Following Eric Jaschke’s appointment to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in December 2025, Vecoplan AG has also strengthened its Executive Board leadership with Dr. Ralf Guckert taking over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Guckert is confident that the company is still on course for growth, and is focusing its strategy particularly on digitalisation and customer proximity.

 He has many years of experience in digitalisation topics in the industrial environment and in the strategic transformation of companies: “To future-proof Vecoplan AG, I intend to further develop our digitalisation concepts. Our customer markets are always at the forefront of our minds,” says Guckert.

He succeeds Werner Berens as CEO of Vecoplan AG, who led the company since 2012, and resigned from the Executive Board on January 30, 2026 for personal reasons.

Roseburg Forest Products has announced it is restarting construction activities at Dillard MDF, a modern new medium density fiberboard (MDF) plant at the heart of the company’s long-term growth strategy and its goal to become the leading producer of MDF products in the West.

As a cornerstone of Roseburg’s multi-year modernization and historic investment in southern Oregon, Dillard MDF will feature the latest generation Siempelkamp continuous press. This state-of-the-art technology converts wood residuals into high-density fiberboard (HDF) as well as traditional MDF panels and value-added products for construction, cabinetry and flooring markets. The new mill will be fully integrated into Roseburg’s Dillard complex to leverage its high-quality wood fiber and biomass energy production.

“We are very pleased to announce the restart of our Dillard MDF project,” says Stuart Gray, president and CEO of Roseburg Forest Products. “Dillard MDF plays a key role in our future. The plant will be one of the lowest cost producers in the world, which significantly enhances Roseburg’s long-term competitive position in composite panels in the West specifically and North America in general.”

Roseburg paused the project in early 2025 in response to uncertainty in the economy, volatile market conditions, and potential Oregon state policy shifts that would undermine the project’s viability.

Roseburg expects to employ more than 140 people at the new MDF plant when operations begin in late 2028. The fiberboard press at Dillard MDF will be installed on the same footprint as the first press supplied by Siempelkamp to Roseburg more than 50 years ago. In addition to its mill in Medford, Ore., Roseburg currently produces MDF products in El Dorado, Ark., and Pembroke, Ont., Canada.

Angeleno Group, a Los Angeles-based investment firm providing venture capital and growth equity to clean energy and climate solutions companies, announced its investment in NESTEC, an equipment manufacturer and service provider of industrial air pollution control (APC) systems. The commitment will support NESTEC’s continued expansion across existing and new end markets, including renewable fuels, packaging, municipal waste, biomass, engineered wood products, food and beverage, construction materials and semiconductors. The investment also enables NESTEC to pursue geographic expansion and expand product development strategies.

NESTEC operates in more than 35 states and across Canada and has been recognized for its experienced technical team, engineering credibility and focus on improved reliability and minimizing both fuel and electrical costs for its customers.

“NESTEC is a trusted operator in a needs-driven market where reliability, uptime, and industry experience are absolutely critical,” comments Anil Tammineedi, Partner at Angeleno Group. “The company’s long-standing customer relationships, world-class leadership, and full-stack OEM capabilities—including unique features designed to minimize both fuel and electrical costs—position NESTEC to be a national leader in lowering costs while advancing more sustainable, efficient industrial operations. Amid a resurgence of domestic manufacturing and accelerated onshoring, we are thrilled to support NESTEC’s continued growth.”

“At NESTEC our drive has always been to deliver the most effective, reliable and economical air pollution control solutions, not just to meet regulatory requirements, but to genuinely reduce our customers’ environmental footprint and operating costs,” says Jim Nester, Founder and CEO of NESTEC. “Working with Angeleno Group will help us expand our platform to bring that mission into new end markets and geographies, from clean energy and semiconductors to waste processing. We see a significant opportunity to bring that same standard of excellence to a much broader set of industries.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has announced up to $95 million in competitive grant funding through its Wood Innovations program for projects that advance innovative wood uses, expand wood-based construction, and grow U.S. wood energy markets and forest product processing capacity.

“A strong timber industry is essential for active forest management and the vitality of rural economies,” says Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “By supporting mills and markets that transform forest byproducts into valuable goods, we strengthen domestic manufacturing, reduce wildfire risks, and generate well-paying jobs across rural America.”

Funding is available through three Forest Service grant programs: the Wood Innovations Grant, Community Wood Grant, and Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Grant programs. Together, these programs support projects that develop innovative wood products; increase the use of wood in commercial and residential construction; expand wood energy systems, and modernize, retrofit, or increase the capacity of wood products manufacturing facilities.

Eligible applicants include private businesses, for-profit and non-profit organizations, tribes, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, and public utility, fire, conservation, and school districts.

Businesses engaged in or supporting the forest products economy—which is vital to many rural and tribal communities—may apply for funding to expand manufacturing capacity. Final grant funding levels will be subject to the availability of funds. 

Visit www.fs.usda.gov.