Canfor announces $200M manufacturing facility project
The Houston, B.C. facility could be completed in 28 months.
The facility will be built in Houston, B.C. – Province of B.C.
Key Takeaways:
- The $200 million facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of approximately 350 million board feet.
- 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.
- Earlier this year, Canfor announced plans to wind down operations at existing mills in Chetwynd, Houston and Prince George.
The Whole Story:
Canfor, a global forest products company, plans to spend $200 million on a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Houston, B.C.
Canfor officials stated that the low cost, high efficiency facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of approximately 350 million board feet.
The news comes after significant Canadian closures. The company, which has been based in B.C. for 85 years, announced earlier this year that it would wind down operations at mills in Chetwynd, Houston and Prince George.
Don Kayne, president and CEO of Canfor, explained that the decision to build the new facility came 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.
“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,” he said. “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 B.C.”
He added that the project will be part of Canfor’s efforts to build strong, collaborative relationships with Indigenous Nations in the area.
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.
