As the group continues to pursue its development strategy and invest in expanding production capacity, Latvijas Finieris' new veneer plant in Kuldīga began operating in test mode at the end of March. It is equipped with unique technology that makes it possible to obtain the maximum possible veneer yield from every birch log.
The Kuldīga veneer plant has been set up as a unit of Furniers, the Latvijas Finieris plywood mill. It is located at Ganību iela 12, on the site where the Latvijas Finieris Kuldīga timber yard has already been operating for several years. Construction of the new plant took about a year, while investment in the production building, equipment, technology and site improvements reached 16 million euros.
Once operations reach full capacity, the plant will employ 4-5 staff across two shifts, making it possible to produce 40 m³ of wet veneer from 80 m³ of veneer logs in an eight-hour shift. It is worth noting that the new team is made up of employees with all-round skills, so that they are equally able to cover any of the required functions, from taking delivery of veneer logs through to processing information and handling paperwork. The manager of the new veneer plant is Rinalds Larsens, who previously served as head of the peeling section at Furniers.
Initially, peeled veneer from the Kuldīga plant will partly supply raw material for plywood production at the Lignums mill. As the group continues to expand Verems RSEZ SIA in Rēzekne, the plan is that within a year to eighteen months the Kuldīga plant will switch entirely to supplying raw material solely to the Furniers mill in Riga.
Unique peeling technology
"To produce 1 m³ of plywood, roughly 2.5 m³ of birch veneer logs are needed. That is why it is important to obtain the maximum volume of veneer from every log," stresses Arvis Švanks, director of Furniers. To achieve this, a special hybrid peeling machine was built for the Kuldīga plant, combining the two technologies traditionally used in veneer peeling – spindle and spindleless – making it possible to peel veneer logs down to a core of just 25 mm.
"The Kuldīga plant, with its unique equipment, is a significant turning point in wood processing. By enabling the peeling of small-diameter timber, we are now buying additional birch logs in a new quality grade – C," says Artis Podnieks, director of the Birch Timber Supply Service at Latvijas Finieris. At Latvia's current logging volumes, peeling smaller-diameter and lower-quality birch logs means an additional 300,000 m³ of birch wood a year can be directed to plywood production. Previously, timber of this kind was exported to Scandinavia for pulp production or processed into lower value-added products.
"From a resource supply point of view, Kuldīga is a regional centre with high potential. However, investment and development seen together with the region's growth also raise questions for the future about the resources available to Latvia's economy and its long-term economic development. Using every cubic metre of Latvia's forest resources with the care, diligence and responsibility of a good steward matters both to every forest owner and to the economy as a whole."
A gain for Kurzeme, forest owners and the economy
"The principle of being 'closer to forest owners' underpins not only our service and our relationships with log suppliers, but also the company's strategic direction," Artis Podnieks acknowledges. "The primary processing of veneer logs has to be organised so as to shorten the distances between the forest owner, the forest and production, reducing the time and other resources consumed. That benefits forest owners, the company and the environment alike."
"The Latvijas Finieris group is the leader in using birch logs to produce high value-added, high-quality plywood. For us, growth means not only increasing capacity, but also investing in the economy and in public wellbeing: in our employees' professional and personal quality of life, in a modern and safe working environment, in innovative and efficient production processes, in regional development, in sustainability and in innovation, all of which feeds into the overall development of Latvia's economy," stresses Indulis Kovisārs, member of the board of Latvijas Finieris.
"The most important areas of specialisation in Kuldīga municipality are forestry, agriculture, transport and logistics," says Inese Astaševska, chair of Kuldīga municipal council. "With the inclusion of Kuldīga old town on the UNESCO World Heritage List, tourism and the creative industries are also taking on an ever greater role. Our municipality is characterised by romantic cafés and design hotels, and by small family businesses. Yet alongside tourism operators, several stable export-oriented manufacturing companies have chosen Kuldīga municipality for its convenient location. The investment made by Latvijas Finieris is a strong signal to other businesses that Kuldīga municipality is open for business and geared towards development and growth. The company's investment in our municipality is a strategic choice – jobs for local people and tax revenue for the municipal budget. Fortune always favours those who act – I congratulate the company's management and staff on their development and growth. This is a substantial contribution not only to Kuldīga municipality, but to the whole Kurzeme region. May it flourish and succeed!"