Industry News New Gear News
OptiCept enters into agreement with Chile’s CMPC

OptiCept Technologies has entered into an agreement with the Chilean forestry company CMPC. Cuttings will now be boosted with nutrients using a unique vacuum impregnation technology called OptiBoost.

After evaluating the OptiBoost’s effect in their nursery last spring, CMPC entered in a long-term partnership with the Swedish company behind the technology. The parties have entered into a commercial agreement for OptiBoost for cuttings that runs over six years. The focus in 2024 is on the treatment of high-yielding cuttings and on developing the concept together with CMPC towards their annual production of 20 million cuttings.

The Optiboost technology is a symbiosis of two technologies: vacuum impregnation and nanotechnology. Cuttings are impregnated with a functionalized nutrient solution based on the third generation of patented nanotechnology. The process is executed in a small vacuum chamber that can manage up to 15,000 cuttings per hour.

The OptiBoost vacuum impregnation  is done with the purpose to improve the rooting and growth of cuttings and thereby decreases losses of eucalyptus and tropical clone cuttings propagation.

CMPC is one of the world’s largest pulp and paper companies, planting around 20 million cuttings annually.

“We have created a good relationship with CMPC, who see great value in OptiBoost. We will be able to work closely with a customer to further develop and optimize the technology. Of course, this will also affect other forestry companies that are currently considering OptiBoost for their operations,” said Thomas Lundqvist, CEO of OptiCept Technologies.

OptiCept’s ambition is to help forestry companies transition from seed propagation to cuttings.

“We not only help the industry to increase yield and get more plants out from nursery – but also, we add a quality step. We ensure that 100% of cuttings are filled with nutrition, giving optimal conditions for new plants. Forestry companies often face significant losses with unrooted cuttings, particularly the best clones. With the OptiBoost method, we add a quality step needed to ensure optimal conditions for new plants,” said Lundqvist.