Established in 1975, Victor Crondahl started Westmill Industries supplying parts and equipment to the Canadian plywood manufacturing industry. Now, nearly five decades later Westmill continues to grow under its current owner, Mike Crondahl, son of the founder.

Westmill has become a world leader in the design and manufacture of veneer drying equipment and technologies. Twenty-five years after Westmill installed the plywood industry’s first insulated stainless dryer floor under an existing dryer, a practice that is now standard worldwide, Westmill continues to grow and achieve milestones such as currently building the largest veneer dryer in the world.

After having been awarded many important veneer dryer patents over the past 20+ years, today Westmill remains most proud of receiving both the prestigious Innovator of the Year and the Supplier of the Year awards from the EWTA.

“To all our friends and customers worldwide, thank you for entrusting us with your dryer needs and for helping us grow!” comments Mike Crondahl, Owner/President.

It was in the late 1800s when the small community of Camden, Tex., welcomed its first forest products mill. What began as the W.T. Carter Lumber Co. is today one of Georgia-Pacific’s largest plywood operations. To ensure its longevity for years to come, Georgia-Pacific is embarking on a $18 million upgrade that will modernize the plant and help increase efficiency.

The capital improvement plan will focus on three different projects beginning with the plant’s dryer. “We’re rebuilding our dryer, which is more than 40 years old,” says George Standley, Camden Plywood Plant Manager. “The dryer is the heart and soul of plywood operations and is one of the most important stages of production. Controlling veneer’s moisture content is critical to producing a quality product.” The dryer project, supplied by Grenzenbach, is scheduled to be completed in July.

While Grenzenbach is reconditioning the dryer, the facility will also modernize its stenciling and strapping operation. Currently the mill manually stencils and straps. “This area of operation can sometimes slow down the process since an operator has to manually place a stencil on a bundle of plywood, paint it and remove the stencil. This process must be performed several times to ensure that all the required markings are captured clearly,” says Standley. The new automated strapper and stenciling system is currently being installed.

Later this summer, Camden Plywood will wrap up its capital improvement projects with the introduction of its robotic patch system. Currently patching veneer is handled by multiple workers who are stationed on the line. According to Standley, the technology will be operated by four robotic technicians who are now being trained on the system.

“Camden Plywood is an example of how plants are being modernized to not only improve production, but to attract, retain and challenge industry employees,” says Standley. “Modern technology can challenge employees and give them the opportunity to grow their careers. By adding robots to our lines, it is our goal to provide more meaningful work which leads to greater job satisfaction.”

Georgia-Pacific’s Camden Plywood employs approximately 500 people and over the next few months more than 100 contractors will be onsite performing the upgrades.

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Roseburg Forest Products, which announced in April a $700 million investment over the next four years to expand operations in southern Oregon, including a $450 million MDF plant in Dillard, Ore., has selected Siempelkamp as the primary supplier of the MDF plant, including a 10 ft. x 42.1 m ContiRoll continuous press.

The companies noted that in 1969 Siempelkamp supplied Roseburg Lumber with its very first composite panel press line.

Roseburg’s Oregon investment, which also includes a component manufacturing center at Dillard, and upgrades to existing plants in Douglas and Coos counties, is considered to be the largest known manufacturing investment in rural Oregon and one of the largest private capital investments in the state’s history.

According to Senior Vice President of Operations, Jake Elston, “Effective manufacturing in today’s globally competitive environment requires efficient and automated equipment as well as new skills, analytical tools and work methodologies to optimize production capacity and the work environment. We are excited to be working side by side with Siempelkamp on making these things come together for a long and successful future at the new plant.”

Siempelkamp is supplying the heart of the new MDF plant. The scope of supply includes a Büttner dryer line, sifter, the forming and press line, cooling and stacking line as well as the intermediate storage and the associated automation of the machine technology. The planning of the plant by Sicoplan is also included. Also integrated is a glue saving system for MDF, which through atomization technology is said to reduce glue consumption by up to 15% while enhancing panel quality.

A EcoScan NEO measuring system will also be used, which features high resolution analysis of basis weight distribution and foreign tramp material detection directly after the prepress. Via the adaptive forming system developed by Siempelkamp, it provides a closed control loop for best and permanent forming accuracy without human intervention.

The production process is expected to use up to 100% sawdust as raw material. “Here we score with our flexible press infeed, a very precise hydraulic system for thin boards, the EcoScan NEO concept, and the adaptive MDF forming system—all decisive reasons for Roseburg Forest Products to cooperate with us again,” comments Ulrich Kaiser, Head of Sales Wood Div. at Siempelkamp.

Fifty-four years ago it was Dr. Dieter Siempelkamp, Managing Director in the third Siempelkamp generation, who sold Roseburg the first operating system for composite panels. The companies noted they are united not only by the drive to push innovations but also by the commitment to long-standing loyalty and “handshake integrity,” core values of Roseburg Forest Products and Siempelkamp alike.

Speaking of the massive investment, Roseburg President and CEO Grady Mulberry adds, “Roseburg is embracing advanced manufacturing and leveraging new technology and methods to make our current products and develop new ones, with the goal of ensuring we remain competitive in the global market. I want to thank our partners at the Governor’s office and Douglas and Coos counties for helping make this historic investment possible.”

Dillard MDF will use wood residuals from Roseburg’s local mills as well as other regional mill suppliers to manufacture standard MDF panels as well as thin high density fiberboard (HDF), often used in cabinetry, doors, and other applications. The plant will produce panels with a thickness range from 2 mm to 28 mm.

“HDF is a new product for Roseburg that meets growing customer demand for domestically manufactured panels of increasing thinness and strength,” Mulbery says.

Dillard Components will convert specialty MDF panels manufactured at Roseburg’s MDF plant in Medford, Ore., into Armorite Trim, a finished exterior trim product for residential and shed use. This is an innovative, new product currently unavailable within the industry or market, according to Roseburg, which will invest roughly $50 million in this plant.

Roseburg currently owns and operates three MDF plants in North America. The company anticipates that both new plants will begin operations in 2025, and will employ approximately 120 once completed.

The remaining $200 million of the investment will go toward improvements and significant upgrades at the plywood plant in Riddle, Ore., including two new lathe lines and a new hardwood plywood line; and a new dryer at the plywood plant in Coquille, Ore.

In June 2022, Roseburg revealed that it was exploring the feasibility of locating an additional MDF plant or other residual-based operation within its Western operating footprint. That study, combined with a years-long strategic assessment of company operations across the state, resulted in the decision to make this investment in southern Oregon, where the company was founded in 1936.

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APA, The Engineered Wood Assn. Board of Trustees has added John Beers III as its newest member. He joins the APA Board of Trustees, filling the position vacated by Andy Konieczka’s resignation and move to a new role within Georgia-Pacific. Beers currently serves as the president of the structural panels business at Georgia-Pacific.

“APA deeply appreciates Andy Konieczka’s contributions to the Association,” says APA President Mark Tibbetts. “We welcome John to the Board of Trustees and are grateful for the expertise and leadership he brings.”

As a panel industry veteran, Beers acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience over the past 23 years. He began his career in sales with Grant Forest Products in 2002, later joining Georgia-Pacific in 2010 as part of the Grant acquisition. He quickly moved up within the company, rising to president after just 13 years. Throughout his career, Beers has worked on all levels of the supply chain, from supporting builders and distributors to working closely with manufacturing operations.

He graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration.

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J.M. Huber Corp. (Huber) has proudly announced it has been selected as a 2023 U.S. Best Managed Company Gold Standard honoree. Sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, the program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies and the achievements of their management teams.

The 2023 designees are U.S. private companies that have demonstrated excellence in strategic planning and execution, a commitment to their people and fostering a dynamic culture, as well as strong financials. Designees propelled their businesses forward and remained true to their purpose and values by investing in their people, creating advantage through digital transformation, taking measurable action on sustainability, and demonstrating their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“I am incredibly proud of the almost 5,000 Huber employees not only in the U.S. but around the world whose commitment and dedication every day to the organization resulted in us achieving this honor. As a sixth-generation family-owned company, we are thrilled to be recognized for our principled approach to doing business, our long-term view to decision-making, and our commitment to continuing to build a great culture with sustainability and respect for people at its core,” says Gretchen McClain, President & CEO, J.M. Huber Corp.

Applicants are evaluated and selected by a panel of external judges focused on assessing hallmarks of excellence in four key areas: strategy, ability to execute, corporate culture and governance/financial performance. They join a global group of honorees from more than 46 countries recognized by the Best Managed Companies program.