A Georgia-Pacific spokesperson is confirming that a fire in the plywood portion of their Newberry South Carolina facility, reported just before midnight on Monday (6-28-21) was relatively minor and that internal systems helped to suppress the flames before they could spread.
News in structural panels
Finnish Company to Launch World’s First Wooden Satellite Before Year’s End
Arctic Astronautics, a Finnish company, plans to launch the world’s first wooden satellite, Woodsat, into orbit before the end of the year. The mini satellite will carry sensors on board, including a pressure sensor and an LED with a photoresistor, which can be used to monitor the satellite’s condition.
EU27 +UK Imports of Plywood Drop for Second Year in a Row
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU) has resulted in the EU27 +UK in -7% decrease of plywood and other woods in 2020, this on the heals of a -14% decline in 2019.
Roseburg Announces the Addition of SFI Certification on Select Western Manufactured Products
Roseburg has announced the addition of Sustainable Forest Initiative® (SFI) certification for select products manufactured at its Oregon and California facilities. Roseburg owns and manages 158,000 acres of SFI-certified timberland in North Carolina and Virginia.
RoyOMartin’s Chopin Louisiana Facility Marks Twenty-fifth Anniversary of Operations
RoyOMartin’s plywood and timber manufacturing plant in Chopin, Louisiana marked its twenty-fifth anniversary of operations on Monday, March 8th, 2021. Construction on the Natchitoches Parish facility began in August 1994, which continues to be one of the largest of its kind in North America.
X-Frame – New Innovative, Reusable Framing System for Residential and Commercial Projects
While attending architecture school, Gerard (Ged) Finch founded a reconfigurable structural timber framing system, X-Frame in 2017. According to Finch, X-Frame is a way to reduce construction waste and help transition the building industry towards a more circular economy.
Rockshield Engineered Wood Products to Undergo Restructuring
Rockshield Engineered Wood Products has announced it is undergoing restructuring in the hopes of avoiding bankruptcy and the permanent closure of their Cochrane, Ontario facility.
LP Announces $ 150 million Investment to Convert Houlton OSB Mill to LP SmartSide Manufacturing Facility
Louisiana Pacific Corp., (LP) has announced it is making an investment of approximately $150 million into its Houlton mill to begin the manufacturing of LP SmartSide products, a type of advanced engineered wood strand siding there.
LP Announces the Restart of the Peace Valley OSB Mill Later in 2021
Louisiana Pacific (LP) has announced that it intends to restart the Peace Valley OSB mill in Fort St. John, B.C. sometime later this year. LP curtailed the mill in June 2019 due a drop in U.S. housing starts and low commodity OSB prices.
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd Completes Norbord Inc. Transaction
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd and Norbord Inc., today (2-1-21) jointly announced that they have successfully completed the previously announced transaction, whereby West Fraser has acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Norbord. Under the terms of the Transaction, holders of Norbord Shares received 0.675 of a common share of West Fraser for each Norbord Share held.