It all started back in 2005 when Florentaise installed three BIVIS machines to defibre woodchip to make Hortifibre® at the site of its partner company, Westland, in Northern Ireland. That was just the tip of the iceberg!
In June 2017, in response to the ever-rising demand for its iconic raw material, Florentaise installed a further three BIVIS machines at Ellesmere Port near Liverpool. Over 900,000 m3 of wood fibre are now manufactured in the United Kingdom.
An SME turned multinational
With these 3 new machines, Florentaise has strengthened its worldwide presence yet a little further. In addition to its 9 sites in France, Florentaise now has 6 other manufacturing plants throughout the world (India, China, USA, Estonia, United Kingdom and Ireland)! Thanks to this global network, Florentaise expects its export volume to overtake its production on French soil by 2018!
Investing for innovation and business continuity
Every year, in addition to its investment in R&D (€750,000 per year for the last 5 years), Florentaise invests an average of €2.5 million per year in its manufacturing sites.
The company has devoted over €5 million to this installation, for an expected annual production of 450,000 m3 of Hortifibre®.
Hortifibre®: a quick recap.
Hortifibre® is a patented wood fibre manufactured from PEFC-certified softwood woodchip. It is 100% renewable and has the lowest carbon footprint of all of the uncompressed raw materials used in soil mixes.
This wood fibre is obtained via a high-temperature (120°C) thermo-mechanical process that includes elimination of the liquid produced to ensure fibres that are safe to use, of consistent quality and long lasting.
When added to a soil mix, HORTIFIBRE® improves aeration and provides plants with a readily available supply of water. It appreciably reduces the need to use peat and makes for a lighter substrate, allowing transport and filling costs to be significantly reduced.
