THAILAND – In April 2015, before the official presentation at Ligna, the Metro-Ply Group became the first company to order the newly developed CPS+ continuous press from Dieffenbacher. Less than two years later, on March 20, 2017, the new “PB Line 3” particleboard plant featuring the CPS+ went into operation. 

In addition to the press, which measures 2.65 m in width and 40.5 m in length, Dieffenbacher supplied the drum dryer, the core layer sifter, the forming station with air spreading system—including roller deck, the forming line with prepress, and the entire raw board handling system and the automated raw board storage system.

The Metro-Ply Group will use the new CPS+ plant to produce particleboards for worldwide export. The plant will soon be put into three-shift operation and achieve an annual capacity of over 600,000 m³.

The second CPS+ within the Metro-Ply Group—the third CPS+ sold by Dieffenbacher—will also soon be put into operation. Metro-Ply subsidiary Advance Fiber, based in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, plans to commission a new THDF plant with CPS+ press in the second quarter of 2017.