by Web Editor | Nov 15, 2018 | News
Dying, deformed and diseased trees will be key ingredients of particleboard manufactured at the new Arauco panel mill in northern Michigan.
“All of these degraded trees need to be removed to better manage our forests,” said Scott Robbins, director of the Michigan Sustainable Forestry Initiative implementation and forest policy for the Michigan Forest Products Council (MFPC). “The Arauco mill is going to source these types of trees to make their product. It’s always good to get rid of the bad trees so you can grow more good trees.”
Randy Keen, wood procurement manager for the Grayling mill, said the current plan is to use 60 percent roundwood and 40 percent clean sawmill chips and other lumber processing byproducts.
“There are not enough sawmills in this area to run a mill this size so that’s why we have to use a combination of pulpwood and mill residuals,” he said. “The main species used will be pine, fir and spruce softwoods, but mixed hardwood species, mainly maple and beech, will be used as well. In the case of pulpwood, we’ll be using the very top of the tree that typically gets left in the woods after the log material is removed. These are small diameter logs that are not suitable for anything else.”
“We believe in the highest and best use of the tree,” Keen said. “If there is a saw log in the tree, we want it to go to a sawmill. By using the stuff that is crooked or has a little bit of rot in it to make our particleboard, we help use the whole tree and help clean the forest for the next generation of trees.”
Read more on this from Woodworking Network at https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/new-arauco-michigan-mill-convert-low-grade-wood-quality-particleboard/
by Web Editor | Jan 8, 2016 | News
KronotexUSA and its parent firm Swiss Krono Group will invest $230 million to build a high-density fiberboard mill and expand the company’s laminate flooring production in Barnwell, South Carolina, a move which will create 105 new jobs over the next few years.
Construction is scheduled to begin by mid-2016, with HDF operations to begin by summer 2018. Once completed, the company said the expansion will allow it to produce 300,000 cubic-meters of HDF per year, to be used for manufacturing laminate flooring and for sale to furniture, cabinet, fixture, door and other wood-based manufacturers. Kronotex’s annual laminate flooring capacity is expected to increase an additional 8 million square-meters.
Kronotex opened its laminate flooring facility in 2005 and was featured on WoodworkingNetwork.com in 2008. A $45 million expansion in 2011 about doubled the size of the plant, and in 2015 Kronotex underwent another expansion, adding equipment to do its own paper and overlay treating.
“We’ve been very happy with the quality of the workforce talent here in South Carolina. And we’re delighted to be able to employ more Americans here in Barnwell and grow our exceptional relationship with the local people, businesses and government,” said Norm Voss, former CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Kronotex USA Holdings Inc.
The addition of new jobs will increase the company’s workforce in South Carolina to 275 people. Additional funding for the project was provided by the Coordinating Council for Economic Development, which approved job development credits, plus a $1 million Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to Barnwell County to assist with the costs of real property improvements related to the project.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/kronotex-announces-230-million-laminate-flooring-panel-mill-expansion
