The Austrian group Kronospan, operating in the wood processing industry, has finalised investments worth 25 million euros in the hardboard plant it owns in Sebes, Alba county.
The money was used for the installation of a wood chip drier, needed in the production process, and of a fire safety system.
"The construction of the new drier emerged from the need to reach the capacity that was projected and pledged when taking over the plant, to which we add the wish to improve the performance of our equipment in order to reduce our environmental impact, by maintaining emissions much below the level set by law. It will reduce dust emissions by more than half," stated Adrian Bacila, a production manager with Kronospan Sebes.
According to him, the new drier was stipulated in the programme linked to the modernisation of the hardboard line, which, together with the new press, will help the company reach a production capacity of about 800,000 cubic metres per year.
The Austrian group last year purchased the two plants (a hardboard and a MDF one) owned by its Italian rival Gruppo Frati in Sebes, in a deal worth 200 million euros. "The total investments made by the Kronospan group for the acquisition and modernisation of the production facility in Romania amount to more than 250 million euros, of which about 50 million euros account for direct investments," Bacila also said. He added that, at present, the entire Sebes unit produces 1,850 cubic metres of board in a 24-hour period, with the total turnover standing at about 120 million euros per year.
The raw material used by the two production units is the waste derived from wood exploitation or processing. Kronospan also developed an acquisition network for the sawdust resulting from wood exploitation. The firm fitted almost 300 containers in exploitation areas where there are many sawmills.
"In one month we can save between 250,000 and 300,000 euros by collecting and burning the resulting dust, which we turn into energy," explained the firm''s official.
The company mainly focuses on the domestic market, on which it distributed 70% of its hardboard product and 30% of its MDF output. For the domestic market, the company has recently developed a sales network through which it tries to cover all regions of Romania.
As regards the external market, Sebes mainly exports to neighbouring countries - Moldova, Ukraine and Hungary, but Kronospan products also reach Asia, China, Egypt and Syria. transilvania@zf.ro
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