News & Updates

Tolko Names New Chief Operating Officer

Brad Thorlakson, President and CEO of Tolko Industries, has announced that Pino Pucci, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Logistics will assume a newly created interim role as Tolko’s Chief Operating Officer. “This role has been created to support our succession planning process, as Pino will eventually succeed me as President & CEO,” Thorlakson says. “Pino’s proven leadership experience, significant focus on people and culture, and his alignment with our values make him the perfect…

RoyOMartin Employees Better Themselves

The RoyOMartin University (ROM-U) program identifies emerging leaders and develops their potential to ensure that the company maintains a pipeline of leaders prepared to take the next step in their careers. Recently, Louisana-based RoyOMartin recognized Luke Briley, dry end manager, RoyOMartin-Plywood; Brett Danzy, mechanical maintenance superintendent, RoyOMartin-Plywood; Jermaine Davis, corporate purchasing coordinator, corporate office); and…

GP Donates $100,000 To Volunteer Fire Department In Corrigan, Texas

The Corrigan Volunteer Fire Department, which has close to 25 active volunteers and answered more than 150 emergency calls in 2022, has kicked off a capital campaign to build a new fire station, which will cost $400,000. In support of this campaign, and in recognition of the three major facilities Georgia-Pacific operates (and the 1,000 people employed) in Polk County, Texas, the company has donated $100,000 to the effort…

Dieffenbacher Emission Control Systems

Dieffenbacher’s emission control solutions include emission measurements and dryer and press emission control systems. Emission measurements help plant operators understand which emissions are present and determine the type and amount of emissions. For example, using state-of-the-art methods, uncomplicated in-house emission measurements can be taken on stacks downstream of the dryer or the press exhaust system…

Weyerhaeuser Partnership Focuses On Firefighter Mental Health

Weyerhaeuser Co. and Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance (FBHA) announced an expanded partnership on Fighting Fires Together, a campaign that provides support for wildland firefighters and their families. In its second year, the program is designed to provide resources and increase awareness around the importance of mental health assistance for these first responders…

Fletcher Building Orders Fine OSB Plant

New Zealand’s Fletcher Building Ltd. has ordered a complete plant for the production of Fine OSB from German machine manufacturer Dieffenbacher. The plant will be built at Fletcher Building’s Laminex site in Taupo, in the center of the country’s North Island. The new plant will include Dieffenbacher new belt dryer. The belt dryer is one example of how Dieffenbacher…

Uniboard Modernization On Track At Val-d’Or

Uniboard reports its $350 million particleboard plant modernization program is going as planned at Val-d’Or, Quebec; originally announced in June 2022, this is the third phase of its modernization for its particleboard and TFL mill. More than $100 million was invested in Phase 1 and Phase 2, which were…

Jim Herold Retires From Rainier Veneer

Rainier Veneer, Inc., Spanaway, Wash., announced that Plant Manager Jim Herold retired the first of June after 25 years as manager. Previously Herold worked at Roseburg Forest Products where he was plant manager of the Dillard plywood mill. He began his career at RFP after graduating from Oregon State University in 1974…

West Fraser Announces Senior Leadership Transition Plan

Hank Ketcham, Chairman of West Fraser’s Board of Directors, announced that Ray Ferris, current West Fraser President and Chief Executive Officer, plans to retire on December 31, 2023. Ferris has been with West Fraser for over 26 years in increasingly senior positions culminating in his appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and as a director of the Company in 2019…

Andritz Selected To Supply Roseburg Complete MDF Line

Andritz has received an order from Roseburg Forest Products Co. to supply a complete fiber preparation line for medium density fiberboard (MDF) production to its new mill in Dillard, Ore. This investment is part of Roseburg’s major program to upgrade…

West Fraser Announces Senior Leadership Transition Plan

Hank Ketcham, Chairman of West Fraser’s Board of Directors, announced that Ray Ferris, current West Fraser President and Chief Executive Officer, plans to retire on December 31, 2023. Ferris has been with West Fraser for over 26 years in increasingly senior positions culminating in his appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer in 2018 and as a director of the Company in 2019…

read more

Dale Brown Becomes USNR CEO

Wood Technologies International announced that President Dale Brown has been appointed CEO of the company, succeeding Craig Tompkins who now serves as a Strategic Advisor to the Board of Directors of Wood Technologies. “We are proud to have Dale step into this role after eight years of leadership at…

read more

Bruks Siwertell Acquires West Salem Machinery

Bruks Siwertell Group has signed an acquisition contract for North American heavy machinery specialist, West Salem Machinery (WSM), effective July 1, 2023. The Oregon-based engineering and manufacturing company will continue to operate under its current name as a separate internal division within Bruks Siwertell…

read more

Foundation Wants Ill-Fated Huber Project Reviewed

The Blandin Foundation, based in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and aims to help rural communities in the region, has called on Gov. Tim Walz to commission an “after-action review” of the failed Huber mill project in Cohasset, according to local media…

read more

Conway CLT Plant Is Back On Track

Mercer International Inc. and its subsidiary Mercer Mass Timber, a manufacturer of timber building materials, completed the acquisition of Structurlam Mass Timber Corp. and its subsidiaries in mid-June. Mercer Mass Timber immediately takes possession and continues the operation of Structurlam’s manufacturing facilities, which will…

read more

Dieffenbacher Names New Energy Unit Director

Wolfgang Lashofer has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Dieffenbacher Energy GmbH, which was formed at the beginning of the year following the acquisition of BERTSCHenergy, based in Bludenz, Western Austria. As Managing Director of Dieffenbacher Energy, Lashofer takes over the management of the newly established Energy Business Unit…

read more

Raute PRS R5 Proving Itself

Raute introduced its Panel Repair Station (PRS) R5 the plywood industry in 2020. Soon there will be 13 units operating in North America. Measuring 33 ft. by 26 ft., the R5 is no larger than most manual repair cells. It requires no foundations, meaning it can be up and running within two weeks of delivery…

read more

Büttner Expands Product Range

As a globally operating supplier of burners as well as drying and energy plants, Büttner—a member of the Siempelkamp Group—is taking the next logical step by establishing a new environmental technology competence center in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and expanding its product range in the field of environmental…

read more

Arauco Closing Eugene MDF

ARAUCO announced it is closing its medium density fiberboard (MDF) production facility in Eugene, Ore. as of May 1. ARAUCO states it will continue to support customers from its other facilities, and that the decision was based on an assessment over…

read more

Roseburg Gets Chester Rolling

Roseburg Forest Products held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 28 to celebrate the grand opening of its newly constructed engineered wood products plant in Chester, SC. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster participated in the event along with…

read more

Certification Comes Under Fire

Nine U.S. domestic plywood producers, calling themselves the U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition, have filed a Lanham Act claim of false advertising against three U.S. certification bodies: PFS-TECO, Timber Products Inspection and International…

read more
Newsletter

The monthly Panel World Industry Newsletter reaches over 3,000 who represent primary panel production operations.

Subscribe/Renew

Panel World is delivered six times per year to North American and international professionals, who represent primary panel production operations. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.

Advertise

Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative. Contact us today!