Impressive growth curve

Arauco purchased the Jaguariaíva plant in 2005. The plant already had a 900m3/day continuous press line, which was a turnkey project from Metso.

A melamine line was installed in 2007, and a second followed in 2009, while an impregnation line was started up in 2011.

In February 2013, a second MDF line (1,400m3/day), incorporating Andritz technology, started up, followed by a third melamine and a second impregnation line.

"This has been a busy and exciting time for us," said Andreas Hoffmann, Industrial Director at Arauco.

"This is not just a commodity MDF plant," Mr Hoffmann said. "About 40% of our output is valued-added [surfaced with decorative paper]. We produce 32 finishes here, in the range of 6-30mm, which is sold under our TRUPAN brand."

Arauco do Brasil's main customers are in the furniture industry, kitchen cabinet makers, distribution centres and even retail outlets. Some of the product is exported, but the majority is for the Brazilian domestic market.

According to Alex Ferreira Alves, plant manager at Jaguariaíva, currently the fibre source is primarily softwood. "But, our intention is to utilise more eucalyptus in the future," he said.

The Jaguariaíva plant was built with provision for a second line.

"We received board approval to move ahead with MDF 2 in May of 2010," Mr Hoffman said. While MDF 1 was a turnkey installation from one supplier, it was decided to combine the technologies and capabilities of Andritz with other key suppliers for MDF 2. Siempelkamp supplied the 45.4 x 2.80m ContiRoll continuous hot press.

"We have a good relationship with Andritz at our sister plant in Piên," Mr Hoffmann said. "We did a small project with them to improve the de-watering process there, which helped us increase the capacity of our two lines by about 15%. All the references inside Arauco pointed to the fact that Andritz is innovative with its technology and also cares about its customers. That service aspect is very important to us."

The contract with Andritz to supply the chip screening, chip washing and pressurised refining technology for MDF 2 was signed in August of 2010.

"Andritz was on top of things during the erection of the plant, during commissioning and during start-up," Mr Alves said. "Theirs was the first process area to be ready to go."

The Andritz R&D team came up with a new development for the refiner, so Arauco could retro-fit the new refiner even before it started up.

Most customers would be nervous about making such a change at this stage, but together with Arauco, Andritz made the improvements and started up the refiner without missing a beat.

Andritz's scope of supply
Andritz provided the chip screening, chip washing and pressurised refining technology for Jaguariaíva's new line. The chip screening process uses proven vibratory screen technology. Chip washing is a two-stage process that recirculates a major portion of the wash water to minimise fresh water consumption.

Once the chips are washed, they enter the Andritz pressurised refining system. "Our raw material has a high moisture content," Mr Alves said. "Even with this, Andritz was quite confident that they could achieve the level of dryness we wanted and help us save steam energy. This was an important consideration for us."

Mr Alves continued: "The physical appearance of our board is very important. What happens in the Andritz digester, and then the refiner, is important to the final look of our product". After digesting, the fibre is discharged from the vessel into a C-Feeder (Constant Feeder). "The C-Feeder is one of our energy-saving features that provides even feeding over a wide range of conditions," said Clemens Seidl, manager of research and technology at Andritz Panelboard. "The C Feeder equalises potentially uneven material flow, reducing load peaks, saving specific energy and stabilising the refining process to the most stable conditions."

"We were not sure how much of a difference the C Feeder would make," said Mr Alves. "Now we don't see fluctuations in power or flow to the refiner, so it is doing a very good job."

Andritz has also been supplying refiner plates to both Arauco do Brasil facilities. According to Rodrigo Viel, Andritz's sales manager for refiner plates in South America, the plates have helped Arauco create fibre mats with less fines and powder, which makes it easier to evacuate air in the pressing operation, speeding up the line and reducing specific energy consumption.

"The Jaguariaíva plant has very fast presses with high production," Mr Viel said. "Our plates make a contribution to its achieving production records."

For MDF 1, the original pattern was a 62in design, which was later changed to the latest MDF Spiral design, for higher performance with lower energy consumption. According to Mr Viel, "The Spiral design has cut energy usage by about 20kWh/tonne on this line".

"The swing door design of the Andritz refiner makes maintenance quite easy," added Mr Alves. "When we change plates, we can do it much faster than on our first line."

Mr Hoffmann said: "We are on an acceleration curve after the start-up phase, so it is a bit too soon to share side-by-side performance data comparing the two lines, but I can say that we have already achieved our capacity target (1,400m3/day) on MDF 2 and the fibre quality is outstanding".

"We are still fine-tuning and measuring the important performance criteria on MDF 2 - specific energy consumption, shive/dust content, plate life and equipment availability," Mr Alves said. "What I can say at this point is that Andritz has been very proactive and very responsive. Not just to get the order against a strong competitor, but whenever we had a question, they had an answer - quickly."

"The technical assistance we receive is impressive," Mr Hoffmann said. "I would have to say it is a bit unique in this industry. That doesn't mean that we have not had small problems. But any problem is addressed very professionally and quickly. The working relationship is very good."

Andritz says that the installation, start-up, and follow-on work at Jaguariaíva demonstrates its full support for its customer and the value of close cooperation with the Arauco team on-site.