In April 2023, US-based wood panel producer Roseburg Forest Products has ordered a new medium-density fibreboard (MDF) plant from Siempelkamp.
The newly commissioned Siempelkamp-equipped plant is part of a US$700m total planned investment in the southern Oregon, US region.
The investment includes a component manufacturing centre, as well as technological optimisations and upgrades to existing plants in rural Douglas and Coos counties.
The overall project is considered to be the largest known manufacturing investment in rural Oregon and one of the largest private capital investments in the state’s history, as claimed by Siempelkamp.
This is the second time Roseburg Forest Products invested in Siempelkamp’s technical know-how, the first time in 1969 for a composite panel press line.
“Effective manufacturing in today’s globally competitive environment requires efficient and automated equipment as well as new skills, analytical tools and work methodologies to optimise production capacity and the work environment,” said Jake Elston, senior vice-president of operations at Roseburg Forest Products.
“We are excited to be working side by side with Siempelkamp on making these things come together for a long and successful future at the new plant.”
The scope of supply includes the dryer line from Büttner including the sifter, the forming and press line with a 10ft x 42.1m ContiRoll, the cooling and stacking line as well as the intermediate storage and the associated automation of the machine technology.
The planning of the plant by specialists from Sicoplan is also included in the scope of supply.
Also integrated is the latest glue saving system for MDF, which is now being further developed with an internationally active industrial partner. This system allows consistent glue savings, low operating costs and technological flexibility.
According to Siempelkamp, its special atomisation technology reduces glue consumption by up to 15% while at the same time improving panel quality.
The EcoScan NEO measuring system is also used, which opens up a high-resolution analysis of the basis weight distribution and a foreign tramp material detection directly after the pre-press.
Via the adaptive forming system developed by Siempelkamp, it provides a closed control loop for best and permanent forming accuracy without human intervention.
A unique feature in the production process is the use of up to 100% sawdust as input material for the production of MDF instead of the usual wood chips, especially for thin MDF.
