MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY
SUSTAINABLE TIMBER BUSINESS
MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY
MIRO FORESTRY AND TIMBER PRODUCTS IS A VERTICALLY INTEGRATED, SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY & TIMBER PRODUCTS BUSINESS CENTRED IN WEST AFRICA.
SUSTAINABLE TIMBER BUSINESS PROJECT MANAGED BY: ANDREW BOURKE The company operates forestry plantations with over 30,000 hectares of land and is next year to commission its first plywood production factory. Since commencing the planting of timber crops in 2010, Miro Forestry has come a long way. Today, the company is focused on fast-growing, high-yield plantation timber for the production of plywood, utility poles, edge glue boards, and energy biomass for both local and international market, aiming to be a leading low-cost producer and supplier of sustainable timber operating to high management, social & environmental standards.
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he company’s strategy is to convert lowyielding grassland and degraded forest into sustainable plantations growing the highest-yielding timber crops suitable for the land areas under the company’s management. The limited longterm investment into Africa and other regions has resulted in modest competition for land suitable for long-rotation crops and a limited supply of sustainable timber. The company currently has over 30,000 hectares of plantation forestry land in Ghana and Sierra Leone, West Africa, secured on longterm lease agreements, and is currently in the latter stages of securing further land adjoining the company’s current plantations to bring each plantation up to about 20,000 hectares. Andrew Collins, one of the company’s founders and its CEO says: “Tropical climates in emerging markets have high biological growth rates, ensuring that trees grow and reach maturity quickly, as well as low land and operating costs - this means that countries in West Africa such
as Ghana and Sierra Leone can be extremely competitive and profitable for the production of sustainable timber.” Over the next five years the volume of timber annually reaching maturity on the company’s plantations will increase, thus allowing for increased solid wood product production. As a result. the company’s revenues are expected to continue to grow in parallel with such wood-flows. “Plywood production will come on stream soon, with the expectation of selling the products largely to the local market, but also the export markets,” said Mr Collins, adding that at the moment the company exports the veneer layers to several countries in Asia. Wood veneer is the principal component part in the manufacture of plywood, forming the layers of wood that are glued together to create a finished plywood panel. Over the last two years Miro has established and operated a veneer factory, peeling logs harvested from the company’s plantation (principally eucalyptus and gmelina species most suitable for veneer and hence plywood). Having designed, built and commissioned this factory Miro
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B S Engineering Machinery Pvt. Ltd. (Well-known as BS) is one of the Pioneer Companies to indigenously start manufacturing of Plywood Machines in India in the year 1953. Since six decades the company has been providing service to the Plywood industry with their Technologically advanced and Energy Efficient Plywood Machines. The Company also supply Face Veneer (Thin Veneer) Plants, based on Hardwood species. Our R&D team continuously develops the equipment to render higher capacity output and to deliver better quality product. With a Rich experience of installing several Plywood Plants over the years, the Company is well equipped to supply Turnkey projects including Civil, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Designing for the Full Plant from Concept to Commissioning. In several countries the Company has already installed many Plants of sizes ranging from 30CBM/Day to 150CBM/Day within committed time and budget. Our Turnkey project services includes: • Plant Sizing & Prepare list of Equipment • Design of Equipment • Plant Layout & Site Plan • Electrical System Design, Supply, Installation & Commissioning • Heating Fluid Pipeline Design, Supply and Installation, • Provide Civil Engineering design & assist Civil Contractor • Supply of the complete steel Building • Plant & Machineries Supply, Installation & Commissioning • Technology Transfer • Manpower training For MIRO FORESTRY LIMITED, we have designed a state of the Art Veneer & Plywood Mill based on Plantation Timber for their upcoming plywood plant of about 110CBM / Day production capacity in Ghana. The Plant is suitable to Produce different kinds of Commercial Plywood & Laminated Plywood. We wish them all success in their Venture. B S Engineering Machinery Pvt. Ltd. Kolkata, India Tel: +91 92305 66933 / +91 98310 20199 Email: info@bsengg.com www.bsengg.com
MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY
then increased production to a triple-shift operation (22 hours per day) proving its ability to consistently produce to standard. Mathlo Imports & Exports (Pty) Ltd, Established in 2016 in South Africa. Imports & Exports We strive to establish a lasting customer relationship by sourcing and finding the best quality products according to your needs. Communication and feedback are key. Combined/mixed cargo consignments. Managing a smooth export process. Our Products Procurement involves the process of selecting vendors, establishing payment terms, strategic vetting, negotiation of contracts & purchasing of goods. About Us Most of our clients are based in Ghana, Africa. We currently focused but not limited to Agricultural and Forestry Companies.
Tel: +27 83 276 2167 / Fax-to-Mail: +27 86 624 8327 Email address: info@mathloimportsandexports.com www.mathloimportsandexports.com
EXPORT PROCUREMENT 20 years of Agro-Industrial supply and logistics throughout Africa
+27 (0)11 447 3398 /+27 (0)83 642 6833 info@timberbay.co.za www.timberbayservices.com JOHANNESBURG
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SOUTH AFRICA
“TROPICAL CLIMATES IN EMERGING MARKETS HAVE HIGH BIOLOGICAL GROWTH RATES, ENSURING THAT TREES GROW AND REACH MATURITY QUICKLY, AS WELL AS LOW LAND & OPERATING COSTS” SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
As a plantation forestry company, Miro is a significant net absorber of atmospheric carbon, developing new plantations on degraded and bare areas of land. The company mixes commercial plantation forestry with the protection and regeneration of indigenous tree species and the promotion of bio-diversity and environmentally sustainable land-use management. Miro Forestry aims to conform to high environmental, ethical, financial and social standards, and to maintain international forestry certification on all its plantations. “We are very much focused on delivering not only economic benefits but also social and environmental benefits. The fact that our plantations are Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) certified, meaning that we voluntarily comply with this international high standard of responsible forest management, is really important to us,” said Mr Collins. “Supporting the development of local communities is part of our philosophy. Miro Forestry’s community development strategy includes education, access to clean water and
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MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY
alternative livelihood programs. Our mission for community development is to help communities help themselves.” He explained that in the last few years, the company has increased its focus on agricultural projects, food security and commercial smallholder forestry. “We have embarked on a smallholder programme where we support local growers. They can get seedlings from us, and are provided with guidance and assistance to grow them at their own farms. They can then sell the mature trees to us for a predetermined price. This initiative
we hope will significantly support re-forestation and we target results as good as those achieved with similar projects in Vietnam and India.”
NEW DIRECTION
Having successfully planted and developed the plantation for over 10 years, Miro is building its industrial capacities as its forests will soon produce a strong and steady flow of wood to be converted into higher value-added products such as plywood and poles. In 2020, the company continues to be in investment mode - the veneer production facility is currently
being expanded and its Ghana plywood factory is being constructed for commissioning in 2021, with a view to being replicated at a later stage in Sierra Leone and potentially elsewhere thereafter. “Whilst maintaining the quality of our plantations, we are now focused on rapidly developing our timber processing operations to develop into a vertically integrated, profitable, timber products company, with a major focus on plywood for the local, regional and export markets. Plywood will be our core product,” said Mr Collins. “We have certain new members on our Board of Directors, an international team of experienced professionals, that have come to help drive the transformation of the company from what we were - mainly
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MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY
a plantation forest business - to having wood processing capability, and we expect a big ramp-up in terms of our industrial operations.” Coupled with the company’s high management standards, the Directors believe the company is extremely well positioned to continue delivering good returns to shareholders. “Over
the next five years, we need to scale the operation up and would be looking at some point at selling a ready-made business to a plywood or similar trade group. Sustainable economic return, while promoting the development of local communities, will remain our key goals,” concluded Mr Collins.
“SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES IS PART OF OUR STRATEGY. OUR MISSION FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS TO HELP COMMUNITIES HELP THEMSELVES.”
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MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY
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