Caima: Set to diversify and optimize

Now in its 100th year of operations, Portuguese pulp producer Caima - the first company ever to make eucalyptus pulp - has new owners and new plans for the future. Although Caima expects to increase production at its mills by about 4,000 tons/yr over the next few years by removing bottlenecks and increasing eficiency (lowering costs and reducing staff numbers in the process), the company plans to diversify outside the pulp and even the paper and forest products sector in Portugal during the next few years. Eucalyptus of new genetic strains has been planted, and increments of between 20 and 25 m3/ha are being obtained, with further increases expected.