At the moment, the basic infra-structures have already been created, as well as the pre-project identifying the respective lots; the study on environment impact has been elaborated and the Managerial Entity of PEC has been formed. This entity is assumed mostly by the local City Council, with the presence of Apcor, as well as other entities.
The project, budgeted at around 11 million euros (4,6 million funded by public funds and 6,4 million obtained by the sale of lots), has a total gross area of 477 thousand m2, in that 300 thousand m2 are for industrial deployment, 9,4 thousand m2 for specific services of collective use, 30,4 thousand m2 for general support services, and the remaining area for green zones, parking and access. The industrial complex will be located in the parish of Santa Maria de Lamas and São João de Ver, at the border with Lourosa and Rio Meão – main cities where the cork industry is situated.
“PEC comes as an answer to the problems and difficulties of the cork industry in the territory of Santa Maria da Feira. In this sense, an area aimed at the lodging of businesses in the cork industry will be formed, with the forecast of the construction of a series of services for collective use, such as a unit for handling liquid effluents, a cork boiling unit, a cork powder energy co-generator, a unit for treating cork and specific areas for raw cork and material storage and general support services such as a nursery, canteen, security services, amongst others.” explains Joaquim Lima, Director of Apcor.
Emídio Sousa, president of the Administration Council of PEC, refers that “the cork industry assumes an economic and social weight which is fundamental for the region. In this sense, it was necessary to reinforce the conditions of action of this industry, which is developing in an unfavourable picture in terms of location, attraction and urban fixation of the companies, as well as the absence of services specific to the activity of the sector.” “PEC appears as a fundamental project for the development of this sector”, he states.
The main objectives of PEC is: to create an area aimed at the lodging of businesses and support services of the sector; to improve the conditions of the activity, to relocate the companies so as to organize the territory, to overcome the lack of dimension of the current industrial zones; to create synergies between the businesses of the sector, allowing for the diffusion of good practices; to develop the sector so as to potentiate the creation of new jobs, create specific services of collective use for the cork industry, and to potentiate the approximation of the Cork Industry Training Centre (Cincork) and of the Cork Technological Centre (Ctcor) to the companies.
For more information, please contact:
Joaquim Lima
Director
Tel. 227 474 040
E-mail: realcork@apcor.pt
www.realcork.org
Notes to the Editor
APCOR – Portuguese Cork Association
APCOR’s mission is to represent and promote the Portuguese Cork Industry, more than 250 members, representing around 80 percent of the total national cork production and 85 percent of all cork exports. APCOR is also responsible for promotional activities, with added value to cork, on both a national and international scale, providing, in addition, an extensive Information Resource Centre on cork.
