According to Swedish company Vänerply, plywood in large sheets brings functional and financial benefits compared with the usual, smaller standard formats. By way of example they mention flexibility, efficient handling, greater strength, lower energy losses and reduced or zero material wastage. This is of particular interest when using large components in the building industry, for roofs, walls and floors, but also for the production of export packaging. The company claims to be the only one in the world producing structural-grade plywood of spruce in a press which allows lengths of up until 12.5 metres.

Most world records benefit only the record holder, but 12.5-metre plywood sheets are an exception.
"We are the only company that can offer structural-grade plywood in large sheet sizes, with thicknesses from 9 to 45 millimetres", says Bengt Persson, Head of Marketing at Vänerply.
Vänerply can supply the required quantities of different lengths at different times. This allows efficient, cost-effective and well-timed material handling by the customer, at the same time as reducing the amount of capital tied up
in stock. The flexibility provided by the large plywood sheet also offers the architect greater creative freedom.
Plywood is a light, strong material. Producing sheets to given dimensions reduces cutting and joining. A large sheet is more stable than a small sheet because it has very few veneer joints. The fewer the joins in the sheet, the lower the energy loss and the heating cost. This makes large sheets suitable for external walls, roofs and floors.
"The properties of the jumbo sheet open up new possibilities for using plywood as a building material, for example as a roof element", explains Bengt Persson. "Large sheets mean quicker assembly and give strong, rigid structures."
The packaging industry is already a large consumer of long length plywood, especially for export packaging.
"By using large sheets produced to suit the length and width of the crates, very large packages can be produced without joints", says Bengt Persson. "This makes the packaging lighter, stronger and more airtight, as well as making it harder to steal the content of the package."
In addition to Vänerply's own quality control, production is subject to inspection by the Swedish Testing and Research Institute in Borås (SP). It has also been approved by the authorities in most European countries. The sheets are bonded with waterproof adhesive.
Vänerply offers free technical advice on the use of plywood sheets for various purposes.

Caption: Low energy losses, increased flexibility and strength, as well as reduced waste are some of the advantages of large plywood sheets, according to Swedish company Vänerply. They open up new possibilities in the building industry and for manufacturers of large export packages.

For further information:
Fagerlid (UK) Limited, Unit 1, Redlands Centre
Redlands, Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 2HR
Phone: 0181 645 9002 Fax: 0181 668 9270

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