Jun 30, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Norbord’s board of management announced its intention to rationalise its particleboard division at a special meeting of the works council on Wednesday. About 70 jobs could be affected. The board is keen to work together with the social partners in the most constructive way. Norbord has been forced to announce this intention by the unfavourable particleboard market situation in Western Europe. Norbord’s OSB division is not affected by the intended rationalisation. Norbord intends to reduce the annual particleboard production of its Genk facility from 250,000 m3 to 150,000 m3. The company expects to realise this change by introducing an adjusted shift schedule, which will also allow the company to better tailor its production to the needs of its customers. The planned reorganisation of the PB business may cost about 70 jobs. As these represent more than 10% of the total workforce of 205 employees at Norbord Genk, the company will follow the formal social information and consultation procedures as required by the “Renault law”. Norbord Inc. is an international wood-based panelboard producer with assets of $1.4 billion and annual sales in excess of $1 billion. The company is one of the largest producers of OSB in the world and has 16 operations in the United States, Europe and Canada. Norbord Inc. acquired the Genk production facility in eastern Belgium in September 2004. From there, the company supplies a range of high-quality OSB and particleboard products to its customers in the Benelux, Germany, France, Scandinavia and the UK.