Andy Frei, lead engineer and project manager for the Hearst installation, noted, “The attention to detail on this system is so high that the entire 200 ft. long lathe line was assembled, tested and disassembled in Japan prior to shipping to Canada.”
Once disassembled, 36 containers holding the lathe, stackers and ancillary equipment were shipped to Vancouver, BC. From there, the Meinan system travelled across Canada via rail, was unloaded in Toronto and then transported to Hearst on 30 trucks.
“Finally, we now have our Meinan system in the plant,” Columbia Forest Products’ Canadian general manager Gilles Levesque commented. “As a follow-up to the more than $5 million investment in innovative capital projects at the facility over the past seven years, this $15 million crowning investment provides more than 200 employees in Hearst an integral piece of capital innovation that will enable us to compete well into the future – regardless of the exchange rate or foreign competition.”
Commenting on the most recent developments, Columbia’s president and CEO Brad Thompson stated, “Four years ago I challenged the Hearst team to show our board of directors that the facility was worthy of this significant investment. They rose to the occasion in the days and weeks that followed. With the Meinan equipment in place now, the workforce in Hearst is positioned to be the best in the world at what they do. I’m very proud of the accomplishments at Hearst and look forward to our team there delivering the best quality hardwood panels available to customers in Canada and the United States.”
Columbia Forest Products is America’s largest manufacturer of decorative hardwood plywood and hardwood veneer.
