Fibraplac to invest US$ 200 million in new plant in SP

Valor Econômico

Fibraplac, a company controlled by the Rio Grande do Sul-based Isdra group, intends to start, until the end of this year, the works for the erection of a new plant of MDF and MDP boards (made from fiber and medium density wood particles, respectively). The unit, which will be located in Campinas (SP), should start operating in the second half of 2012, with an installed capacity of 250 thousand cubic meters a year and forecast to get to 500 thousand cubic meters a year in 2014, told Valor the CEO of the group, Alberto Isdra.

The investment, estimated at US$ 200 million for the two stages, is part of the recent wave of new investments in the sector, driven by the growth of the furniture industries and of the civil construction sector in the country. Next week, Chilean Masisa will open an MDP productive unit in Montenegro (RS), the second one of the company in the country, while Eucatex plans to conclude its T-HDF (Thin High Density Fiber Board) plant in Salto (SP) in September this year.

Fibraplac operates a plant in Glorinha (RS), with installed capacity of 1 million cubic meters of MDP and MDF a year. In 2008, the company had announced the construction of a plant in Rio Grande do Sul, in the South of the State, with an initial capacity of 600 thousand cubic meters a year and 50% of the production intended for the foreign market. The project, however, was cancelled due to the international financial crisis. Now, according to Isdra, the plan is to follow the growth of the furniture centers and civil construction in São Paulo, Minas Gerais and in the Midwest and Northeast regions. The operation will occupy the area of a plant of plastic tubes of Isdralit, also controlled by the group from Rio Grande do Sul, which will be torn down and have its equipment transferred to the Curitiba plant.

When operating at full capacity, the manufacturing unit of Campinas will employ 500 people, besides the 1.2 thousand employees of the plant of Glorinha, which will also put into operation a machine for the coating of boards with melamine resin next week. The equipment, imported from Germany, cost US$ 11 million and can coat up to 60% of the boards manufactured at the place that, after treated, are sold for prices up to 50% higher than those of "gross" products, explained the entrepreneur.

With the recovery of the demand in the domestic market, Fibraplac foresees earnings of R$ 550 million (US$ 305.6 million) in 2010, compared to R$ 300 million (US$ 153.9 million) in the last two years. According to Isdra, the company already has orders until May, while in this same period of 2009 one of three machines of Glorinha was shut-down due to a fall in sales caused by the crisis.