OREANDA-NEWS. August 31, 2009. The project’s contract has been ready for signing since 2008 but the necessary budgets were not available in Belarus, as Siempelkamp reports. Now a government guarantee ensures the approval of a loan for the Ivatsevichdrev company. This approval is the starting signal for the projected Siempelkamp particleboard line which is a project that can be assessed as a positive signal for the economy of both countries involved.

The financing of the new high-performance particleboard plant is now secured against the background of a state guarantee of Belarus. The wood-based products manufacturer Ivatsevichdrev has now received this guarantee by decree from the president of Belarus. This decree also had to be signed by a number of governmental departments. With it, the manufacturer secures the opportunity to efficiently initiate the Belarusian economy with the help of the highly productive Siempelkamp line.

The technical homework for this project was completed a long time ago. The plant details between the partners are already wrapped up. The particleboard plant guarantees Ivatsevichdrev a daily capacity of 800 m?/day and was designed, per customer request, with a reserve of an extra 30 percent. This makes a capacity of approx. 330,000 m? of particleboard per year possible and thus, almost doubles the country’s production capacity. Belarus is located in northeastern Europe and borders to Poland, Russia, and the Ukraine as well as Lithuania and Latvia in the north. With just under 10 million inhabitants, the per capita consumption of wood-based materials is not very high compared to Western Europe and offers considerable room for growth.

The plant will be built in Ivatsevichi, a city half way between the Polish border and the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The contract was concluded in September of 2008. It provides for a broad range of Siempelkamp services in the areas of front end, press and finishing line. The forming and press line will include a high-performance 7’ x 28.8 ContiRoll® press. The dryer is supplied by the Siempelkamp subsidiary Buttner; the complete automation technology will also come from Krefeld.

Furthermore, the scope of supply includes the mechanical and pneumatical materials handling technology for the exterior and interior plant areas. The complete plant will be planned, engineered, and started up by the Siempelkamp subsidiary Sicoplan in Belgium. For Ivatsevichdrev this project represents the latest and highest-performing plant in Belarus. For Siempelkamp it is a welcome opportunity to send a positive signal concerning the economic climate. Construction start is scheduled for first half of 2010.