Interfor To Shut Down Two Washington Operations Citing Market Conditions
Citing tough market conditions and a challenging fiber supply, Interfor announced Tuesday that it will curtail operations at its Beaver sawmill and at its planer in Forks. The Beaver operation will wrap at the end of the day Friday. Interfor’s planer in Forks, which works hand-in-hand with the sawmill, will run for an additional seven to 10 business days to process remaining inventories before shutting down as well.
The shutdown affects 52 employees at the Beaver sawmill and another 38 workers in Forks. The shutdown is temporary, the company said, without providing a date for resuming operations. The shutdown will remain in effect indefinitely until market conditions change, company officials said.
“Our Olympic Peninsula operations have been caught between difficult market conditions and a challenging fiber supply that is further aggravated by the impacts from log exports,” said Steve Kroll, Interfor’s general manager for Washington operations. “The mill at Beaver has been particularly hard hit and has been running on a 40-hour-per-week schedule, which is difficult to maintain,” Kroll said.
Karen Brandt, director of public affairs for Interfor Corp. in Vancouver, B.C., said the company will continue to monitor market conditions and restart its West End operations “when it’s feasible.” Interfor’s West End operations were curtailed for about a month last year for the same market-driven reasons, Brandt said.
The company will continue to operate the Interfor Pacific mill west of Port Angeles, which employs about 120. “Port Angeles will continue to run as is right now,” Brandt said.
From the Peninsula Daily News: peninsuladailynews.com.
RELATED ARTICLES
Interfor Purchases Four Sawmills From GP
Interfor Is Purchasing WestRock Summerville Sawmill
Interfor Lays Off Gilchrist Staff
Latest News
Newsmakers 2016: DR Johnson Lumber Company
DR Johnson Lumber Co., based in the small Oregon town of Riddle, is poised at the forefront of what could be a revolutionary use of wood as a building material in the Northwest. Don R.…
Good Stories From Here To There
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-In-Chief, Timber Processing, March 2016 We really like the two sawmill features that appear in this issue because they are distinctly different (and about 2,000 miles from…
USDA Sets Dates For Softwood Check-Off Program Referendum
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced today that a continuance referendum will be conducted among eligible domestic (U.S.) manufacturers and importers of softwood lumber from August 1 through Aug. 25,…
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.