The newly opened wood pre-processing plant of the joint stock company "Latvijas finieris" has started work in Kuldīga in test mode, Latvian Television reported on July 3.

A unique machine has been built for birch veneer peeling, which leaves less residue and processes lower-quality material. Wood processing remains one of the most important sectors in Latvia's development, and this technology will allow more products to be made from the same volume.

A wood yard on the outskirts of the town has been in operation for several years, and now the production plant is in test mode, with an investment of EUR 16 million. It is equipped with a peeling technology that is unique in the world, said Rinalds Larsens, the plant manager:

"This involves two technologies. The plant is a combination of two, one has been built to maximize efficiency. We get a much, much smaller core. There's less scrap, there's more material, the efficiency is much better."

To produce one square meter of plywood, about 2.5 cubic meters of plywood are needed. It is therefore important to get the maximum amount of veneer from each log. The new machine can peel veneer up to a core of 25 millimeters and can also process lower-quality material. This allows an additional 300,000 cubic metres of wood per year to be channelled into plywood production.

"This is actually a fundamental research and development project specifically for the plywood industry. This technology allows us to use birch, which is typically exported somewhere, which is less valuable because it is then used in the paper and pulp industry, to produce a higher quality product for the panel industry," explained Artūrs Bukonts, Executive Director of the Latvian Wood Industry Federation.

Meanwhile, Jānis Ciems, Chairman of the Board of Latvijas finieris, said that the factory also intends to experiment by peeling different tree species. "And I suppose in the future we could also process other wood species. There are no concrete projects at the moment, but this is a possibility at this site."

The new plant will operate in two shifts, eventually employing up to 30 people.

Source: eng.lsm.lv