Roseburg Forest Products announced that it planned to invest $700 million over the next four years to upgrade and expand its manufacturing operations in Southern Oregon. The investment includes the creation of two new, state-of-the-art manufacturing plants, and technological improvements and upgrades at existing plants in rural Douglas and Coos counties.
The total project represents the largest ever known investment in manufacturing in rural Oregon, and one of the largest private capital investments of any kind in the state’s history.
The investment includes two new highly technical manufacturing plants at the company’s Dillard Complex, located just south of Roseburg, Oregon.
Dillard MDF will use wood residuals from Roseburg’s local mills as well as other regional mill suppliers to manufacture standard medium density fiberboard (MDF) panels, as well as thin high density fiberboard (HDF), often used in cabinetry, doors, and other applications. The plant will produce panels with a thickness range from 2 mm to 28 mm.
“HDF is a new product for Roseburg that meets growing customer demand for domestically manufactured panels of increasing thinness and strength,” Roseburg President and CEO Grady 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 manufactured at Roseburg’s MDF plant in Medford, Oregon, into Armorite Trim, a finished exterior trim product for residential and shed use. This is an innovative, new product currently unavailable within the industry or market. Roseburg will invest roughly $50 million in this plant.
The two plants together will be capable of producing the following:
- MDF panels: 175 million square feet per year on a ¾-inch basis, or 310,000 cubic meters per year;
- Primed Armorite exterior trim: 70 million square feet per year on a ¾-inch basis, or 124,000 cubic meters per year;
- Interior molding: 90 million feet per year.
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:
- Significant upgrades at plywood plant in Riddle, Oregon, including two new lathe lines and a new hardwood plywood line;
- A new dryer at plywood plant in Coquille, Oregon.
Founded in 1936, Roseburg Forest Products is a privately-owned company and one of North America’s leading producers of particleboard, medium density fiberboard and thermally fused laminates.
