Hood Industries To Modernize Waynesboro Operation
Hood Industries, Inc. is pleased to announce a major brownfield expansion to the existing facility in Waynesboro, Miss. This strategic $245 million upgrade will enhance the facility’s capabilities and was made possible through strong support from the state of Mississippi. The first day of operation is scheduled for early October 2026, after which demolition of the existing facility will commence.
Built in multiple phases on the existing site, the project will be executed in close collaboration between the Hood team, Comact and Piche to ensure the existing facility remains operational throughout the construction process.
“We have partnered with both Comact and Piche on a successful modernization project at our facility in Bogalusa, Louisiana,” says Jay Galloway, President of Hood Industries. “As we began to explore our options for upgrading the Waynesboro facility it became obvious to continue the partnership with these two companies. Their technical expertise, collaborative approach, and proven ability to deliver cutting-edge and reliable solutions made them a natural fit as we continue to invest in the future of our operations.”
The Waynesboro facility will feature a fully integrated sawmill provided by Comact along with two new continuous dual path kilns. On the existing continuous dry kiln a new gas burner will be installed to increase drying capacity and energy efficiency. The planer mill will be upgraded with lumber handling equipment from Piche to include a planer infeed system, trimmer and sorter line with a lumber stacker. Comact will provide a Miller planer and GradExpert system in the planer mill. AI-powered Smart Vision from Comact will be integrated throughout the process to continuously monitor operations and optimize throughput.
“This investment is about more than a new mill—it’s about building a sustainable future for our company, our employees, and the Waynesboro community,” Galloway adds.
Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is providing assistance through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive (MFLEX) program. MDA also is providing assistance for road and infrastructure improvements. Wayne County and AccelerateMS are also assisting with the expansion. The project is powered by Dixie Electric and Cooperative Energy.
Latest News
Industry Patriarch Varn Passes
George W. Varn, Sr., who broke into the family turpentine business following World War II, and then along with a cousin built a chip mill and a sawmill in the late 1960s in Hoboken, Ga., called Varn Wood Products, and who became one of the patriarchs of the southern pine lumber industry, died September 4 in St. Vincent’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., the same hospital…
GP To Build New Sawmill At Pineland
Georgia-Pacific plans to invest $120 million and build a new sawmill at its existing sawmill site in Pineland, Tex. Construction is expected to begin early next year and completed in late 2022. The new sawmill will replace the existing stud mill that was built in the 1960s. The new mill will have the ability to produce 450MMBF of…
West Fraser Buying New SYP Sawmill
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. has entered into an agreement to acquire the Angelina Forest Products (AFP) southern yellow pine sawmill in Lufkin, Tex. for $300 million (U.S.). The new sawmill began construction in 2018, commenced operations in late 2019 and is expected to progress toward full production capacity of more than…
WKO Acquires SDS Lumber
SDS Lumber, including its sawmill and plywood mill at Bigen, Wash., is part of an acquisition involving three purchasing entities. Seattle-based Twin Creeks Timber, LLC, The Conservation Fund, and Carson, Wash.-based Wilkins, Kaiser & Olsen, Inc. (WKO) are acquiring SDS Lumber and Timber Companies…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.