FRANCE – On 28 January Garnica started construction of its seventh factory, which is located in the Parc du Grand Troyes, France. 

The first phase of construction will be completed in mid-2021 and activity will begin at the factory with the creation of some 40 jobs. When the plant is at full capacity, 300 direct jobs will have been created with an overall investment of 80 million euros.

The factory will be built in several stages, the first of which will enter operation in mid-2021 and initially employ 40 people. The peeling line will be installed first, followed by the drying lines. Capacity will then be doubled, with the final step being to add the pressing equipment and begin manufacturing the finished products. The factory will cover an area of 40,000 m2 and will stand on a plot of 20 hectares.

Garnica is a company specialized in the production of plywood panels, for which it uses poplar timber from sustainably managed forests. The company decided to install this factory in north-western France due to its proximity to the large poplar plantations that exist in the Seine and Aube valleys.

Construction of this new factory will be an incentive for private farmers and nearby municipalities and will contribute to local reforestation. In fact, Garnica has been actively involved for the last two years in the Grand Est Plan aimed at encouraging the cultivation of poplar trees in the region.

The Spanish group led by Pedro Garnica was set up in 1941. This will be its seventh factory in total and the second in France, where it has had a factory in Samazan (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) since 2010. In 2019 Garnica posted a turnover of 230 million euros and exported its products to 45 countries. This new factory will support the development of its business in the northern European and American markets.