Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Roseburg Forest Products announced that it planned to invest $700 million over the next four years to upgrade and expand its manufacturing operations in Southern Oregon, where the company was founded nearly 90 years ago. The investment includes the creation of two new, state-of-the-art manufacturing plants, and technological improvements and upgrades at existing plants in rural Douglas and Coos counties.
The total project represents the largest ever known investment in manufacturing in rural Oregon, and one of the largest private capital investments of any kind in the state’s history.
“Across the business, Roseburg is embracing advanced manufacturing and leveraging new technology and methods to make our current products and develop new ones, with the goal of ensuring we remain competitive in the global market,” said Grady Mulbery, Roseburg president and CEO. “I want to thank our partners at the Governor’s office and Douglas and Coos counties for helping make this historic investment possible.”
The investment includes two new highly technical manufacturing plants at the company’s Dillard Complex, located just south of Roseburg, Ore.
Dillard MDF will use wood residuals from Roseburg’s local mills as well as other regional mill suppliers to manufacture standard medium density fiberboard (MDF) panels, as well as thin high density fiberboard (HDF), often used in cabinetry, doors, and other applications. The plant will produce panels with a thickness range from 2 mm to 28 mm.
“HDF is a new product for Roseburg that meets growing customer demand for domestically manufactured panels of increasing thinness and strength,” Mulbery said. “Dillard MDF will be one of the most technologically advanced plants of its kind in the world, and it alone represents $450 million of our $700 million investment.”
Dillard Components will convert specialty MDF panels manufactured at Roseburg’s MDF plant in Medford, Ore., into Armorite Trim, a finished exterior trim product for residential and shed use. This is an innovative, new product currently unavailable within the industry or market. Roseburg will invest roughly $50 million in this plant.
The two plants together will be capable of producing the following:
Tags: forest products, oregon, Roseburg, wood, wood and panel, woodworking, woodworking and manufacturing, woodworking event, woodworking industry, woodworking USA
