Arauco do Brasil SA, an offshoot of Chile’s Arauco forest products group, is set to launch a new 500,000m3/year MDF line in May next year at its fibreboard site in Jaguaríaiva, in Brazil’s northern Paraná state.
Meanwhile, its parent group has confirmed it is studying new business and development opportunities in Colombia. It is considering acquiring forest land for wood plantations, particularly in the country’s Orinoquia region which is also known as the Eastern plains region.
Arauco’s US$170m Brazilian project will see the Jaguaríaiva site’s second line installed with a 45.4 x 2.80m continuous Siempelkamp ContiRoll press; Metso supplied wood preparation and a 1,080tonne/day pressurised refining system delivered by Andritz.
Dieffenbacher is supplying the drier, a screen, glue preparation and an ‘evojet’ glue application system, according to Arauco do Brasil.
This June, the MDF site launched its second Wemhöner short cycle melamine press line. Each line has an annual capacity of 150,000m3/year, based on laminating board 15mm thick. In the same month, Jaguaríaiva plant started up a new Vits melamine papers impregnation line with a 40million m2/year capacity.
Arauco group’s Chilean panels business Paneles Arauco is already involved in a separate capacity project. It expects to launch a new 300,000m3/year MDP line, also including a Siempelkamp ContiRoll press, at Teno in Chile’s Maule Region early in 2012.
