Construction progress at the TEBOLVL® plant

The end of the year provides an opportunity to review the progress of this extraordinary project, which has required unprecedented organization and the mobilization of technical and human resources to enable production to start by the end of 2025.

Interview with Claire ARCHIMBAUD, Architect in charge of construction

BACK TO THE PROJECT

Building on its experience in peeling, the THEBAULT Group is innovating and expanding its range of engineered wood products by setting up France's first Lamibois or LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) manufacturing plant, in association with the CENZATO Group, a local player in the sector. This state-of-the-art 25,000m2 plant will house a production line more than a kilometer long. The investment in this extraordinary project is in the region of €100 million, with a production capacity of 70,000 m3 of LVL per year.

AN UNPRECEDENTED ORGANIZATION

Usually, the construction of an industrial unit is carried out in successive phases, starting with the building and ending with the installation of the means of production. Claire ARCHIMBAUD explains that, in order to meet the target of production start-up by the end of 2025, the project has been organized "at the same time".

In concrete terms, the idea is to operate by sub-assemblies linked to the manufacturing process (debarking, peeling, drying units, etc.) and to finalize them successively out of water and air, and to install the machines. This organizational choice saves time and enables each sub-assembly to be finalized as far upstream as possible.

This organization is also very "legible" for the different teams, who find in it a procedure that makes sense.

CURRENT STATUS

The structural shell of the factory buildings is nearing completion. The first two areas of the plant (peeling and drying) are out of water and out of air, the slabs have been poured and the foundations laid, enabling the first machines to be installed. Work is now beginning on the shell of the external equipment, such as the debarking unit, the boiler and the kiln.

NEXT STEPS

All the buildings will be enclosed and covered by next March, by which time the machines will be installed progressively, depending on the construction method chosen. March will also see the arrival of the boiler. An official inauguration at the end of next year is confirmed, preceded by a pre-production phase for the first TEBOLVL® panels.