ECUADOR - With an investment of more than USD 100 million panel manufacturer Novopan del Ecuador culminated in July the expansion of its production plant in Quito.

With this investment, the manufacturer went from producing 300,000 m³ per year of medium density particle board (MDP) to an annual production capacity of 600,000 m³.

Germany's Dieffenbacher was the main equipment and technology supplier of the new line, which included a 8” by 20.5 meters long CPS + press system. To carry out the expansion project Novopan del Ecuador also made investments in infrastructure and forests, in addition to implementing the first cloning project in the country. Currently the company's forest assets are 8,500 hectares.

With a history of more than 40 years, Novopan is today the largest exporter of particleboard in Latin America, has commercial offices in Colombia and Peru and its products are exported to 12 countries in America. In 2018, the company reached sales of USD 134.48 million, an increase of 13.8% compared to the figure of USD 118.18 reached in 2017. In Ecuador, the marketing of its Novopan and Pelikano brand boards is carried out through the Novocentro network consisting of 47 points franchisees nationwide.

Currently the new plant is in the process of obtaining EPA TITLE VI CARB certification and this year the company as its brands Pelíkano and Novopan renewed the ISO 9001: 2015, ISO 14001: 2015, OHSAS 18001: 2007 and BASC certifications obtained in 2018. Additionally, Novopan is the first forestry company in Ecuador to obtain the PUNTO VERDE certification since 2016, in the highest category as an eco-efficient company, after the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador recognized the implementation of four clean production projects focused on reducing or eliminate its environmental impacts.