Sustainable and efficient production for Estonian plywood factory ESTPLY

31st October 2022
Partnership stories Pulp & Paper

Adven has started to produce steam from biomass for Estonian Plywood AS factory located in the Estonian countryside in Viruvere. The plywood factory has created a positive effect on the local economy with over 150 new working places.

The first phase of the construction kicked off by the frame agreement signed between Estonian Plywood (ESTPLY) and Adven in 2018, has been now successfully completed. By starting up a production centre in the middle of a beautiful birch forest ESTPLY has given a significant push in expanding the opportunities for local people in the labour market.

“In today’s situation, we consider it extremely important to improve local employment regionally. We have created over 150 new jobs in Jõgeva County. A modern factory is definitely a good place to work”, says Ando Jukk, Member of the Supervisory Board of Estonian Plywood AS.

Cooperation allows the company to focus on their core business

Adven implemented a new biomass plant in Viruvere to produce steam, taking full responsibility for the design, construction, and long-term operation and maintenance of the plant as well as 24/7 remote monitoring. This type of cooperation allows the customer to focus on their core business.

“Adven is definitely our partner. We do not need to worry about anything related to the construction, development, and operation of a woodchip boiler plant. We can calmly focus on the production of plywood, and we know that the Adven team is flexible and considers our changing consumption load”, emphasises Jukk.

Renewable energy plays an important role

“Climate change has a significant impact on all of our daily lives, nature and business. Therefore, the types of materials used and what is produced is important. Wood is a renewable resource. Materials that cannot be used in the plywood production any longer can be re-used in heat production. Heat is needed to dry the veneer and press the plywood. We can use the residual heat to soak the logs and heat the production premises. This is a very effective solution that has the lowest possible environmental impact throughout the product’s life cycle. In cooperation with Adven, we have been able to complement each other, and we are certainly looking forward to the opportunity to expand our cooperation”, said Jukk, emphasising the importance of an environmentally sustainable vision.

Adven produces steam for the plywood factory, making maximum use of the energy in the returned condensate. Sustainability and reducing carbon footprint are the common keywords for both of the companies, Adven and Estply.

Plywood production in Viruvere’s bright and spacious factory, with its brand-new production lines and technology, started in September of 2019. Estonian Plywoods’ annual production capacity reaches 55,000 m3. The capacity of the completed steam boiler plant is 7.5 MW, which allows production of 11 tonnes of steam per hour. The design of the plant allows for a flexible increase in capacity in the future.

Estonian Plywood AS is a company based entirely on Estonian capital, owned by the leading Estonian forest industry companies Lemeks AS and Tarmeko KV OÜ.