In Argentina, Acon Timber, a subsidiary of Austria-headed wood processing major HS Timber Group has officially opened its sawmill and pellet plant in Virasoro, Province of Corrientes.
The new sawmill, Acon Timber, is designed to process pine wood – Pinus taeda and Pinus elliottii – which is sourced regionally from sustainably managed plantations. Favoured by the climatic conditions with year-round growth, these pine species are harvested on a 20-year rotation cycle.
The sawmill is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and technologies. In the current stage of expansion, the sawmill has an annual production capacity of 370,000 m3 of kiln-dried sawn wood. The lumber products are mainly exported to North and Central America, the Middle East, and Asia.
Connected to the sawmill is a secondary sorting system with a quality scanner and planing system. The sawmill by-products – woodchips, sawdust, and planer shavings – are further processed into wood pellets.
The current annual production capacity is 132,000 tonnes, which are ENplus-certified and exported to Europe.
The heat required for drying the sawn and residual timber is generated in two 20 MW biomass boilers using bark and locally sourced biomass.
As in all HS Timber Group plants, emphasis is placed on the full use of the raw material, true to the line ‘zero waste’.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the greenfield project took place in January 2022. Trial operation started in December 2023, and the plant was gradually ramped up.
Acon Timber currently offers 315 direct jobs. The total employment effect, including upstream and downstream sectors, is estimated at over 700 jobs.
This makes the modern sawmill an important driver, especially for the regions of Corrientes and Misiones.
