Based on the outskirts of Riga and employing 130 people, BSW Latvia was commissioned in 2000. The planned investment is set to double added value product production, to optimise process controls and costs and increase output to 200,000 cubic metres of sawn timber on an annual basis.
The investment will cover the purchase and installation of new equipment -including a green sorter and stacker, kilns, a boiler, planer and grader line, and profiling saw line. The mill expansion is expected to be completed by March 2015. The project financing is supported by the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIDA).
The investment is now set to make the Latvian sawmill one of the most technically advanced operations of its kind anywhere in Europe.
Scott Shiells, group technical director, said the increased commitment to its Latvian operation underlines BSW’s position as one of Europe’s leading sawmilling businesses and reinforces the company’s ambitions to grow the timber market.
He explained: “This major investment is all about delivering maximum value from our Latvian mill, demonstrating our commitment to developing the site as well as our confidence in the growth of the global timber market
“The development of flexible and high capacity mills with the latest technology to provide first-class products is an essential part of BSW’s operating strategy, whether it is in the UK or globally.
“State-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure development will enhance value and give the sawmill the ability to produce more of BSW’s market-leading products and innovate with new products.”
The 28-hectare BSW Latvia site is designed to enhance the value of high-grade Latvian fibre and up to six-metre long lengths through additional processing and by establishing close working relationships with the local supply chain. The new investment will complement existing infrastructure – including kilns and planing-grading line which allow the timber to be kiln-dried, profiled and treated against customers demand on site prior to dispatch to the mill’s extensive, far reaching customer base.
More information
Contact Jennifer Butler or Richard Bright on 0131 556 6649 or 07770 886 914.
BSW Timber in the UK / Europe
- BSW Timber is the most technologically advanced and progressive sawmilling company in the UK
- The company has six sawmills in the UK and one in Latvia, with a production capacity of over 1,000,000m3 of sawn timber per year
- BSW Timber’s Group Headquarters is in Earlston, Berwickshire. Its six UK sawmills are based in:
– Dalbeattie, Dumfries and Galloway
– Boat of Garten, Inverness-shire
– Fort William, Inverness-shire
– Petersmuir, East Lothian
– Carlisle, Cumbria
– Newbridge-on-Wye, Powys
- BSW Timber’s two industry leading brands, Easi and Timeless Timber, are distributed throughout the construction, fencing, decking, sleeper and pallet and packaging sectors.
- BSW is committed to supporting sustainable forestry, and uses FSC® certification by independent auditors as a way to display this, in addition to obtaining group approval by the Timber Trade Federation under its Responsible Purchasing Policy.
- BSW Timber is a proud member of Grown in Britain, a government backed campaign to create a sustainable future for British forests and woodlands.
- BSW Timber is a member of the UK Green Building Council, which campaigns for a sustainable built environment.