Federal government invests $1.5M in forest technology in Pembroke, Ont.
by CM Staff
Roseburg Forest Products Canada's MDF plant is unique to Canada as it's integrated with a value-added product plant and uses byproducts from local facilities for the manufacture of MDF.
PEMBROKE — MP Anita Vandenbeld, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, announced a $1.5-million contribution to Roseburg Forest Products Canada for the installation of robotic equipment to enhance their medium-density fibreboard (MDF) plant. The contribution comes through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program, which facilitates the adoption of new technologies and products and aims to create a more competitive forest sector with a focus on low-carbon projects that result in new or diversified revenue streams. Roseburg Forest Products Canada also received a contribution of $1.5 million through Ontario’s Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program.
Roseburg Forest Products Canada’s MDF plant is unique to Canada as it’s integrated with a value-added product plant and uses byproducts from local facilities for the manufacture of MDF. This project focuses on the installation and production of two MDF moulding lines with custom-made robotized stacking, packaging and labelling stations — a new process that will increase the plant’s capacity. Other benefits of this technology include improved safety at the facility and upskilling 18 jobs into specialized positions, such as robot operators.
The project will increase MDF moulding production in Canada and reduce the dependency on foreign producers. It will also try and grow economic activity and secure jobs in rural Ontario, as well as provide uses for local business residues. Improved efficiency from this investment is expected to lower energy costs and improve environmental performance by reducing the facility’s carbon emissions.
“Through our Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program, we are providing $1.5 million to support this project at Roseburg Forest Products. This investment will help strengthen its operations and help ensure the long-term sustainability of Ontario’s forest sector,” said Graydon Smith, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.
