Last year, WBPI broke news of the green field scheme to construct two big continuous press board lines, in parallel, with a combined capacity of more than 1.4 million m3/year at Nova Monte Carmelo, Minas Gerais.
In 2013, Duratex confirmed it had ordered the lines, each with a capacity of around 700,000m3/yearfrom Siempelkamp with their respective launches in late 2016 and in 2017. Group ceo Antonio Joaquim do Oliveira told WBPI then the first would be dedicated to MDP, while the bigger 750,000m3/year77m press line would produce MDF.
But now, Duratex will not finally decide which products each unit will make until 2015. This change may result from news that rival Brazilian player Berneck will launch its huge 840,000m3/yr. MDP line at Curitibanos in 2015.
Duratex saves up to 10% of cost building the two lines together. It plans to include three melamine laminating lines and a paper impregnator at the 150ha site.
