After the completion of the construction of a large warehouse with a terminal for loading processed beech wood, the construction of a modern sawmill begins.
When, in mid-2012, the entrepreneur Darko Prodan from Kastav, through his company Cedar, purchased the ruins that once were the former DIP Vrbovsko, he announced the construction of the most modern and largest European facility for the production of dried, steamed, and processed beech wood.
Construction began last year, and currently, a large warehouse with a terminal for loading processed beech wood into containers for railway transport for shipment via the Port of Rijeka to export markets is being rapidly completed. At the same time, the operation of the 2 MW electric and 8 MW thermal power cogeneration bioenergy plant is being thoroughly tested in the newly built Cedar wood processing facilities in Vrbovsko.
Prodan’s plan for the imminent completion of the second phase of this complex, covering more than 100,000 square meters, captures an ambitious dynamic, with a continuous increase in production primarily aimed at Eastern markets – from Japan and China, through the wealthy Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East, all the way to Egypt.
With an investment of 45 million euros, which, along with a significant amount of its own capital generated through successful 25 years of business, also includes, as Prodan says, much understanding and financial support from Zagrebačka Bank, about 50 new trucks for transporting logs will be acquired by the end of this year. Thanks to a joint project to revive the railway terminal with HŽ, Vrbovsko will retain its railway station. In addition to this social contribution, perhaps even more importantly, Cedar now employs around 200 people in Vrbovsko.
