OREANDA-NEWS. April 09, 2014. Valutec will deliver a total of eleven dry kilns to AsiaLes in Khabarovsk, which is located in the Russian Far East, close to the Chinese border.

The delivery to AsiaLes comprises eight progressive kilns and three batch kilns. Construction will commence at the start of 2015 and the sawmill will be fully operational by the end of that same year, as the company said in the press release received by Lesprom Network.

"With this project we are establishing ourselves in eastern Russia, so this deal is an important strategic success for us," says Robert Larsson, CEO of Valutec.

For privately-owned AsiaLes, which is the second largest sawmill group in the Russian Far East, this investment is part of a substantial expansion plan that will increase capacity in Khabarovsk from the current 150,000 cubic metres per year to almost 500,000 cubic metres per year.

"We entered into discussions with them almost two years ago and they have been very thorough in comparing us with other suppliers. It is particularly gratifying that we landed the deal largely due to the low running costs of our progressive kilns. For them, our solution was the most cost-effective over time," explains Robert Larsson.

Valutec has been an established player in western Russia for many years, selling wood-drying equipment to sawmills that deliver products primarily to the domestic market, Europe, north Africa and the Middle East. AsiaLes exports the bulk of its production to China and Japan.

"China is a growing market with huge potential. If the market continues to develop as it has, it will also have a positive impact on many European sawmills and suppliers," says Larsson.

Valutec is Europe's leading supplier of equipment for wood drying.