COLOMBIA - In an interview by M&M magazine, Guillermo Ochoa, CEO of the Sanford group, announced the forthcoming inauguration of its subsidiary, board producer Primadera. 

With a nominal production capacity of 180,000 m3 / year, Primadera in the short term will become the first producer of MDP particleboard in Colombia and the largest in the country.

According to Mr. Ochoa "The nominal capacity (installed per year) will be 180,000 m3: 60,000 m3 of thin board, in thicknesses from 3.0 to 7.0 mm and 120,000 m3 in thick boards; in all formats, from 9.0 to 36 mm. We will manufacture all the possible range of MDP, including raw boards, but we will focus especially on laminated boards with the intent to sell more added value. We estimate that the official opening of the plant will be in May, but product will hit the market as soon as we are satisfied and have performed tests and trials, which can take around two months". 

Regarding the location of the new plant in Gachancipa, 50 km from Bogota, Ochoa explains "We see that in all countries of the world, MDP plants have an economic range - they serve a calculated distance - overseeing freight costs. We found that located on the Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador axis, the largest potential market in the region is Bogotá, presently served from Barranquilla, Medellin, Chile and Quito with high logistics costs in proportion to the value of the product. Primadera will be in the wood panel industry, will compete with players in the wood panel industry, and will have competitive low pressure (laminates), raw and RH lines. We will try to support market growth, to expand gradually by region, in order to obtain a reasonable share of the market".