Economical and efficient production at Viruvere plywood factory

The first phase of construction, which began within the framework of the cooperation agreement signed by Estonian Plywood (ESTPLY) and Adven in 2018, has now been successfully completed. With the launch of a production centre in the bosom of beautiful birch forests, ESTPLY has, among other things, given a significant impetus to expanding the opportunities for local people in the labour market.

“In today’s regional policy situation, we consider it extremely important to improve employment in the locality. We have created more than 150 new jobs in Jõgeva County. A modern factory is definitely a good place to work,” said Ando Jukk, member of the supervisory board of Estonian Plywood AS.

The energy company Adven established a new energy centre in Viruverre for the production of steam, while being fully responsible for the design, construction, long-term handling and security of supply of the boiler house. This form of cooperation, in turn, allows the factory to focus on its main activity.

“Adven is essentially an energy partner for us. We do not have to worry about anything related to the construction, development and operation of a wood chips boiler house. We can calmly focus on the production of plywood and know that the Adven team must be flexible and take into account our changing consumption load,” Jukk emphasized.

“Global warming has a significant impact on the daily lives, nature and business of all of us. Therefore, it is important from what origin products are made. Wood is a renewable resource. We can use a material that does not fit into the product in the process of plywood production to produce thermal energy. Heat is needed to dry the veneer and press the plywood. We can use the residual heat for soaking logs and heating production rooms. In this way, it is a very effective solution that gives as little impact as possible on the surrounding environment in the life cycle of the product. In cooperation with Adven, we have thus been able to complement each other, and we are definitely looking forward to both of them having the opportunity to expand our cooperation,” Jukk stressed the importance of an environmentally sustainable outlook for the future.

Adven produces steam for the plywood plant, making the most of the energy of the recovered condensate, and the production process uses renewable energy solutions. ESTPLY and Adven share common values regarding environmental protection. Action is being taken consciously to reduce the carbon footprint.

The production of plywood in Viruvere’s bright and spacious factory with brand new production lines and technology started in September last year. Estonian Plywood’s annual production capacity reaches 55,000 m3. The capacity of the completed steam boiler house is 7.5 MW, which allows to produce 11 tons of steam per hour. The design of the plant allows you to flexibly increase power in the future.

Estonian Plywood AS or ESTPLY has the newest plywood factory in the Baltics and Scandinavia. Estonian Plywood AS is part of the Lemeks Group, which is one of the largest industrial groups in Estonia. Among other things, Lemeks Group is also one of the largest logging companies, which allows the ESTPLY plywood plant to procure a sufficient amount of domestic raw materials all year round. Lemeks Grupp is an entirely Estonian company whose mission is to maximize the valorisation of domestic timber right here in Estonia.