Medite announces €75 million investment for Clonmel plant
“Medite has been a long-standing part of the Clonmel community, and this investment reflects our intention to continue manufacturing here long into the future”
Medite Smartply, part of Coillte Group, Ireland’s semi-state forestry company, has announced a €75 million investment programme to support the next phase of MDF manufacturing at its Clonmel facility, as the company marks 50 years of Medite..
The investment reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to panel manufacturing in Ireland. It also strengthens supply resilience for customers across the Irish, UK and European construction and interiors markets.
At the centre of the programme is the replacement and renewal of the site’s existing biomass boiler system, alongside upgrades to fuel handling, dryer systems and associated infrastructure critical to the facility’s operations.
Operating 24 hours a day, seven days per week, the Clonmel plant produces approximately 400,000m³ of MDF products annually, playing a vital role in both the regional economy and the wider European supply chain.
The investment will significantly enhance plant reliability, improve process control and reduce downtime, helping ensure consistent product quality across continuous production lines. It will also support the long-term stability of employment in Clonmel and sustain the network of local and regional suppliers connected to the site.
Neil Foot, CEO of Medite Smartply, said: “Medite has been a long-standing part of the Clonmel community, and this investment, the largest current investment in MDF production in Western Europe, reflects our intention to continue manufacturing here long into the future. This is a significant commitment not only to the site itself, but to the skilled workforce, supply chain and wider regional economy connected to the factory. It ensures the facility remains competitive, reliable and capable of supporting future market demand.”
“By renewing critical infrastructure across the site, we are strengthening process control, supporting consistent product quality and investing in the long-term reliability of one of Europe’s leading MDF manufacturing operations. As we mark 50 years of Medite, this project demonstrates our long-term confidence in the business, our people and the markets we serve.”
The programme forms part of the company's wider renewal strategy and will see leading Irish contractors, Mulcahy Construction, Cross Electrical Services Ltd, Weltec and Malone O’Regan, working alongside other European specialists, including Dieffenbacher and Sunds Fibertech. Together, these partners will play a critical role in supplying the technologies required to upgrade energy generation, fuel handling and fibre drying operations across the site.
The project has already secured planning consent through Ireland’s Strategic Infrastructure Development process and includes measures relating to environmental protection, waste management, water supply and ecological monitoring.
Alongside operational improvements, the new system will eliminate natural gas usage, transitioning fully to renewable biomass as the primary heat source. This is expected to materially reduce fossil fuel-related CO₂ emissions and support company efforts to reduce Scope 1 carbon emissions and broader climate action commitments.