CMPC moves forward with investments of more than US$90 million in its wood business in the Biobío Region

CMPC is moving forward with an investment plan of more than US$90 million in the Biobío Region to modernize two key operations in its wood business.

The company is investing US$72 million in its Remanufactura Los Ángeles plant, where it transforms sawn wood into higher value-added products such as remanufactured panels and moldings. Added to this is US$20.6 million in its Mulchén Sawmill, an operation dedicated to the production of dry, planed and structural sawn wood for different markets, including construction.

These projects are part of CMPC's two-year investment plan, which totals more than US$1 billion, focused on continuing to grow its forest plantations, improving the competitiveness of its operations and strengthening, with a long-term view, its core businesses in pulp, forestry and mass consumption through Softys.

"These investments reflect a long-term view for our wood business. We want to continue moving toward higher value-added products, raise our competitiveness and strengthen an industrial platform that also nourishes our operations and markets in Chile and abroad," said CMPC's vice president of Wood and Packaging, Matías Lagos.

Along the same lines, the executive emphasized that "these investments are part of the capabilities we are building to continue positioning CMPC as a global leader in the forestry and wood products businesses," he added.

At its Remanufactura Los Ángeles plant, the US$72 million is intended to expand, modernize and automate various production processes, with nearly US$33 million in new equipment for automatic cutting, planing, pressing, finishing of moldings and panels and finger joint lines. The project aims to increase production, raise productivity and reduce fixed expenses and direct operating costs, in addition to generating improvements in safety, quality and performance.

Meanwhile, at its Mulchén Sawmill, the US$20 million includes the modernization of equipment and processes in areas such as debarking, sawing and drying. The initiative seeks to increase capacity from approximately 335,000 to 365,000 cubic meters per year and raise the proportion of dry products, with a focus on higher value-added products intended especially for the construction market.

Source:La Tribuna