In the fourth quarter of 2021, Thai wood-based panels manufacturer Vanachai Group Public Co. Ltd. (Bangkok) processed the first deliveries from the OSB plant constructed at the Surat Thani site. The continuous forming and press line - supplied by Siempelkamp (Qingdao) Machinery Co. Ltd. (Qingdao, Shandong province) and featuring a Conti-Roll in 4 ft x 48.7 m format designed for an annual capacity of 210,000 m³ - had already been commissioned and accepted in the first quarter of 2020. Subsequently, Vanachai had intended to commence commercial production on the line - for which Dieffenbacher GmbH Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (Eppingen) had supplied the dryer and US-based Kadant Inc. (Westford, Massachusetts) the strander - by the middle of the year. However, following the outbreak of the corona pandemic, these plans were initially suspended by the company for one year. The start date for OSB distribution, which had been scheduled for the second quarter of 2021, could then also not be kept.
According to the final report for the past financial year published on 1 April, Vanachai had generated OSB turnover of BHT217.1m by the end of the year. As provisionally reported at the end of February, consolidated turnover rose by 56% to BHT12.988bn (2020: 8.312bn) - equivalent to approximately US$388.7m. Concerning business with MDF, a slightly over-proportional increase of 58% to BHT8.432bn (5.348bn) was achieved. In the case of particleboard activities, year-on-year growth of 88% to BHT2.524bn (1.341bn) was recorded. According to Vanachai, increased MDF deliveries (+26%) and higher particleboard sales volumes (+39%) contributed to these turnover increases. Average sales prices also increased significantly (MDF: +26%, particleboard: +27%). Sales of coated wood-based panels (+19% to BHT851.5m) and doorskins (+53% to BHT320.7m) also exceeded the respective figures of the preceding year. Turnover generated with laminate flooring, on the other hand, declined again by 10% to BHT536.8m; starting from the BHT1.100bn generated in 2015, laminate flooring turnover has more than halved in the past six years.
