More than 1,400 exhibitors from 49 countries participated in the 50th anniversary Ligna held May 26-30 at the Exhibition Grounds in Hannover, Germany. They showcased their technologies to 78,000 visitors from 156 countries.     

A significant portion of those exhibitors and attendees represented the wood-based panel and engineered wood products segments.

Numerous developments surfaced during the course of the show and one of the main ones was the re-emergence of Hexion Inc. as something more than an adhesives producer. Purchased by a private equity firm in late 2021, Hexion purchased AI-driven Smartech in late 2024 and this integration came on strong at Ligna.

Siempelkamp hosted a press conference to reveal a new modernized logo, along with an umbrella brand structure where “Siempelkamp” is incorporated into the names of all companies within the group.

Last November Weyerhaeuser announced its plan to invest $500 million to build a new TimberStrand laminated strand lumber facility near Monticello, Ark. The news at Ligna was that Dieffenbacher has received the order for a considerable amount of the technology, including the forming station and forming line, single daylight hydraulic press, and billet conveyors, along with the power plant—a bubbling fluidized bed boiler cogeneration system that will provide steam and thermal oil to heat the press.

Several exhibitors addressed a popular subject on the Hall floor—MDF recycling with post-consumer materials.

Read full Ligna coverage in the July issue of Panel World.

Major glulam producer Rosboro Co. named several primary suppliers for its upcoming $100 million-plus expansion project in Springfield, Ore. The investment includes a lamstock planer mill, expanded dry kiln capacity and a new glulam plant. The company currently produces glulam at Springfield and has been producing glulam for decades.

USNR is performing the dry kiln expansion and will provide the primary components for the new planer mill, including a USNR Model 4200 planer and transverse high grader (THG) with Deep Neural Networks.

The glulam factory will be delivered by Stiles Machinery, Kallesoe Machinery and SystemTM—all members of the Homag Group. The layout will include a high-efficiency lumber infeed and fingerjointing line that is seamlessly integrated with two high-capacity radio frequency press lines.

Chambers Construction of Eugene, Ore. will oversee design and construction of approximately 225,000 square feet of new buildings and associated infrastructure developments.

Contrary to recent reports, no new sawmill is planned, as the company already has two sawmills. One has been producing primarily lamstock, and the other, a small log stud mill, will be converted into a lamstock mill. Rosboro expects the sawmills will have adequate capacity to produce lamstock for glulam production, and doesn’t expect any increase in log consumption as the operation shifts from commodities to a value-added product.

Construction has begun, and the company expects the projects to be fully operational in 2026.

Interfor has announced plans to exit its operations in Québec, Canada, including the sale of its three manufacturing facilities and the closure of its Montréal corporate office. This strategic initiative will support a focus on the areas of highest future potential across the remainder of the company.

As part of the exit plan, Interfor announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its sawmills in Val-d’Or and Matagami as well as its Sullivan remanufacturing plant in Val-d’Or, along with all associated forestry and business operations, to Chantiers Chibougamau Ltée (“CCL”), a long-standing, privately-held, Québec-based forestry company.

The purchase price is estimated to be approximately $30 million CAD in cash, based on the value of specific working capital items at June 30, 2024, which will be subject to normal course adjustments at closing, plus the assumption of certain liabilities by CCL. Additionally, Interfor and CCL will enter into a multi-year contract for the supply of machine stress rated (“MSR”) lumber to Interfor’s I-Joist EWP facility in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

The sale does not include any countervailing or anti-dumping duty deposits related to the ongoing U.S./Canadian softwood lumber trade dispute. All historical CV & AD deposits up to the date of closing will be retained by Interfor. Total CV & AD deposits related to the facilities up to June 30, 2024 totalled approximately $56 million USD, excluding any interest.

As part of the exit plan, Interfor also announced that it intends to permanently close its corporate office in Montréal in the coming months, allowing for the full realization of synergies associated with EACOM Timber Corp. acquisition announced in November 2021. Interfor will continue to own and operate its five sawmills and one I-Joist EWP facility in Ontario and its two sawmills and woodlands management business in New Brunswick.

“After careful review of the potential future options for our Québec operations, we believe the sale to CCL is the best long-term outcome for Interfor,” says Ian Fillinger, President & Chief Executive Officer. “The decision to exit our Québec operations was influenced by recent developments that have restricted the availability of economic fiber, including record forest fires in 2023. This divestiture enables us to focus resources on our remaining Eastern Canadian sawmills situated in Ontario and New Brunswick, which are well-positioned with competitive log costs and an increasingly valuable spruce-pine-fir lumber product mix.”

The Val-d’Or and Matagami sawmills have a combined two-shift rated lumber production capacity of 255 MMBF, representing approximately 5% of Interfor’s total company-wide capacity. However, the mills only produced 206 MMBF of lumber in the trailing 12 months ended June 30, 2024, representing a utilization rate of approximately 80%. Since early August 2024, the mills have been operating at a utilization rate of approximately 50%.

The completion of the transaction is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024.