by Web Editor | Jul 26, 2017 | News
Egger Group has announced plans to build its first U.S. particleboard plant in Lexington, North Carolina. The Austrian-based panel producer will invest approximately $304 million for the first phase of the project, with the entire project expected to run about $700 million.
Construction is set to begin by the end of 2018, with production scheduled for 2020. The panel plant will create 400 direct jobs over the next six years, with an additional 370 jobs planned for later phases of the 15-year project.
The news was announced July 24, during a meeting with the North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, representatives of local authorities, company co-owner Michael Egger and Walter Schiegl, Egger Group Management Technology/Production.
Sources report the 4.5 million-square-foot production facility will be spread across more than 200 acres in an industrial park. The first stage of the project will involve the construction of a composite panel plant with coating capacities. The company said the North Carolina plant will feature state-of-the-art facilities and will enable it to better serve customers in North America.
“The planned production location in Lexington, North Carolina will play a decisive role for Egger’s increasing presence on the North American market for wood-based materials, as well as ensure product availability and delivery speed for our customers,” Schiegl said. Egger’s panel products are used in the manufacture of a variety of items, including laminate flooring, cabinetry, residential and commercial furniture, and casework.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/egger-plans-700-million-particleboard-plant-north-carolina?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Apr 14, 2017 | News
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
by Web Editor | Apr 10, 2017 | News
Kronospan, an international manufacturer of wood panel products, will invest $200 million in the expansion of its mills in Belarus – creating 120 new jobs in 2017 and 2018.
Kronospan announced the expansion March 21 when Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko visited one of the company’s OSB plants in Belarus, reported BelTA news.
Since 2010, Kronospan has invested nearly $1 billion in its Belarus operations, and has created over a thousand jobs in the country. Plants in Belarus manufacture laminated and non-laminated particleboard, MDF, impregnated paper, and floor pavement. Kronospan alone accounts for nearly 30 percent of Belarus’ annual woodworking industry output.
Last year, Kronospan invested $362 million in its Alabama plant, adding 160 jobs. It has invested $650 million in total in the plant, with its workforce numbering 270 people.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/panel-supply/kronospan-expands-200-million-investment-belarus-creates-120-jobs?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news
by Web Editor | Mar 15, 2017 | News
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
by Web Editor | Feb 27, 2017 | News
From: Panel World Editors
Organizers have announced that the sixth Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE) will be held Friday-Saturday, April 13-14, 2018, and once again in the Grand Ballroom North of the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
PELICE again immediately follows the Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, which will be held April 11-12, 2018, also in the Grand Ballroom North. Both events are supported by Panel World and Wood Bioenergy magazines, and Georgia Research Institute.
The 2016 PELICE set a record attendance of 450 industry professionals, including representatives from 32 wood products producer companies. They enjoyed 50 presentations on new project development, production technologies and market forecasts concerning veneer, plywood, OSB, MDF, particleboard and engineered wood products. The event was supported by a record 80 equipment and technology exhibitors, of which 37 exhibited in both the PELICE and Wood Bioenergy events.
Many forecasts expect what has been a gradual improvement in building products sectors to begin snowballing in 2018. Several new mill projects in both the structural and non-structural sectors will be hitting full production mode, and several others will be nearing startup. New developments in new engineered wood products will also be gaining momentum.
The 2018 PELICE will address all of this as well as the latest developments in machinery technologies.
Such momentum generates great anticipation for the 2018 PELICE. Once again, Gold, Silver and Bronze exhibitor sponsorship packages will be offered.
For exhibitor sponsorship information, contact Fred Kurpiel, fredkurpiel@aol.com; 678-642-1238.
To submit a presentation idea, contact Rich Donnell, rich@hattonbrown.com; 334-834-1170.
