Arauco do Brasil halts MDP production at Curitiba plant but continues to finish panels produced at nearby mill in Piên, offers redundant workers employment at other Paraná state operations

Wendy Lisney

LOS ANGELES , March 7, 2012 (Industry Intelligence) – Arauco do Brasil has stopped producing medium density particleboard (MDP) production at its plant in Curitiba.according to a report by Wood Based Panels International. Arauco inherited the dated plant from Placas do Paraná in 2005.

In December, the company stopped producing panels from the remaining single daylight Dieffenbacher press lines at Curitiba, but is continuing to finish panels at the site. A melamine laminating line and paper impregnator are still processing MDP produced at a nearby mill in Piên.

In 2010, Chilean-owned Arauco invested in improving board quality and optimizing output at Curitiba, raising MDP capacity on the three newest lines to 280,000 m3/year. But the company has since sought to close the city site due to its lack of space to accommodate expansion.

The Curitiba mill was Brazil's first particleboard production plant. It dates back to 1965, and produced 320,000 m3/year under Placas do Paraná on five small Dieffenbacher panel lines.

Workers at Curitiba have been offered employment at Arauco do Brasil's other operations in Paraná state.

The primary source of this article is Wood Based Panels International, London, on March 7, 2012.

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