Canfor has decided to build a new $200 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Houston.
In January the company permanently closed its Chetwynd mill and temporarily closed its Houston mill. The ‘supermill’ opened 2004 and, at the time, was capable of producing 600 million board feet annually. When it closed the mill, the company stated it would make a final decision on whether to reinvest in Houston by the second quarter. That decision has been to give a green light to the plan.
The new mill will be a low cost, high efficiency facility will have an annual production capacity of approximately 350 million board feet.
“I’m very pleased to be making this announcement in British Columbia, where Canfor has been proudly
headquartered for 85 years,” said Don Kayne, President and CEO, in a news release. “This project represents another significant investment by our company to strengthen our diversified operating platform and ensure that we can continue to deliver the high-value products that are in demand by our customers around the globe.”
The decision comes following a comprehensive evaluation of customer requirements and a careful
evaluation of the availability of economic fibre in the region to support a successful investment, he said.
“We believe we have the plan, the people and the know-how to build a best-in-class facility that showcases B.C. workers, suppliers and technology,” said Kayne. “Today’s announcement underscores our ongoing commitment to British Columbia and the Houston community. It will strengthen our ability to provide our high-quality, sustainably produced forest products to the world, while providing good, family-supporting jobs here in BC. With this project we will also be building on our long history of strong, collaborative relationships with Indigenous Nations in the area as we grow our business partnerships.”
Work will begin immediately on detailed project engineering and permitting requirements. Vendor and
equipment selection will be finalized in early 2024 with demolition and site preparation scheduled for the spring. Planning, construction, and commissioning of the new facility is expected to take between 28 and 32 months depending on contractor availability and equipment lead times.
“We are very excited to be taking this important step to strengthen our manufacturing capacity and look
forward to working with our partners to build a world class facility that will supply our valued customers with the high quality, low carbon products that are in demand around the world,” said Kayne.