Jun 20, 2011. /Lesprom Network/. Coillte announced that Medite Europe, the leading producer of MDF and part of Coillte’s Panel Products Division, has reached a significant production milestone with 7 million cubic metres of panels produced in its Clonmel factory in Ireland. In addition, SmartPly Europe in Waterford, also part of Coillte Panel Products, has manufactured 4 million cubic metres of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), a structural panel board used in construction, since it was set up in 1996. This amounts to a total of 11 million cubic metres of timber panel products produced in Ireland from Irish timber with an estimated value of Euro 2.5 billion. With 90% of these products exported, Euro 2.25 billion worth of timber panel products have been shipped from Ireland over the life of these plants to markets all over the world. Commenting on the achievement, Gerry Britchfield Managing Director of Coillte Panel Products said: “Coillte Panel Products is unique in Europe because we are part of the company which owns the forests and hence the raw material – wood fibre – which we use to make our panel boards. This means we can guarantee supply to our customers in a way which other producers can’t. As markets for these value added products improve, fibre security is increasingly becoming an issue for our customers and highlights the strength of the Coillte Group strategy as an integrated forest products company. He went on to say, “These businesses have come through a difficult period since the collapse in the Irish construction sector but with a focus on innovation and customer service and a renewed emphasis on export markets we have turned them around. We are now finding new markets for our products and helping secure over 500 jobs both directly in our plants and indirectly with the companies we do business with in Ireland.” Coillte Panel Products is owned by Coillte and combines two leading European panel products operations - SmartPly OSB in Waterford and leading MDF manufacturer Medite in Clonmel. Coillte Panel Products is a significant and powerful player in Europe’s composite board marketplace.