COLOMBIA – On Tuesday March 8 and with the presence of Colombia’s President, Juan Manuel Santos, took place the inauguration of Primadera, the only plant in the country dedicated exclusively to the manufacture of MDP particle board and a subsidiary of the Sanford Group. 

The event was also attended by Cecilia Alvarez, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism; Guillermo Ochoa, president of the Sanford Group; José Cubides, mayor of Gachancipá, a town on the outskirts of Bogota where the plant is located; other personalities and industry leaders.

“There are many signs for us to be filled with optimism for the future. Primadera is an example of that. This plant that we are inaugurating I believe that is the ideal plant for the future that we all create in Colombia”, said President Juan Manuel Santos.

After 4 years of construction process and an investment of approximately USD 60 million – including modern technology and equipment from Germany and Ireland – the goal of Primadera is to produce about 180,000 m3 of MDP a year, becoming the MDP factory with the largest installed capacity in Colombia. Located in the industrial area of Gachancipá, the site has an area of 340,000 m2 of which 30,000 m2 correspond to constructed area and 90,000 m2 of industrial development area. Primadera’s opening will generate about 500 jobs between direct and indirect.

Primadera’s portfolio comprises three product lines. Primaplex, raw MDP and raw MDP with moisture resistant. Primacor, MDP with melamine coating in 25 designs and 6 different textures. Finally Primalit, thin laminated MDP (finish foil), specially designed for backings and with the option of melamine lamination.

For the supply of raw material in a first phase, Primadera is being supplied by plantations located in the plant’s area of influence. Lignus S.A.S., a company that acts as the Primadera’s forestry arm is in charge of the development process of forest plantations, which in the future will supply provide the plant’s needs. These plantations are being developed in the regions of La Dorada and Puerto Salgar in the Magdalena Medio region and the Llanos region, and are adapting top forestry technology developed in Brazil.

The second main source that supplies the plant with raw material, is through urban wood or wood from recycling. Primadera is a pioneer in Colombia in the use of recycled wood, contributing to preserving the environment and generating a positive social impact. Primadera, in a joint effort with recycling cooperatives, created a program establishing collection points of wood from waste, solving recycling problems and giving value to the material by delivering a certificate of use to the originators.