by Web Editor | Feb 20, 2017 | News
The long wait for Australian-made cross laminated timber (CLT) is nearly over. Xlam Australia will open its first CLT manufacturing plant in Wodonga and be producing panels for construction by the close of 2017.
The company shared its plans to build a factory in the Albury Wodonga region with Architecture & Design last year, but only now do we know that it is actually going to happen. Fairfax is reporting that the plant has the backing of local, state and federal government and will be complete by April.
The facility will produce 60,000m3 of CLT each year and at capacity production will produce enough to build a project the size of Forte Melbourne – Australia’s largest timber apartment building – each week. It will be produced from local pine, increasing demand for the plantation industry and shortening delivery time and distance.
Currently, CLT is being purchased overseas from companies like Stora Enso, Meyer Timber and Novatop. Australia’s Lendlease has opened a prefabrication plant in Sydney that manufactures CLT framework but it doesn’t create the actual CLT.
Xlam has a number of Australian projects currently underway, including a massive CLT house designed by Fitzpatrick + Partners director James Fitzpatrick.
From Architecture & Design: https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/australian-made-clt-from-local-plantation-forests
by Web Editor | Dec 14, 2016 | News
Wood based panel market size was valued over USD 16 billion in 2015 and is anticipated to grow at CAGR of over 13% and exceed USD 35 billion by 2023.
In 2014, China wood based panel market accounted for more than 50,000 products for manufacturing and trading enterprises, employing more than 10 million workforce and generating an output of USD 155 billion. The utilization by these enterprises exceeds 520 million and the value of exports was USD 75 billion in 2014. However, the sector suffers from a poor image due to quality scandals. In 2015, Italy has recorded gain of 7%, with an optimistic business climate for the third consecutive quarter.
China exported 5.8 million tons of wood based panels which cost around USD 5,813 million in 2014, growing at a CAGR of 15% over the previous year. China trades with the U.S., where it exports around 15% of its total panel, accounting for 55% of the U.S. total imports. One of the challenges that both the North American and European panel makers are facing is the increasing imports from China.
Increasing deforestation has lead towards the global warming which has boosted the demand growth for efficient and effective utilization of timber. This is expected to fuel the industry demand over the forecast period. In addition, technological innovation and advancement along with the mounting efficiency in manufacturing is likely to bolster the demand from 2016 to 2023.
Modernization in infrastructure and rapid industrialization in developing economies of Asia Pacific is likely to be a chief industry driver for the global wood based panel market over the next few years.
From SATPRNews.com: https://satprnews.com/2016/12/13/wood-based-panel-market-size-to-exceed-usd-35-billion-by-2023-global-market-insights-inc/
by Web Editor | Nov 2, 2016 | News
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) recently announced that it has reached an agreement with Norbord Inc. to exchange OSB mills in Quebec, Canada. LP will swap ownership of its Chambord, Quebec, mill for Norbord’s Val-d’Or, Quebec, mill. The asset exchange is expected to be complete in early November 2016.
This transaction, along with the recent acquisition of a former OSB site in Cook, Minnesota, is part of LP’s strategy to increase siding capacity, an area of the business that has delivered consistent sales growth over the past decade.
“The Canadian mill exchange, coupled with the recent Minnesota acquisition, provides us flexibility and increases our ability to optimize our capacity for sustained business growth,” LP Chief Executive Officer Curt Stevens said.
“We have seen tremendous growth in our siding business and anticipate this growth to continue as we look to meet increasing demand,” he said. “The aim of these transactions is to provide additional siding capacity by the end of 2018.”
LP’s immediate priority will be to conduct a detailed evaluation of the Cook site and Val-d’Or mill. The assessment will determine the operational feasibility, including access to timely and adequate wood supply, the work required to convert the sites into fully operational siding mills, as well as conversion costs and annual operating expenses.
From LP Corp.: https://investors.lpcorp.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=73030&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2217033
