Borg Manufacturing Orders Particleboard Plants From Siempelkamp

Two successful sales confirm that Siempelkamp’s expertise enjoys best reputation in Down Under as well: Borg Manufacturing Pty. Ltd., a leading Australian producer of melamine-laminated boards, has ordered a new particleboard plant for its Oberon location. Moreover, Borg has ordered a retrofitting concept from Siempelkamp to use their latest technologies effectively in their existing plant.

The new particleboard plant will be set up in Oberon in the Australian state of New South Wales, where Borg Manufacturing operates a facility for wood-panel surfacing. Impressive investments will enhance its market value significantly. Having so far purchased all their particleboard the company now strives for more autonomy by running their own production facility.

In this Borg relies on Siempelkamp’s support: The Krefeld-based machinery and plant manufacturer received the order for a particleboard plant including a Generation 8-ContiRoll (pressing format 8’ x 40.4 m, designed for an output of 1,500 m³/day). In this plant, two important technological core competences will be realized: for one the almost isobaric pressure distribution in the press and secondly the latest forming technology, presently representing the latest benchmark with respect to raw material consumption.

This is achieved, amongst others, by an optimized material feed into the dosing bins and by two field proven EcoFormers, which are wind formers for producing the surface layers. The mat former system is completed with two CageFormers for producing the core layers; the formers are equipped with modules designed to adjust the weight-per-unit area of the mat. The interplay of these components enables a high forming precision and – along with the almost isobaric pressure distribution in the ContiRoll – ensures an especially material- and cost-efficient particleboard production. These important features have contributed to convince our customer.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/borg-manufacturing-orders-new-particleboard-plants-siempelkamp

Wood Pellet Exports No Threat To Panel Makers

Massive U.S. industrial wood pellet exports to meet green energy goals in Europe is not a threat to the sustainability of U.S. Southern forests, says a new report from the pellet manufacturers.

Drawing from U.S. government and available market data, the report was commissioned by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) and the U.S. Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA) – three organizations representing the producers of wood pellets and their suppliers.

The report reveals that industrial pellet exports represent a very small part of forest harvests in the U.S. South, the groups say. Panel manufacturers have expressed concern that drawing too much wood pulp for fuel will raise prices on raw material for OSB and plywood.

• Total removal of wood in the U.S. South for all markets is 3.3% of the total forest inventory.
• Pellet exports represent 0.08% of the total inventory.
• In 2014, pine removals for industrial pellet production totaled 3.7 million tons or 0.3% of the pine pulpwood inventory and 0.09% of the total pine inventory.
• In 2014, hardwood removals for industrial pellet production totaled approximately 2.4 million tons or 0.2% of the hardwood pulpwood and 0.06% of the total hardwood inventory.
• In 2014, pellet exports from the U.S. South to Europe, which represent the vast majority of U.S. pellet exports, were 3.6 million metric tons, or 40% of Europe’s 9 million metric ton industrial pellet consumption.
• Future industrial demand for U.S. pellets overseas represents 0.3% of total forest inventory in the U.S. South.

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/pricing-supply/infographic-using-wood-pellets-fuel-no-threat-forests-or-panel-makers?ss=wood,wood,wood_of_the_month,wood,pricing_supply,wood,components_sourcing,wood,panel_supply,wood,wood_veneer,wood,lumber_quotes_charts

Composite Panel Association Pinpoints Policy Positions

From: Panel World Staff

Jackson Morrill, president of Composite Panel Association, updated the executive committee’s recommendations on “policy positions” with regard to energy/biomass issues that impact wood fiber supply during the September Fall Meeting in Banff, Alberta.

CPA opposes government policies that distort the market for woody biomass raw material, Morrill noted, adding that market forces should determine all uses of wood and wood residuals for renewable energy; policies that have the direct effect of diverting biomass supply to subsidized energy should be avoided; and governments that choose to initiate policies intended to increase demand for biomass energy production should couple them with policies that increase the available long-term supply of wood to meet future demand of composite wood panels as well as new and growing markets for energy and other uses.

Morrill said CPA will stay silent on the carbon neutrality of wood-to-energy, noting however that forest derived biomass should be treated as carbon neutral where there is a sustainable growing forest; within carbon accounting frameworks, the composite panel industry’s use of wood residuals to make long-lived products should be treated as a higher value use than energy recovery; the composite panel industry’s use of wood residuals is an important alternate use that should be considered when determining the scope of “qualified biomass” under the U.S. EPA Clean Power Plan.

Morrill said CPA will advocate that composite wood products be recognized for their carbon sequestration benefits; that public policies should recognize that sustainably managed forests and forest products sequester and store carbon and reduce CO2; the use of biomass in creating long-lived products that serve as carbon sinks should be formally recognized in any carbon calculations that might be referenced in a future carbon economy.

Norbord Ran All European Mills At Maximum Capacity In 2014

Norbord Ran All European Mills At Maximum Capacity In 2014

 

Norbord operated all of its European manufacturing sites at full steam in the 2014 financial year. The company invested in expanding and optimizing its particleboard mill in Cowie, Scotland and in two OSB mills in Inverness, Scotland and Genk, Belgium during the year.

These projects boosted its four mills’ capacity by around 170 million sqft (3/8’’ basis) or roughly 150,000 m³ to almost 1.8bn sqft or 1.6m m³ per year. Manufacturing edged 5 % higher to 1.690bn sqft or 1.495m m³. The two OSB mills and the particleboard and MDF mill in Cowie set new production records. All five locations continued operating until scheduled stoppages for maintenance and holidays.

Norbord thus said that its capacity utilization increased to 105 %. Sales were 6 % higher than in 2013 at 1.663bn sqft or 1.472m m³. Norbord improved its European revenues by almost 10 % to US$510m as a result. Higher sales volumes, increased particleboard and MDF prices as well as currency effects associated with the stronger pound Sterling against the US dollar more than made up for lower OSB prices.

Higher wage, raw material and maintenance costs also slimmed earnings. Operating income, which was expressed as adjusted EBITDA, still climbed to US$47m. The EBITDA margin weakened to 9.2 %.

From EUWID: euwid-wood-products.com

 

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