"We are concluding the analysis for this plant and we will come up with a decision in the middle of this year regarding the location and product that, in principle will be MDF," he told the Brazilian furniture sector magazine RG Móvel.
The executive said the company is evaluating the market picture through to 2015 following launches of new MDF lines by Brazilian producers in recent months including Berneck and Arauco Brasil. A sudden rise in demand in the second half of 2012 should now be met by the new capacity.
Duratex has earmarked three possible regions for the next plant in its home state of São Paulo, further north in Minas Gerais state and also in north eastern Brazil, although it lacks an adequate forest base in the latter region, Mr Coelho told the magazine.
