Implemention of an ecological process of the production of wooden floors as a chance to improve the competitiveness of LARECO Mikołaj Zińczuk enterprise.

Description

Lareco is a family-run company whose carpentry traditions date back to the 1950s. It now manufactures high quality solid timber flooring materials and mosaic panels. The project consists in implementing a new technological process called the Green Factory. It will enable us to manufacture the current products in a way much more friendly to the environment. Above all, the reduced consumption of scarce oak timber will increase material efficiency. This will be achieved by increasing the effectiveness of timber drying in modern drying facilities and by reusing plywood remnants (previously considered waste) due to the new capacity of joining short, narrow sheets of plywood with micro-comb joints at the bottom layer of flooring elements. Moreover, increased formatting process efficiency will allow a better use of material pieces of very small dimensions, i.e. the thickness of 1-6 mm. Also, sawdust, which is a production waste, will be used to produce ecological fuel pellets. The air quality in the production buildings will improve thanks to the elimination of wood shavings and dust.

The energy obtained from the photovoltaic installation will power electrical machines and carts. The new process will contribute to a reduction in annual CO2 emissions by 98.52 tons and annual electricity consumption by 0.13 GWh.

The project will involve the purchase of an ecological pellet production line, a machine de-dusting line, a line for endless plywood joining, a two-chamber timber dryer, a planing machine, plotters, a forklift and pallet truck, and a low-emission delivery truck. In addition, we will commission a research unit to test wood pellets for compliance with the requirements of the relevant ISO standard and with the requirements of the certificate issued by the European Pellet Council, as well as to test the quality and performance of layered timber floors produced using the new process.

Summary of project results

The main goal of the project was to improve the competitiveness and the level of eco-friendliness of LARECO company`s manufacture that is located in Podlasie, one of the purest and most beautiful regions of Poland, in result of implementation

The project aimed to solve the issues and challenges mentioned below:

1. low extent of wood raw material during the production process that has had a negative impact on the number of production waste
2. low efficiency of the wood drying process
3. lack of assets (machines) that would enable us to improve the  usage level of  wood raw material
4. very low rate of the wood raw material reuse
5. lack of green energy in company`s energy balance
6. usage of old and non-ecological mode of inner and external transportation   

The main goal of the project was to improve the competitiveness and the level of eco-friendliness of LARECO company`s manufacture.

In accordance to the goal mentioned above our company:

1. has modified the production proces also by implementing the set of brand new, high efficeient machines for wood-drying and wood-work
2. has expanded the machine park by the wood pellet production line that uses as a raw-material waste from the flooring production proces
3. has  replaced the old combustion inner transport modes with new fully electric pallet trucks as also an old diesel delivery truck with brand new low-emission vehicle (truck)
4. has installed a photovoltaic installation on the roofs of the company`s plant bulidings.

The main and the most important results of the project are:

1. Implementation of the new eco-friendly producing process – main beneficiaries are our company and the local society
2.  Implementation the new product on the regional market – wood pellet – acquired from the flooring production process waste - main beneficiaries are our company and the regional consumers
3. Creation of one new workplace - main beneficiaries are our company and the local labour market – local society
4. Reduction of CO2 annual emissions by 115,99 tones - main beneficiaries are local society
5. Replacement of the traditional energy usage by 0,15 GWh acquired annually from the photovoltaic installation - main beneficiaries are our company and the local society
6. Production process waste (wood raw-material) reduction by 143,29 tones annually.