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. Of the $150 million invested, about $110 million would go toward the new machinery needed to produce the siding, and that $40 million would be used to upgrade different parts of the facility and that will include training for the mill’s approximately 160 employees for the upcoming changes. LP Houlton, located in New Limerick, Maine, has been manufacturing the company’s Oriented Strand Board and Engineered Wood Products building materials, which are mainly used in interior home design. The SmartSide products are used on the exterior of wood homes. In regard to the choice of the Houlton facility, LP spokesperson Breeanna Straessle said the Houlton mill was chosen in part due to the area’s ample access to aspen trees, the wood LP uses in its manufacturing process. She also said the change in production would help increase its demand for locally sourced materials.