Swanson Group Inc intends to press on with plans to upgrade its Springfield, Oregon plywood mill, purchased last year from McKenzie Forest Products LLC, reports The Register-Guard.
Company president Steve Swanson said the last company to invest significantly in the Springfield mill was Georgia-Pacific in the 1960s.
The work, due to be finished in May 2009, include major modifications to the lathe and lathe charging system, upgrading the veneer dryers, and installing an automated grading and sorting system and an automated system for making plywood.
Swanson said the decision to move ahead with the improvements comes from a need to remain competitive. The company is competing with plywood from Canada, Mexico and South America, and its panels compete with OSB, he said.
