URUGUAY - In March 2021, businessmen Mark Crandall from the United States and Matías Abergo (Enkel Group) from Uruguay confirmed the arrival of Arboreal by acquiring 100% of Frutifor Lumber Company, a pine sawmill located in Tacuarembó.

Currently, the sawmill based in Tacuarembó, Uruguay, processes 140.000 m³ of pine.

Arboreal project includes the immediate increase in the sawmill's drying capacity, doubling production to 250.000 m³ and therefore exports of processed timber as of the third quarter of 2021.

This investment will also shape Uruguay's timber production matrix and position Uruguay in the global Cross Laminated Timber market, as it will implement the largest and most advanced CLT plant in South America.

Production capacity will be initially 50.000 m³ per year and Installation is scheduled for the beginning of 2022.

Arboreal's investment will therefore contribute to the generation of added value from Uruguay's forest resources, boosting industrial activity in the northern part of the country and promoting the development of environmentally sustainable construction.

“Uruguay has very competitive forestry resources,” comments Abergo as Arboreal President. “When we envision the future, we see mass timber as a solution to reduce CO2 emission by 2030. The construction sector is responsible for almost 40% of the greenhouse gases; this plant is the first step to reduce and sequestrate CO2. We need to start thinking about our homes as big CO2 warehouses.”

Abergo adds: “When selecting the supplier for the CLT line, Arboreal needed to rely on a provider like Ledinek with many years of experience in the market and is capable of providing state-of-the-art machines. Choosing Ledinek as a supplier was a strategic decision; a project of this scale has never been done before in South America.”