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Roseburg Forest Products, Springfield, Or., will 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 at its Dillard Complex, and technological upgrades at existing plants in rural Douglas and Coos counties.
The total project represents the largest 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 president and CEO Grady Mulbery.
Dillard MDF will use wood residuals from Roseburg’s local mills and other regional mill suppliers to manufacture standard medium density fiberboard panels, as well as thin high density fiberboard, often used in cabinetry, doors and other applications. The plant will produce panels with a thickness range from 2mm to 28mm.
“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 from Roseburg’s MDF plant in Medford, Or., into Armorite Trim, a finished exterior product for residential and shed use. It’s an innovative, new product currently unavailable within the industry or market. Roseburg will invest roughly $50 million in this plant.
The new plants will have a combined annual capacity of 175 million sq. ft. of MDF, 70 million sq. ft. of exterior trim, and 90 million ft. of interior moulding.
MDF is an engineered wood product made from softwood residuals combined with wax and resin and formed into panels. It is denser than plywood, and stronger and denser than particleboard. HDF is a thinner, denser version of MDF. Roseburg currently owns and operates three MDF plants in North America.
The company anticipates that both new plants will begin operations in 2025, and will employ approximately 120 people once completed.
The remaining $200 million of the investment will go toward improvements at existing Roseburg plants in Oregon over the next four years, including a new dryer at its plywood plant in Coquille and significant upgrades at its plywood plant in Riddle, including two new lathe lines and a new hardwood plywood line.
