line.
The expanded plywood plant, capable of producing up to 500,000m3/year is due to have the new line operating by mid 2013.