Valmet will deliver defibrator system to Guararapes Caçador MDF plant in Brazil

Valmet Oyj’s trade press release on May 5, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. EET

Valmet will supply a new Valmet Defibrator EVO system to the Brazilian company Guararapes. The system will be used for the company´s medium density fiberboard (MDF) production as part of its major expansion at Caçador plant in Santa Catarina state. This will give Caçador the largest MDF capacity in a single plant in all of the Americas and raise the group’s MDF output. The start-up is scheduled for 2022.

The order was included in Valmet's orders received of the first quarter 2021. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

The defibrator system is the heart of the MDF plant, since the wood chips are mechanically separated there into the fibers, which has a huge influence on both the final product quality and specific energy consumption.


Valmet Defibrator EVO System

“Guararapes has been needing more MDF capacity for a long time and the pandemic has stimulated the demand even further. The new plant will be installed alongside the existing MDF lines in Caçador, which will give Brazil one of the most modern MDF plants in the world, being both highly productive and sustainable, and including the latest digital technology such as scanners to check the surface quality,” says Ricardo Pedroso, the CEO of Guararapes.

Valmet was chosen to supply the line for numerous reasons, such as several very good references in Brazil that are already installed and working. In addition, Valmet's innovations in digitalization, remote service, and high-efficiency refining convinced the customer about up-to-date technology. Furthermore, a strong service commitment from Valmet and the proactive lifecycle support strengthened the attractiveness.

“From a technological point of view, the Valmet solution is unique in terms of quality and especially energy savings. This gives the important dual financial benefits, reducing both the ongoing operation expenditure, OPEX, costs and the initial capital expenditure, CAPEX, of the entire MDF line,” says Igor Panassol, Sales Manager, Pulp and Energy business line, Valmet in South America.

Information about Valmet’s delivery

Besides the Valmet Defibrator EVO System, a Valmet Steam Separator PV system will also be supplied, which is the first reference in Latin America.

Information about Guararapes

Guararapes manufactures MDF panels and it is one of the largest plywood panel producer in Latin America. It is currently exporting its panels to over 60 nations. With the recent announcement to invest in the MDF line, the production capacity will increase to over 600.000 m³ per year, becoming one the nation’s leading MDF production companies and totaling about 1,550M m³ per year of production from forest-based panels.

VALMET
Corporate Communications

For further information, please contact:
Igor Panassol, Sales Manager, South America, Pulp and Energy business line, Valmet, tel. +554133414481
Leif Sundberg, Sales Manager, Pulp and Energy business line, Valmet, tel. +46 70 606 55 47

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers.

Valmet's strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bioenergy production. Our advanced services and automation solutions improve the reliability and performance of our customers' processes and enhance the effective utilization of raw materials and energy.

Valmet's net sales in 2020 were approximately EUR 3.7 billion. Our 14,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward - every day. Valmet's head office is in Espoo, Finland and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

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