Australia’s first Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) manufacturing plant will be built by New Zealand-based XLam in the Albury Wodonga region, representing a $25 million investment and creating 54 local jobs. The high tech sustainable timber facility will produce 60,000 cubic metres of CLT each year, as the company says in the press release received by Lesprom Network.
CLT is a high tech alternative to concrete, made with sustainable plantation timber.
XLam has been manufacturing the innovative and versatile building material in New Zealand for five years and shipping it to Australia, in competition with European importers.
XLam has been assessing possible Australian sites for the facility over the last year, and has now selected the Albury Wodonga region, with a final site to be announced in the coming weeks.
Operational mid 2017, the new facility will be the sole manufacturer of CLT in Australia, and one of the most technologically advanced CLT plants worldwide.
XLam CEO Gary Caulfield said the investment would be a game-changer in the Australian market.
“For the first time Australian builders will be able to choose a CLT product that is designed and made in Australia from Australian timber, meeting a significant demand in the current market,” Mr Caulfield said.
