Construction of the first warehouse and first floor of offices of our seventh factory—and second in France—has been completed. We estimate that in the third quarter of this year, the first lathe will start operations, with a production capacity of 70,000 m3 of green veneer.
Our new factory is located in Troyes, the Sud Champagne region in northern France. The construction process began in 2021. The first warehouse and first floor of offices have been completed, and operations began in May. In addition, the second floor will be completely installed in June.
The construction of this factory is a phased project, and it will have a final surface area of 40,000 m2. We estimate that the first lathe will start operations during the third quarter of this year, receiving and installing the first peeling line in the upcoming months, which will be able to make use of 150,000 m3 of poplar and produce 70,000 m3 of green veneer. The remaining phases will continue after that, which will consist installing the drying lines and assembling a second lathe to double the veneer production. In the final phase, the group of lines of the second transformation (press) will be added to manufacture finished products.
This plant is in addition to the one we already have in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. It will have access to the Seine and Aube river basin, the richest poplar basin in Europe, which has 90,000 hectares of plantations within the 300 km surrounding Troyes. The company prefers to use poplars to produce plywood as these trees produce high-quality wood and grow on fast-wood plantations. They are known for their sustainability and significant atmospheric CO2 absorption capacity, offering improved environmental protection.
The strategic location of the new factory will guarantee access to sustainably-sourced raw materials, mitigating the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the operations, thus complying with our sustainable manifesto. Along these lines and based on our commitment to caring for and respecting the environment, an original environmental project of "éco-pâturage" has been implemented on the land that is not yet under construction. This will provide a means of living for the animals in the area, aimed at keeping clean and maintaining green spaces that are difficult to access because of them.
The factory will work under the smart factory model. The entire production process will be completely automated, and 4.0 tools will be used to optimize the results. In addition, we have started hiring staff for the maintenance, forestry, human resources, administrative and management departments. Our vision is to recruit 50 people by the end of the year and approximately 300 employees in the final phase.
With the startup of this new plant, we will have a total of seven production plants. Five are located in Spain, in La Rioja, the Basque Country, and León. This new Troyes plant in the Grand Est - Sud Champagne region will be the second in France, in addition to the one in the Aquitaine region.
