MEXICO -- Wood panel manufacturer, Duraplay, located in Parral, Mexico, plans to invest $80 million to build a new plant, expanding its MDF production in the country to a capacity of 200,000 cubic meters per year. The move is in anticipation of a strong demand from Mexican furniture manufacturers.

"... this investment indicates our confidence in the future growth of our industry and therefore we are quite glad to make this announcement to our customers, as we will now satisfy all of their MDF needs with the same high-quality service they expect from Duraplay," said Emilio Ayub, CEO, in a statement. "This investment is also great news for our local wood suppliers as this ensures them the long-term sustainable harvesting of their forest."

Duraplay expects to hire approximately 100 people as a result of the expansion. The company has already secured an agreement with machinery supplier Dieffenbacher to equip the new plant with the newest technology and up to the latest environmental standards with operations planned to start in 2015.