Composite Panel Plants Awarded For Safety Records

Fourteen composite panel facilities and one corporation as a whole were recognized for their safety achievements during the Composite Panel Association’s annual spring meeting held last week in Tucson, Arizona.

Louisiana-Pacific Corp. received the Safety Innovation Award for its Behavior-Based Safety Observation Program.

Awards were also given to participating manufacturing plants with exemplary safety records, including acknowledgments for long-term, annual, safety improvement, and safety achievement.  Awards were given to plants with low/less than 277,000 worker-hours per year (Class I) and high/more than 277,000 worker-hours per year (Class II).

The awardees for the best long-term safety record over the past three years were Arauco North America, Malvern, Arkansas (Class I) and Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Roaring River, North Carolina (Class II).

The annual safety award for having zero incidents among Class I plants during 2015 was shared by Arauco North America (MDF), Bennettsville, South Carolina; Kronospan LLC, Eastaboga, Alabama; Plummer Forest Products, Post Falls, Idaho; Roseburg, Taylorsville, Mississippi; and West Fraser Mills Ltd. (WestPine), Quesnel, British Columbia.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/panel-supply/composite-panel-plants-awarded-safety-records?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news

Boise Cascade Gets Antitrust Clearance For Engineered Lumber Acquisition

Boise Cascade Co. has received antitrust clearance from the United States Department of Justice to proceed with its previously announced acquisition of Georgia-Pacific LLC’s engineered lumber production facilities located at Thorsby, Alabama, and Roxboro, North Carolina. Boise Cascade plans to complete the acquisition by the end of March 2016.

The Thorsby facility produces laminated veneer lumber (LVL). The Roxboro facility currently produces I-joists. Roxboro’s LVL production assets are currently idled. Boise Cascade expects to invest capital and hire additional employees to increase production at these mills in 2016 and beyond to obtain significant logistics benefits as well as to meet expected growth in new residential construction. Boise Cascade believes the addition of Thorsby and Roxboro will increase LVL billet capacity by 9 million cubic feet and I-joist capacity by 80 million lineal feet.

“We are pleased to be expanding our engineered wood products business and positioning ourselves to support customers as the U.S. housing recovery continues in the years ahead,” said Tom Corrick, CEO of Boise Cascade, when the acquisition was first announced.

“The additional engineered lumber capacity at Thorsby and Roxboro fit very well with our existing production facilities and will help us cost effectively deliver products to our customers. There are tremendous opportunities to optimize our mill system, and realize freight and other cost synergies. The acquired mills are located in attractive wood baskets with competitive fiber costs and improve our ability to support high growth housing demand.”

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/boise-cascade-gets-antitrust-clearance-engineered-lumber-acquisition?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news

Georgia-Pacific To Sell Engineered Lumber Business To Boise Cascade

Georgia-Pacific LLC announced today that it has reached an agreement to sell its engineered lumber business to Boise Cascade for $215 million, including working capital. The transaction is subject to standard regulatory review and other customary closing conditions.

“Georgia-Pacific is firmly committed to the building products industry. Although the engineered lumber business has been profitable and employees have done a great job running safe, productive assets and meeting our customers’ needs, it is not a large part of our overall building products division,” said Mark Luetters, Georgia-Pacific executive vice president–building products. “We believe this potential sale to an established player in the industry is in the best interest of our engineered lumber employees, customers and stakeholders.”

Once completed, the sale will include the engineered lumber operations located at Thorsby, Alabama, (approximately 230 employees) and Roxboro, North Carolina, (approximately 40 employees), along with a commercial sales and technical team.

From LBM Journal: https://www.lbmjournal.com/georgia-pacific-to-sell-engineered-lumber-business-to-boise-cascade/