Arauco Breaks Ground On Michigan Particleboard Plant

Arauco North America has broken ground on its $400 million particleboard plant. The new operation will employ more than 250 and will make both raw particleboard and TFM. The Grayling particleboard plant is reported to be one of the largest mills of its kind. When completed the new location will feature North America’s largest continuous particleboard press.

Kelly Shotbolt, president of Arauco North America, said the upper Midwest is the largest consuming region of particleboard in all of North America. Shotbolt and Rick Snyder, governor of Michigan, spoke at the groundbreaking event. The plant is expected to be completed in late 2018.

The Arauco Grayling plant will create approximately 700 construction jobs and about 250 permanent jobs. Once complete, the plant will measure 820,000 square feet with an annual capacity of 800,000 square meters or 452 million square feet of particleboard, along with full lamination capabilities.

The company hired Amec Foster Wheeler for construction management services. In addition to Amec, Arauco has engaged multiple local and Michigan-based companies in support of the plant’s design and site development.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/arauco-breaks-ground-michigan-particleboard-plant?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news

Arauco, Dieffenbacher Sign Supply Contracts For Michigan Panel Plant

Arauco is investing in the construction of a new particleboard plant with a planned capacity of 800,000 square meters per year in Grayling, Michigan. For the first time, the company is purchasing a complete plant from Dieffenbacher. The two companies decided to work together in January 2016, followed by a phase of detailed engineering and concluding with the signing of supply contracts at the end of 2016.

The highlights of the scope of supply are Dieffenbacher’s EVOjet P gluing system, which reportedly uses up to 15 percent less glue; and the continuous CPS+ press, which, at 10 feet wide and 52.5 meters long, will be one of the largest particleboard presses in the world.

“Arauco always exercises prudence when it comes to committing to new development. Therefore, we are all the more pleased with the confidence that Arauco has shown in us with its decision to choose the CPS+,” says Bernd Bielfeldt, head of the Wood Business Unit at Dieffenbacher.

The two driers, together with the associated energy system that Chile-based Arauco also commissioned from Dieffenbacher, are large parts of the new operation. Grayling is located in the northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

The contract also includes dosing silos for the chips, a glue mixing station, forming stations and the forming line; as well as the raw board handling system, the sanding line and the Lukki bearing system, which Arauco has already had experience with at its other sites.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/arauco-and-dieffenbacher-sign-supply-contracts-new-michigan-panel?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news